Writing this review feels like a rite of passage for me. THE COMFORT OF GHOSTS is the 11th Maisie Dobbs mystery I've reviewed for Bookreporter. Since Jacqueline Winspear has announced that it will be the final installment, I know many readers will share my feelings of both appreciation and wistfulness as this brilliant series comes to a close.

When we met Maisie Dobbs in 2003, she was a young woman in 1929, just getting her feet under her as a private investigator and learning from her mentor, while still coping with her experiences as a nurse during the Great War. Now, Maisie is a mature wife and mother with a successful career and a comfortable home life. But in 1945, she and so many others in England are still coping with the aftermath of two devastating world wars.

"[E]ven though readers might be disappointed that there are no new Maisie Dobbs mysteries to anticipate, they can gain comfort in the fact that this wise, compassionate and resilient protagonist will always be available for a return visit in the pages of Winspear's resplendent series."

The ways in which wartime trauma is recapitulated has been an ongoing theme of the series, and that continues to be true here. A young man is at death's door, nearly starving and inarticulate. As we soon discover, he is a newly released prisoner of war, still reeling from torture in a Japanese prison. He also has a close relationship with one of Maisie's oldest and dearest friends. Maisie's discovery of him in a London home introduces her to four British teenagers, surprising foot soldiers in an underground civilian army, trained and ready to mobilize should the Nazis invade. By 1945, it's clear that this possibility has faded, but these young people remain profoundly scarred not only by the intensity of their training, but by a murder they claim to have witnessed.

THE COMFORT OF GHOSTS is really two mysteries in one. At first, Maisie sets out to gather more information about the apparent Nazi sympathizer --- one with surprising ties to another of Maisie's acquaintances --- whose death the children have described. But in the book’s final third, the mystery grows more personal, as newly discovered information sheds light on a long-buried family secret, one with relevance to Maisie's very first cases all those years ago.

Winspear utilizes an image of a dragon to describe the ways in which the damage of war, even for the civilian population, continues to haunt the British people emerging from 30 years of war. She shows how the scars of war can be borne physically but also manifest themselves in surprising, sometimes uncontrollable ways: in the form of addictive behaviors, unexplained violence, suspicions, damaged relationships and broken hearts.

At times, Maisie's journey in this final novel can feel like Old Home Week, as she reconnects with almost all of the (still living) characters who have played recurring roles in the series and provides more backstory on them. This level of exposition might be a bit unnecessary, especially for longtime fans. However, it’s possible that this walk down memory lane will prompt some nostalgic readers to want to start from the beginning. The good news is that they'll be able to do so in style. Winspear's publisher is planning a 20th anniversary re-release of the first book later this year.

So even though readers might be disappointed that there are no new Maisie Dobbs mysteries to anticipate, they can gain comfort in the fact that this wise, compassionate and resilient protagonist will always be available for a return visit in the pages of Winspear's resplendent series.