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Miss Silver #2
The Case Is Closed
In this classic British mystery, a revised will, a troubled upper-class marriage, and a crazed witness shake up a seemingly solved murder case.
Marion Grey is growing used to the idea that her husband will never leave prison. After the horrors of a very public trial she's almost able to find relief in her resignation. But when new evidence suggests her husband may be innocent after all, she hires a professional--Miss Maud Silver--to clear his name.
It begins with a chance encounter on a busy train, when a friend of Marion's meets a half-mad woman who claims to know something of the Grey case. With her is a man who disappeared during the trial--and may have information that could set Marion's husband free. But who is he, and where has he gone? To find out, demure governess-turned-detective Miss Silver must track him down before becoming a victim herself.
In a series that's a delightful blend of Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie, retired schoolteacher and sleuth Miss Silver "has her place in detective fiction as surely as Lord Peter Wimsey or Hercule Poirot" (Manchester Evening News).
Marion Grey is growing used to the idea that her husband will never leave prison. After the horrors of a very public trial she's almost able to find relief in her resignation. But when new evidence suggests her husband may be innocent after all, she hires a professional--Miss Maud Silver--to clear his name.
It begins with a chance encounter on a busy train, when a friend of Marion's meets a half-mad woman who claims to know something of the Grey case. With her is a man who disappeared during the trial--and may have information that could set Marion's husband free. But who is he, and where has he gone? To find out, demure governess-turned-detective Miss Silver must track him down before becoming a victim herself.
In a series that's a delightful blend of Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie, retired schoolteacher and sleuth Miss Silver "has her place in detective fiction as surely as Lord Peter Wimsey or Hercule Poirot" (Manchester Evening News).
324 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1937
700 people are currently reading
1475 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Wentworth
158 books510 followersPatricia Wentworth--born Dora Amy Elles--was a British crime fiction writer.
She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London. After the death of her first husband, George F. Dillon, in 1906, she settled in Camberley, Surrey. She married George Oliver Turnbull in 1920 and they had one daughter.
She wrote a series of 32 classic-style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in 1928, and the last in 1961, the year of her death.
Miss Silver, a retired governess-turned private detective, is sometimes compared to Jane Marple, the elderly detective created by Agatha Christie. She works closely with Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Frank Abbott and is fond of quoting the poet Tennyson.
Wentworth also wrote 34 books outside of that series.
She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London. After the death of her first husband, George F. Dillon, in 1906, she settled in Camberley, Surrey. She married George Oliver Turnbull in 1920 and they had one daughter.
She wrote a series of 32 classic-style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in 1928, and the last in 1961, the year of her death.
Miss Silver, a retired governess-turned private detective, is sometimes compared to Jane Marple, the elderly detective created by Agatha Christie. She works closely with Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Frank Abbott and is fond of quoting the poet Tennyson.
Wentworth also wrote 34 books outside of that series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews
September 8, 2024
This is my second Miss Silver and I must say that I have become a lover of this series.
So much so, that I have purchased some more books by Patricia Wentworth.
Smart, classy and very, very British. 😉
Five stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
So much so, that I have purchased some more books by Patricia Wentworth.
Smart, classy and very, very British. 😉
Five stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
August 26, 2017
Marion and Geoffrey Grey had a wonderful marriage. Geoffrey was well established with his uncle’s Accounting firm, and Marion had been a part-time model until she became pregnant with their first child.
Then one evening Geoffrey is called to his uncle’s home and when he arrives his uncle is dead at his desk. A gun that Geoffrey had left in his uncle’s care when he got married is lying on the floor near the patio doors where he had entered. Geoffrey picks up the gun and hears a woman’s scream outside the door between the office and the hall, shortly followed by pounding on the door. Geoffrey goes to the door and unlocks it to find Mr. Mercer (his uncle’s butler) and Mrs. Mercer (his uncle’s cook) on the other side.
Fast forward, and Geoffrey is in prison, Marion has a miscarriage, and is a shadow of her former self. Hilary is Marion’s cousin and a huge supporter of Geoffrey’s. She doesn’t believe for one moment that he committed the murder of his uncle. Estranged from her almost-fiance Henry, and shut out by Marion’s refusal to talk about what happened, Hilary decides to investigate on her own.
I noticed in the first Miss Silver book that Miss Silver herself does not come into the story until somewhere around the 30% to 40% mark in the book. It is the same pattern in this book, and for me it is a device that adds so much to the book. As a reader, there is a great story unfolding and it’s only when things become badly muddled – or dangerous – that Miss Silver is called upon.
In this case, Hilary’s would-be fiancé Henry is acquainted with Charles who was one of the two main protagonists in the first Miss Silver mystery. So when Henry asks for Charles’ advice regarding who to hire to help with the investigation, Charles recommends Miss Silver and from there the book takes on a new and even more interesting dimension.
This is the second in this series, published in 1937 – nine years after the first one - and I am so impressed by the quality of the writing and the mystery itself. I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who is interested in great storytelling from the Golden Age of mystery writing.
Then one evening Geoffrey is called to his uncle’s home and when he arrives his uncle is dead at his desk. A gun that Geoffrey had left in his uncle’s care when he got married is lying on the floor near the patio doors where he had entered. Geoffrey picks up the gun and hears a woman’s scream outside the door between the office and the hall, shortly followed by pounding on the door. Geoffrey goes to the door and unlocks it to find Mr. Mercer (his uncle’s butler) and Mrs. Mercer (his uncle’s cook) on the other side.
Fast forward, and Geoffrey is in prison, Marion has a miscarriage, and is a shadow of her former self. Hilary is Marion’s cousin and a huge supporter of Geoffrey’s. She doesn’t believe for one moment that he committed the murder of his uncle. Estranged from her almost-fiance Henry, and shut out by Marion’s refusal to talk about what happened, Hilary decides to investigate on her own.
I noticed in the first Miss Silver book that Miss Silver herself does not come into the story until somewhere around the 30% to 40% mark in the book. It is the same pattern in this book, and for me it is a device that adds so much to the book. As a reader, there is a great story unfolding and it’s only when things become badly muddled – or dangerous – that Miss Silver is called upon.
In this case, Hilary’s would-be fiancé Henry is acquainted with Charles who was one of the two main protagonists in the first Miss Silver mystery. So when Henry asks for Charles’ advice regarding who to hire to help with the investigation, Charles recommends Miss Silver and from there the book takes on a new and even more interesting dimension.
This is the second in this series, published in 1937 – nine years after the first one - and I am so impressed by the quality of the writing and the mystery itself. I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who is interested in great storytelling from the Golden Age of mystery writing.
