Bøker av Patricia Wentworth

She was looking at the place where the mirror had hung. It didn't reflect anything because the glass was gone. Instead there was a blackness, a dark hole full of shadows. There was a shuffling and a sighing, and a deep and dreadful groan. Then something moved.Flossie Palmer worked in the kitchen at 16 Varley Street. It was her job to see that the trays were carried up to Miss Rowland on time. But the job lasted only a few hours and Flossie found herself running, her heart pounding in her throat, down the foggy street, not daring to stop or to listen for the footsteps that might be following her. She had been exploring the drawing room of the great house and had suddenly seen the big six-foot mirror move - and reveal a human face. In the thickness of the fog Flossie met Miles Clayton and told him her story. Miles has a story of his own which explains his presence in London - searching for a 19-year-old girl who, if found, would become heir to a vast sum. How these two mysteries coincide, and how they are resolved, form one of the author's most beguiling adventures.Blindfold was originally published in 1935. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself-and I always do." Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

"I don't know…no one knows…nobody knows but me…and they're the finest emeralds in the world…the Van Berg emeralds…and nobody knows where they are but me…"Jim could remember drinking with Elmer Van Berg and seeing his hand holding up the priceless string of emeralds-but Elmer Van Berg was killed that night. Did Jim do it? He couldn't remember a thing of the six weeks that followed. How could he have married the overbearing Nesta when Caroline, the lovely girl of his youth, was waiting for him? And how did the emeralds come to be in the secret hiding place in the Blue Room-the hiding place of which only he and Caroline knew the secret? The future looms malevolently, yet Caroline out of her love for him finds strength to help him to the truth…Outrageous Fortune was originally published in 1933. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself-and I always do." Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

"They are letting me say good-bye. I'm to be shot to-morrow. It will be over by the time you get this…"Laura stood, pale and trembling, in the veiled dress she was to have worn as Jim Mackenzie's bride, and gave her word to marry Basil Stevens, a man she scarcely knew. In his unexpected visit Basil had made three things clear: Laura was the heiress of the great Hallingdon fortune; Jim faced a Soviet firing squad; and only this marriage would save Jim. Why? What was the plot that threatened to destroy him?It was not until Laura phoned Jim late one night after he had returned to England, half insane with grief, that he had an inkling of the truth about the remorseless power back of it all, and its single, far-reaching purpose. How Jim saves Laura from her fate underlies one of the most exciting mysteries Patricia Wentworth has written.Red Shadow was originally published in 1932. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself-and I always do." Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

Ten years! He had been dead ten years!Uncannily alike in appearance were the twins, Jim and Jack Laydon. Both, too, loved beautiful Evelyn Prothero. For three mad, ecstatic days early in the Great War, Evelyn had been engaged to Jack. Then the engagement was broken, for reasons the girl chose never to make public. Soon after, she abruptly married Jim, but no one who saw it could ever forget Jack's face during the ceremony. A week later, on the same day, in the same raid, both brothers went missing. Now, ten years later, Evelyn is still a widow grieving - some say for Jack, some say for Jim.Then suddenly in Germany a mute peasant is struck on the head. When he recovers consciousness he claims his name is Laydon - Jim or Jack, he will not say. And how is Evelyn to know, when every distinguishing trait has been lost? Who - Jim, Jack, or A.N. Other - has grasped at a chance for a new life, and what steps has he taken to live it?The Amazing Chance was originally published in 1926. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself-and I always do." Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

';How would you like to die for your country?' asked Benbow Smith languidly.Now that Marian has broken their engagement, Lindsay Trevor finds danger welcome, even though it means dyeing his hair red and impersonating his cousin Froth as Restow's secretary.Who is this Restow, huge, good-natured is he fabulously rich or desperately poor? Is he the mysterious Vulture, that master of deceit and manipulation? And there is Restow's wife, the big, tempestuous snake-charmer Gloria; Dalton, the lean, black, spider-like librarian, and Elsie Manning, Froth's friend, who is afraid of what? When Marian comes back into his life most unexpectedly, Lindsay enters a desperate struggle against the Vulture, with Marian's life at stake.Danger Calling was originally published in 1931, and was the second novel to feature the series character of Benbow Smith. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

