Reading order · 18 books · 2003 to 2024 · Set in London
Maisie Dobbs Books in Order
Maisie Dobbs was a housemaid who studied her way to university, served as a nurse in the First World War, and becomes a psychologist and investigator in London. Her cases are shaped by the long shadows of the war, from the 1920s to the Second World War. Thoughtful, humane historical mysteries.
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Series facts
- Books
- 18
- Published
- 2003 to 2024
- First book
- Maisie Dobbs
- Latest
- The Comfort of Ghosts (2024)
- Setting
- Set in London
The reading order
Every Maisie Dobbs book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
18 books · Set in London
- 1Maisie Dobbs2003With Maisie DobbsIn 1929, Maisie Dobbs opens her investigation business in London.Buy on Amazon
- 2Birds of a Feather2004With Maisie DobbsMaisie is hired to find the runaway daughter of a wealthy grocer, and three of the young woman’s friends are found murdered.Buy on Amazon
- 3Pardonable Lies2005With Maisie DobbsA grieving family asks Maisie to confirm that their son, an airman, really died in the war, and the case takes her back to France.Buy on Amazon
- 4Messenger of Truth2006With Maisie DobbsAn artist falls to his death the night before his exhibition opens, and his sister asks Maisie to find out what happened.Buy on Amazon
- 5An Incomplete Revenge2008With Maisie DobbsMaisie investigates a series of fires in a Kent village during the hop-picking season.Buy on Amazon
- 6Among the Mad2009With Maisie DobbsOn Christmas Eve, Maisie witnesses a man’s death on a London street, and soon after, a threat is made against the government.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Mapping of Love and Death2010With Maisie DobbsThe remains of an American mapmaker killed in the war are found in France, along with letters from an English nurse he loved.Buy on Amazon
- 8A Lesson in Secrets2011With Maisie DobbsMaisie goes undercover at a Cambridge college for the Secret Service, and its founder is murdered.Buy on Amazon
- 9Elegy for Eddie2012With Maisie DobbsThe costermongers of Lambeth ask Maisie to find out how Eddie, a gentle man with a gift for horses, came to die.Buy on Amazon
- 10Leaving Everything Most Loved2013With Maisie DobbsAn Indian woman is found dead in a London canal, and Maisie takes the case the police have neglected.Buy on Amazon
- 11A Dangerous Place2015With Maisie DobbsIn 1937, Maisie, travelling home after years away, stops in Gibraltar, where she finds the body of a photographer.Buy on Amazon
- 12Journey to Munich2016With Maisie DobbsIn 1938, Maisie is sent undercover to Nazi Germany to bring home a British prisoner.Buy on Amazon
- 13In This Grave Hour2017With Maisie DobbsIn September 1939, as war is declared, a Belgian refugee from the First World War is murdered, and Maisie takes in a young evacuee who will not speak.Buy on Amazon
- 14To Die But Once2018With Maisie DobbsIn 1940, a young man from Billy Beale’s neighbourhood dies in suspicious circumstances, as the evacuation of Dunkirk approaches.Buy on Amazon
- 15The American Agent2019With Maisie DobbsDuring the Blitz, an American war correspondent is murdered, and Maisie works with an American agent to find the killer.Buy on Amazon
- 16The Consequences of Fear2021With Maisie DobbsIn 1941, a young messenger boy witnesses a murder, but no body is found.Buy on Amazon
- 17A Sunlit Weapon2022With Maisie DobbsIn 1942, women ferry pilots report being fired on in the English skies, and Maisie investigates.Buy on Amazon
- 18The Comfort of Ghosts2024With Maisie DobbsIn 1945, as the war ends, Maisie checks on a house where young people have been squatting, and finds a mystery that leads to her own past.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with Maisie Dobbs, as Maisie’s life develops across the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Maisie Dobbs | Billy Beale | Priscilla Partridge | Frankie Dobbs | Maurice Blanche | Mark Scott | Anna | James Compton |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Maisie Dobbs | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||
| 2 Birds of a Feather | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 3 Pardonable Lies | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 4 Messenger of Truth | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 5 An Incomplete Revenge | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 6 Among the Mad | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 7 The Mapping of Love and Death | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 8 A Lesson in Secrets | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 9 Elegy for Eddie | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 10 Leaving Everything Most Loved | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 11 A Dangerous Place | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 12 Journey to Munich | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||
| 13 In This Grave Hour | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 14 To Die But Once | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 15 The American Agent | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 16 The Consequences of Fear | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 17 A Sunlit Weapon | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 18 The Comfort of Ghosts | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Maisie Dobbs books
8 characters from Jacqueline Winspear’s chart, with the number of Maisie Dobbs books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Maisie DobbsPsychologist and investigator, a former maid and wartime nurse | 18 | Maisie Dobbs 2003 |
| Billy BealeMaisie’s assistant, a wounded veteran | 18 | Maisie Dobbs 2003 |
| Priscilla PartridgeMaisie’s closest friend | 18 | Maisie Dobbs 2003 |
| Frankie DobbsMaisie’s father | 18 | Maisie Dobbs 2003 |
| Maurice BlancheMaisie’s mentor | 10 | Maisie Dobbs 2003 |
| Mark ScottAmerican agent | 6 | Journey to Munich 2016 |
| AnnaEvacuee Maisie adopts | 6 | In This Grave Hour 2017 |
| James ComptonAristocrat and Maisie’s husband | 4 | A Lesson in Secrets 2011 |