March 13, 2023
Geoffrey Grey sitzt seit über einem Jahr unschuldig im Gefängnis. Er soll seinen Onkel erschossen haben. Nun tauchen überraschend neue Fakten auf, die damals nicht berücksichtigt wurden. Hilary, eine Freundin von Geoffrey und seiner Frau, ermittelt auf eigene Faust. Unterstützt wird sie von ihrem Verlobten Henry und von Miss Silver, einer Privatdetektivin.
Miss Silver ist eine alte strickende Dame, die als ein Vorbild von Agatha Christies Miss Marple galt.
Da der Roman bereits 1937 veröffentlicht wurde, ist der Schreibstil für unsere heutige Zeit sicher etwas altmodisch, aber meiner Meinung nach macht das den Charme dieses Buches aus.
Ich kann es jedem empfehlen, der gerne klassische und eher gemütliche Kriminalromane liest.
Miss Silver ist eine alte strickende Dame, die als ein Vorbild von Agatha Christies Miss Marple galt.
Da der Roman bereits 1937 veröffentlicht wurde, ist der Schreibstil für unsere heutige Zeit sicher etwas altmodisch, aber meiner Meinung nach macht das den Charme dieses Buches aus.
Ich kann es jedem empfehlen, der gerne klassische und eher gemütliche Kriminalromane liest.
February 5, 2021
1937 murder mystery featuring the indomitable Miss Silver. The twist here is that a man has already been convicted of the murder and has been in jail for a year, but Hilary Carew accidentally bumps into the murdered man’s servant (there’s a lot of lucky—or sometimes very unlucky—accidental meetings in this book), and the woman’s oddly guilty words start to make Hilary wonder. One thing leads to another, and soon Miss Silver gets involved.
It has its moments, but the story also gets bogged down by some clunky inquest transcripts, too many coincidences, and a romance subplot that I was giving the serious side-eye. Recommended only if you’re a fan of Golden Age murder mysteries.
February 2021 group read with the Retro Reads group!
It has its moments, but the story also gets bogged down by some clunky inquest transcripts, too many coincidences, and a romance subplot that I was giving the serious side-eye. Recommended only if you’re a fan of Golden Age murder mysteries.
February 2021 group read with the Retro Reads group!
February 10, 2021
3.5★
Although I thought this Miss Silver mystery was definitely a step up from the first one, The Grey Mask but I am giving them both the same rating. Just can't quite bump the rating upt to 4★ as I know some of the later Silver novels are much better than this.
At the start of the story we find that Geoffrey Grey is already in prison for a crime that his wife's cousin, the jaunty Hilary Carew, is convinced he didn't commit. Marion Grey is Hilary's cousin & she cuts a tragic [Bad Carol: too damn tragic!] figure for most of the book. But Hilary is a wonderful character with a habit of making up rhymes whenever she is bored or in a tight corner.
Brave and resourceful she refuses to give up on Geoffrey - and she ends up dragging her former fiancé along for the ride.
The book improves considerably near the second half with the arrival of Miss Silver, but it struggles from Miss Silver being too omniscient, too many clues and too few suspects. But there were a couple of very neat twists at the end and I will certainly read more Miss Silver mysteries.
Although I thought this Miss Silver mystery was definitely a step up from the first one, The Grey Mask but I am giving them both the same rating. Just can't quite bump the rating upt to 4★ as I know some of the later Silver novels are much better than this.
At the start of the story we find that Geoffrey Grey is already in prison for a crime that his wife's cousin, the jaunty Hilary Carew, is convinced he didn't commit. Marion Grey is Hilary's cousin & she cuts a tragic [Bad Carol: too damn tragic!] figure for most of the book. But Hilary is a wonderful character with a habit of making up rhymes whenever she is bored or in a tight corner.
How bitter when your only bun,
Is not at all a recent one
Brave and resourceful she refuses to give up on Geoffrey - and she ends up dragging her former fiancé along for the ride.
The book improves considerably near the second half with the arrival of Miss Silver, but it struggles from Miss Silver being too omniscient, too many clues and too few suspects. But there were a couple of very neat twists at the end and I will certainly read more Miss Silver mysteries.
May 14, 2021
I came across Miss Silver by happenstance and very much enjoyed this story. Miss Silver is reminiscent of Jane Marple down to her knitting and her being initially underestimated as a sleuth. In this story, she doesn't arrive until about halfway through. That she predates Marple made it even more of a wonderful surprise that I stumbled upon a new to me sleuth to indulge in.
Here, the mystery is a murder case that has already been closed for a year. Geoff Grey is convicted of murdering his uncle. The motive being enragement at being disinherited. The method, gunshot (yes, he picked up the gun when he arrived on the scene). Geoff contends he didn't do it but everyone seems to believe he was lucky not to have been dealt a death penalty. His wife, Marion, is a ghost of her former self and who could blame her, within days of her husband's conviction, she goes into labour that almost claims her only for her baby to succumb. It's just all bad for the Greys. Marion's cousin Hilary is staying with her in the difficult time and decides to delve into the closed case after a run-in on a train with a woman who worked for Geoff's uncle & testified in court with damning testimony. It's up to Hilary and her almost-but-not-entirely-estranged ex-fiance to follow down the clues and exonerate him.
The entire mystery is hinged on the alibis of three people known to be in the house and two elsewhere at the time of the crime. These alibis are so perfect, that alone should have been suspect but it's made clear that from the coroner's inquest through to the trial, Geoff's guilt was a foregone conclusion. The questions asked aren't hard and the answers not difficult really to suss out, making the lazy investigation all the more annoying (so too Geoff's defence). I can't say the puzzle was hard but it was fun to work it out and see how it all came together for the characters. I did wish there was more of Marion and a scene with Geoff. Hilary and Henry were both soppy and too given to harassing one another but I didn't hate them for it.
I will continue with the series. I read this one on Kindle Unlimited but I can see buying those that aren't on offer that way. Recommended.
A couple favourite lines:
"Civilised young women do not slap butlers' faces in the street- it simply isn't done."
"It's better to be unhappy when you've done wrong, my dear. The worst that can happen to anyone is to be able to hurt other people without being hurt oneself."
"Very few people want to know the truth. They wish to be confirmed in their own opinions, which is a very different thing—very different indeed."
A new crossword puzzle word: mulct: a fine or compulsory payment (like taxation).
