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Warner
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Fiction. Mystery. HTML: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..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lyzard
Charles Moray returns to England and to what should be his empty family home only to discover it occupied by the members of a criminal conspiracy, led by a man whose face is concealed by a blank rubber mask. As he listens in the shadows, Charles overhears details of a plot to manoeuvre a wealthy
After the mysterious death of her millionaire father in a boating accident, Margot Standing is called home from school and learns that, in the absence of a will and with some question as to her legitimacy, she may not be her father's heir. Margot's cousin, Egbert, a self-absorbed dilettante, proposes marriage, but is scornfully rejected. Shortly afterwards Margot overhears a conversation between her cousin and another man that reveals that her life may be in imminent danger. Fleeing the house in terror, but with nowhere to go, Margot hurries through the dark streets in a panic until she encounters a sympathetic stranger in the shape of Margaret Langton, who takes her to her tiny flat and hides her. Margaret and Charles, having made a tentative reconnection, must determine the reality of the threat against Margot; a task made all the more difficult for Charles by his need to steer a course between protecting Margot and shielding Margaret from the consequences of her apparently criminal conduct. Fortunately, help is at hand in the unlikely shape of Miss Maud Silver, private investigator...
Like so many thrillers of this period, Grey Mask centres on a mysterious criminal society, led by an individual whose identity is a secret even from those who work for him. However, the situation is a bit more credible here than it often is because Patricia Wentworth keeps her gang in the background, focusing instead on the people threatened by their activities. Similarly, the refusal of the characters to go to the police is explained by, on one hand, the lack of proof of any threat against Margot, and on the other by Margaret's connection to the gang: something she admits but will not account for. The novel's central puzzle functions on dual levels, the danger confronting Margot balanced by the implication of a hidden connection between her and Margaret - one that threatens Margaret's adoring memories of her beloved mother.
As for Miss Silver, I had it in my head that she was another of the era's amateur detectives, and was surprised to find her a professional private investigator - albeit one permanently accessorised by knitting needles and balls of wool. Miss Silver remains very much on the periphery of this story, efficiently joining the dots in the background and showing up at the last to rescue Charles and Margaret when they find out a little too much about the mysterious "Grey Mask". The novel puts some effort into delineating its very different female protagonists: Margot is as empty-headed as she is beautiful, but Margaret is a very different kind of woman: proud, reserved and intelligent, and with an extreme sense of duty; one which might, should those she feels responsible for require it, drive her to self-sacrifice...
Which brings me to the main problem I had with Grey Mask: how very unlikeable I found its alleged hero, who apparently doesn't understand at all the character of the woman he was - is - in love with. In the initial white heat of pain and anger, we can forgive Charles thinking the worst; but his determination to go on doing so four years later, even when he finds Margaret alone and barely scraping a living, is not exactly endearing. It doesn't take the reader long to see what must be behind her strange behaviour; Charles, however, is too intent on punishing her with taunts and jeers, too grimly pleased with his ability to hurt her, to judge her fairly; and this, on top of a style of conversation peppered with Isn't that just like a woman? sneers. For me, all of this culminated in an unnerving moment when the the novel's villain was telling Charles exactly why he hated him...and I found myself nodding in agreement...
"Look here, Miss Silver, are you game? I'm suggestin' you and me goin' boldly in by the garden door and openin' a window with a skeleton key, or a chisel, or what not. Unless Freddy's done somethin' drastic since I used to play in and out of the garden with Charles and Margaret, there'll be some odd window I can get through. The question is, are you game?"
"I've my reputation to consider," said Miss Silver. She coughed. "If I were walking along George Street and were to ring Mr Pelham's bell---" she paused and gazed at him mildly. "If you opened the door to me, it really would not be any business of mine how you got in."
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girl called Margot into marriage - or, failing that, to murder her... About to slip out and contact the police, Charles is shockingly stopped in his tracks by the appearance amongst the gang of someone he knows: Margaret Langton, whose breaking of their engagement only a week before the wedding drove him out of England four years earlier...After the mysterious death of her millionaire father in a boating accident, Margot Standing is called home from school and learns that, in the absence of a will and with some question as to her legitimacy, she may not be her father's heir. Margot's cousin, Egbert, a self-absorbed dilettante, proposes marriage, but is scornfully rejected. Shortly afterwards Margot overhears a conversation between her cousin and another man that reveals that her life may be in imminent danger. Fleeing the house in terror, but with nowhere to go, Margot hurries through the dark streets in a panic until she encounters a sympathetic stranger in the shape of Margaret Langton, who takes her to her tiny flat and hides her. Margaret and Charles, having made a tentative reconnection, must determine the reality of the threat against Margot; a task made all the more difficult for Charles by his need to steer a course between protecting Margot and shielding Margaret from the consequences of her apparently criminal conduct. Fortunately, help is at hand in the unlikely shape of Miss Maud Silver, private investigator...
