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Miss Silver #20
Anna, Where Are You
Thomasina Elliott never expected to keep in touch with lonely orphan Anna Ball after they left school. However when Anna wrote to her, she felt obliged to reply. The correspondence between them was constant for years until Thomasina found herself waiting for a letter that never came. Thomasina has no particular reason to believe that anything has happened to her old friend, but when she makes some enquiries she discovers Anna has disappeared without a trace. Deeply concerned, Thomasina turns to Detective Inspector Frank Abbott, who asks Miss Silver to investigate.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1951
259 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Wentworth
162 books524 followersPatricia 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 1906, she settled in Camberley, Surrey. She married George Oliver Turnbull in 1920 and they had one daughter.
She wrote a series of 32 classic-style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in 1928, and the last in 1961, 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 wrote 34 books outside of that series.
She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London. After the death of her first husband, George F. Dillon, in 1906, she settled in Camberley, Surrey. She married George Oliver Turnbull in 1920 and they had one daughter.
She wrote a series of 32 classic-style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in 1928, and the last in 1961, 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 wrote 34 books outside of that series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
February 28, 2019
Wow! This is probably the best Miss Silver novel I have read so far – and one of the most detailed – and dangerous. I discovered much more about Miss Silver, her past, what matters most to her, and what she stands for. Her long-term friendships with previous clients and their families as well as previous students come into play. One of her most valued friendships is with Frank Abbott, Inspector Detective with Scotland Yard.
As the story begins, Thomasina’s friend abruptly left her post as companion and she does not write to Thomasina as promised. When her movements are tracked down to a small arts colony run by a charismatic leader whose wife has three children, the police and Miss Silver believe they are on the right track in locating the elusive Anna.
Apparently, Anna left the position as mother’s helper less than a month after arriving and no-one has heard from her since. Miss Silver goes undercover in this interesting and suspenseful novel. Her position as governess in the household from which Anna disappeared is complicated when Thomasina herself obtains an invitation to visit two elderly ladies who are part of the colony.
Although Miss Silver always has good charge of her yarn as she knits up little jackets, bootees, and socks, the skeins of yarn in this story are tangled from the start and become even more so as time passes. It is one of the most baffling cases Miss Silver has ever tackled and although there are clues that lead to suspects, the chief problem is that there are a lot of suspects, and no victim.
However, a series of other crimes in nearby areas start to connect to the arts colony and now everyone comes under even closer scrutiny. As the arts colony and its inhabitants become the focus of attention, the facades begin to crack.
Patricia Wentworth’s writing is always characterized by fascinating psychological motivations and insights. In this novel, there are plenty of candidates for psychological observance. As always, the pacing is perfect and the story itself adds urgency to curiosity.
A great story, fascinating characters, and strong psychological portrayals – I couldn’t ask for more when it comes to an intriguing read.
As the story begins, Thomasina’s friend abruptly left her post as companion and she does not write to Thomasina as promised. When her movements are tracked down to a small arts colony run by a charismatic leader whose wife has three children, the police and Miss Silver believe they are on the right track in locating the elusive Anna.
Apparently, Anna left the position as mother’s helper less than a month after arriving and no-one has heard from her since. Miss Silver goes undercover in this interesting and suspenseful novel. Her position as governess in the household from which Anna disappeared is complicated when Thomasina herself obtains an invitation to visit two elderly ladies who are part of the colony.
Although Miss Silver always has good charge of her yarn as she knits up little jackets, bootees, and socks, the skeins of yarn in this story are tangled from the start and become even more so as time passes. It is one of the most baffling cases Miss Silver has ever tackled and although there are clues that lead to suspects, the chief problem is that there are a lot of suspects, and no victim.
However, a series of other crimes in nearby areas start to connect to the arts colony and now everyone comes under even closer scrutiny. As the arts colony and its inhabitants become the focus of attention, the facades begin to crack.
Patricia Wentworth’s writing is always characterized by fascinating psychological motivations and insights. In this novel, there are plenty of candidates for psychological observance. As always, the pacing is perfect and the story itself adds urgency to curiosity.
A great story, fascinating characters, and strong psychological portrayals – I couldn’t ask for more when it comes to an intriguing read.
November 11, 2017
“You couldn’t let murderers go free, but when you knew people they weren’t just murderers, they were people you knew.”
