Money in the Bank

by P.G. Wodehouse

George Uffenham, the eccentric sixth viscount of Uffenham, has just converted the family fortune into diamonds and stashed them away in a secret hiding place. But as luck would have it, an unfortunate car accident soon thereafter causes him to forget the jewels location. In order to recover the gems, he must let out his estate, Shipley Hall, to big game hunter Clarissa Cork and return posing as the butler, Cakebread. Thus disguised, he will have the opportunity to search all the rooms and reclaim his family pile!

In typical Wodehouse fashion, "Money in the Bank "is a lively narrative full of witty banter, bumbling buffoons, and wild shenanigans."

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Audiobook, Classics, Novels, British Literature

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 9, 1942

About the author

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.

An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.

Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the life of every man there come times when he wishes he was James Cagney, and one of these had come to him now.

Yet another absolute winner from Wodehouse! - this one from mid-career. Full disclosure: I was slightly thrown in the first chapter - the atmosphere of the courtroom is not one that's common in Wodehouse - but I soon got my footing and sailed through from there. 

I haven't read any biography of Wodehouse (I'm not sure that there's one that's exemplary) but, based on a viewing of the BBC film 'Wodehouse in Exile' (recommended), I have a certain image of the man. In a way, I see him as a British version of Clark Kent - mild-mannered. unassuming and studious - until he enters the 'phone booth' of his study and sits down to write... at which time he immediately turns into a Superman of words! 

'Money in the Bank' - which may be one of his longer works - is an almost non-stop cavalcade of hilarity, with one zany situation falling on top of another. The plot (as is usually the case) is not that important - but it has to do with concocted (as opposed to mistaken) identities, thieves and a misplaced stash of diamonds. Oh, and there's a delightful love story in there as well. 

If those elements fail to draw you in, fear not. It's the characters that rule the day - as well as the splendid dialogue, and Wodehouse's uniquely entertaining way of commenting on both the details of the narrative and the inner thoughts of the players. 

Though Wodehouse novels are often populated with familiar Wodehousian types, certain individuals can stand out in certain books - and that's true here as well. 

Protagonist J.G. Miller - soon a complete washout as a lawyer - places himself in an awkward situation where he is 'forced' to identify himself as a detective (which he takes to with some abandon, since he also writes thrillers). J.G. may, at bottom, have the kind of personality that Wodehouse has paraded before - but here it's with a refreshing twist, largely in the way that he keeps himself on his toes (even when discouraged). 

The formidable Clarissa Cork - employer of the young lady that J.G. falls for - is a force somewhat reminiscent of Wodehouse's Aunt Dahlia (who appears a number of times in the Jeeves and Wooster series) ~ with the notable difference that Clarissa has a history as a bounty hunter:

... there was in her voice, as she spoke, a throaty growl which any leopard would have been proud to include in his repertoire.

My personal favorite in the cast is the somewhat doddering yet often suddenly alert Lord Uffenham (Uncle George to Anne, J.G.'s new love). For reasons of the plot, Uffenham spends most of his time masquerading as a butler... when he's not instructing J.G. on how to conquer love... or trying to remember where he put his diamonds (for safe keeping). 

Quite a bit of the dialogue comes in the form of ping-pong:

"Have you kissed her again?"
"No, I have not."
"Then go and do it."
"I won't."
"It might just turn the scale." 
"Listen," Jeff said patiently. "I told you she either spoke to me not at all or very sparsely. You have now seen for yourself that she has developed a tendency to shoot out of my presence as if released by a spring. This renders it difficult for me to follow your advice."
"Yerss. You'd want her to stay put, of course."

To put it simply... we're currently in another period in America where much of our reality is an ever-changing nightmare. Wodehouse - aside from being a brilliant writer - is doing his best in helping me maintain my sanity.  

[K.A. Laity · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not Jeeves and Wooster, not Blandings and not Psmith, so one of those that tends to get neglected. A light crime caper with all of Wodehouse’s signature humour and a bit of romance although all is rocky to begin with as just about everybody ending up at the cozy country house have reasons to loathe and suspect each other. The delight is seeing how the characters dodge their enemies, forge uneasy alliances and fall in love against their will. And of course it will make you smile and laugh out loud. Some faves:

‘I shall concentrate exclusively upon the work where I am convinced that my real talents lie. I shall write thrillers, and I shall do nothing but write thrillers, and if they come to me and plead with me to appear in the latest cause célèbre, I shall reply that I am sorry, but I cannot fit it in. You merely court disaster in these days of specialisation, if you dissipate your energies.’