Like so many thrillers of this period, Grey Mask centres on a mysterious criminal society, led by an individual whose identity is a secret even from those who work for him. However, the situation is a bit more credible here than it often is because Patricia Wentworth keeps her gang in the background, focusing instead on the people threatened by their activities. Similarly, the refusal of the characters to go to the police is explained by, on one hand, the lack of proof of any threat against Margot, and on the other by Margaret's connection to the gang: something she admits but will not account for. The novel's central puzzle functions on dual levels, the danger confronting Margot balanced by the implication of a hidden connection between her and Margaret - one that threatens Margaret's adoring memories of her beloved mother.
As for Miss Silver, I had it in my head that she was another of the era's amateur detectives, and was surprised to find her a professional private investigator - albeit one permanently accessorised by knitting needles and balls of wool. Miss Silver remains very much on the periphery of this story, efficiently joining the dots in the background and showing up at the last to rescue Charles and Margaret when they find out a little too much about the mysterious "Grey Mask". The novel puts some effort into delineating its very different female protagonists: Margot is as empty-headed as she is beautiful, but Margaret is a very different kind of woman: proud, reserved and intelligent, and with an extreme sense of duty; one which might, should those she feels responsible for require it, drive her to self-sacrifice...
Which brings me to the main problem I had with Grey Mask: how very unlikeable I found its alleged hero, who apparently doesn't understand at all the character of the woman he was - is - in love with. In the initial white heat of pain and anger, we can forgive Charles thinking the worst; but his determination to go on doing so four years later, even when he finds Margaret alone and barely scraping a living, is not exactly endearing. It doesn't take the reader long to see what must be behind her strange behaviour; Charles, however, is too intent on punishing her with taunts and jeers, too grimly pleased with his ability to hurt her, to judge her fairly; and this, on top of a style of conversation peppered with Isn't that just like a woman? sneers. For me, all of this culminated in an unnerving moment when the the novel's villain was telling Charles exactly why he hated him...and I found myself nodding in agreement...
"Look here, Miss Silver, are you game? I'm suggestin' you and me goin' boldly in by the garden door and openin' a window with a skeleton key, or a chisel, or what not. Unless Freddy's done somethin' drastic since I used to play in and out of the garden with Charles and Margaret, there'll be some odd window I can get through. The question is, are you game?"
"I've my reputation to consider," said Miss Silver. She coughed. "If I were walking along George Street and were to ring Mr Pelham's bell---" she paused and gazed at him mildly. "If you opened the door to me, it really would not be any business of mine how you got in."
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LibraryThing member richardderus
Rating: 3* of five
In the 90 years since this was written, I think its central premise...that people will do anything to avoid embarrassment...has proved an evergreen turned inside out. Reality TV takes everyone's dirtiest and smelliest laundry public. The characters in this book would have expired
Miss Silver is clearly carrying the pertussis bacterium. Her cough is ever-present. I remember from reading these books in the 1980s how irritating I found it.
The identity of Grey Mask was pretty obvious to me from the first time they appear in mufti, so to speak. One amusing piece of retrospective theater is enough to make my day, and it takes place in the very first scene.
There are over 30 of these little marvies. They are all, au fond, the same book. Either you like that book or you don't. Don't read this one and think, "oh well, maybe the others are better" because they really aren't. I like them. They're quiet and peaceful little murder plots for silly and quite overblown stakes. Miss Silver is more of a sleuth than Marple ever was, in that she sallies forth in her colourless shmattes and her mouse-fur coloured hair and those blah gray eyes that see every-goddamned-thing and doesn't seem to rely as much on chitter-chatter from every ladies' maid in 1920s London.
Try one. If it's not to your taste, well it didn't cost much.
In the 90 years since this was written, I think its central premise...that people will do anything to avoid embarrassment...has proved an evergreen turned inside out. Reality TV takes everyone's dirtiest and smelliest laundry public. The characters in this book would have expired
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in smallish heaps of the honour-vapours at their great-grandchildren's idea of entertainment.Miss Silver is clearly carrying the pertussis bacterium. Her cough is ever-present. I remember from reading these books in the 1980s how irritating I found it.
The identity of Grey Mask was pretty obvious to me from the first time they appear in mufti, so to speak. One amusing piece of retrospective theater is enough to make my day, and it takes place in the very first scene.
There are over 30 of these little marvies. They are all, au fond, the same book. Either you like that book or you don't. Don't read this one and think, "oh well, maybe the others are better" because they really aren't. I like them. They're quiet and peaceful little murder plots for silly and quite overblown stakes. Miss Silver is more of a sleuth than Marple ever was, in that she sallies forth in her colourless shmattes and her mouse-fur coloured hair and those blah gray eyes that see every-goddamned-thing and doesn't seem to rely as much on chitter-chatter from every ladies' maid in 1920s London.
