Governess-turned-detective Miss Silver investigates a deadly conspiratorial ring Charles Moray has come home to England to collect his inheritance. After four years wandering the jungles of India and South America, the hardy young man returns to the manor of his birth, where generations of Morays have lived and died. Strangely, he finds the house unlocked, and sees a light on in one of its abandoned rooms. Eavesdropping, he learns of a conspiracy to commit a fearsome crime. Never one for the heroic, Charles’s first instinct is to let the police settle it. But then he hears her voice. Margaret, his long lost love, is part of the gang. To unravel their diabolical plot, he contacts Miss Maud Silver, a onetime governess who applies reason to solve crimes and face the dangers of London’s underworld.
The first three Miss Silver Mysteries introduce the British governess-turned-sleuth and a “timelessly charming” series (Charlotte MacLeod). From a “first-rate storyteller,” here are three full-length mystery novels in one volume, set in England between the two world wars and featuring Maud Silver, a retired governess and teacher who embarks on a new career in private detection (The Daily Telegraph). Grey Mask After four years wandering the jungles of India and South America, Charles Moray has come home to England to collect his inheritance. Strangely, he finds his family estate unlocked and sees a light in one of its abandoned rooms. Eavesdropping, he learns of a conspiracy to commit a fearsome crime. His first instinct is to let the police settle it, but then he hears her voice: Margaret, his long lost love, is part of the gang. To unravel their diabolical plot, he contacts Miss Silver. The Case Is Closed Marion Grey is growing used to the idea that her husband will never be released from prison, especially after the horrors of the very public trial. But when new evidence suggests her husband may be innocent of murder after all, she hires a professional—the inimitable Miss Silver—to clear his name. Lonesome Road A terrified young woman asks Miss Silver for help unmasking someone who has threatened her life. Rachel Traherne has been receiving menacing letters about her deceased father’s fortune. The first two letters were vague; the third said simply, “Get ready to die.” These charming traditional British mysteries featuring the unstoppable Miss Silver—whose stout figure, fondness for Tennyson, and passion for knitting disguise a keen intellect and a knack for cracking even the toughest cases—are sure to delight readers of Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, and Dorothy L. Sayers.
His first wife died suddenly--and his wealthy new bride may be about to meet a similar fate . . . Former schoolteacher Miss Maud Silver is making her way back to London when, with a violent shudder of the train, a young woman is thrust into her compartment. She is beautiful, well dressed, newly married, and wealthy--which may be about to get her killed. In a state of shock, Lisle Jerningham explains that she fled her home in a hurry when she overheard a sinister conversation through the bushes. Her new husband's first wife died in an apparent accident, and the resultant infusion of cash saved his family home. Now, he is broke again--and trying to engineer a second convenient mishap. Miss Silver is unsure whether the drama is real or a figment of Lisle's imagination--but if this frightened young lady is a target for murder, the killer will have to deal with the governess-turned-sleuth first. Starring a mature sleuth who "has her place in detective fiction as surely as Lord Peter Wimsey or Hercule Poirot", In the Balance is a classic British mystery (Manchester Evening News). "Miss Wentworth is a first-rate storyteller." --The Daily Telegraph "Miss Silver has her place in detective fiction as surely as Lord Peter Wimsey or Hercule Poirot." --Manchester Evening News "You can't go wrong with Miss Maud Silver." --The Observer Patricia Wentworth (1878-1961) was one of the masters of classic English mystery writing. Born in India as Dora Amy Elles, she began writing after the death of her first husband, publishing her first novel in 1910. In the 1920s, she introduced the character who would make her famous: Miss Maud Silver, the former governess whose stout figure, fondness for Tennyson, and passion for knitting served to disguise a keen intellect. Along with Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Miss Silver is the definitive embodiment of the English style of cozy mysteries.