‘In the life of every man there come times when he wishes he were James Cagney, and one of these had come upon him now.’

‘Chimp Twist was human, though most of his acquaintances would have liked to have this proved to them, and it is a human trait to keep on hoping, however sticky the outlook.’

‘She spoke so quietly, so meekly, her whole air so like that of a good little girl remorseful for having been naughty, that a wiser and more experienced man than Lionel Green would have climbed the wall and pulled it up after him.’

‘It had taken him some time to make the discovery, but he had suddenly become conscious that there was an oddness about this girl’s manner. She put him in mind of a bomb on the point of exploding, and it disturbed him.’

‘It is the secret sorrow of authors that they too seldom come into direct contact with their public. Her publisher’s statement told Mrs Cork that two hundred and six splendid men and women had bought A Woman in the Wilds, but never till now had she stood face to face with anyone on the roll of honour.’

‘Her views on her eccentric employee had come of late to resemble those entertained by King Henry the Second towards Thomas à Becket. The words “Will no one rid me of this turbulent butler?” seemed to be trembling on her lips.’

[Kavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Jeff Miller is unable to become a serious lawyer, his overbearing fiancee dumps him. Thankfully, he sets out to do what pleases him best. However, circumstances place him in an awkward position and he ends up pretending to be a detective hired to find Uffenham diamonds and keep an eye on the inhabitants of the vegan cult of Mrs Cork. It is made especially difficult when Jeff realises that his arch enemy whom he humiliated in court is also present there, and to top it all, he has fallen in love with the butler's niece. A riot comedy ensues in typical Wodehouse fashion.

Dolly Molloy is and remains one of my favourite standalone Wodehouse characters, even though she only made an appearance in 2 - 3 books. The butler definitely did it in this one, and Cakebread (awesome name for a butler!) snooping around everywhere was one of the highlights of the book. Mrs Cork was fun too, though I don't necessarily agree with Wodehouse's stance on veganism here!

I enjoyed this book, but parts of it in the middle dragged for me, especially the romance bits. What I really did not like was Jeff Miller. He comes across as creepy and stalks and assaults Anne, and is only cheered on by Lord Uffenham, who recommends he overlook any objection by Anne. I am not happy with this plot, especially because it added nothing to the story and could just have been omitted, allowing us readers to enjoy a sexual-attack-free book in full.

Nevertheless, the Wodehouse charm doesn't really fade, and the Molloys and Chimp Twist and Mrs Cork more than make up for the Miller, Benedick, Uffenham annoyance. I knocked down one star from a previous reading since I wasn't really as critical when I first started reviewing things.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has all the classic components of a Wodehouse novel; a country house, crooks, lost jewels, and mistaken identities.
Lord Uffingham, posing as Cakehead the butler, has turned the family fortune into diamonds and hidden them somewhere in his house. The problem is he's forgotten where. The estate has been let to Mrs Cork, a formidable adventuress, who has turned the place into a health farm. When Cakebread is found rummaging through guest bedrooms, a private detective is sent for. Owing to a mix-up J. G. Miller is employed instead. The usual chaos ensues.
Wodehouse still has that beautiful turn of phrase which makes his writing so enjoyable but I didn't find the story flowed in the same way as others of his do. Also, there are no familiar characters in this one. Enjoyable, but not his best.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. This was a silly misadventure, featuring a trio of Wodehouse American crooks who just can't seem to get their elaborate scams to work on the clueless British aristocracy. This is the second audio book I have listened to about Soapy and Dolly Molloy and their sometime partner Chimp Twist. A big reason their plans go awry is the Molloys spend almost as much time trying to double cross Twist as they do working on the original plan, and vice versa. Also included in the story are the usual boy meets girl complications, the absent minded peer and a fearless big game hunter who thinks the forgetful lord is a butler named Cakebread. I want to name a hamster Cakebread.
This was read delightfully by Simon Vance.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 reread - I am increasing my rating from 3 to 3.5*
--------------------
2017 review:
Simon Vance does an okay narration for this stand-alone Wodehouse novel. The book itself is not one of Wodehouse's best but was still an agreeable way to spend a snowy day.

[Illiterate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superbly structured comedy, strong characters, terrific dialogue, delightful language. It must be Plum.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot and characters kept us reading even on vacation. I read this book aloud to my husband, a nonreader (though he loves stories)... eight hours straight in the car driving home. We knew that once we got home we probably wouldn't read any more of it, but lo! we did read the last two chapters in our own bed after saying goodnight to the kids. Had to finish! This was a long story, for Wodehouse, I'm thinking. This is the second Wodehouse I've read where the Americans are crooks and thugs! They surely are funny. I kept up the Lena Lamonte twang throughout. =) It worked perfectly.