Try one. If it's not to your taste, well it didn't cost much.
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LibraryThing member alaudacorax
This is the first of the ‘Miss Silver’ books by Patricia Wentworth. I bought this looking for a ‘cosy’ mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie’s ‘Miss Marple’ books. I was not impressed.
The book seemed to have no clear hero or heroine. The main focus of the author’s writing was the
My main problem was that I couldn’t believe in it. It’s difficult to explain without spoilers, but: too much stemmed from the unlikely behaviour of peripheral characters outside the action of the novel—behaviour that seemed to have no other purpose than moving Ms. Wentworth’s plot; unlikely behaviours of the main characters were not really explained. Several times while reading I found myself thinking of Graham Chapman's officer character on Monty Python's Flying Circus suddenly walking onscreen and shouting, "No! Too silly!" Such novels really shouldn't bring such things to my mind.
One of my pet hates in all literature (or film, for that matter) is the beautiful girl whom we are apparently supposed to find adorably naive and scatterbrained when, in real life, a normal person would surely regard them as mentally deficient. In the character Margot this novel has the worst example I’ve seen since I read Georgette Heyer’s Friday’s Child. Surely, back in the ‘twenties when this was published, so soon after the women’s suffrage battles and when the status of women was a hot topic, this character must have been offensive to the female readership?
In the book’s defence, I have to admit that it kept me reading to the end and I have to admit that I got the identity of ‘Grey Mask’ wrong. I was left, though, feeling I’d wasted a few hours and I’m not tempted to read more ‘Miss Silver’s—unless it be from curiosity to see if they got any better.
The book seemed to have no clear hero or heroine. The main focus of the author’s writing was the
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character Charles, but neither he nor anyone else—including Miss Silver—seemed to be the prime mover of the action. The outcome of the story came from the coincidence of fortuitous behaviours of a number of separate characters.My main problem was that I couldn’t believe in it. It’s difficult to explain without spoilers, but: too much stemmed from the unlikely behaviour of peripheral characters outside the action of the novel—behaviour that seemed to have no other purpose than moving Ms. Wentworth’s plot; unlikely behaviours of the main characters were not really explained. Several times while reading I found myself thinking of Graham Chapman's officer character on Monty Python's Flying Circus suddenly walking onscreen and shouting, "No! Too silly!" Such novels really shouldn't bring such things to my mind.
One of my pet hates in all literature (or film, for that matter) is the beautiful girl whom we are apparently supposed to find adorably naive and scatterbrained when, in real life, a normal person would surely regard them as mentally deficient. In the character Margot this novel has the worst example I’ve seen since I read Georgette Heyer’s Friday’s Child. Surely, back in the ‘twenties when this was published, so soon after the women’s suffrage battles and when the status of women was a hot topic, this character must have been offensive to the female readership?
In the book’s defence, I have to admit that it kept me reading to the end and I have to admit that I got the identity of ‘Grey Mask’ wrong. I was left, though, feeling I’d wasted a few hours and I’m not tempted to read more ‘Miss Silver’s—unless it be from curiosity to see if they got any better.
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LibraryThing member majkia
The main victim is too stupid to be believed. I'd murder her myself.
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
I've always been familiar with the name Patricia Wentworth as one of those Golden Age authors omnipresent on my mom's bookshelves, but I had no idea at all about the books themselves. That gave me the chance to come at this one completely fresh, with no pre-conceived notions of what I'd be getting
The TL;DR; version is: it's a good mystery and very good writing. Definitely worth your time if you enjoy going back to the golden era of mystery writing and like a good female sleuth of a certain age.
To go a bit further into things, Miss Silver was in and out of the mystery, never the focal point, but she comes across as kind, if a bit condescending, with a Holmesian level of intelligence and skill for deduction. She's obviously not new to the investigation gig, as she has her own office and an apparently long client list by the time this book starts.
There's a big element of romance in this first book that I could have done without, especially since it is coupled with a woman-in-peril theme that I'm not at all a fan of. Margaret got on my nerves because I find it tedious when women claim independence by refusing to avail themselves of the help they need when they need it; that's not independence, that's martyrdom. And while I liked Charles in almost all other ways, he was an idiot about Margaret. 2/3 of the way through the book I wanted to knock both their heads together.
I liked Archie, although I doubt I'd have been as charmed by him if he'd had more page time. But Margot... well, thank god they just don't make them as stupid as they used to anymore. Honestly she was magnificent in her vapidity; a true danger not only to herself but to all around her. Rather than leave me constantly irritated by her stupidity though, Wentworth left me constantly gaping in incredulity at her instead. If she had to play this card, at least she played it brilliantly.