';You mustn't go to Meade House. I've heard'Ambrose Minstrel, the inventor, is undoubtedly eccentric. But even his oddities cannot account for the strange events at Meade House. Young Hugo Ross, Minstrel's new secretary, feels that all the dark happenings centre somehow on himself cryptic remarks and veiled glances between Minstrel and his assistant, stealthy footsteps in the dead of night, the offer of a small fortune for the worthless field glasses. And then there is the unknown girl who had called from the dark, the rest of her statement swallowed by the night? But in spite of all his caution, Hugo Ross is drawn into a despicable plot involving government intrigue and espionage. With his own life on the line, how much is he willing to risk for his country?Fool Errant was originally published in 1929, and introduced the eccentric, elderly series character of Benbow Smith. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

';How would you like to be a rocket? A stranger for a week, an heiress for a week, then down with the stick and a stranger again.'Imperious, warm-hearted Honoria Maquisten plans to revise her will but before the papers can be drawn up, she is dead from an overdose of pills. All eyes are on Carey Silence, a penniless orphan who was recently made Honoria's ward. Suspicion becomes evidence, Carey is arrested and her trial is prepared. So begins a classic golden age mystery with many suspects and twists. Who was the ';rocket' referred to? Who was it Honoria really intended to cut out of her will? And most importantly who murdered her?This novel, from 1945, tells the story of one of the most dramatic trials in detective fiction the trial of Carey Silence. The new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

';You told me a lot of things,' said James grimly. ';Most of them weren't true.'James Elliott, lost in a fog, comes upon a lonely house in the English countryside. The house shows no lights but the front door is ajar. He enters in search of a telephone but instead finds a girl whose white face, eyes wide in a stare of horror and mouth open as if to scream. But instead of screaming, she yells ';run!' At that moment there is the sound of a shot and James feels the wind of a bullet as it goes past. Though he rescues the girl, she cannot or will not tell him quite where the danger liesIs the girl's name Aspidistra Aspinall, as she originally claims? Or perhaps it's Sally West, as she later styles herself, when revealing that bestselling author Ambrose Sylvester may have passed off a dead man's work as his own. The girl's fear is real enough, and for good reason someone is playing for high stakes, and another corpse has been left to prove it. But will James himself turn out to be the intended victim?Run! was originally published in 1938. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

Ice is still. Death is still. But no living flesh should be as still as thisAgent Stephen Enderby, known in Russia as Red Stefan, meets Elizabeth Radin, the lovely widow of a Soviet inventor, just at the moment she is about to throw herself into a river in despair. The Communists have been persecuting her in order to obtain the vital formula her husband devised just before his execution. Stephen prevents her from committing suicide, takes her away with him and tries to escort her out of the country, posing as his wife. But Elizabeth has not told Stephen her deadly secretRed Stefan was originally published in 1935. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

';I went down to the pool, and he was lying half in and half out of it with his head bleeding and the tide coming in. The water was up to his shoulders.'The marriage between Nan Forsyth and Jervis Weare is a purely business arrangement to Jervis. But for Nan there is true romance behind it a romance which began for her in childhood days and she is content to be considered for the time a scheming adventuress. But, as she soon discovers, both she and Jervis are now the targets of a golden-haired devil and her villainous partner who'll stop at nothing in this story of lively and profound thrills.Nothing Venture was originally published in 1932. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

';Beware walk with care,Or mumbo jumbo will hoodoo you.Young Jeremy Ware is suspected of stealing important papers, and Colonel Garrett of the Secret Service (last seen in Danger Calling) consults Benbow Smith about it. Even Rosalind Denny, still grieving for her late husband, suspects Jeremy. But when the young man, trying to exonerate himself, meets a beautiful sleepwalker in a cellar, matters quickly progress to a case of murderWalk with Care was originally published in 1933, and was the third novel to feature the series character of Benbow Smith (not to mention his delightfully perspicacious parrot, Ananias). This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

';Do you want to make 500 pounds? If you do and are willing to earn it, write to...'So reads the handbill thrust on Car Fairfax. He is literally down and out, for the soles of his shoes had gone long ago and the uppers show a crack which mean doom to his hopes of a job. And he has just met Isobel: Isobel whom he had not seen for three long, weary years.But Car's road back to fortune is beset by mystifying experiences involving his cousin Anna; a precise gentleman in neat clothes and pince-nez; and a job whose sole duties apparently consist of dining in a fashionable restaurant. And then he is caught in a web which leads to the unravelling of the mystery surrounding his cousin Anna and finally to danger which threatens both Isobel and himselfBeggar's Choice was originally published in 1930. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

';You talk of him as if he were alive.'';He is alive,' said Benbow Smith.';And you think he would do murder?'';I am quite sure that he would do murder, Captain Loddon.'Rose Anne disappeared on the eve of her wedding to Captain Oliver Loddon. Her fianc received a letter posted from Paris saying she was sorry but there was someone else.To the police it is quite simple. But Oliver can't believe Rose Anne capable of such a cruel act, and then discovers that her note carries quite another message. Benbow Smith is brought in to investigate, and we learn the young woman's disappearance is connected to an escaped and dangerous criminal and Rose Anne isn't the only one who's recently gone missingDown Under was originally published in 1937, and was the fourth and last novel to feature the series character Benbow Smith. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.';When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself and I always do.' Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

A classic golden age mystery, and the twelfth book in the hugely popular Miss Silver series.