Putting it on my Five Star Favorites shelf.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

J.G. (Jeff) Miller is engaged to Myrtle Shoesmith (heaven knows how) daughter of the prominent solicitor Mr. Shoesmith of Shoesmith, Shoesmith and Shoesmith. Mr. Shoesmith is far from giving his approval but if Jeff can prove himself in a court of law then he has Mr. Shoesmith's begrudging blessing to marry Myrtle. Jeff has once chance not to screw it up but when he discovers his opponent is none other than someone he knew and despised as a schoolboy he lets loose all the pent up animosity his jovial self can conjure. Unfortunately Mr. Shoesmith is not pleased. Myrtle is not pleased and the engagement comes to an end. Taking out his frustrations tossing his landlady's rock cakes into a window across from his apartment, Jeff finds himself in a difficult situation. When searching for his neighbor, J. Sherringham Adair, a private detective, Jeff meets Anne Benedick who believes Jeff is the detective. Jeff is bowled over by Anne and willing to do anything to help. Her uncle, Viscount Uffenham is broke and leasing his estate to a heath freak/hunter, Mrs. Cork to run as a spa. Lord Uffenham wouldn't be broke if he could find the diamonds he once hid somewhere, if only he could remember where! Jeff eagerly volunteers to come to Shipley Hall to help find the diamonds and win Anne's heart. Meanwhile, back at Shipley Hall, Soapy and Dolly Malloy are hard at work conning Mrs. Cork out of her money. Dolly is fully well aware that J. Sherringham Adair is none other than their pal Chimp Twist so when Jeff shows up they know he's up to something. Everyone at Shipley Hall is keeping secrets from Lord Uffenham who is posing as a butler to Anne, who is secretly engaged to Mrs. Cork's nephew, something about which Mrs. Cork will be none to pleased to learn. Thus follows a complicated and tangled web of deceit and adventure. Will the diamonds be found and by which party? Will secrets be revealed and guests tossed out on their ear?

This story took me most of the book to really get into. The mystery of the missing diamonds wasn't a big enough hook for me until near the end of the novel when Lord Uffenham finally remembers where he put them. The twists were funny and I was surprised by the conclusion to the diamond plot. I didn't like the romance though. Jeff's casual, insouciant wooing of Anne is difficult for her to interpret and Lord Uffenham's advice is sexist. When Jeff follows through it made me a little annoyed. I know different times, different morals and it was meant to be funny. Usually I can overlook it but I wasn't that invested in the story.

The characters are all very silly. Jeff never takes anything seriously and lies and breezes his way through his stay at Shipley Hall. Lord Uffenham is posing as his own butler, Cakebread, and is rather crazy. He was in an auto accident some years back and lost his memory but he seems to recall every woman he ever wooed and what year it was and even the policemen he dodged decades ago! Yet he can't remember an important thing like where he hid the diamonds. I didn't understand his meditative trances. He is just a weird man. Anne is a nice girl. She is kind to everyone and puts up with Mrs. Cork treating her like dirt. I think Anne is too nice to her uncle. She loves him very much. Lord Uffenham exasperated me and I would have given up on him ages ago. Anne is also rather naive and too trusting to be realistic. Her secret fiance is described by her uncle as a "poop." He is not at all brave or willing to stick his neck out for what he wants. Lionel wants his aunt's money to marry Anne but can't be honest. To be fair, Mrs. Cork is terrifying. She has a hasty temper and being a big game hunter, knows her way around a gun and doesn't hesitate to use it. I had to try to set aside my 21st century viewpoints about cultural appropriation every time she mentioned the Ugubu tribe and their "simple, childlike hearts" that embrace a strict vegetarian diet and exercise. Mrs. Cork is rather militant about her health spa but she doesn't seem to do much to actually run it or oversee it. She seems to be trying to become gentry but she isn't from the social sphere.