There are a couple of twists and hints of twists throughout the story. I nailed one of them - the identity of #40, but I totally didn't see the twist concerning Margot coming, nor Grey Mask's identity. And I have to say, I'm not sure I can buy it. To hind that kind of identity in plain site for so long without ever getting caught... believing that requires a suspension of disbelief that exceeds my abilities. Towards the end he was unable to pull it off, as evidenced by yet another twist, but that whole bit felt undeveloped, like it was either tacked on, or didn't work as well as the author hoped it would.
The ultimate fate of Grey Mask felt unsatisfactory, although amusingly karmic given his comments at the end, and I'd have liked a better explanation of Miss Silver's activities as part of the denouement, but I suppose that's a modern need to reveal the magician's tricks and I'll get over it. I'd happily read more of the Miss Silver books, and plan to keep my eyes open for more of them in the future.
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with Miss Silver or the mystery.The TL;DR; version is: it's a good mystery and very good writing. Definitely worth your time if you enjoy going back to the golden era of mystery writing and like a good female sleuth of a certain age.
To go a bit further into things, Miss Silver was in and out of the mystery, never the focal point, but she comes across as kind, if a bit condescending, with a Holmesian level of intelligence and skill for deduction. She's obviously not new to the investigation gig, as she has her own office and an apparently long client list by the time this book starts.
There's a big element of romance in this first book that I could have done without, especially since it is coupled with a woman-in-peril theme that I'm not at all a fan of. Margaret got on my nerves because I find it tedious when women claim independence by refusing to avail themselves of the help they need when they need it; that's not independence, that's martyrdom. And while I liked Charles in almost all other ways, he was an idiot about Margaret. 2/3 of the way through the book I wanted to knock both their heads together.
I liked Archie, although I doubt I'd have been as charmed by him if he'd had more page time. But Margot... well, thank god they just don't make them as stupid as they used to anymore. Honestly she was magnificent in her vapidity; a true danger not only to herself but to all around her. Rather than leave me constantly irritated by her stupidity though, Wentworth left me constantly gaping in incredulity at her instead. If she had to play this card, at least she played it brilliantly.
There are a couple of twists and hints of twists throughout the story. I nailed one of them - the identity of #40, but I totally didn't see the twist concerning Margot coming, nor Grey Mask's identity. And I have to say, I'm not sure I can buy it. To hind that kind of identity in plain site for so long without ever getting caught... believing that requires a suspension of disbelief that exceeds my abilities. Towards the end he was unable to pull it off, as evidenced by yet another twist, but that whole bit felt undeveloped, like it was either tacked on, or didn't work as well as the author hoped it would.
The ultimate fate of Grey Mask felt unsatisfactory, although amusingly karmic given his comments at the end, and I'd have liked a better explanation of Miss Silver's activities as part of the denouement, but I suppose that's a modern need to reveal the magician's tricks and I'll get over it. I'd happily read more of the Miss Silver books, and plan to keep my eyes open for more of them in the future.
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LibraryThing member rosalita
A young wealthy Londoner returns from years of wandering the world to discover a criminal gang operating out of his family home. Although he is able to spy on one of their meetings, he doesn't know who they are — the mastermind wears a grey mask and other gang members are referred to by number
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instead of name. Except he recognized one of them — the young woman whose abrupt breaking of their engagement on the eve of their wedding first sent him on his peregrinations. Charles is reluctant to involve the police unless he can protect his erstwhile love, Margaret, from getting arrested. So he enlists the help of Miss Silver, an unassuming middle-aged woman who has developed a reputations for helping wealthy people with their private troubles. Despite this being the first book in a rather lengthy series featuring our determinedly unflashy friend, her role here is rather constrained. She delivers her reports to Charles whilst industriously working away at her knitting, a different object every time he sees her. Along the way, Charles and Margaret find themselves trying to protect a daffy teenage girl whose life is in danger from the plotters; these scenes provide some great comic relief. Show Less
LibraryThing member bolgai
Grey Mask isn't a new novel, it was originally published in 1928 and is the first in Wentworth's series of whodunit mysteries featuring Miss Silver as the amateur sleuth. It's easy to start comparing Miss Silver to Christie's Miss Marple, after all they're both elderly spinsters solving crimes in
There's more energy to Wentworth's writing, you get to know her characters' quirks and she does a great job of getting to the bottom of people in dialogue. The point of view changes every once in a while and this not only makes the narrative more multi-dimensional but also gives the story a greater degree of intimacy - we actually know first-hand what different characters are doing and how they think and feel about the latest events instead of someone sitting us down at the end and telling us about it in the "great reveal" sort of way. I really enjoyed learning things gradually and having the satisfaction of discovering the identities of minor players as the story progressed. It was also great fun to read Grey Mask because while I figured out part of the mystery from the very beginning there were a number of secrets the answers to which caught me completely off guard. Oh, and there was mortal danger. And people fell in love. And I laughed out loud more than once.