Here, the mystery is a murder case that has already been closed for a year. Geoff Grey is convicted of murdering his uncle. The motive being enragement at being disinherited. The method, gunshot (yes, he picked up the gun when he arrived on the scene). Geoff contends he didn't do it but everyone seems to believe he was lucky not to have been dealt a death penalty. His wife, Marion, is a ghost of her former self and who could blame her, within days of her husband's conviction, she goes into labour that almost claims her only for her baby to succumb. It's just all bad for the Greys. Marion's cousin Hilary is staying with her in the difficult time and decides to delve into the closed case after a run-in on a train with a woman who worked for Geoff's uncle & testified in court with damning testimony. It's up to Hilary and her almost-but-not-entirely-estranged ex-fiance to follow down the clues and exonerate him.
The entire mystery is hinged on the alibis of three people known to be in the house and two elsewhere at the time of the crime. These alibis are so perfect, that alone should have been suspect but it's made clear that from the coroner's inquest through to the trial, Geoff's guilt was a foregone conclusion. The questions asked aren't hard and the answers not difficult really to suss out, making the lazy investigation all the more annoying (so too Geoff's defence). I can't say the puzzle was hard but it was fun to work it out and see how it all came together for the characters. I did wish there was more of Marion and a scene with Geoff. Hilary and Henry were both soppy and too given to harassing one another but I didn't hate them for it.
I will continue with the series. I read this one on Kindle Unlimited but I can see buying those that aren't on offer that way. Recommended.
A couple favourite lines:
"Civilised young women do not slap butlers' faces in the street- it simply isn't done."
"It's better to be unhappy when you've done wrong, my dear. The worst that can happen to anyone is to be able to hurt other people without being hurt oneself."
"Very few people want to know the truth. They wish to be confirmed in their own opinions, which is a very different thing—very different indeed."
A new crossword puzzle word: mulct: a fine or compulsory payment (like taxation).
February 14, 2023
Miss Silver rocks: I almost took up knitting because of her!
May 10, 2018
Rating: 3.5* of five
Sexist, silly, and slow.
Trust in me all in all, or trust me not at all, folks, this offers the modern reader mysteries few of the pleasures we presently expect. The pace is killed dead as a rock by the documents the author plops right in the beginning, and later the documentary urge is revived right at the end. It's deadly dull because it goes on too long. It works to get dreary information fed to you, the reader, but wowee toledo does it bog the pace down.
The author relies quite heavily on coincidence as well as Death by Documents. The number of fortuitous encounters between Miss Hilary Carew and Mrs Mercer! Gracious goodness me, the way they practically bounce off each other like billiard balls you'd think England was some teeny-tiny little island or something! I live on a quite small barrier island off the south shore of a bigger island and I don't coincidentally run into people I absolutely *must* encounter above once a week. /sarcasm
The sexism is really surprising. Miss Hilary Carew wants her big, dashing Captain Henry Cunningham to Save Her from Them! This despite the fact that she does a damned good job of saving herself, thank you kindly, and Henry shows up only when muscle is genuinely required. Dishrag Mercer lives in terror of her abusive husband, who never lifts a finger against her just utters horrifying threats and brandishes a knife there's no evidence whatsoever that he knows how to use. When unwelcome guests invade her home, Mrs Marion Grey simply doesn't throw them out, she endures and endures and then finally, when Miss Hilary Carew her cousin as well as roommate arrives, she simply retires to her room in a State of Nerves. The lower-class women are dimwits and cry positive rivers of annoying, soppy tears. That sexism is there at all is the surprise, since none of the women really need the men to solve their problems. Miss Maud Hephzibah Silver least of all, of course.
And there's the other latter-day reader's lament. Where the hell does Miss Silver (casually dismissed for being a woman more than once) keep herself? She appears at convenient moments with convenient facts. Outside that, the twenty-first century reader's expectations of becoming intimate with our sleuth is an unmet need. We don't see Miss Silver do diddly in the way of detecting or even walking around, she just seems to use Floo Powder and apparates onto the scene of whatever action she can best bring to a screeching halt as she omnisciently moves the dramatis personae into the proper configuration for the ending to occur.
Since I've kvetched this little opus into the weeds, why did I give it three and a half stars? Because it's a surprisingly astute and subtle indictment of the annoying tropes it deploys. Miss Silver, Miss Carew and company aren't dishrags the way the poor women are. There are several quite formidable housekeepers and chambermaids. The latter is the one who asks the question that is at the heart of the (not terribly challenging) mystery. The author, a redoubtable soul in her own right, seems to me to be draping the fig-leaf of sexist silliness onto her competent women. She was sixty the year this book was published...1937...and seems to me to be sighing somewhat impatiently at the continued necessity to pretend that women are silly little chits without the ability to Think in their scatterbrains.
Happen I agree, Ma Wentworth.
Sexist, silly, and slow.
Trust in me all in all, or trust me not at all, folks, this offers the modern reader mysteries few of the pleasures we presently expect. The pace is killed dead as a rock by the documents the author plops right in the beginning, and later the documentary urge is revived right at the end. It's deadly dull because it goes on too long. It works to get dreary information fed to you, the reader, but wowee toledo does it bog the pace down.
The author relies quite heavily on coincidence as well as Death by Documents. The number of fortuitous encounters between Miss Hilary Carew and Mrs Mercer! Gracious goodness me, the way they practically bounce off each other like billiard balls you'd think England was some teeny-tiny little island or something! I live on a quite small barrier island off the south shore of a bigger island and I don't coincidentally run into people I absolutely *must* encounter above once a week. /sarcasm
The sexism is really surprising. Miss Hilary Carew wants her big, dashing Captain Henry Cunningham to Save Her from Them! This despite the fact that she does a damned good job of saving herself, thank you kindly, and Henry shows up only when muscle is genuinely required. Dishrag Mercer lives in terror of her abusive husband, who never lifts a finger against her just utters horrifying threats and brandishes a knife there's no evidence whatsoever that he knows how to use. When unwelcome guests invade her home, Mrs Marion Grey simply doesn't throw them out, she endures and endures and then finally, when Miss Hilary Carew her cousin as well as roommate arrives, she simply retires to her room in a State of Nerves. The lower-class women are dimwits and cry positive rivers of annoying, soppy tears. That sexism is there at all is the surprise, since none of the women really need the men to solve their problems. Miss Maud Hephzibah Silver least of all, of course.
And there's the other latter-day reader's lament. Where the hell does Miss Silver (casually dismissed for being a woman more than once) keep herself? She appears at convenient moments with convenient facts. Outside that, the twenty-first century reader's expectations of becoming intimate with our sleuth is an unmet need. We don't see Miss Silver do diddly in the way of detecting or even walking around, she just seems to use Floo Powder and apparates onto the scene of whatever action she can best bring to a screeching halt as she omnisciently moves the dramatis personae into the proper configuration for the ending to occur.