Soapy, Dolly and Chip all appear in Money for Nothing which also features a health spa and Ice In The Bedroom, also about diamonds. Having a third novel that combines both is a bit too much. Pick one or two to read but not all three. That being said, they are delightful characters. Dolly is the brains of the crime ring. She has a very clever mind and masterminds the most cunning plots. Wodehouse's women tend to be either fierce or feminine and she's both. Dolly is clever enough to play a typical millionaire woman of the time but is really an evil genius. If only she'd use her talents for good! For some reason she loves her husband. Soapy is not as intelligent as his wife. He relies in his charm to con people out of their money. I don't find him charming. Dolly should ditch him. Chimp is the weak link. He's not at all clever, he's wimpy, whiny and not brave. He isn't above double-crossing his associates but they're always one step ahead of him. I must say I quite like these characters and they make the novel even if they are gangsters.

This wasn't my favorite Wodehouse.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine Wodehouse book not in the Jeeves & Wooster or Blandings canons. A domineering matron, missing diamonds, a daffy uncle, an English estate, etc. It loses steam for a bit: there’s a too-long section with a thief hiding in a cupboard, and generally not enough Dolly and Soapy Molloy, but spending time with Wodehouse not on all cylinders is still time well spent.

[Elettra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wodehouse è veramente un maestro nel creare una trama intricata, apparentemente caotica ma complessivamente ben costruita. La trama ruota attorno a dei diamanti nascosti, con scambi di persona, matrimoni combinati e intrighi finanziari. Il tutto poi si dipana con precisione chirurgica massimizzando così l'effetto comico. Il fatto poi di descrivere situazioni al limite dell’assurdo con serietà imperturbabile crea un effetto comico notevole. I dialoghi sono arguti, pieni di battute fulminanti, giochi di parole, l’humor costante e sottile. Tuttavia la “formula” dell’impianto narrativo è un po’ prevedibile e i personaggi mancano di profondità psicologica, sono un po’ bidimensionali, caricature da cui non ci si aspetta un’evoluzione. L’atmosfera tuttavia è leggera e spensierata.

[Ritika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-reading this for the book club. Eight years is not really that long a time, but quite enough to completely forget everything about this book. It was not really one of his best works anyway. But still full of those funny bits which keep you going on with even his weaker stuff.

[F.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a Wodehouse book I ever heard talked about, and yet I think its a masterpiece. The book before JOY IN THE MORNING, so that period when Plum was really in a purple patch, and this is The Master on form. It's interesting to read one of the books with a dynamic leading man. Not a bumbler, or someone whose diffident around the fairer sex. Instead we have a protagonist who is charming, smart and forever on the front foot, and it's fun to watch him charge about the Wodehouse country house world.

[Andrew Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be greedy and perhaps even ungrateful to ask more from Wodehouse than we have, given the astonishing wealth of material which he produced in his lifetime. Nevertheless, I mourn that some of the characters from the so-called 'minor' novels were not developed beyond their allotted span. Viscount Uffenham, the very engaging aristocrat at the heart of this novel, is a case in point, and I should very much have preferred to have more of his exploits than those of, say, Mr Mulliner. Some of the titled ladies and gents from the minor novels are little more than renamed copies of Lord Emsworth or Lord Ickenham (not complaining about that - two very fine creations indeed), but Uffenham is a most endearing creature, and one whom I feel sure could have sustained many more adventures than those in which he featured. His physical appearance is distinctive: 'In shape he resembled a pear, reasonably narrow at the top but getting wider and wider all the way down and culminating in a pair of boots of the outsize or violin-case type. Above these great, spreading steppes of body there was poised a large and egglike head, the bald dome of which rose like some proud mountain peak from a foothill fringe of straggling hair. His upper lip was very long and straight, his chin pointed. "How do yer do?" he said. "Haryer?"' Like the White Knight in Alice, he is apt to let his mind wander from time to time, even when at the heart of a conversation, to more diverting topics, such as how one might use a grasshopper to determine the air temperature, in the absence of a thermometer. He is an exquisite being, and I for one shall miss him when I've exhausted the two novels in which he shines like a star.

[S. Suresh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Money in the Bank, Wodehouse carefully assembles a host of delightful characters in Shipley Hall, Kent before unleashing upon expectant readers an avalanche of humor, all taking place in the space of a single afternoon. Leading the pack is the affable but forgetful Lord Uffenham, who owns Shipley Hall; his lovely niece Anne Benedick; the crook trio Soapy & Dolly Molloy and detective J. Sheringham Adair aka “Chimp” Twist; big game hunter Mrs. Clarissa Cork who has rented Shipley Hall; her nephew Lionel Green, who is secretly engaged to Anne; and of course, the loquacious lawyer understudy Jeff Miller who is in love with Anne.

Money in the Bank is replete with the classic Wodehousian winning formula – impersonations, misplaced diamonds that crooks and the rightful owners are in a race to uncover, and a hilarious sequence of events that ensure the triumph of true love over misguided engagements and flimsy infatuations.