DIVMiss Silver visits the country to keep an eye on a friend who may be in peril/divDIV/divDIVIt is time for Judy to get out of London. Her sister and brother-in-law have just perished in an air raid, leaving her in charge of their four-year-old daughter, and Judy wants no more to do with death. She arranges for work in a piece of the countryside untouched by the war: a charming manor called Pilgrim’s Rest. But it may be that she has more to fear than the Blitz./divDIV /divDIVWhen she tells Frank Abbott of her plans, he warns her that strange things have been happening at Pilgrim’s Rest. The family patriarch is recently dead of mysterious circumstances, and his heir has just suffered a series of near-fatal accidents. He cannot sway Judy, for she needs the work. But he does convince the governess-turned-detective Maud Silver to follow Judy to the village, to be on hand in case country living turns dangerous./div
Governess-turned-sleuth Miss Silver takes on a murder case involving a surprise inheritance and a feuding family. Martin Brand always had a dark sense of humor. Surrounded by relatives he despised, he looked forward to the day when, dead and buried, he would no longer have to concern himself with them. As a last joke, he willed his entire fortune to a poor relation, and went to his grave a smiling man. After years of toil caring for her layabout sister, Marion Brand is shocked to learn her unknown uncle has left her his estate. Now, she can finally be happy. But claiming the riches isn’t so simple. Before long someone is dead—and it will be up to Miss Maud Silver to find the killer.
The “marvelous” British-governess-turned-sleuth investigates a disappearance in a village near a top-secret government research facility (Daily Mail). Jenny Maxwell is a bright young child. After an automobile accident leaves her barely able to walk, she retreats into a world of fantasy, devouring novel after novel of steamy romance. Now she has begun to write, and for a twelve-year-old she shows great promise. After she sends her work off to a publisher, the house sends a representative to meet the young woman and guide her. But the stories she tells him are hardly fictional. Trapped in her room for hours at a time, Jenny hears all. She knows about the young woman who disappeared from town, and about the strange young man who works at the nearby military research center. What sounds like harmless gossip could actually be a grave threat to national security—one which only private investigator Miss Silver is capable of unearthing.
DIVA collector enlists Miss Silver’s help when his valuable jewels attract criminal attention /divDIVHe cannot say why, but Lewis Brading is an uneasy man. A collector of valuable jewels, he has taken the utmost precautions to safeguard what is most precious to him. He houses his gems in a concrete annex, protected by a reinforced steel door, the latest security system, and his own watchful eye. No one has a key but himself and his assistant, and he doesn’t doubt that his servant will remain true. The man in his employ is a criminal, and if anything should happen to Brading or his gems, the police will look to him first./divDIV /divDIVAnd yet, he suspects something may be wrong. He consults Maud Silver, the demure detective, and she tells him to fire his assistant and send his collection to a museum. Ignoring her advice may be the last mistake Lewis Brading ever makes./div
A classic mystery novel from one of the mistresses of the genre. Things had never been quite the same at Latter End since Lois had taken over. Suddenly life seemed to be an endless succession of bitter family rows which Lois, needless to say, invariably won. More than one person at Latter End found themselves stretched to the limit by Lois and her bullying, and it was only a matter of time before somebody snapped. It was unthinkable of course . . . but if anyone ever murdered Lois Latter, it would be very embarrassing to discover just how many people might have wished her dead.
They hoped he would never come back . . . Who was William Smith? And why was Mavis Jones so horrified to see him? For seven years William had worked as a woodcarver for the local toyshop, ignorant of his true identity. The war had robbed him of his memory, and no one expected him to ever find the answer. So when he took his work to Evesleys Ltd, why was his life instantly in danger? When William makes the frightening discovery that there are people determined not to let his memory return whatever the cost, Miss Silver is called in to investigate. But will she uncover their treachery before Mavis strikes again...?
Tanis Lyle was one of those passionate women who always get their own way. Her cousin Laura hated her. Most women did. But men found her irresistible and she used them mercilessly. So when Tanis was found murdered there seemed to be any number of suspects on hand. But Miss Silver had her own suspicions . . .