A couple of things threw me off balance in the beginning of the book. One is the language. It is often very specific to the time period, some expressions I wasn't familiar with at all and it took me a bit to figure out what was actually being said. This tends to date the writing but if you're ready for it it's not that big of a deal. Another was that Chapter 2 introduces all kinds of villains but with so little description of them that several chapters later I felt like I missed something and had to go back and make sure that I didn't. Once the "character dump" was over I was able to enjoy the book without any discomfort. And the third thing, now that I'm thinking about it, is how much Miss Silver managed to accomplish in a short amount of time - she actually has an office where she sees potential clients but she also was personally present for all kinds of significant events. The little lady must've been in possession of a time machine! Or she's cloned herself. Wait, that's a different genre.
All in all this is a very enjoyable book that I'm sure will entertain lovers of cozy mysteries who are looking for a bit of light reading.
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England in the best traditions of cozy mystery, but that's where the similarities end. There's more energy to Wentworth's writing, you get to know her characters' quirks and she does a great job of getting to the bottom of people in dialogue. The point of view changes every once in a while and this not only makes the narrative more multi-dimensional but also gives the story a greater degree of intimacy - we actually know first-hand what different characters are doing and how they think and feel about the latest events instead of someone sitting us down at the end and telling us about it in the "great reveal" sort of way. I really enjoyed learning things gradually and having the satisfaction of discovering the identities of minor players as the story progressed. It was also great fun to read Grey Mask because while I figured out part of the mystery from the very beginning there were a number of secrets the answers to which caught me completely off guard. Oh, and there was mortal danger. And people fell in love. And I laughed out loud more than once.
A couple of things threw me off balance in the beginning of the book. One is the language. It is often very specific to the time period, some expressions I wasn't familiar with at all and it took me a bit to figure out what was actually being said. This tends to date the writing but if you're ready for it it's not that big of a deal. Another was that Chapter 2 introduces all kinds of villains but with so little description of them that several chapters later I felt like I missed something and had to go back and make sure that I didn't. Once the "character dump" was over I was able to enjoy the book without any discomfort. And the third thing, now that I'm thinking about it, is how much Miss Silver managed to accomplish in a short amount of time - she actually has an office where she sees potential clients but she also was personally present for all kinds of significant events. The little lady must've been in possession of a time machine! Or she's cloned herself. Wait, that's a different genre.
All in all this is a very enjoyable book that I'm sure will entertain lovers of cozy mysteries who are looking for a bit of light reading.
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LibraryThing member ParadisePorch
The very first Miss Maud Silver mystery, written in and set in 1928. Decent mystery, interesting to see Miss Silver in the early days before the character was fully developed
LibraryThing member smik
I've read this as part of the 2014 Vintage Mystery Challenge. I'm sure I have read a Miss Silver novel before, maybe even several (see these posts about forgotten books), but have not reviewed any on this blog, so a long time ago. Although the first in the Miss Silver series, this was far from
It is probably inevitable that readers compare Miss Silver with Agatha Christie's Jane Marple, who made her first appearance in 1927. In contrast to Miss Marple, Miss Silver had had a previous career as a governess, and seems to be more experienced in the ways of the world, whereas Miss Marple is mainly experienced in village life. While Miss Silver appears to be attempting to be make a living as a private detective and sleuth, Miss Marple gets her cases from the things that happen around her.
Miss Silver does not appear to be as old as Miss Marple, but at the same time is rather more non-descript. Both are spinsters, and both seem rather small and harmless. Both do a lot of knitting. The author stresses how colourless and drab Miss Silver is. In fact the plot seems to bear that out for there are long passages between her appearances, and the reader could be forgiven for forgetting that she is "on the job" at all. But she has the knack of turning up when you least expect her, and she certainly is a shrewd observer. And in the long run it is Miss Silver who initiates the decisive action that brings everything to a satisfactory resolution and saves the day.
So how well has GREY MASK weathered? The plot is passable but I think perhaps the language of the novel is a bit dated. It seems set in a world of inheritances and a social structure that even by 1929 was rapidly disappearing.
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Patricia Wentworth's first novel. There would eventually be over 30 titles in this series, which she kept publishing until 1961. However the second title in the series does not appear for another nine years.It is probably inevitable that readers compare Miss Silver with Agatha Christie's Jane Marple, who made her first appearance in 1927. In contrast to Miss Marple, Miss Silver had had a previous career as a governess, and seems to be more experienced in the ways of the world, whereas Miss Marple is mainly experienced in village life. While Miss Silver appears to be attempting to be make a living as a private detective and sleuth, Miss Marple gets her cases from the things that happen around her.