A classic golden age mystery, and the twenty-second book in the hugely popular Miss Silver series.

A classic golden age mystery, and the fourth book in the hugely popular Miss Silver series.

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..

There were times when Rachel Treherne fervently wished that her beloved father had left his fortune to somebody else, so overburdened did she feel with the administration of her estate. And never more so than now for, although she was surrounded by relatives who depended on her, whom she loved and who must surely love her, there was no doubt in her mind that somebody was trying to kill her. Threatening letters could be ignored, odd tasting chocolates can be rejected, but when snakes are left in her bed, Rachel is convinced that someone means her terrible harm. Her only chance of a future life lay with Miss Silver, and Miss Silver was well on the way to unmasking the murderer when they struck again.

Anne Jocelyn had been a beautiful, wealthy young woman. She had died three years ago. At least, that was what her husband Philip and the rest of the family had always thought. But then a woman calling herself Anne Jocelyn appeared and managed to convince everyone that she was the real Anne. Everyone, that is, except Miss Silver, whose suspicions are aroused by an apparently senseless murder.

A witness who remembers nothing is in mortal danger.A young woman regains consciousness and finds herself on some cellar steps. At the bottom of the steps there is the corpse of a dead girl. She cannot remember who she is, what has happened or why she is there. Terrified and confused she manages to find a way out and as she flees she runs into Miss Silver, who offers to help her.A letter in her bag is the only clue to her identity. But by investigating what has happened to her will she find herself in danger? Can she trust the letter writer? And who is the girl in the cellar?

Lewis Brading loves only one thing his collection of jewels. Not only are the gems extremely valuable but also every piece has a fascinating and bloody history attached to it. However Lewis is a frightened and difficult man who sees thieves around every corner. When he asks Miss Silver for help, she gives him some sound advice and turns him away. A few days later, she receives a letter from him, again asking for help. But it is too late. In the morning paper is the news of his murder. Lewis Brading loves only one thing his collection of jewels. Not only are the gems extremely valuable but also every piece has a fascinating and bloody history attached to it. However Lewis is a frightened and difficult man who sees thieves around every corner. When he asks Miss Silver for help, she gives him some sound advice and turns him away. A few days later, she receives a letter from him, again asking for help. But it is too late. In the morning paper is the news of his murder.

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...?

A classic mystery novel from one of the mistresses of the genre.First she felt herself being pushed downstairs. Then there was the bowl of poisoned mushroom soup. Finally the tampered-with tablet amongst her sleeping pills was the last straw. Adriana Ford, famous actress and mistress of the house decided to call in Miss Silver. And Maud Silver, with impeccable logic, pointed out that the person who was trying to kill her must be a member of her own household.And then the murders started...

Tilling Green was a charming little village nestling in the Ledshire countryside. Not at all the sort of place you would expect to find an anonymous letter writer. And when one of the recipients, a young woman, was found drowned in the lake belonging to the Manor House, Miss Silver was persuaded to go and investigate. Valentine Grey, the pretty young heiress from the Manor House, was marrying one Gilbert Earle, but on the night of Valentine's pre-wedding party Jason Leigh, Valentine's former love, returned after months without a word. Valentine discovered Gilbert in a compromising situation with her guardian's wife. And several people received extremely nasty letters. Connie Brooks knew who had written those letters. But on the same night, she was murdered ...

A classic mystery novel from one of the mistresses of the genre.Bill Waring, collecting his wits in hospital after a train crash, receives only one letter from Lila Dryden, his fianc e. When he discovers Lady Dryden, Lila's guardian, has pressured her into an engagement with Herbert Whitall, he is furious.Herbert Whitall is aggressive, with a cold-hearted possessiveness that expands past the bounds of his ivory collection he can't bear to lose. His employees hate him, Lila is terrified of him and it appears he has a hold on Lady Dryden.When a dagger in Whitall's collection becomes the instrument of his own death there are many suspects. Maud Silver must see that justice is done, not merely to punish the guilty, but to protect the innocent.

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 . . .