Since I've kvetched this little opus into the weeds, why did I give it three and a half stars? Because it's a surprisingly astute and subtle indictment of the annoying tropes it deploys. Miss Silver, Miss Carew and company aren't dishrags the way the poor women are. There are several quite formidable housekeepers and chambermaids. The latter is the one who asks the question that is at the heart of the (not terribly challenging) mystery. The author, a redoubtable soul in her own right, seems to me to be draping the fig-leaf of sexist silliness onto her competent women. She was sixty the year this book was published...1937...and seems to me to be sighing somewhat impatiently at the continued necessity to pretend that women are silly little chits without the ability to Think in their scatterbrains.
Happen I agree, Ma Wentworth.
May 20, 2015
Miss Maud Hephzibah Silver made her first appearance in 1929, but readers who met her then had an eight year wait before they could meer her again, in 1937’s ‘The Case is Closed’.
The story is engaging from the start: Hilary has stepped on to a train, after an argument with her fiancé, Henry, and because she had wanted to make a dramatic exit she had got on to the wrong train. As she watched for the next stop an elderly woman approached her, eager to speak to her quickly, while her husband was out of earshot. Hilary was inclined to think she was mad, but when she asked for news of the friend Hilary was staying with, with real concern, she realised that maybe the woman had a genuine interest. And very real fears.
Hilary was staying with her friend, Marion; because Marion was finding it difficult to cope with the aftermath of her husband’s conviction for murder. His was the case that was closed When Hilary described the woman and the incident on the train Marion was able to tell her she was. The woman who had wept in court as she reluctantly gave the evidence that made it inevitable that her husband, Geoff, would be found guilty.
Marion had bowed to the inevitable – the loss of her marriage, the loss of the possibility of children, the loss of her position in society – and she slipped away quietly to her job in a dress shop where she was known by a name that was not her own. While she was away Hilary began to examine all of the paperwork about Geoff’s trial, because she was quite that he was innocent.
The story played out beautifully, and though I guessed how the mystery would play out the characters and their relationships were engaging and believable. I was involved, and I wanted to be there as events played out.
I understood why Marion was very nearly broken, and just wanted to be left alone to drift through what was left of her life. I felt for her. I also understood what Hilary, who was lovely and more than a little headstrong, had to find out more and desperately wanted to do something. I liked her, I loved her spirit and energy, but I worried that she would run in to trouble when she began to make enquiries of her own.
Hilary had a very bad scare, and that made her realise that she needed help. She turned to Henry, her sensible, practical estranged fiancé, and he turned to the detective that his good friend – Charles Moray, of ‘Grey Mask’ fame – had recommended. Miss Silver.
I was delighted that Miss Silver was just as I had remembered her. She presented herself as a ‘professional aunt, she knitted at a rate of knots, but she was also a very capable detective. She had followed the case, and she had ideas about how to proceed. Her presence was very low-key though, and it almost seemed that she was steering Hilary and Henry to the solution of the mystery.
And sure enough, a couple of chapters from the end, Hilary had the same thought that I had a couple of chapters from the beginning!
The real strength of this book was the relationship between Hilary and Henry. They had opposite temperaments, but though they squabbled they complemented each other beautifully. I hoped that they’d realise that. And that they’d realise that they loved each other.
So this is a mystery that works because the human story is so good, and because the Patricia Wentworth wrote very well, with warmth and with wit. She picked out exactly the right details, there were some lovely touches, and I particularly liked Hilary’s habit of turning her thoughts into rhyming couplets.
I’d call this a lovely period piece. And maybe issue a warning that some of the attitudes to relationships between classes and sexes are quite dated.
My only disappointment was that the story was a little muddled at the end and that it was wrapped up rather quickly. I would have loved to have seen more of everyone’s reactions to the revelations and to what happened afterwards.
I’d have liked to have spent a little more time with Miss Silver too; but I see that there are thirty more books in the series. I’m already looking forward to the next one.
The story is engaging from the start: Hilary has stepped on to a train, after an argument with her fiancé, Henry, and because she had wanted to make a dramatic exit she had got on to the wrong train. As she watched for the next stop an elderly woman approached her, eager to speak to her quickly, while her husband was out of earshot. Hilary was inclined to think she was mad, but when she asked for news of the friend Hilary was staying with, with real concern, she realised that maybe the woman had a genuine interest. And very real fears.
Hilary was staying with her friend, Marion; because Marion was finding it difficult to cope with the aftermath of her husband’s conviction for murder. His was the case that was closed When Hilary described the woman and the incident on the train Marion was able to tell her she was. The woman who had wept in court as she reluctantly gave the evidence that made it inevitable that her husband, Geoff, would be found guilty.
Marion had bowed to the inevitable – the loss of her marriage, the loss of the possibility of children, the loss of her position in society – and she slipped away quietly to her job in a dress shop where she was known by a name that was not her own. While she was away Hilary began to examine all of the paperwork about Geoff’s trial, because she was quite that he was innocent.
The story played out beautifully, and though I guessed how the mystery would play out the characters and their relationships were engaging and believable. I was involved, and I wanted to be there as events played out.
I understood why Marion was very nearly broken, and just wanted to be left alone to drift through what was left of her life. I felt for her. I also understood what Hilary, who was lovely and more than a little headstrong, had to find out more and desperately wanted to do something. I liked her, I loved her spirit and energy, but I worried that she would run in to trouble when she began to make enquiries of her own.
Hilary had a very bad scare, and that made her realise that she needed help. She turned to Henry, her sensible, practical estranged fiancé, and he turned to the detective that his good friend – Charles Moray, of ‘Grey Mask’ fame – had recommended. Miss Silver.
I was delighted that Miss Silver was just as I had remembered her. She presented herself as a ‘professional aunt, she knitted at a rate of knots, but she was also a very capable detective. She had followed the case, and she had ideas about how to proceed. Her presence was very low-key though, and it almost seemed that she was steering Hilary and Henry to the solution of the mystery.
And sure enough, a couple of chapters from the end, Hilary had the same thought that I had a couple of chapters from the beginning!
The real strength of this book was the relationship between Hilary and Henry. They had opposite temperaments, but though they squabbled they complemented each other beautifully. I hoped that they’d realise that. And that they’d realise that they loved each other.
So this is a mystery that works because the human story is so good, and because the Patricia Wentworth wrote very well, with warmth and with wit. She picked out exactly the right details, there were some lovely touches, and I particularly liked Hilary’s habit of turning her thoughts into rhyming couplets.
I’d call this a lovely period piece. And maybe issue a warning that some of the attitudes to relationships between classes and sexes are quite dated.
My only disappointment was that the story was a little muddled at the end and that it was wrapped up rather quickly. I would have loved to have seen more of everyone’s reactions to the revelations and to what happened afterwards.