Miss Silver does not appear to be as old as Miss Marple, but at the same time is rather more non-descript. Both are spinsters, and both seem rather small and harmless. Both do a lot of knitting. The author stresses how colourless and drab Miss Silver is. In fact the plot seems to bear that out for there are long passages between her appearances, and the reader could be forgiven for forgetting that she is "on the job" at all. But she has the knack of turning up when you least expect her, and she certainly is a shrewd observer. And in the long run it is Miss Silver who initiates the decisive action that brings everything to a satisfactory resolution and saves the day.
So how well has GREY MASK weathered? The plot is passable but I think perhaps the language of the novel is a bit dated. It seems set in a world of inheritances and a social structure that even by 1929 was rapidly disappearing.
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LibraryThing member AnneTanne
Entertaining, but not very surprizing. 'Old-fashioned' of course, but that's part of the appeal of this book.
LibraryThing member Kathy89
Grey Mask was written in the early 1930s and is a little dated but it’s a very good mystery. The detective is a little old lady who likes to knit, Miss Silver, but is not a leading character. The story starts with an 18 year old silly girl who learns that unless she can produce proof of her
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legitimacy her cousin will inherit. Charles returns after being away for 4 years and finds a secret meeting taking place in his house of people wearing grey masks and secretly overhears a plot to kill a young woman. One of the members is a woman who he is sure is his former fiancé. There’s a series of chance encounters and coincidences and because he doesn’t want to implicate Margaret, he enlists the help of Miss Silver instead of the police. Show Less
LibraryThing member MrsLee
A young man returns from four years abroad, after the heartbreak of his broken engagement, only to find that his house is being used by a band of villains and his ex-fiance seems to be embroiled with them!
This was a good read. I will have to read more of Wentworth to know whether I like her for
This was a good read. I will have to read more of Wentworth to know whether I like her for
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sure. Miss Silver seemed almost a non-entity in this particular novel. The other characters were more engaging and interesting. I'm not even sure she was very instrumental in solving anything. We never really saw her work, certainly didn't see where/how she gained any of her information and nary a glimpse of the inner workings of her little grey cells. She could have been Grey Mask for all she revealed of herself. Show Less
LibraryThing member rhonda1111
This book Grey Mask is still good. It has stood the test of time. Yes it is really dated but it still a good mystery with somethings that surprised me at the end.
Charles is back from abroad after he left England four years ago. He was engaged to Margaret for a real short time after being friends
Charles was not planning to go to his home till the next day but his dinner plans cancelled on him so he decided to check how his house was taken care of. He found his gate unlocked and then the back door was left open a little so he went in quitely and saw a light in other room and voices. He had a whole he could look through into that room from a closet. He saw a guy with grey mask and a few others and heard them plotting to kill someone if needed too. Charles was set to find police when he saw Margaret and recongized her. He could not turn her in.
He went to Miss Silver and got her asking questions for him and between them figured a lot of stuff.
It kept me guessing along. I liked the way they told some facts about Margot by her writing all the time to her friend Stephanie.
I will read more books by Patricia Wentworth. I was given this ebook in exchange for honest review.
Charles is back from abroad after he left England four years ago. He was engaged to Margaret for a real short time after being friends
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for years. Margaret just dumped him and would not speak to him before he left.Charles was not planning to go to his home till the next day but his dinner plans cancelled on him so he decided to check how his house was taken care of. He found his gate unlocked and then the back door was left open a little so he went in quitely and saw a light in other room and voices. He had a whole he could look through into that room from a closet. He saw a guy with grey mask and a few others and heard them plotting to kill someone if needed too. Charles was set to find police when he saw Margaret and recongized her. He could not turn her in.
He went to Miss Silver and got her asking questions for him and between them figured a lot of stuff.
It kept me guessing along. I liked the way they told some facts about Margot by her writing all the time to her friend Stephanie.
I will read more books by Patricia Wentworth. I was given this ebook in exchange for honest review.
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LibraryThing member quondame
Sprightly written total content free non-sense. Miss Silver is a cypher and a convenient if intermittent device, only the villain shows any sign of intelligent life and what is shown doesn't have any logical consistency. And if you don't figure out who the baddy is well before the big reveal you
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really aren't trying. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChazziFrazz
Charles Moray has been gone from England for four years. After his father’s death, he has returned to take over the family home and business matters.
He originally left when he was jilted at the altar by his then fiancée. A girl he’d known for most of his life. Now he feels he is over her and
Moray also finds that Margaret, the ex-fiancée, is involved with a gang who are responsible for some recent violent acts in the area. Moray also learns of a kidnapping plot of a young heiress, leading to her possible murder, by this same gang. By a fluke, Margot, the young heiress, winds up seeking protection with Margaret and Moray.