This stellar Miss Silver mystery from the early ’50s is full of atmosphere, and easily ranks in the top ten among her mysteries featuring the unobtrusive, Tennyson quoting, and ever knitting Miss Silver. As always, there is a romance that plays out against the mystery. When you read a slew of Miss Silvers in a row, you can tell she had a sort of free-floating formula, but her characters were always different, as were the crimes and the romantic angle. Soon after you begin reading, it’s easy to forget about the previous one, so immersed are we in these strange new circumstances, so artfully laid out before us by one of the great crime writers of the Golden Age, Patricia Wentworth.
Wentworth herself had warmth, and more than a little psychological understanding, and that always comes across in her Miss Silver stories. For example, examine this little gem from late in the narrative:
“…it is, and always has been, quite impossible to account for the violent attraction which some criminals appear to exercise. The victims are as a rule lonely women who have failed to make other ties. It is a tragic spectacle, and one which would be avoided if these people would realize that their craving for the affection defeats its own ends. If they were willing to give instead of merely wishing to receive, they would form genuine bonds of friendship and not fall a prey to the first adventurer who plays upon their vanity.” — Miss Silver
Lovely Thomasina Elliot, a native Scott whose eyes are wonderfully described by Wentworth, is worried enough about her old friend Anna Ball to place an advertisement in the Agony Column. Miss Silver will notice it, because of the usual name, and because of the ad itself:
“Anna, where are you? Do you please write. Thomasina.”
It seems that Anna Ball has left her job one dark afternoon, suitcase in hand, and never returned. More importantly, she has not written to Thomasina, practically her only friend. Peter Brandon, who calls Thomasina, Tamsin, hardly understands why she wants to pursue Anna Ball’s disappearance on such flimsy pretense, considering how much trouble Anna can be. Their back and forth of course, forms the budding romantic element always present in any Miss Silver mystery.
But it is Miss Silver’s old friend Inspector Frank Abbott who brings the case to Miss Silver. Though he can’t point to any evidence of foul play, he has a feeling deep down that something has happened. Perhaps because something has happened before in the village where Deepe House sits, as if waiting for something else to happen. It was Anna’s last known sighting, as she was seen leaving the village in a red hat. But there’s that woman who drowned eighteen months earlier…
Frank doesn’t want Miss Silver to insert herself at Deepe House, but that’s exactly what she does, discovering much more than she bargained for. How it ties in to the impressionable young girl, Jennifer, some bank robberies, and an old house in the woods associated with disturbing stories, leads to an atmospheric ending with Thomasina in great danger, and Miss Silver hearing shots ring out in the night. Miss Silver, however, may not know enough to prevent someone from the gallows, on the word of someone twisted by hatred and envy in this involving story.
There is a satisfying wrap-up to both the mystery and the romance that will leave a smile on the reader’s face. Dora Amy Elles (Patricia Wentworth) was born in India, during the time of the Raj. Tragically widowed young, but fortunate enough to find love and happiness again, she imbued her Miss Silver mysteries with charming romance, and understanding. Miss Silver’s unobtrusiveness has perhaps worked against her as the decades have passed, but there is a reason that for well over a decade, Wentworth rivaled Christie, Sayers, Allingham and the lot in popularity.
Anna, Where Are You? is a classic village mystery with good characters, a touch of romance, and an atmospheric and exciting conclusion. It is, in fact, one of Patricia Wentworth's most stellar Miss Silver entries, and well worth checking out.
This stellar Miss Silver mystery from the early ’50s is full of atmosphere, and easily ranks in the top ten among her mysteries featuring the unobtrusive, Tennyson quoting, and ever knitting Miss Silver. As always, there is a romance that plays out against the mystery. When you read a slew of Miss Silvers in a row, you can tell she had a sort of free-floating formula, but her characters were always different, as were the crimes and the romantic angle. Soon after you begin reading, it’s easy to forget about the previous one, so immersed are we in these strange new circumstances, so artfully laid out before us by one of the great crime writers of the Golden Age, Patricia Wentworth.
Wentworth herself had warmth, and more than a little psychological understanding, and that always comes across in her Miss Silver stories. For example, examine this little gem from late in the narrative:
“…it is, and always has been, quite impossible to account for the violent attraction which some criminals appear to exercise. The victims are as a rule lonely women who have failed to make other ties. It is a tragic spectacle, and one which would be avoided if these people would realize that their craving for the affection defeats its own ends. If they were willing to give instead of merely wishing to receive, they would form genuine bonds of friendship and not fall a prey to the first adventurer who plays upon their vanity.” — Miss Silver
Lovely Thomasina Elliot, a native Scott whose eyes are wonderfully described by Wentworth, is worried enough about her old friend Anna Ball to place an advertisement in the Agony Column. Miss Silver will notice it, because of the usual name, and because of the ad itself:
“Anna, where are you? Do you please write. Thomasina.”