Lord Uffenham relationship with Anne is endearing. He ensures that Anne makes the right choice in the man she falls in love with, a theme Wodehouse repeats again in Something Fishy, where Lord Uffenham appears once more, this time with Anne’s younger sister Jane Benedick.

Yet again, I was fortunate enough to lay my hands on the 1942 first edition of Money in the Bank, making this reading experience all the more special.

[Mauro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ainda procuro um livro do Wodehouse que seja ruim, ou no máximo mediano, ou que não me faça parecer abobado por rir lendo um livro (atualmente parece que é permitido rir de gifs meio efeminados, apenas). Não foi desta vez.

Este aqui é um infantilismo paradisíaco, onde as boas almas são recompensadas apenas por atravessar um calvário de saudáveis quiproquós.

As almas mais sensíveis de hoje em dia talvez se constranjam com o herói, que é constantemente instado a beijar a mocinha e a espremer suas costelas, para convencê-la de que ele é o amor de sua vida. Mas serão recompensadas pela personalidade forte de uma das personagens femininas, caçadora de leopardos e vegetariana. Ou, pensando melhor, talvez não.

[Martina Galea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger Warning for one of the jokes made in the book.

I felt like I was constantly being served with dad jokes, but I loved it. Wodehouse makes mystery stories more bearable for someone who cannot taking the anxiety of the suspense of the said genre with the use of his humor. Looking forward to reading more of his work.

[Mattia Manfredonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divertente, coinvolgente: un vero trionfo di ironia british. Tra scambi di persona, equivoci e trovate assurde seguiamo una buffa caccia a un tesoro più dimenticato che perduto.
Unica pecca, la vicenda a volta risulta un po'debole e il finale arriva in maniera fin troppo conveniente.
Un libro perfetto da leggere per sorridere in spiaggia.

[Ambedkar Balasubramaniam Meganathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Money in the bank is another PG Wodehouse novel, but why else would you pick his novels except to read another of his stories. You don’t read a PG Wodehouse novel to, get shocked, learn the miseries of life, understand the nuances of crime detection, or get your eyes moist after reading a tragic love story. You read the master’s writings to feel light, to be entertained, to laugh at the hypocrisies of human behaviour, etc. 


Money in the Bank contains all the familiar plots


A stowed away family treasure by a forgetful Lord Uffenham..


Mrs Molly and her husband.  can Soapy be left out? He is there too.


A castle that welcomes impostors with open arms.


A girl who is in love with an insecure guy or as Lord Uffenham puts it “pestilential poop of a pop-eyed plasterer” 


A bungling young attorney who throws rock cakes into rank-strangers offices only because he doesn’t want to offend his caretaker. He later becomes an imposter in Shipley Hall to be with the girl he is enamoured with


Mrs Cork. You have to read the novel to know her.


Mr Trumper who worships Mrs Cork


The Ugubus tribe, who, except for an occasional missionary at Christmas, live entirely on fruits and vegetables.


If that doesn’t make sense to you, it’s a very good reason why you should read “Money in the Bank “ by PG Wodehouse. There are little chances it will make sense to you after reading. You don’t read a PGW novel to make sense, but you read it to have a good laugh , enjoy the ridiculing of fads and the elite. 


You read his novels to read some hilariously funny statements and phrases. I quote below a couple from this novel 


Alexander Twist had never been the man easily to be got better of in a business transaction. It was precisely this keen commercial sense of his which had rendered spacious cupboards, into which to withdraw from exasperated callers, so necessary to his well being.


Her uncle’s odious words insisted on coming to her mind “ You wouldn’t give that poop, Lionel Green, a second thought,” Lord Uffenham said in that uncouth way of his “ if he hadn’t the sort of tailor’s dummy good looks that women seem to be incapable of seeing 


Happy Reading!!! May your stomach ache due to laughing.

[Watermarked Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was funny and cute and enjoyable. But one thing marred it that I spent a lot of time thinking about. One character is a lovable, daft, bumbling uncle. At several points the uncle advises the main character how to win over his niece. The advice is awful and is supposed to be funny—advice such as to not listen to her when she says she’s not interested, to just clasp her to him and kiss her, to not believe her when she says she’s mad at him, to generally be bold and not give up. Now, this is a formulaic book, so we already know a lot of things: she actually does love him, she does want him to kiss her, and they’re going to end up together. These are likable characters, so we know they mean well and are genuinely looking out for the other’s best interests. The main character is too chivalrous to listen to the uncle’s advice.

