I've now read 19 of the 32 Miss Silver mysteries. This is the 10th in the series. They are all pleasant cozy reads, with different plots and new personalities for Miss Silver to observe and analyze, but other than giving a synopsis of the plot, it is hard to give a meaningful review of each one. It does seem that each one has at least one really disagreeable character that either becomes the victim of murder or turns out to be the perpetrator, and in a way that makes them satisfying. Patricia Wentworth really knew how to make you dislike certain characters. It also seems that more often than not, blackmail is involved and more central to the crime than the other big motivators of greed and hatred. I particularly enjoy how the relationship between Maud Silver and the Scotland Yard man, Frank Abbot continues to develop.Recently I viewed new presentations of a couple of Miss Marple stories on PBS Masterpiece Mystery and do think there are some similarities between Miss Marple and Miss Silver. It has been many years since I read the Agatha Christie mysteries, but I am finding that I really like Miss Silver, as a personality, better, and I think she is much more clever and subtle and not so doddering. I wonder why PBS has not done these mysteries, and if they did, who would they get to play Miss Maud Silver.
Country manor Pilgrim's Rest has had a quick succession of new owners. An old Pilgrim family curse says that every owner who attempts to sell Pilgrim's Rest will die, and indeed it is happening. And each new slice of death duties makes it that much more necessary to sell the house. Miss Silver arrives in an established collection of family members with military injuries and other damaged skeletons. A very clever murderer is at work, so much so that the only way Wentworth could prove the miscreant's identity is to provide an unexpected eyewitness. I really liked the configuration of the family once the changes were complete.
What do You think about Pilgrim's Rest (1996)?
I noticed in this book that Miss Silver makes her appearance quite early in the story and her presence is there throughout, unlike some of the other books I picked up. This made for a nice change, since it is labeled as a 'Miss Silver' mystery.However, her coughing got on my nerves again, and also the fact that the reader does not see her thought process. She makes little suggestions to others around her, getting them on the right path again, but does little else. She may have figure out the murder by page 10 for all I know, but keeps the knowledge to herself and lets the other run around in circles trying to figure things out.Not only that, the (view spoiler)[murderer gets away! (hide spoiler)]
—Susan