It seems that Anna Ball has left her job one dark afternoon, suitcase in hand, and never returned. More importantly, she has not written to Thomasina, practically her only friend. Peter Brandon, who calls Thomasina, Tamsin, hardly understands why she wants to pursue Anna Ball’s disappearance on such flimsy pretense, considering how much trouble Anna can be. Their back and forth of course, forms the budding romantic element always present in any Miss Silver mystery.
But it is Miss Silver’s old friend Inspector Frank Abbott who brings the case to Miss Silver. Though he can’t point to any evidence of foul play, he has a feeling deep down that something has happened. Perhaps because something has happened before in the village where Deepe House sits, as if waiting for something else to happen. It was Anna’s last known sighting, as she was seen leaving the village in a red hat. But there’s that woman who drowned eighteen months earlier…
Frank doesn’t want Miss Silver to insert herself at Deepe House, but that’s exactly what she does, discovering much more than she bargained for. How it ties in to the impressionable young girl, Jennifer, some bank robberies, and an old house in the woods associated with disturbing stories, leads to an atmospheric ending with Thomasina in great danger, and Miss Silver hearing shots ring out in the night. Miss Silver, however, may not know enough to prevent someone from the gallows, on the word of someone twisted by hatred and envy in this involving story.
There is a satisfying wrap-up to both the mystery and the romance that will leave a smile on the reader’s face. Dora Amy Elles (Patricia Wentworth) was born in India, during the time of the Raj. Tragically widowed young, but fortunate enough to find love and happiness again, she imbued her Miss Silver mysteries with charming romance, and understanding. Miss Silver’s unobtrusiveness has perhaps worked against her as the decades have passed, but there is a reason that for well over a decade, Wentworth rivaled Christie, Sayers, Allingham and the lot in popularity.
Anna, Where Are You? is a classic village mystery with good characters, a touch of romance, and an atmospheric and exciting conclusion. It is, in fact, one of Patricia Wentworth's most stellar Miss Silver entries, and well worth checking out.
April 13, 2019
Whenever I want to take a break from modern crime novels I usually find myself picking up a Miss Silver novel by Patricia Wentworth. I've read some of the books many times, but this one, Death at the Deep End, is one I didn't remember. It still follows the basic premise of the Wentworth series novels but with some twists that I found intriguing. For one thing, a young woman has not been in touch with her friend in months and Miss Silver agrees to take on the case to find Anna Ball. In order to do this in the best way, Miss Silver applies for the job of governess to the three completely unruly children where Anna was last known to work. A sure-fire thread through all the novels has been Miss Silver's escape from her previous occupation of governess to being a private detective. Now I got to watch how Miss Silver coped with these children who had been allowed to grow up lately unhindered by any rules. It was totally fascinating to see how she could overcome their willfulness. Sorry - this isn't a book about how a governess deals with children, but after reading twenty or more novels where this character was presented as being the very epitome of a successful governess, I just found it very enjoyable to finally see some examples of how she did it.
Okay, so Anna Ball has not gotten in touch with her friend Thomasina Eliot in over four months and this is a huge departure from the norm. Thomasina feels obligated to find out what has happened to Anna; Peter Brandon has decreed that Thomasina will leave the problem alone. How can any girl be expected to give in to the orders of someone just because he's known her since she was two years old? This is the romance element you always find in a Miss Silver case, but this time it isn't written quite as sympathetically as usual and I was actually wondering how these two would ever stop arguing long enough to see the forest for the trees. So that's two elements of this story where it deviated from the usual manner and I still can't figure out if I liked the arguing couple aspect or not. There are also multiple murders in this story, only they are presented in a background sort of way. Odd.
If you have read any of the Miss Silver novels and liked them, you probably owe it to yourself to try this one too. I evidently must have missed every single clue given to me by the author because my eyebrows were up in my hairline when the solution was revealed. To say I didn't figure it out would have been quite an understatement.
Okay, so Anna Ball has not gotten in touch with her friend Thomasina Eliot in over four months and this is a huge departure from the norm. Thomasina feels obligated to find out what has happened to Anna; Peter Brandon has decreed that Thomasina will leave the problem alone. How can any girl be expected to give in to the orders of someone just because he's known her since she was two years old? This is the romance element you always find in a Miss Silver case, but this time it isn't written quite as sympathetically as usual and I was actually wondering how these two would ever stop arguing long enough to see the forest for the trees. So that's two elements of this story where it deviated from the usual manner and I still can't figure out if I liked the arguing couple aspect or not. There are also multiple murders in this story, only they are presented in a background sort of way. Odd.
