a fan and I love her books, especially Miss Silver, This one is set during the early years of Britain's war against Hitler, There are bombing raids and spies and many people with questionable alliances, Quick bits in Holland and Germany add unusual elements to a Wentworth novel,
We also have Wentworth's all too common couple who grew up together like siblings: YUCK! And the young woman is rather silly, and part of the time is under a chaperon's care.
There is some banter between the British spy and his boss, and the boss' secretary that feels like prototype Bond, M, and Moneypenny.
The boss, Frank Garrett, has a few books of his own in a small series by the author, by the way.
This book is technically a Lamb/Abbott novel, although Garrett appears more than they do!
Overall this is a tedious mess, with people repeating conversations again and again, lots of nonsense is thrown in between the spy thriller elements, and lots of useless trips back and forth between London and a suburb take up a lot of time.
Oh, and that lurid cover is nonsense, The cover art for this book sort of says it all, "International thrillers" are not Wentworth's best bet, I certainly didn't find this one "gripping", The first/were standard cosy mystery fare, with plenty of romance mixed in, Then the author suddenly remembered, hey! This is supposed to be about wartime espionage! and tried to do something with that aspect, but with limited success.
The ending was very abrupt, as if a she ran out of ideas and cut her losses or b someone reminded her that wartime paper shortages meant limited page numbers.
About time we were in for hair breadth scapes, she tacked on an "ending" and stopped writing,
Considering that Our Hero does little more than drive around, make phone calls and worry, while The Girl does everything even remotely described as "action", his masterful attitude and treating her like "oh you silly child" at that end was more than a little annoying and cost the book a star.
Early Bird Book Deal Probably the best of Wentworth's espionage books, though that's an admittedly low bar I wonder if readers of the time actually believed their secret service personnel were this stupid.
All the supposed twists just blared their secrets all over the page, so it's hard to imagine anyone not seeing them.
That said, this contains the pluckiest female character that has ever appeared in a Wentworth novel, one who takes her fate into her own hands and works to save her love and her country.
Not her best by a long shot and Lamb and Abbott barely make an appearance, Exciting Mystery
Marvelously written adventure and exciting mystery that takes from WWII Britain with bombings every night to the countryside and over in occupied Holland.
Another great read by Patricia Wentworth, This is one of those cozy British mysteries that so many love, perhaps because PBS has introduced many who have not red English popular faire to the subtle craft that made readers of English mysteries so entranced.
In this book Nazis are trying to interrupt a package they believe will compromise them, and send their thugs into a small very typical village to get their hands on it.
It is one of the Anthony Rosseiter series, a British pilot who now works with the government to gather information on Nazi plans.
Another Patricia Wentworth book this one an international thriller, As with all her books a real page turner, Starts well, tails off towards the end, More of an adventure rather than a mystery, Full review at classicmystery. blog
The reason I mention the year this was written is that our modern spy thrillers are told with the hindsight of knowing that Hitler and his thugs were defeated.
This is a clever story that employs Ms Wentworth's top writing skillsand as always the heart of the story is an ordinary English girl who finds herself caught up in an extraordinary situation.
Very enjoyable. I gulped it down in a rainy afternoon, The usual components of a Wentworth mysteryintrigue, abduction, and of course, murdercombine in this entry of the Ernest Lamb series to form a satisfying mystery.
As usual in Wentworth's series, the purported sleuth is relegated to a very minor role, but the main characters are compelling, and if a little predictable, the book is nonetheless enjoyable.
Patricia Wentworth born Dora Amy Elles was a British crime fiction writer, She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London, After the death of her first husband, George F, Dillon, in, she settled in Camberley, Surrey, She married George Oliver Turnbull inand they had one daughter, She wrote a series ofclassic style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in, and the last in, the year of her death.
Miss Silver, a retired governess turned private detective, is sometimes compared to Jane Marple, the elderly detective created by Agatha Christie.
She works closely with Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Frank Abbott and is fond of quoting the poet Tennyson, Wentworth also wr Patricia Wentworth born
Dora Amy Elles was a British crime fiction writer, She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London, After the death of her first husband, George F, Dillon, in, she settled in Camberley, Surrey, She married George Oliver Turnbull inand they had one daughter, She wrote a series ofclassic style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in, and the last in, the year of her death.
Miss Silver, a retired governess turned private detective, is sometimes compared to Jane Marple, the elderly detective created by Agatha Christie.
She works closely with Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Frank Abbott and is fond of quoting the poet Tennyson, Wentworth also wrotebooks outside of that series, sitelink.
We also have Wentworth's all too common couple who grew up together like siblings: YUCK! And the young woman is rather silly, and part of the time is under a chaperon's care.
There is some banter between the British spy and his boss, and the boss' secretary that feels like prototype Bond, M, and Moneypenny.