I’d have liked to have spent a little more time with Miss Silver too; but I see that there are thirty more books in the series. I’m already looking forward to the next one.
February 9, 2016
3 1/2 stars
The author relies a bit too much on coincidence, but I just don't give a hoot! This series feels easy and breezy and just plain fun!
The author relies a bit too much on coincidence, but I just don't give a hoot! This series feels easy and breezy and just plain fun!
February 5, 2021
3.5 stars
Geoffrey Grey has been convicted of murdering his uncle James. At the time the story opens Geoffrey has been in prison for a year. His wife, Marion, is slowly wasting away. Young Hilary Carew, Marion's cousin, deciding that she must find a way to prove Geoffrey's innocence, starts investigating; and off we go.
Hilary was a delight, full of spunk and drive; totally convinced the Geoffrey couldn't have done it. I loved her determination. I was not too fond of her fiance Henry at the beginning, but he came through when Hilary's life was threatened. It was Henry who decided to hire Miss Silver to lend some professional depth to the investigation.
The mystery had no real twists; early on the reader has a fairly good idea who the baddies were. It was more of trying to figure out how they did it and why. As Hilary said "(X) has too many alibis". I was happy with the resolution. Justice finally prevails.
I can understand why Miss Silver has so many fans--she's calm, clear-headed, unsentimental, and knits to help herself think. What's not to like?
Geoffrey Grey has been convicted of murdering his uncle James. At the time the story opens Geoffrey has been in prison for a year. His wife, Marion, is slowly wasting away. Young Hilary Carew, Marion's cousin, deciding that she must find a way to prove Geoffrey's innocence, starts investigating; and off we go.
Hilary was a delight, full of spunk and drive; totally convinced the Geoffrey couldn't have done it. I loved her determination. I was not too fond of her fiance Henry at the beginning, but he came through when Hilary's life was threatened. It was Henry who decided to hire Miss Silver to lend some professional depth to the investigation.
The mystery had no real twists; early on the reader has a fairly good idea who the baddies were. It was more of trying to figure out how they did it and why. As Hilary said "(X) has too many alibis". I was happy with the resolution. Justice finally prevails.
I can understand why Miss Silver has so many fans--she's calm, clear-headed, unsentimental, and knits to help herself think. What's not to like?
March 20, 2017
Geoffrey Grey is in prison for murdering his uncle, but both his wife Marion and their cousin, Hilary, are convinced that he did not do it. The world, however, believes that the right man is in prison. When a strange woman accosts Hilary on a train, her suspicions are aroused. She starts poking her nose into the old case, and almost gets murdered for her troubles. She turns to her ex-fiancé, Henry, who in turn turns to Miss Silver.
Just like the first book, Miss Silver is a shadowy presence and only comes into the picture in brief intervals as a consultant. This is not her story, but that of Hilary, and I don't think it is any worse for that. I loved this very typical golden age mystery.
The villains were pretty obvious right from the beginning, but the fun lay in how they are brought to justice. Hilary was a fun character, and while Marion and Henry both got irritating at times, there were still good moments with them. Henry especially was annoying. At some point, I wondered why he claimed to love Hilary when he never believed a single word she spoke.
I am growing into these delightful mysteries by Patricia Wentworth. I am just delighted that I have around 30 more to go!
Just like the first book, Miss Silver is a shadowy presence and only comes into the picture in brief intervals as a consultant. This is not her story, but that of Hilary, and I don't think it is any worse for that. I loved this very typical golden age mystery.
The villains were pretty obvious right from the beginning, but the fun lay in how they are brought to justice. Hilary was a fun character, and while Marion and Henry both got irritating at times, there were still good moments with them. Henry especially was annoying. At some point, I wondered why he claimed to love Hilary when he never believed a single word she spoke.
I am growing into these delightful mysteries by Patricia Wentworth. I am just delighted that I have around 30 more to go!
June 22, 2023
4.5 stars for a very enjoyable golden age mystery - I love Miss Silver, and this book had a very appealing (well, two, actually) couple in Hillary and Henry (and Marion and Geoff, but since he’s in prison we don’t see them together- but her reactions to prison visits, and conversations with her cousin Hillary, reveal how much she loves Geoff).
This mystery opens as Hillary is escaping from an encounter at the railroad station with her former fiancé, Henry. She ducks into the nearest train and ends up having a bizarre encounter with a weepy lady - at first she thinks she’s another nosy observer from her cousin Geoff’s murder trial, but then her questions indicate a familiarity with the family and the case.
When Hillary gets home and discusses the encounter with her cousin Marion, heartbroken over her husband’s imprisonment and losing their baby (this scene was very affecting, drew me right in), Marion thinks she knows who the lady is, shows Hillary a picture- oh, yes, that’s her! Turns out, it was Mrs. Mercer, former cook to the uncle Geoff was accused of killing the year before- her evidence, and that of her butler husband, Alfred, was the nail in the coffin for Geoff’s case, and he’s been serving his sentence in Dartmoor. Marion is heartbroken, convinced Geoff is slowly dying - even if he ever gets out, they’ll never have children...
Hillary is sure something has been overlooked, and starts investigating on her own; she’s a very appealing character, I really enjoyed her “inner imp” that came up with funny rhymes at the silliest times (sorry!). But her amateur efforts draw unwelcome attention, and in a very atmospheric, foggy, scary scene, she’s almost killed!
She calls in her beloved, stalwart Henry (who clearly loves her), and he contacts the delightful Miss Silver for help and advice. Things move along at a clip, and there is an exciting, very satisfying climax - I really enjoyed this one! Wentworth does an excellent job bringing out the humanity and suffering of all those involved in this closed case, and gives us a very satisfying solution.
Thanks to the Retro Reads group for bringing Miss Silver back to my attention after a less than riveting first read many years ago. We read one of her books last year, #7 I think, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and now this great mystery! Definitely want to read more...oh, and the audiobook with Diane Bishop narrating is very well done.
This mystery opens as Hillary is escaping from an encounter at the railroad station with her former fiancé, Henry. She ducks into the nearest train and ends up having a bizarre encounter with a weepy lady - at first she thinks she’s another nosy observer from her cousin Geoff’s murder trial, but then her questions indicate a familiarity with the family and the case.
When Hillary gets home and discusses the encounter with her cousin Marion, heartbroken over her husband’s imprisonment and losing their baby (this scene was very affecting, drew me right in), Marion thinks she knows who the lady is, shows Hillary a picture- oh, yes, that’s her! Turns out, it was Mrs. Mercer, former cook to the uncle Geoff was accused of killing the year before- her evidence, and that of her butler husband, Alfred, was the nail in the coffin for Geoff’s case, and he’s been serving his sentence in Dartmoor. Marion is heartbroken, convinced Geoff is slowly dying - even if he ever gets out, they’ll never have children...
