Grey Mask (Miss Silver Mysteries #1) by Patricia Wentworth

"Patricia Wentworth (1878-1961) was one of the masters of English mystery writing. She published her first novel in 1910 and, in the 1920s, introduced the character who would make her famous: Miss Maud Silver. Along with Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Miss Silver is the definitive embodiment of the English style of cozy mysteries." ~Amazon

 

"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." ~Amazon

With 32 Miss Silver Mysteries, Patricia Wentworth offers readers a variety of amateur sleuths and whodunit puzzles. Miss Maud Silver will quickly become a favorite, and you won't be disappointed in the other collection of series and standalones, both, to explore.

Numeric Breakdown:

1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing

Georgette Heyer and Agatha Christie have found their complement in Author Patricia Wentworth.

Discovering Author Patricia Wentworth is the greatest new discovery of 2020 since my introduction to authors Sabrina Flynn, Julia Ash, Kate le Roux, Lorhainne Eckhart, and K. Lumpkin. Wentworth is a combination of Georgette Heyer's elegance, humor, and literary sophistication, and Agatha Christie's whodunit style, detective know-how, and solid deductive reasoning. A win-win for sleuth fans everywhere. 

Miss Silver is a British retired governess and teacher turned PI. In the first book of this series, the detective is contacted by Charles Moray, who, when he arrives home after four years of enjoying the jungles of India and South America and overhears a conspiracy of crime knows he needs help. His desire to leave the police out of it comes from seeing someone from his past - his ex-fiance, Margaret. She's in the middle of the deception, and his old instincts lead him to protect her and call upon Miss Silver. 

In a similar style of Miss Marple, we find Miss Silver taking up a small portion of this first novel. Charles Moray engages her services, with trepidation and half-truths, but she manages to figure it all out by the end. Popping up from time to time as she does some stake-outs of her own, partnering with a friend of Moray's to find a kidnapped couple, and talking over the case calmly while she knits away. 

Now, Miss Silver does a lot of behind-the-scenes investigating and updates Charles on his visits to her. You don't really get in on the action, but instead, have the opportunity to see everything from the main character's pov and the people he comes into contact with including his best friend, Archie, and Margaret herself. This doesn't bother me as much as one might suspect, but I did wish for more scenes detailing what Miss Silver was doing and how she was achieving it. 

The head of this crime gang is a surprising figure, even if I did piece together the clues before the end. I love how this story unfolds, the writing style, and the old-school setting. With it being the first in the series, and so many other series and standalone options, I will be reading more soon!

Wentworth does a worthy job of pacing, the plot is complex, the dialogue is excellent and creates a well-rounded narrative, and contains well-done, if minimal, historical details. It's a well-written book with engaging characters and narrow escapes. This is one of my favorite finds in the chaos that is 2020, and if you want a cozy-style, detective mystery to keep you company this winter, I highly recommend this book and this series. My review reflects my enjoyment of this quick read and fun drama with a 4/5 "I really liked it/loved it" rating! 

Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!! :)

~Rebecca Reddell