Murder on haunted ground . . .Mary Stokes was walking through Dead Man's Copse one evening when she saw, in the beam of a torch, the corpse of a young woman dressed in a black coat, black gloves, no hat and an eternity ring set with diamonds in her ear. But when she and Detective Sergeant Frank Abbott went back to the wood the body had vanished.This would have been mystery enough for Miss Silver to solve if a woman had not also reported that her lodger had gone out on Frida...

Ladies' Bane - it was a curious name for a house. But visiting it for the first time Lone found it a curious house. Curious, and rather frightening. They said in the village that anyone who was its mistress would lose the thing she cared for most. And its present mistress was Allegra - Lone's sister. They had not met for two years. Appointments had been made but not kept. Visits had been postponed time and time again. There had been excuse after excuse. And then, suddenly Lone found hersel...

The first three Miss Silver Mysteries introduce the British governess-turned-sleuth and a "timelessly charming" series (Charlotte MacLeod).From a "first-rate storyteller," here are three full-length mystery novels in one volume, set in England between the two world wars and featuring Maud Silver, a retired governess and teacher who embarks on a new career in private detection ( The Daily Telegraph).Grey MaskAfter f...

New Year's Eve, 1940, is unusual for the Paradine family. Departing from tradition, James Paradine makes a speech that changes the course of many lives. Valuable documents have disappeared. A member of the family has taken them. The culprit has until midnight to confess and return the papers. A few minutes after twelve James Paradine is dead. It is left to Miss Silver to disentangle the threads that bind the Paradine family in a strange web of dislike, hatred and fear.

Lewis Brading loves only one thing – his collection of jewels. Not only are the gems extremely valuable but also every piece has a fascinating and bloody history attached to it.However Lewis is a frightened and difficult man who sees thieves around every corner. When he asks Miss Silver for help, she gives him some sound advice and turns him away. A few days later, she receives a letter from him, again asking for help. But it is too late. In the morning paper is the news of his mur...

No one would ever have guessed that Paulina Paine was deaf, and that her ability to lip-read was astonishing. So the two men who met one day during the showing of a new art exhibition did not realise until too late that the middle-aged tweedy figure sitting out of earshot could understand every word they said. And it had been no ordinary conversation. In fact, Paulina was so shaken by its implications that she went to see Miss Silver straight away. As the violence escalates, Miss Silver fi...

A bloody curse fells four...Judy Elliot, meeting an old friend, Detective Sergeant Abbott tells him that, having been left the custody of her motherless little niece, she is taking a domestic job in the country with a family named Pilgrim. Frank is appalled, mysterious deaths have been taking place there. A curse is on the house of Pilgrim's Rest and by the time Miss Silver investigates she has four murders to solve.

James Cray was always a cruel man . . .When he was 21 James Lessiter told Henrietta Cray that he loved her before all things and so broke Catherine Lee's heart. But James has a side to him that most people do not see. When the engagement is broken off noone is sure why and Rietta refuses to explain.Twenty years later James returns to the village an extremely wealthy man. Rietta is still unmarried and Catherine is a penniless widow living in a cottage on the Lessiter estate....

Tanis Lyle was one of those passionate women who always get their own way. Her cousin Laura hated her. Most women did. But men found her irresistible and she used them mercilessly.So when Tanis was found murdered there seemed to be any number of suspects on hand.But Miss Silver had her own suspicions . . .

Grey Mask is the first book in the beloved Miss Silver series by British author Patricia Wentworth, originally published in 1928. This classic mystery novel introduces readers to Miss Maud Silver, a retired governess turned private detective, who would go on to become one of the most enduring and endearing figures in the cozy mystery genre. With its intricate plot, atmospheric setting, and memorable characters, Grey Mask sets the stage for a series that would captivate readers for decades....

Cloak-and-dagger intrigue featuring an eccentric agent for Britain's Foreign Office from the author of the "timelessly charming" Miss Silver mysteries (Charlotte MacLeod).Named after three naval admirals, the enigmatic gentleman spy Benbow Collingwood Horatio Smith detests the sea and loves to indulge his beloved parrot, Ananias, all while protecting the fate of the Western world.Fool Errant: Smith investigates the case of a young man whose new job...

When Gay Hardwicke's cousin Sylvia begs for her help, Gay finds herself drawn into a tangled web of blackmail and mystery. Sylvia's husband, the wealthy Sir Francis Colesborough, forbids her from playing cards -- but Sylvia has lost a fortune and is being blackmailed by the enigmatic "Mr. Zero."As Gay tries to unravel the mystery and protect her cousin, a sudden murder throws everyone under suspicion. With the police closing in and the stakes rising, Gay must use all her wits to un...