Hillary is sure something has been overlooked, and starts investigating on her own; she’s a very appealing character, I really enjoyed her “inner imp” that came up with funny rhymes at the silliest times (sorry!). But her amateur efforts draw unwelcome attention, and in a very atmospheric, foggy, scary scene, she’s almost killed!
She calls in her beloved, stalwart Henry (who clearly loves her), and he contacts the delightful Miss Silver for help and advice. Things move along at a clip, and there is an exciting, very satisfying climax - I really enjoyed this one! Wentworth does an excellent job bringing out the humanity and suffering of all those involved in this closed case, and gives us a very satisfying solution.
Thanks to the Retro Reads group for bringing Miss Silver back to my attention after a less than riveting first read many years ago. We read one of her books last year, #7 I think, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and now this great mystery! Definitely want to read more...oh, and the audiobook with Diane Bishop narrating is very well done.
April 11, 2022
It’s funny how two people can read the same book and come to such opposite conclusions. It’s almost like we didn’t read the same book. So one of my goodreads friends said this book is “sexist, silly and slow”. I guess there are sexist elements but that’s pretty common in books from that time period (it was published in 1937). Personally, I think it’s difficult to make that assertion since the detective is a strong female character, Miss Silver. I honestly didn’t find it silly although perhaps a bit melodramatic in a few places. From my point of view it isn’t slow at all. There is plenty of action and suspense, more than in most Golden Age Mysteries. Sure kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed reading this one a great deal and would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries from this time period.
February 15, 2021
Genre readers always have to deal with tropes, some of which they may enjoy and some of which they may loath. This mystery has all the tropes that annoy me most, especially the one where a naïve heroine runs repeatedly into danger with no plan. 2.5 stars
November 9, 2019
Pretty disappointing. The repetitive retelling of the same events and conversations led me to believe it was either filler, or the author did not trust the reader to retain. I did not care for the lead protagonist nor her fiancee, who is also a lead character, though I think the author meant for the reader to like them. I was irritated a lot through out. I finished it, but I did not care for it, but I will read more of these in this Miss Silver mystery series, I hear other ones are awesome, and I loved book one.
August 8, 2018
The Case is closed (Miss Silver, #2) by Patricia Wentworth.
Hilary Carew is actually the main character in this story and what a character she is! Hilary is beyond dramatic in an almost obnoxious way yet she's a darling of a girl. She was engaged to Henry who is quite the gentleman. That was until they had a spat and Hilary ran onto the wrong train. a train that would be taking her in exactly the opposite direction she intended to go.
Hilary, still pouting about their lovers' quarrel, is confronted in the trains' cabin by a woman who recognizes her. A woman by the name of Mrs. Mercer who gave testimony against Hilary's cousin that sent her brother in law to prison for murder. Mrs. Mercer can't seem to get her emotions under control and she continues to weep and speak at the same time. All of her sorrow reverts back to that horrid trial that happened more than a year ago.
I enjoy this author's style of writing. it reflects back to the golden age of mysteries where the characters emotions are equally as important as their actions. Each expressed in detail. Miss Silver does not enter the story until quite late in the story, but uncovers the hidden clues in such an easy going manner that it's a delight to read.
Highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyed.
Hilary Carew is actually the main character in this story and what a character she is! Hilary is beyond dramatic in an almost obnoxious way yet she's a darling of a girl. She was engaged to Henry who is quite the gentleman. That was until they had a spat and Hilary ran onto the wrong train. a train that would be taking her in exactly the opposite direction she intended to go.
Hilary, still pouting about their lovers' quarrel, is confronted in the trains' cabin by a woman who recognizes her. A woman by the name of Mrs. Mercer who gave testimony against Hilary's cousin that sent her brother in law to prison for murder. Mrs. Mercer can't seem to get her emotions under control and she continues to weep and speak at the same time. All of her sorrow reverts back to that horrid trial that happened more than a year ago.
I enjoy this author's style of writing. it reflects back to the golden age of mysteries where the characters emotions are equally as important as their actions. Each expressed in detail. Miss Silver does not enter the story until quite late in the story, but uncovers the hidden clues in such an easy going manner that it's a delight to read.
Highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyed.
January 3, 2016
Free download available at Faded Page.
Geoffrey Grey has been convicted of his uncle's murder but his wife and wife's cousin think he is innocent. Just before his murder Geoffrey's uncle, James changes his will to a nephew he has always disliked. Upon telling Geoffrey that he no longer his heir the older man is found dead in a locked room with the knife in Geoffrey's hand.
2* Beggar's Choice
2* A Marriage Under the Terror
TR The Fire Within
TR Devil's Wind
Miss Silver series:
3* Grey Mask (Miss Silver, #1)
4* The Case Is Closed (Miss Silver, #2)
2* The Ivory Dagger (Miss Silver, #18)
4* Out of the Past (Miss Silver, #23)
3* The Benevent Treasure (Miss Silver, #26)
TR Lonesome Road (Miss Silver, #3)
TR Danger Point (Miss Silver, #4)
TR The Chinese Shawl (Miss Silver, #5)
TR Miss Silver Deals With Death (Miss Silver, #6)
TR The Clock Strikes Twelve (Miss Silver, #7)
TR The Key (Miss Silver, #8)
TR She Came Back (Miss Silver, #9)
TR Pilgrim's Rest (Miss Silver, #10)
TR Latter End (Miss Silver, #11)
TR Wicked Uncle (Miss Silver, #12)
TR The Case of William Smith (Miss Silver, #13)
TR Eternity Ring (Miss Silver, #14)
TR The Catherine Wheel (Miss Silver, #15)
TR Miss Silver Comes to Stay (Miss Silver, #16)
TR The Brading Collection (Miss Silver, #17)
Geoffrey Grey has been convicted of his uncle's murder but his wife and wife's cousin think he is innocent. Just before his murder Geoffrey's uncle, James changes his will to a nephew he has always disliked. Upon telling Geoffrey that he no longer his heir the older man is found dead in a locked room with the knife in Geoffrey's hand.
