Ladies' Bane - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Ladies' Bane (A Miss Silver Mystery #22) by Patricia Wentworth

Rating:  Really Liked It
Source:   Purchased

Description:  No one has seen Allegra Trent since she got married. Her husband swept her off her feet and out of London, to a faraway town called Bleake. She has stopped writing letters, and her family has begun to worry. Allegra’s husband is a strange man, consumed with the dream of owning a ramshackle medieval estate, and he intends to use his new wife’s money to do it. Why he wants to live there no one knows, but Josepha Bowden does not want his castle to become her goddaughter’s prison. She asks the help of Maud Silver, the former governess who now makes a living using her reason to unravel the intricacies of murder. There has been no killing in Bleake, but if Miss Silver doesn’t intervene quickly, there could be one soon.

Genre:  Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:  I'm finishing the Miss Silver series this year.  

My Impression:   This book frustrated me a bit.  A large part of it was absolutely fantastic - easily 5 Star.  The goings on at the Ladies' House were intriguing with lots of dark elements.  Miss Silver is pulled in an intriguing way, has plenty of page time and is playing very much into her strengths.  The mystery kept me interested and guessing until the very end.  Frank Abbott plays a very small role here but I didn't mind that too much as it gave Miss Silver a bit more time to shine.  

What kept this book from being 5 stars for me is a convoluted beginning and a few almost distracted transition points.  It almost feels like the mystery was written in chunks with breaks in between.  I'm not sure if maybe I was distracted without realizing it but there were a couple of times while reading the book that I had to take a step out and figure out just who was who and what was going on.  While this would normally really annoy me the moments were small enough and I was pulled back into story quickly enough that it didn't ruin my reading experience.

All the Miss Silver books are standalones and this one was no difference.  Despite the chaotic moments this was an interesting and entertaining mystery.  I'm looking forward to the next Miss Silver mystery!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  Patricia Wentworth is one of my absolute favorite authors and I always enjoying reading and rereading her books.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozy mysteries and enjoy Christie's Miss Marple books I think you would love Miss Silver.