Maud Silver, governess-turned-sleuth, investigates a case of blackmail in a once-grand London apartment house. Vandeleur House was great once. The home of a prominent court painter, its ballroom and parlors hosted the brightest of the Victorian era. Now divided into eight flats, it is an apartment building whose glorious façade conceals a nest of diabolical intrigue. There is Maude, a young … intrigue.
There is Maude, a young woman who was crossing the Atlantic when her steamer was struck by a Nazi torpedo. She survived; her husband did not. Then there’s Ivy, a sleepwalking maid with a curious past. And last there is Mrs. Underwood, a snobbish woman dreadfully embarrassed that she is being blackmailed by another resident. And all that drama in just one flat. There are many secrets in Vandeleur house, and it will take the full force of gentlewoman detective Maud Silver’s intuition to unravel them.
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I like old fashioned “period” mysteries and author Wentworth writes in that style. Miss Silver is not the usual detective and comes up with solutions in unusual ways. There is usually a hint of romance and evokes the ambience of the 1940s.
very enjoyable book, like characters and style of writing
My first experience with Patricia Wentworth, and I’m so excited to discover Miss Silver. It takes a bit of getting used to the language and the turns of phrase, but that’s part of the charm in this wonderful novel published in 1943 or 1944, depending on the histories you read. Ms. Wentworth’s characters are fully developed, the mysteries …
I always enjoy reading how Miss Silver gets to the truth and how well she reads people. I enjoyed how the two romance stories evolved.
Love this author. Her stories are old fashioned but so interesting.
It’s a fun not too dark mystery.
A miss Marple like read
I love all her books, especially the Miss Silvers. She is so knowledgeable about people.
I enjoy all the Miss Silver books. Love the characters.
Love the historical perspective and the interesting characters. Of course, Miss Silver will always save the day.
Not one of the better Miss Silver stories
I love the old fashion, cozy mysteries. Miss Silver is a classic character from a bygone era. If you enjoy Agatha Christie, you will probably enjoy this book.
Very enjoyable
One of my favorite authors, have enjoyed all of her books
Love this author. Classic.
Old fashioned but that is what I like.
Miss Silver is brilliant, with great powers of observation. A lot of Miss Marple about her. A nice read.
It is a little like an Agatha Christie novel with a twist at the end.
I should have enjoyed tge heck out of this….it gave the apoearance of hitting all my “era” type of mysteries. Honestly, I cannot even tell you why,
Classic murder mystery written in the past but still enjoyable.