Source: Purchased
Description: An actress who fears her life is threatened comes to Miss Silver for help
Mrs. Smith is not the first woman who has come to Maud Silver, the genteel private detective, claiming that someone is trying to kill her. She tells a story of attempted poisoning, a shove down a flight of stairs, and a house full of relatives who might want to push her out of the way. Miss Silver is intrigued, not least because this is not Mrs. Smith. Despite her attempt at a disguise, the detective recognizes the woman as Adriana Ford, the grand dame of the London stage. Mrs. Smith was a ruse; the attempts on her life are quite real. There is soon a body at Adriana's country estate, but it is not the actress who has been killed. Fully interested, Miss Silver travels to the house, where she learns that the actress is not the only one who tells lies.
Genre: Mystery - Classic
My Impression: As usual I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Miss Silver has plenty of page time and while I did miss Frank Abbott watching Miss Silver win over another detective was wonderful. There is quite a cast of characters and while there is the classic Wentworth heroine - a young independent woman with plenty of common sense - she is not the main character which made for an interesting change. Instead we see a lot of Adriana Ford who is an older but well known actress with plenty of temperament and a good number of village residents. The mystery was entertaining, kept me guessing and well paced. It was the perfect about of intrigue and coziness that makes Wentworth books so wonderful.
My Impression: As usual I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Miss Silver has plenty of page time and while I did miss Frank Abbott watching Miss Silver win over another detective was wonderful. There is quite a cast of characters and while there is the classic Wentworth heroine - a young independent woman with plenty of common sense - she is not the main character which made for an interesting change. Instead we see a lot of Adriana Ford who is an older but well known actress with plenty of temperament and a good number of village residents. The mystery was entertaining, kept me guessing and well paced. It was the perfect about of intrigue and coziness that makes Wentworth books so wonderful.
My only real issue comes with reading so many Miss Silver books in a fairly short period of time. While I adore Wentworth's characters and writing style she has only a few standard mystery setups which can allow for a feeling of sameness over time. The mysteries are always completely different but the framework is often the same. This is only an issue when reading a number of them in a row and didn't really help me guess the whos and whys.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I still have a few more to read and I'm sure I will reread them regularly.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy classic cozy mysteries then you really must give Miss Silver a try.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy classic cozy mysteries then you really must give Miss Silver a try.
I think classic mysteries are the type of mystery I like best. This one was published in my birth year. Definitely classic!
ReplyDeleteEven if there is a sameness sounds like still has lots going for it.
ReplyDeleteHow many more do you have to read? 📚
ReplyDeleteI have not read any classic mysteries, but this sure looks good.
ReplyDelete