The Comfort of Ghosts

In Winspear’s final Maisie Dobbs novel (following A Sunlit Weapon), World War II is over, but the United Kingdom is in recovery mode. Maisie is assisting a family with the disposal of some of their properties. When they hear of squatters living in the Belgravia mansion the family evacuated during the war, Maisie volunteers to deal with them. The four young squatters have taken in a wounded soldier—who turns out to be Will, Maisie’s partner’s son. He was a prisoner of war in Japan and in bad condition physical and mentally. The four teenage squatters are actually trained to be civilian soldiers in case of a German invasion. and they lead Maisie to a murder in Kent. The biggest mystery to conclude this series is when Maisie discovers that her deceased first husband, James Compton, fathered a child before the First World War. Maisie tracks down this man and must decide if she will tell him who he really is. This is an emotional and satisfying conclusion to a long running and beloved series.