The Case is Closed - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:  The Case is Closed (Miss Silver #2) by Patricia Wentworth

Rating:  Really Liked It!
Source:  Purchased

Description: The Everton murder case has long been closed. The culprit has been charged with the murder of his uncle and has served a year of his sentence already. Or has he?
The evidence against Geoffrey Grey is convincing but his wife believes in his innocence. And so does her young cousin, Hilary, who decides to solve the mystery herself.

But when Hilary herself is nearly murdered she turns in desperation to her ex-fiance for help. He calls upon the services of Miss Silver to help solve another mystery, which she does in her own original style.

Genre: Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:  Because now seems like the time for a Miss Silver reread and this is the 2nd book.

My Impression:  This was a bit of a unique mystery.  The murder happened over a year before the book starts.  And what's more there's been a suspect named and a trial that convicted him.  So really what kind of mystery can there be?  Turns out quite a lot and quite a lot can happen off one chance meeting.

This is a bit more of a traditional Miss Silver mystery.  The heroine is very much a Wentworth heroine.  She's smart but impulsive, well-bred but with a bit of mischief that can't always be contained.  And she has a big heart and not a mean bone in her body which frequently gets her tangled up in things she has no business being involved in.  Which is exactly what happened to Miss Hilary Carew.  An impulsive act lands her on a train going the wrong direction, and in the train carriage she ends up in is someone who knows exactly who she is and has a story to tell her.  And that encounter sets the ball rolling and Hilary finds herself in danger and working with Henry, her ex-ish fiance.

When I was talking about the first book I complained that while the mystery was good Miss Silver had only a small role and lacked the usual Wentworth charm.  This has improved quite a bit.  Miss Silver is becoming more of the Miss Silver that I love with her slight cough and direct and knowing look.  The mystery was more the domestic caper that I expect from a Miss Silver mystery as well.  This wasn't my favorite but I definitely feel that Wentworth is really beginning to find her feet with Miss Silver in this book and that makes me excited for the next mystery.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Of course!  This is one of my favorite authors and I'm really looking forward to continuing this series.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy classic mysteries this is an author that's definitely worth exploring.  While the Miss Silver is numbered they are only very loosely connected and can be read in any order.