The boss, Frank Garrett, has a few books of his own in a small series by the author, by the way.
This book is technically a Lamb/Abbott novel, although Garrett appears more than they do!
Overall this is a tedious mess, with people repeating conversations again and again, lots of nonsense is thrown in between the spy thriller elements, and lots of useless trips back and forth between London and a suburb take up a lot of time.
Oh, and that lurid cover is nonsense, The cover art for this book sort of says it all, "International thrillers" are not Wentworth's best bet, I certainly didn't find this one "gripping", The first/were standard cosy mystery fare, with plenty of romance mixed in, Then the author suddenly remembered, hey! This is supposed to be about wartime espionage! and tried to do something with that aspect, but with limited success.
The ending was very abrupt, as if a she ran out of ideas and cut her losses or b someone reminded her that wartime paper shortages meant limited page numbers.
About time we were in for hair breadth scapes, she tacked on an "ending" and stopped writing,
Considering that Our Hero does little more than drive around, make phone calls and worry, while The Girl does everything even remotely described as "action", his masterful attitude and treating her like "oh you silly child" at that end was more than a little annoying and cost the book a star.
Early Bird Book Deal Probably the best of Wentworth's espionage books, though that's an admittedly low bar I wonder if readers of the time actually believed their secret service personnel were this stupid.
All the supposed twists just blared their secrets all over the page, so it's hard to imagine anyone not seeing them.
That said, this contains the pluckiest female character that has ever appeared in a Wentworth novel, one who takes her fate into her own hands and works to save her love and her country.
Not her best by a long shot and Lamb and Abbott barely make an appearance, Exciting Mystery
Marvelously written adventure and exciting mystery that takes from WWII Britain with bombings every night to the countryside and over in occupied Holland.
Another great read by Patricia Wentworth, This is one of those cozy British mysteries that so many love, perhaps because PBS has introduced many who have not red English popular faire to the subtle craft that made readers of English mysteries so entranced.
In this book Nazis are trying to interrupt a package they believe will compromise them, and send their thugs into a small very typical village to get their hands on it.
It is one of the Anthony Rosseiter series, a British pilot who now works with the government to gather information on Nazi plans.
Another Patricia Wentworth book this one an international thriller, As with all her books a real page turner, Starts well, tails off towards the end, More of an adventure rather than a mystery, Full review at classicmystery. blog
The parcel was addressed in sprawling capitals to “Antony Rossiter, Esq, By hand. ” There was no more address than that,
A seafaring man brings an unassuming brown paper parcel to the offices of a distinguished lawfirm, It soon plunges intelligence operative Antony Rossiter into the lethal underground of international espionage, military intelligence and murder,
An inexplicable prowler is disturbed in a modest London villa during a lull in the great raids young Delia Merridew meets a young man in her moonlit garden an unobserved parachutist drops to the earth of occupied Holland.
Now Scotland Yards Inspector Ernest Lamb and Detective Frank Abbott must unearth the truth before an implacable enemy claims more than one life in this wartime mystery.
Pursuit of a Parcel was originally published in, This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans,
WWEspionage Suspense written inThe reason I mention the year this was written is that our modern spy thrillers are told with the hindsight of knowing that Hitler and his thugs were defeated.
This is a clever story that employs Ms Wentworth's top writing skillsand as always the heart of the story is an ordinary English girl who finds herself caught up in an extraordinary situation.
Very enjoyable. I gulped it down in a rainy afternoon, The usual components of a Wentworth mysteryintrigue, abduction, and of course, murdercombine in this entry of the Ernest Lamb series to form a satisfying mystery.
As usual in Wentworth's series, the purported sleuth is relegated to a very minor role, but the main characters are compelling, and if a little predictable, the book is nonetheless enjoyable.
Patricia Wentworth born Dora Amy Elles was a British crime fiction writer, She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London, After the death of her first husband, George F, Dillon, in, she settled in Camberley, Surrey, She married George Oliver Turnbull inand they had one daughter, She wrote a series ofclassic style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in, and the last in, the year of her death.
Miss Silver, a retired governess turned private detective, is sometimes compared to Jane Marple, the elderly detective created by Agatha Christie.
She works closely with Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Frank Abbott and is fond of quoting the poet Tennyson, Wentworth also wr Patricia Wentworth born
Dora Amy Elles was a British crime fiction writer, She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London, After the death of her first husband, George F, Dillon, in, she settled in Camberley, Surrey, She married George Oliver Turnbull inand they had one daughter, She wrote a series ofclassic style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in, and the last in, the year of her death.
Miss Silver, a retired governess turned private detective, is sometimes compared to Jane Marple, the elderly detective created by Agatha Christie.
She works closely with Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Frank Abbott and is fond of quoting the poet Tennyson, Wentworth also wrotebooks outside of that series, sitelink.