But. This is a book. And real life isn’t like this. In real life, we don’t know how it’s going to end, or what other people “really want.” I just can’t help but cringe at advice that’s portrayed as charming and funny in a book, but in real life would be offensive at best and assault at worst. I would NEVER want my son to read a book and come away thinking that it’s romantic to ignore a woman’s “I’m not interested.” Because in real life, words are what we have to go off of. We don’t have an author’s omniscient point of view to tell us what’s really going on in another person’s head.

Besides that issue, the book is witty, the banter is charming, the plot is ridiculous, the characters jump off the page. But it was really jarring every time I started deep thinking on these sad issues, and it definitely marred my enjoyment of an otherwise light read.

[Ian Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Money in the Bank’ is one of my favourite Wodehouse novels. Lord Uffenham is short of money and has had to let his country pile to big game hunter, Mrs Cork, however, what money he has is the family jewels which he has hidden for safe keeping. Unfortunately Lord Uffenham’s poor memory means he has no idea where he has hidden them, consequently he is posing as Cakebread, the butler, to give him the opportunity to search the rooms.

Also on hand are Soapy & Dolly Molloy and co-conspirator Chimp Twist whom we met previously in ‘Sam the Sudden’ and ‘Money for Nothing’. Having got wind of diamonds been loose on the premises they are determined to get them away from Lord Uffenham and even each other. Novelist Jeff Miller is on site to try and woo Mrs Cork’s secretary Anne Benedick who is secretly engaged to her employer’s nephew, Lionel Green.

As you can imagine with a celebrated big game hunter in attendance before the boy gets the girl or the diamonds are recovered or the thieves revealed there is to be some gun play however it is really the dialogue that hits the mark. Wodehouse, as ever, delivers a dead eye shot every time.

[Dirk Wartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic Wodehousian jape, lighthearted and witty, with a cast of deftly-rendered comic characters - my favourites being the bumbling, good-natured Lord Uffenham, who spends two thirds of his time in a trance of failing recollection and inane curiosity, and Dolly Molloy, the cunning, sharp-talking American broad who is the brains of her criminal partnership with her husband Soapy.

My only reason for not scoring it a five is because the narrative loses pace and direction a little bit in the final quarter, and the scenes in which Jeff Miller romantically pursues Anne Benedick and she reluctantly realises her feelings for him come over very dated and a bit tedious now. But otherwise, it's a Wodehouse, and you get what you expect from the grandad of comic writing.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is rather exceptional for P. G. Wodehouse in that it's the plot rather than the characters that are the main attraction. It generally works the other way around! That said, there are some delightful characters in this book as well which makes it more than worth the trouble to read.

Positives
There are two main points that make this book really tick. The first is Lord Uffenham, alias Cakebread, Shipley Hall's owner (and butler in disguise). The second is Mrs Cork, health fanatic and big game huntress. Lord Uffenham is probably the closest Wodehouse ever got to describing a character with disabilities. Already more than a little eccentric, a car accident has not only affected his memory but also causes him to drift off during conversations or come out with random facts. Did you know for example, that the speed at which an ant runs is affected by the heat or that by counting a grasshopper's chirps, you can tell the the temperature without a thermometer? Such facts and many others like them are bursting forth from his Lordship at every available opportunity. This partial amnesia is the direct cause behind the plot; Lord Uffenham has turned his entire fortune into diamonds and then forgotten where he has hidden them. However, his Lordship is far from a melancholy character; on the contrary, he is a fount of good stories (mainly about his exploits with the opposite sex) and has a body favourably compared to King Kong! By contrast, Mrs Cork is a far more formidable character. One of a long line of tough female Wodehouse characters, Mrs Cork is described as being the terror native bearers across the entire African subcontinent and is likened to Boadicea, armed with an automatic pistol. Despite her passion for shooting wild fauna, she is also a vegetarian devoted to spreading the gospel of the Ugubas, a small African tribe who eat no meat (bar the occasional missionary at Christmas (which is wonderful contradiction when one thinks about it!)) and dance native dances. She does have a softer side, however; she is devoted to her rather wet nephew Lionel Green and is quietly fond of the gentle, yet devoted Eustace Trumper. As well as these fantastic characters, this book also marked the arrival of those recurring villains Mr and Mrs 'Soapy' Molloy and their ally-come-adversary Chimp Twist. There is also the aforementioned Lionel Green, an interior decorator who is the recipient of one of the best lines Wodehouse ever penned: 'for if we look askance at the wretch who sells himself for gold, how much more do we recoil from him who allows himself to be bought with pork pies'.