Moray’s belief of Margaret being forced to associate with the notorious gamg causes him to seek the services of Miss Maud Silver, a governess turned private investigator. Her reputation and confidentiality are highly respected. She is able to get the necessary information to prove Moray’s belief of Margaret’s forced association with the gang.
Written in 1929, characters and lifestyles remind me of some of the black and white movies I’ve watched. Margot is a young and frivolous girl with little common sense. Her favourite work seems to be “frightfully.” Over use of the word did get to be a bit. Moray is the strong, heroic male and Margaret the strong, determined woman who wonders if Moray can ever love her after her breaking of their previous engagement.
Reading this is a bit of a step back in time….something different for this day and time.
He originally left when he was jilted at the altar by his then fiancée. A girl he’d known for most of his life. Now he feels he is over her and
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figures she is married to someone else. He finds he is wrong in both ideas.Moray also finds that Margaret, the ex-fiancée, is involved with a gang who are responsible for some recent violent acts in the area. Moray also learns of a kidnapping plot of a young heiress, leading to her possible murder, by this same gang. By a fluke, Margot, the young heiress, winds up seeking protection with Margaret and Moray.
Moray’s belief of Margaret being forced to associate with the notorious gamg causes him to seek the services of Miss Maud Silver, a governess turned private investigator. Her reputation and confidentiality are highly respected. She is able to get the necessary information to prove Moray’s belief of Margaret’s forced association with the gang.
Written in 1929, characters and lifestyles remind me of some of the black and white movies I’ve watched. Margot is a young and frivolous girl with little common sense. Her favourite work seems to be “frightfully.” Over use of the word did get to be a bit. Moray is the strong, heroic male and Margaret the strong, determined woman who wonders if Moray can ever love her after her breaking of their previous engagement.
Reading this is a bit of a step back in time….something different for this day and time.
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LibraryThing member ffortsa
Ah, the best laid plans. Several LT mystery lovers have talked about Miss Silver recently. I've read one or two later titles, according to my LT records, but beginnings are always interesting. So I thought I'd read one more easy-to-digest mystery before my next planned books, and ended up finishing
Miss Silver's debut mystery is classic English upper class in form and substance, but somehow I couldn't stop reading it. Completely enigmatic, she is always one step ahead of our hero, politely letting him take on all the exciting bits and romantic rewards. Love and justice win out. Did you doubt it?
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at 2:30 AM.Miss Silver's debut mystery is classic English upper class in form and substance, but somehow I couldn't stop reading it. Completely enigmatic, she is always one step ahead of our hero, politely letting him take on all the exciting bits and romantic rewards. Love and justice win out. Did you doubt it?
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LibraryThing member Vesper1931
First published in 1928 - Four years after he was jilted by Margaret Langton, Charles Moray returns home only to overhear a conspiracy he believes to murder a girl, lead by the Grey Mask. One of the people in the room is Margaret. He turns to Miss Silver for help solve the riddle, save Margaret and
As I have the first 7 novels I will be interested to find out if Miss Silver becomes more involved in the stories or stays in the background.
An interesting story, reflective of its time, but with one very silly girl.
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determine who is this master criminal called the Grey Mask.As I have the first 7 novels I will be interested to find out if Miss Silver becomes more involved in the stories or stays in the background.
An interesting story, reflective of its time, but with one very silly girl.
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LibraryThing member smik
The first of 32 Miss Silver mysteries published 1928-1961.
It would be 9 years before a second title was published, as Wentworth experimented with other sleuths.
Readers in 1928 would have compared Miss Silver with that "other" elderly female detective Miss Marple who made her first appearance in
For me this was a re-read. See also audio book review.
Most of my conclusions in that review still hold. I think the style of the novel shows signs that it is nearly 100 years since it was published. I think Margot Standing is a most exasperating character, a chatterbox who would drive all of those around her mad. However I think the novel also shows a complexity of plot strands that Agatha Christie managed to avoid.
Readers' expectations of crime fiction novels have changed since this novel was published. But Miss Silver is surprisingly modern. She does a lot of investigation (in contrast to Miss Marple who relied on her experience) and is surprisingly organised with notebooks for each case that she undertakes.
I bought a Kindle edition which contains the first 3 Miss Silver titles - and I don't think I have read the other 2 before.
It would be 9 years before a second title was published, as Wentworth experimented with other sleuths.
Readers in 1928 would have compared Miss Silver with that "other" elderly female detective Miss Marple who made her first appearance in
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1927 (in a short story). Since beginning writing in 1920 Agatha Christie had dabbled in male sleuths, and in 1927 published THE BIG FOUR, which seems to me to have similar themes to GREY MASK.For me this was a re-read. See also audio book review.
