Hired to trace Anna Ball, who has vanished, Miss Maud Silver encounters an eccentric art colony, bank robberies and counterfeiting. As with other Miss Silver mysteries, the story relies on character development. Nadia May reads clearly and distinguishes individuals well; her British voice is ideal for this genteel period thriller (1951). Agatha Christie fans will enjoy this one. The narration is speeded up to fit six cassettes, but it is not hard to follow

When Car Fairfax starts his mysterious new job, his sole duty seems to be to dine in expensive restaurants, but soon some odd coincidences and dangerous deceits open his eyes to the truth

This is one of some 30 Miss Silver mysteries which Patricia Wentworth wrote during her lifetime. It concerns money motivated marriages and has a complex plot, full of suspense. The author has a large and devoted readership in both Britain and America

Ninguna ley impide que una famosa actriz, con mucho dinero y algún que otro remordimiento, quiera sentirse acompañada en su vejez, tras retirarse de la escena. Pero el sentido común debiera de impedir que, a cambio de no estar solo, una vieja rica reuniera en una solitaria mansión rural a un conjunto de parientes parásitos dispuestos a quedarse en exclusiva con su herencia. Porque así pasa lo que pasa: se empieza con envidias, rivalidades y rencores y se termina por encontrar cadáveres flotando en el estanque de la finca

Four years ago Charles Moray had been jilted at the altar by Margaret Langton. Four years later he returns to London to find his ex-fiancee mixed up in a vicious plot involving kidnap and worse

Immediately on her arrival at Ladies’ House, Ione Muir realizes that all is not right with her newly married sister, Allegra. The town of Bleake is charming, but the medieval manor house itself-known by a sinister local legend as Ladies’ Bane-is full of gloomy depths and twisting staircases. Her brother-in-law, Geoffrey Trent, intends to purchase the expensive property, with which he is clearly infatuated, although his wife seems frightened by it. But it is soon obvious that Allegra is under the constant influence of narcotics. Miss Silver, hired by Allegra’s godmother to investigate Geoffrey’s finances, is the first to suspect foul play when his mischevious young ward, Margot, dies in a mysterious accident. Her keen intellect and uncanny understanding of human nature help Miss Silver to reveal the ominous forces that are at work in this strange household

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 invariably won. But when Lois Latter is murdered, it's shocking to discover just how many people might have wished her dead

Someone is trying to kill beautiful Rachel Treherne for her fortune. Enlisting the talents of Miss Silver seems the only way she can stay alive

When James Lessiter returns to Lenton after many years to claim his family estate, his reappearance opens old wounds never healed. Then he is found bludgeoned to death by a fire poker and the suspects are too numerous to count. Thank heavens Miss Silver is in town to visit a friend

A chance encounter restores Giles Armitage to his fiancee, but the shipwreck has left him with amnesia, and their happiness is threatened by Carola Roland. So when Carola is murdered, Giles is the chief suspect and it takes all Miss Silver's ingenuity to unravel the real significance of the crime

When Gay Harkwicke and her fiance, Algy, investigate the mysterious Mr. Zero, who is blackmailing Gay's cousin, Algy ends up becoming the prime suspect in a messy murder, and Gay must find the true culprit

James and Carmona Hardwick are spending the summer playing host to numerous friends and relatives in an old Hardwick family residence by the sea. The arrival of Alan Field, a devastatingly handsome though shady figure from Carmona's past, destroys the holiday atmosphere in the old house and replaces it with a mounting tension, culminating in murder. Fortunately, Miss Silver is present to unravel the complex mystery and seek out the murderer amongst them

When Columba and Janetta Pilgrim think it unwise to leave their ancestral home after their brother suffers a fatal fall only days after talk of selling it, and Roger Pilgrim barely escapes two nearly fatal "accidents," Miss Maud Silver is called in to look into the case

When a mysterious suicide follows an outbreak of poison pen letters in the quiet village of Tilling Green, Detective Inspector Frank Abbott of Scotland Yard dispatches Miss Silver to investigate. Disguised as a vacationer, the retired governess stays with Renie Walsh, the town gossip, and learns of the marital and financial difficulties among the Reptons at the Manor House as well as all the petty details of life among the other village inhabitants. It soon becomes apparent to Miss Silver that the suicide was murder and that there is a vicious and demented killer at work. The officious letters still come, exposing or accusing, and the terror mounts with two more seemingly unconnected murders. Miss Silver almost becomes a fourth victim, but outwits the killer with her usual straight-spined aplomb

Assumed dead, Lady Anne Jocelyn meets varying degrees of welcome when she returns from Occupied France to her old life in England. Though her husband Sir Philip is not overjoyed to see her, he agrees to a trial reunion. But a murder raises his doubts, and then a second and third send Miss Silver to a curious consideration of life after death