Negatives
As with virtually all Wodehouses works, the central love interests are not very interesting. Speaking personally, I was more interested to see whether Mr Trumper would win the hand of Mrs Cork than in Jeff Miller and Anne Benedick's romance. There is nothing very different about either when compared to a whole host of other one time Wodehouse characters. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if we didn't spend so much time with both! It's probably this that stands in the way of me giving the book a higher score. I did like however, that on this occasion Wodehouse didn't adopt the cliche of 'boy in love with girl who doesn't know it' he so favoured in his other works. It was a nice change for Lord Uffenham to notice it right from the start and promptly tell Anne. Also, Jeff Miller does have the distinction of beaning Chimp Twist with rock cakes as hard as flint so one shouldn't be too hard on him!

Conclusions
This is a good, solid Wodehouse story; not one of his best but by far from being the worse either. It is entertaining, has an interesting plot and kept me entertained throughout. It also has the distinction (outside the Jeeves and Wooster canon) of setting up the most recurring characters of any of Wodehouse's works. Lord Uffenham, Chimp Twist and Dolly and Soapy Malloy will all return in later works (and quite right, too!).

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, how to describe a P.G. Wodehouse plot without totally confusing everyone, including myself.
Well ... a failed lawyer hurls some unwanted sweets at a detective across the way, races over to apologize but doesn't find the detective, who is in hiding in the conviction that he's under attack from a party wronged by him. Just then, a beautiful young woman arrives, presumes that the lawyer is the detective. The lawyer, smitten, doesn't correct her assumption and instead becomes the detective for the purpose of being as near the beautiful young woman as possible. She has appeared on behalf of her uncle, who has had to lease out his estate because of money troubles which would be resolved if he could find the diamonds he hid somewhere in the estate (but can't remember where).
Making sense so far?
The uncle has gotten himself hired by the new tenant -- who doesn't realize he is the owner -- as the butler, affording him opportunities to search. The niece has gotten herself hired as the tenant's personal assistant.
Now that I think about it, it's actually the tenant -- a big-game-hunting vegetarian -- who has sent the young woman to hire the detective. She -- the tenant -- is suspicious of everyone besides the butler and the personal assistant and wants a detective to look into things.
And things go rather swimmingly for the lawyer-turned-detective until the real detective shows up.
There's a whole lot more to it than that -- layers and layers of characters and plot twists and mistaken identities. Lord love a duck -- to borrow an expression frequently used by the uncle-butler -- there's more. But I'm exhausted just telling you this much.
"Money in the Bank" is the best P.G. Wodehouse story I haven't read. Instead, it was read to me during a recent road trip by Simon Vance. And I'm now convinced this is the best way to absorb a Wodehouse story; not reading it, not watching a BBC production of it. At least it's the best way to take it in if it's done as expertly as Simon Vance does it here. I don't think I've enjoyed the reading of an audio book this much since listening to the reading of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Entirely different sort of story, of course, but both readers belong at the top of the audio book-reading heap.
"Money in the Bank" is as manic as any Wodehouse story and funnier than most -- but I think much of the credit for that goes to Vance.

[Andrew Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Jeff Miller, a writer of thrillers and would-be lawyer, finds himself in the office of private investigator J Sheringham Adair to apologise for a misunderstanding over some thrown rock-cakes, it is only natural that he runs into a putative client for Adair. Being a Wodehouse man, it is equally natural that he falls for the client’s niece and that, rather than simply court her, he assumes the identity of the investigator in order to be closer to her and to woo her. It’s the kind of casual dishonesty in which one can legitimately engage in the name of love, and if his client, Lord Uffenham – a man shrewd enough to quickly rumble Jeff, but absent-minded enough to have misplaced his entire wealth in diamonds – benefits by the arrangement, so much the better.

Of course, this being Wodehouse, it’s not quite that simple. Jeff’s beloved, Alice, is engaged to one Lionel Green – a man whom Jeff has recently embarrassed in court – and the genuine J Sheringham Adair is, in fact, not the genuine J Sheringham Adair, but the crook Chimp Twist, whose long-time associates, Dolly and Soapy Molloy are already established at Uffenham’s home (where Uffenham is pretending to be butler for the current incumbents as he searches for his diamonds) pulling a confidence trick. Complications thus ensue in classic Wodehouse fashion.