2* Beggar's Choice
2* A Marriage Under the Terror
TR The Fire Within
TR Devil's Wind
Miss Silver series:
3* Grey Mask (Miss Silver, #1)
4* The Case Is Closed (Miss Silver, #2)
2* The Ivory Dagger (Miss Silver, #18)
4* Out of the Past (Miss Silver, #23)
3* The Benevent Treasure (Miss Silver, #26)
TR Lonesome Road (Miss Silver, #3)
TR Danger Point (Miss Silver, #4)
TR The Chinese Shawl (Miss Silver, #5)
TR Miss Silver Deals With Death (Miss Silver, #6)
TR The Clock Strikes Twelve (Miss Silver, #7)
TR The Key (Miss Silver, #8)
TR She Came Back (Miss Silver, #9)
TR Pilgrim's Rest (Miss Silver, #10)
TR Latter End (Miss Silver, #11)
TR Wicked Uncle (Miss Silver, #12)
TR The Case of William Smith (Miss Silver, #13)
TR Eternity Ring (Miss Silver, #14)
TR The Catherine Wheel (Miss Silver, #15)
TR Miss Silver Comes to Stay (Miss Silver, #16)
TR The Brading Collection (Miss Silver, #17)
October 31, 2013
My first of the Miss Silver series and really didn't get to know Miss Silver much as all, as she arrives late in the story and is more of a guide to end the mystery than anything.
The story is a very good mystery and the writing is just terrific. Unlike current books of today that are excessive with needless words, Wentworth is an actual writer that knows how to set a scenes and unribbon the story. Her descriptions and character development are outstanding. Really enjoyed the interaction of characters Hillary and Henry as they solve the crime and configure their relationship.
Those that have relegated their reading to current contemporary books, are likely to find this book tough to get through. The book is not obvious to it's direction and the asides are plenty and very well written.
Bottom line: i recommend the book.
The story is a very good mystery and the writing is just terrific. Unlike current books of today that are excessive with needless words, Wentworth is an actual writer that knows how to set a scenes and unribbon the story. Her descriptions and character development are outstanding. Really enjoyed the interaction of characters Hillary and Henry as they solve the crime and configure their relationship.
Those that have relegated their reading to current contemporary books, are likely to find this book tough to get through. The book is not obvious to it's direction and the asides are plenty and very well written.
Bottom line: i recommend the book.
July 2, 2017
Read this for a reading challenge. It is a good old fashioned murder mystery. Patricia Wentworth wrote many Miss Silver mysteries and I can't think of any more pleasant pursuit than reading through all of them. Although Miss Silver is the private investigator, in this book, the other characters play vital roles in uncovering the solution to the crime. It was a very exciting and satisfying story and I look forward to reading more Miss Silver mysteries.
September 20, 2016
The second of the Miss Silver series. A really solid mystery. Miss Silver does not enter the story until about the half way point. A young man is convicted of murdering his uncle. He claims the uncle was dead when he arrived. All the evidence indicates he is guilty.
December 31, 2022
4.5* rounded up to 5*
July 27, 2023
I found this one a slog to get through but persevered as I liked the previous book. Although they are called the 'Miss Silver' series, for me she is only ever a bit player/convenient plot device (in the first two books at least). I will try the third in the series at some point, but will stop if it's not doing it for me.
December 15, 2023
A good mystery but so-so narration.
August 26, 2019
I love the Patricia Wentworth crime series and reread all of them regularly (even the weaker ones - the quality varies wildly). The Case Is Closed starts from the simple premise that a man is in prison for murdering his uncle and his wife and her cousin don't believe he did it.
This is not an original starting point but Wentworth's very recognisable style and ability to add emotion and powerful characterisation makes it affecting. Marion is icily cold, shutting out pain, sorrow and hope, while her young cousin Hilary is energetic, passionate and ready to fight for Marion's happiness. One thing that bothers me about all this is that a lot of emphasis is put on Marion's thinness and weariness and the necessity of her nonetheless earning a living as a mannequin. Meanwhile, Hilary lives with her and does nothing other than a little light dusting and wandering off during the day to do detecting. Why does it never occur to her to get a job to help her poor cousin out?
As a subplot, Hilary has broken her engagement with Captain Henry Cunningham over a misunderstanding. This is a source of comedy which can sometimes jar with the overall gloom and pathos of the situation but overall, I find it a bit of a relief, to be honest.
The murder plot itself is, while not particularly exciting, well worked out - not something you can always rely on with this author. And the supporting characters are well delineated, although there is, as often, rather too heavy a reliance on downtrodden female servants who seem entirely incapable of breaking out of their awful marriages. This may well be realistic for the time but it's depressing - and it's notable how comparatively spirited and original Agatha Christie's female characters are. You only have to read the opening two chapters of A Murder Is Announced to meet a whole plethora of women, all well-rounded, interesting and defined by their personality rather than their gender.
A word on the detective - this must be one of the earlier Miss Silver stories because, as with her first appearance in Grey Mask, she has not yet developed her most well-loved traits. The cosiness, the knitting, the cough. She's still a little bit brusque with Captain Henry Cunningham and capable of running, which came as a surprise to me.
Overall, this is a middling Patricia Wentworth, not one of my favourites but also not as chaotic as some of her weakest efforts.
This is not an original starting point but Wentworth's very recognisable style and ability to add emotion and powerful characterisation makes it affecting. Marion is icily cold, shutting out pain, sorrow and hope, while her young cousin Hilary is energetic, passionate and ready to fight for Marion's happiness. One thing that bothers me about all this is that a lot of emphasis is put on Marion's thinness and weariness and the necessity of her nonetheless earning a living as a mannequin. Meanwhile, Hilary lives with her and does nothing other than a little light dusting and wandering off during the day to do detecting. Why does it never occur to her to get a job to help her poor cousin out?
As a subplot, Hilary has broken her engagement with Captain Henry Cunningham over a misunderstanding. This is a source of comedy which can sometimes jar with the overall gloom and pathos of the situation but overall, I find it a bit of a relief, to be honest.
The murder plot itself is, while not particularly exciting, well worked out - not something you can always rely on with this author. And the supporting characters are well delineated, although there is, as often, rather too heavy a reliance on downtrodden female servants who seem entirely incapable of breaking out of their awful marriages. This may well be realistic for the time but it's depressing - and it's notable how comparatively spirited and original Agatha Christie's female characters are. You only have to read the opening two chapters of A Murder Is Announced to meet a whole plethora of women, all well-rounded, interesting and defined by their personality rather than their gender.
A word on the detective - this must be one of the earlier Miss Silver stories because, as with her first appearance in Grey Mask, she has not yet developed her most well-loved traits. The cosiness, the knitting, the cough. She's still a little bit brusque with Captain Henry Cunningham and capable of running, which came as a surprise to me.
Overall, this is a middling Patricia Wentworth, not one of my favourites but also not as chaotic as some of her weakest efforts.
January 19, 2015
I really want to give this one star but begrudgingly have to give it two. It earns the second star because the characters are passable and because there are some passages that the highlighter-wielding reader will certainly relish.