Another case for retired governess turned private detective, Miss Silver. After the death of her guardian, Jenny Hill inherits Alington House. But the present owners, distant relations of Jenny, plan to cheat her out of her inheritance

Taken in by her two great-aunts, Candida Sayle fears she may become the next victim of the Benevent Treasure, which is said to bring death to anyone who touches it, while Miss Silver investigates the death of a former Benevent employee

Ross Craddock was just the type to be murdered. The new landlord of Craddock house, he begins by giving eviction notice to his aunt Lucy. He threatens the doorman with dismissal. He makes a violent and unwelcome pass to his cousin Mavis. He is vindictive and spiteful and ends up dead. The suspects include Lee who may have walked in her sleep and killed him out of unconscious fear. Or Peter who may have found Ross' advances to Mavis unbearable. Or aunt Lucy who unexpectedly came back. Or possibly Bobby who was still in love with Mavis and furious that she was seen with Ross. The answer is yet another Wentworth twist. I love her characters and she weaves their personal lives in with the mystery and gives us a treat

Geoffrey Grey has served a year for the murder of his uncle. Now his cousin and an investigator find the real killer and clear Geoffrey

Who was William Smith? And why was Mavis Jones so horrified to see him? The war had robbed William of his memory, and no one expected him to ever find out who he really was. So when he began work at Evesleys Ltd, why was his life so instantly in danger?

It began with an advertisement in the paper requesting descendants of the late innkeeper to stay for a weekend at the inn. They arrived eager, a mixed assortment, but one of them got hideously murdered bringing the inn's stormy past to focus. Maud Silver was sent to investigate

On New Year's Eve, 1940, James Paradine makes a speech to his family. Valuable documents have disappeared and the culprit has until midnight to confess. A few minutes after twelve James is dead and it is up to retired governess turned private detective Miss Silver to solve the mystery

When she found the body of her beloved Uncle Jonathan, Georgina stooped to pick up the revolver, thus becoming the prime suspect. But there was also the missing fingerprint – the showpiece of Uncle Jonathan's collection, apparently acquired from a self-confessed murderer, who was still at large

And then all at once they were in the dark together, for the moon went out suddenly like a blown candle. She had dropped into a bank of clouds that rose from the clouding west. The wind blew a little chill, and as suddenly as the light had gone, David, too, was gone. One moment, so near-touching her in the darkness-and the next, gone-gone noiselessly, leaving her shaking, quivering

Althea Graham's hypochondriac mother seldom visitsthe gazebo- yet she is found dead in it one morning.The Graham estate had once enjoyed a rural view, butnow the grounds are part of suburban London and thegazebo is an anachronistic summerhouse. Scotland Yardbecomes suspisious of Althea and her fiance, thedashing foreign correspondent Nicholas Carey, becausethe death of her mother frees them to be married atlast. Miss Silver is fortunately a friend of Althea'sand comes to the rescue, complete with knittingneedles, a gentle smile, and the preception of a mindreader

A woman suffers amnesia as she regains consciousness to find herself standing on cellar steps with a dead girl down below. As she flees she runs into Miss Silver, who takes on this most mysterious case

When Lila Dryden is discovered standing over the dead body of her irritating fiance with a dagger in her hand, Miss Silver is called in to investigate

Michael Harsch's long years of work were nearly at an end. The following day he was looking forward to handing over his precious formula to the government. But the next morning he was in no fit state to hand over the formula – he was dead. It looked like suicide, but Miss Silver knew it was murder. Michael Harsch's long years of work were nearly at an end. The following day he was looking forward to handing over his precious formula to the government. But the next morning he was in no fit state to hand over the formula – he was dead. It looked like suicide, but Miss Silver knew it was murder

Paulina Paine is deaf, but her ability to lip-read is astonishing. So two men who met one day during an art exhibition did not realize that the woman sitting out of earshot could understand every word they said. It was no ordinary conversation, and Paulina went straight to see Miss Silver

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…

Another investigation for Miss Silver. Lurking beneath the tranquillity of the country village of Greenings is a tinder-dry passion which owes its origins to events in the recent past. When Clarice Dean is found drowned in a watersplash, the match is set. Can Miss Silver put out the blaze?

Martin Brand's relatives are furious that he's left his large estate to his niece, Marion, whom he had only met once. And Marion is upset that she has to share her new home with Martin's family. Then a body is found on the beach wearing her coat. Fortunately Miss Silver is on the scene

Nothing much happens in the village of Hazel Green until a girl goes out for a walk and never comes back. Could her disappearance be linked to security leaks at the nearby Air Ministry experimental station?

Uncle Gregory is found with a knife in his back and "blackmailer" as his epitaph. Only Miss Maud Silver can solve the crime