Money in the Bank is Wodehouse writing a non-canonical novel at the top of his form. Whilst Soapy, Dolly and Chimp are established characters, appearing in two prior novels, all the rest of the cast are new to this volume. Wodehouse, however, has mastered the art of introducing them and their motives efficiently and entertainingly by this point, so the book gets rolling at a fair pace. Some of this is because the characters are largely Wodehouse types – the young man who does foolish things for love, the headstrong girl who would hate the young man if she knew who he was, the oofy woman with a predilection for guns – but in combination with Lord Uffenham, a man who is so well-drawn you imagine Wodehouse knew someone like him – the stage is set for a thoroughly engaging tale. Twists and turns occur aplenty and Wodehouse delivers a satisfying denouement which leaves one ready for another tale. Highly recommended.

[William Leight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good second-tier Wodehouse that somehow I hadn't read until now. It features the Molloys and Chimp Twist, an interior decorator named Lionel (who is therefore bound to be bad news), a formidable female ex-big game hunter, a typically lively young man who can talk his way into and out of anything as the hero, a typically typical Wodehouse heroine, and a plot that centers on a MacGuffin. It's all executed with flair -- the high quality of the plot, which moves quickly and builds steadily, with all the sub-plots connected, is a sure sign of Wodehouse's peak period -- and quite funny to very funny, but what sets "Money in the Bank" apart is Lord Uffenham, the heroine's uncle, and a quite unusual character for Wodehouse. Uffenham doesn't have an Uncle Fred-like line of patter: instead, he talks slowly, goes off on completely random tangents, has a poor memory, and often proves more of a hindrance than a help to the young lovers. It's a different approach, but Wodehouse is just as adept with it as with his more usual characters. Plus, Uffenham's presence saves "Money in the Bank" from being one of his all the same Wodehouse characters under different names novels (though Uffenham himself would reappear in a later book). There's no Jeeves and Wooster or Uncle Fred, but this is about as good as Wodehouse gets in a book that doesn't feature them.

[Chet Makoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

George, sixth viscount Uffenham, a typically impecunious and absent-minded Wodehousian aristocrat, mislays his niece's fortune in diamonds and is forced to let out his family pile, returning there disguised as a butler named Cakebread to seek the gems. The story also features the crooks Alexander "Chimp" Twist and "Dolly" and "Soapy" Molloy, who had earlier appeared in Sam the Sudden (1925) and Money for Nothing (1928). (en.wikipedia.org)

Wodehouse wrote this novel while interned by the Germans. Probably all-male camps account for the use of words such as ‘fanny,’ ‘bloody awful,’ ‘too bloody much’ and ‘lavatory inspector.’ Such modernisms must be balanced against Wodehouse’s dreamy return to an England where telephones hardly exist. At one stage in this story Jeff goes up to London from the hall to send a message to Chimp at Halsey Court, Mayfair, by district messenger. The Cork Health Farm, filled with clients longing for square meals, may have got an impetus from internment camps. (Plum Sauce: A P.G. Wodehouse Companion, by Richard Usborne, page 177)

[Niesha Parekh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable narration by Simon Vance and quirky Wodehouse story of lord uffenham. Pretending to be the butler because he cannot remember where he hidden the diamonds. JG Miller and a case of mistaken identity falls in love with Anne Benedict and comes to the house, pretending to be a private detective

Sophie and Dolly malaika crooks who tried to steal the diamonds along with chimp who is a private detective and an old body of this in the end and Dolly leave with nothing even though they think they’ve stolen the diamonds which Lord of them remembers that the end he had hidden in a different spot by the pond

[Otto Cornejo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a stand-alone, this book is right up there with others of it's kind - that is, other great stand-alone books. Are we good on this? Excellent. It doesn't quite reach the heights of Jeeves and Wooster or The Blandings series but that might be because it's a... wait for it... stand-alone.

Still, all of Plum's best can be found throughout - smart phrases, wit, plot, and a charming love story.

The only thing that weighed upon me as being a bit too much was the snappy American gangster talk employed by Soapy, Dolly, and Chimp Twist. Heavily demotic, too Hollywood of the 30s.

[Matt Kolbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with P.G. Wodehouse, nearly twenty years ago, a book found for 10p in a library in Chelmsford. Never having met the fellow, I didn't know how humorous and engaging he is.

Subsequent to this find, we'd wait for a coupon from Waterstones and buy a new omnibus of Jeeves and Wooster, always finding something light and delightful. The ultimate distraction.

Money in the Bank is classic Wodehouse, with burgeoning romance, forgetful relatives, overlapping plots and happy endings.