"The novel is a combination of mystery and spy story, with some romance added in on top of the action. There are secret passages to be explored, lots of government and villainous intrigue, secret formulas, and strange people coming and going. (Goodreads)"--

A romantic treasure from the beloved author of the Miss Silver Mystery series. A grande dame of British crime, Patricia Wentworth is best known as the creator of Miss Maud Silver, the Tennyson-quoting schoolteacher whose second career as a private detective is just as unlikely as it is thrilling. With a prim, unassuming demeanor that belies her fierce intelligence, Miss Silver is never more formidable than when she's rescuing true love from wanton...

Miss Silver investigates the murder of one of Britain's most powerful men   Dorinda Brown takes a job working for the wealthy Porlock family on a whim, and quickly finds it to be the hardest position she has ever had. The father, Gregory, is a charming tyrant-just the sort of man her aunt always warned her about. His wife is an overfed fool, entirely blind to the defects of her despicable son, and unsympathetic to the pain he causes his governesses....

When a question of inheritance turns fatal, Miss Silver searches for the killer Jenny has never been one to feel sorry for herself. The illegitimate child of a wealthy man and a statureless woman, she has been an orphan since before she can remember. It is a hard life made bearable only by the kindness of her guardian, an old woman named Miss Garstone, who has always treated Jenny as her own. Struck down by a motorist, "Garsty" dies, whispering to...

A series of cruel letters upends life in a small village, and Miss Silver searches for the anonymous scribe It is through her friend Frank Abbott, of Scotland Yard, that Miss Silver first learns of the anonymous letters. A widowed cousin of his, living in a small country village, is being tortured by an unknown author who insinuates that the young woman's husband may not have died of natural causes. It is a case of the kind of cruelty that is all...

The award-winning debut from one of Britain's most cherished crime writers. Before she created the iconic Miss Silver, Patricia Wentworth found acclaim as an author of page-turning romances. Set during the French Revolution, A Marriage Under the Terror is a gripping tale of love blossoming in the ashes of betrayal, and a fascinating first step from a master storyteller. Nineteen-year-old orphan Aline de Rochambeau is horrified at the prospect of an...

A young woman's violent murder shocks a quiet village, and Miss Silver comes to investigate In Deeping, a village so tiny that its residents share a common phone line, gossip is the chief amusement. Scotland Yard inspector Frank Abbott has family there, and thinks it a charming spot for a vacation until the country quiet is broken by a cry of "Murder!"   A young German woman, recently come to town, has been making vague threats about recovering something...

A terrified young woman asks Miss Silver for help unmasking someone who has threatened her life Rachel Traherne does not want to meet Maud Silver. She does not want to tell her that someone has threatened her life, because she does not want that dreadful fact to be true. But see Miss Silver she must, for the stout, old-fashioned detective is the only person in London who may be able to keep her safe. Rachel has been receiving threatening letters about...

When a new clue arises in a long-closed murder inquiry, Miss Silver fights to free an innocent man Marion Grey is growing used to the idea that her husband will never leave prison. After the horrors of a very public trial she is almost able to find relief in her resignation. But when new evidence suggests her husband may be innocent after all, she hires a professional-Miss Silver-to clear his name.  It begins with a chance encounter on a busy train,...