Most of my conclusions in that review still hold. I think the style of the novel shows signs that it is nearly 100 years since it was published. I think Margot Standing is a most exasperating character, a chatterbox who would drive all of those around her mad. However I think the novel also shows a complexity of plot strands that Agatha Christie managed to avoid.
Readers' expectations of crime fiction novels have changed since this novel was published. But Miss Silver is surprisingly modern. She does a lot of investigation (in contrast to Miss Marple who relied on her experience) and is surprisingly organised with notebooks for each case that she undertakes.
I bought a Kindle edition which contains the first 3 Miss Silver titles - and I don't think I have read the other 2 before.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
The first Miss Silver mystery, sadly she a secondary character in the plot which is mainly concerned with the existence of a master criminal running a large gang. Ultimately this is an atmospheric and enjoyable read.
LibraryThing member gpangel
Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth is a 1928 publication.
Charles Moray hired Miss Silver after he overhears a dastardly plot to ‘remove’ a young woman who might be the recipient of a vast fortune. The young lady in question is eighteen-year-old Margot, an extremely immature young lady who finds
Charles did not report the crime to the police because, to his shock and horror, he discovered his former fiancé, Margaret, was in on the plot. How deeply she was involved he didn’t know… but he and Miss Silver are determined to protect Margot from the diabolical man in the grey mask…
As much as I love old mysteries, I have not- that I recall, anyway- ever read a single Miss Silver mystery. I’ve wanted to fit one in for ages and finally managed to get this first one under my belt.
I was expecting a cozy mystery- but did not research the series, so I surprised to find that Miss Silver is a legitimate detective- a bit forward thinking for 1928- but she’s also a spinster-like personality that likes to knit and is oft compared to Miss Marple.
This first installment was a little bit of a mixed bag. Miss Silver is one of those genius detectives, but we don’t see her doing any of the real leg work behind the scenes- and only physically gets involved at the very end of the book. She never calls her client to update him, and she only reveals what she knows or suspects when they contact her in a state of panic.
The plot is a bit overblown and highly improbable- but I could tell some thoughts went into it. I doubt we are to take it all that seriously and should view it for its entertainment value and not much else. The characterizations though, were nearly a deal breaker though. Magot would try the patience of Job. She’s an eight-year-old in an eighteen-year-old body- which makes her flirtations with Charles and his friend Archie extremely cringeworthy.
Now all this sounds as though I did not enjoy the book, but it did have some merits, despite everything. The first book in a series can always be a little rough, and of course, one must consider the period in which the book was written- so I’ll give the next book a try and see how things stand after that.
Overall, this is an odd little mystery that tried my patience on occasion, but was curiousities of it were enough to hold my interest until the end.
2.5 round up.
Charles Moray hired Miss Silver after he overhears a dastardly plot to ‘remove’ a young woman who might be the recipient of a vast fortune. The young lady in question is eighteen-year-old Margot, an extremely immature young lady who finds
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herself all alone in the world after her father’s untimely passing. Charles did not report the crime to the police because, to his shock and horror, he discovered his former fiancé, Margaret, was in on the plot. How deeply she was involved he didn’t know… but he and Miss Silver are determined to protect Margot from the diabolical man in the grey mask…
As much as I love old mysteries, I have not- that I recall, anyway- ever read a single Miss Silver mystery. I’ve wanted to fit one in for ages and finally managed to get this first one under my belt.
I was expecting a cozy mystery- but did not research the series, so I surprised to find that Miss Silver is a legitimate detective- a bit forward thinking for 1928- but she’s also a spinster-like personality that likes to knit and is oft compared to Miss Marple.
This first installment was a little bit of a mixed bag. Miss Silver is one of those genius detectives, but we don’t see her doing any of the real leg work behind the scenes- and only physically gets involved at the very end of the book. She never calls her client to update him, and she only reveals what she knows or suspects when they contact her in a state of panic.
The plot is a bit overblown and highly improbable- but I could tell some thoughts went into it. I doubt we are to take it all that seriously and should view it for its entertainment value and not much else. The characterizations though, were nearly a deal breaker though. Magot would try the patience of Job. She’s an eight-year-old in an eighteen-year-old body- which makes her flirtations with Charles and his friend Archie extremely cringeworthy.
Now all this sounds as though I did not enjoy the book, but it did have some merits, despite everything. The first book in a series can always be a little rough, and of course, one must consider the period in which the book was written- so I’ll give the next book a try and see how things stand after that.
Overall, this is an odd little mystery that tried my patience on occasion, but was curiousities of it were enough to hold my interest until the end.
2.5 round up.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1928
Physical description
320 p.; 20 cm
Other editions
Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth (Paperback)