However, as a mystery, TCIC is an absolute failure. No Christie reader will fail to have this one wrapped up, and there's really nothing of interest at the core of the affair. I saw a review saying that Miss Silver seemed cleverer than Marple, but my goodness, she hardly solves a thing. She's really more of a Hastings, here, though Wentworth clearly wants her to be more. The solution is more or less handed on a silver plate and then she irons out a few very obvious secondary details.
What this book really does is make me appreciate more just how good Christie was at her craft. The first 50 pages of this starts out like a Christie, with a reasonably interesting if bog standard house murder with locked door complications, but it goes nowhere, and instead, the author throws us through suspense-less action scenes. In the middle bits, the book actually threatened to become a thriller. Not so for Christie- when she was writing a whodunnit, she knew just how to structure it to keep the focus on the pertinent case details, ratchet up your suspicions about EVERYONE, and then bring it all to a fever pitch as everyone sat down for the reveal. I could give Wentworth a slack if she had written this 10 years earlier in say, 1927- at that point, Christie was just warming up and hadn't written many of her classics just yet. But the mystery on offer here must have been simple and cliche even by 1937.
Finally, Wentworth needs to learn to trust her readers (and maybe she does in later books)- bits of information we already know get repeated ad nauseam to catch other characters up and without any furthering of the facts themselves. Does she think we can't keep up? Or is she padding the book?
But so far, a stark contrast- to the list of Christie, Sayers, Carr, etc Wentworth does not belong.
However, as a mystery, TCIC is an absolute failure. No Christie reader will fail to have this one wrapped up, and there's really nothing of interest at the core of the affair. I saw a review saying that Miss Silver seemed cleverer than Marple, but my goodness, she hardly solves a thing. She's really more of a Hastings, here, though Wentworth clearly wants her to be more. The solution is more or less handed on a silver plate and then she irons out a few very obvious secondary details.
What this book really does is make me appreciate more just how good Christie was at her craft. The first 50 pages of this starts out like a Christie, with a reasonably interesting if bog standard house murder with locked door complications, but it goes nowhere, and instead, the author throws us through suspense-less action scenes. In the middle bits, the book actually threatened to become a thriller. Not so for Christie- when she was writing a whodunnit, she knew just how to structure it to keep the focus on the pertinent case details, ratchet up your suspicions about EVERYONE, and then bring it all to a fever pitch as everyone sat down for the reveal. I could give Wentworth a slack if she had written this 10 years earlier in say, 1927- at that point, Christie was just warming up and hadn't written many of her classics just yet. But the mystery on offer here must have been simple and cliche even by 1937.
Finally, Wentworth needs to learn to trust her readers (and maybe she does in later books)- bits of information we already know get repeated ad nauseam to catch other characters up and without any furthering of the facts themselves. Does she think we can't keep up? Or is she padding the book?
But so far, a stark contrast- to the list of Christie, Sayers, Carr, etc Wentworth does not belong.
April 25, 2014
4 Stars
Geoffrey Grey has been convicted of his uncle's murder but his wife and wife's cousin think he is innocent. Just before his murder Geoffrey's uncle, James changes his will to a nephew he has always disliked. Upon telling Geoffrey that he no longer his heir the older man is found dead in a locked room with the knife in Geoffrey's hand.
Hilary, Marion Grey's cousin is heartbroken over the conviction and what it is doing to her cousin. When on a train she is confronted with James's cook she begins to think there is more to the story than what was presented in court. As the young girl gets deeper into solving the murder she also becomes a target. Her ex-fiance hires Miss. Silver a P.I. who steps in to help.
This is the second novel in the Miss. Silver and I am hooked. Unlike other novels from the era the knitting P.I. has a smaller role in the books, She is often called on the case halfway through the novel. The book focuses on the character involved in the novel. If you like cozy mysteries, noir, old time radio programs this might be the novel for you.
Geoffrey Grey has been convicted of his uncle's murder but his wife and wife's cousin think he is innocent. Just before his murder Geoffrey's uncle, James changes his will to a nephew he has always disliked. Upon telling Geoffrey that he no longer his heir the older man is found dead in a locked room with the knife in Geoffrey's hand.
Hilary, Marion Grey's cousin is heartbroken over the conviction and what it is doing to her cousin. When on a train she is confronted with James's cook she begins to think there is more to the story than what was presented in court. As the young girl gets deeper into solving the murder she also becomes a target. Her ex-fiance hires Miss. Silver a P.I. who steps in to help.
This is the second novel in the Miss. Silver and I am hooked. Unlike other novels from the era the knitting P.I. has a smaller role in the books, She is often called on the case halfway through the novel. The book focuses on the character involved in the novel. If you like cozy mysteries, noir, old time radio programs this might be the novel for you.
Want to read
May 11, 2015Description: This Miss Silver mystery focuses on the struggle for power in male-female relationships - on the light-hearted side, in the signature "nice young couple" (Hilary and Henry), while a villain displays dominance and abuse. We gain a picture of life among the well-bred if not well-fed as we follow Hilary's attempts to clear her cousin's husband Geoffrey, who has been convicted of the murder of his uncle. The attitudes and sensitivities of a different time are on display as Hilary's cousin copes with the degradation of having to earn a living as a couturier's model, and the loss of not only her husband, but the children she had hoped to have. Henry is not at all sure that the conviction was unjust, but the villains behave sufficiently suspiciously that he brings in governess-turned-private-enquiry-agent-Miss Silver, who discovers a decidedly dated motive for the down-trodden housekeeper's behavior. Some near escapes, tricky timetables and elaborate plots complete this tale from mystery's Golden Age.
December 30, 2019
What a wonderful premise for a book - beginning with a closed case of murder and a conviction and imprisonment of one who is hoped to be innocent. The moods of despair mingled with hopefulness was excellently done in this story. Although the first book in this Miss Silver series had her only playing a small role, she begins to come to the forefront as a discerning "inquiry agent", that is a private detective interested in cases where the results are that finally the truth comes out. Miss Silver is slightly reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, but I think she is much more clever and not so doddering. I like, too, the element of romance which is not central to the story but brings a bit of anticipated and satisfying happiness at the end.
February 14, 2021
The plot was predictable, but the characters made up for it -- the delightful ditzy Hilary who just KNOWS the convicted murderer didn't do it and is hell bent on proving it, her long-suffering stuffed shirt boyfriend Henry, and the indomitable Miss Silver, a little old lady private investigator who aids the young couple in their quest. I read it straight through in two evenings, and will look for other books about Miss Silver. The author's writing style is simple and charming.
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