If you have read any of the Miss Silver novels and liked them, you probably owe it to yourself to try this one too. I evidently must have missed every single clue given to me by the author because my eyebrows were up in my hairline when the solution was revealed. To say I didn't figure it out would have been quite an understatement.
January 7, 2020
Splendid. Suspenseful and the ending was a complete surprise.
April 25, 2015
One and half stars really. OK, I did finish it but had trouble focusing on an extremely boring story. I read quite a few Miss Silver mysteries when I was young and liked them a lot. This one I seemed to have missed and I shouldn't have spent time on. All I can remember is Miss Silver's knitting needles clicking... Yawn...
May 5, 2022
Two-thirds of the way down an unusual name caught her eye. Anna -one did not often come across the name in that form-
“Anna, where are you? Do you please write. Thomasina”
November 13, 2016
A Dark, Complex Suspense Mystery from an Amazing Author
I have the utmost respect for Patricia Wentworth's body of work and this top notch entry from 1951 hopefully won her lauds during her lifetime. Deft characterization as always, but this time Miss Silver appears in the first chapter and is central to the story throughout. Others in the series do not have so much "page-time" (I'm making this analogous to screen time for an actor) for Miss Silver. Thoroughly enjoyable but not as cozy as some of her other mysteries so you might want to keep the door locked and the lights on!
I have the utmost respect for Patricia Wentworth's body of work and this top notch entry from 1951 hopefully won her lauds during her lifetime. Deft characterization as always, but this time Miss Silver appears in the first chapter and is central to the story throughout. Others in the series do not have so much "page-time" (I'm making this analogous to screen time for an actor) for Miss Silver. Thoroughly enjoyable but not as cozy as some of her other mysteries so you might want to keep the door locked and the lights on!
Read
November 15, 2017Wentworth does a variety romances between older couples (late thirties, etc) but the majority are younger couples, almost all involve a bullying domineering young man and a girl 'refusing to be squashed'. This is not a couple type I like, and it brings down an otherwise good suspense tale of a missing girl and a spate of robberies.
May 26, 2022
2022: 4 Late night relisten.
2020: 3+ * Reread.
This book is not a favourite Wentworth for me yet I liked it a bit more than the last time I listened through it. I’d forgotten who the baddy was, which is always a bonus on a relisten, but it helped that I knew what was going to happen with the ‘psychologically damaged’ friend, and, the children and wife of the abusive scammer.
2020: 3+ * Reread.
This book is not a favourite Wentworth for me yet I liked it a bit more than the last time I listened through it. I’d forgotten who the baddy was, which is always a bonus on a relisten, but it helped that I knew what was going to happen with the ‘psychologically damaged’ friend, and, the children and wife of the abusive scammer.
June 27, 2011
Enjoyed this very much, though I guessed the twist fairly early on. This is also the second mystery I've read in the past year that has used Tennyson's poem "Enoch Arden" as a plot point, the other being Agatha Christie's "There is a Tide."
October 31, 2022
Average read, but with good surprise twist quite late in the book.
May 23, 2021
One of my hardcopies. Book #20. A good story. I kept me reading....interesting characters. We don't find out what happened to Anna until the very last.
January 18, 2021
Good old reliable Miss Silver brings her perceptivity to a troubled family. The cast of red herrings were fun, and the surprise twist to end the story was a welcome change.
June 8, 2018
Anna has disappeared. What happened to Anna?
Despite the name, Death at the Deep End is not about a drowning in a swimming pool. Go figure.
This one is full of portent, as we are told at the beginning that Miss Silver is going to face one of the most horrifying crimes in her storied career. There are disappearances, theft, and cold-blooded murder during a bank robbery.
Maudie goes to a country estate that has been turned into a Colony, a community for artists, outcasts, and (whisper this) possible Socialists or Communists. One character who is universally despised by everyone is obviously meant to be a homosexual (he embroiders and lisps), and one of the women is a bit butch.
Miss Silver is in disguise as a governess for three young children, which is a job she's perfectly suited for. There is a sensitive young girl for Maudie to teach and her mother, Mrs. Craddock, to be supported. Mrs. Craddock is one of these wispy women who is not strong (she is often in a "weak and tearful condition") and can't cope with disciplining her children, standing up to her second husband, or doing housework. For fuck's sake, I've been doing housework since I was about 6 years old...it's not that difficult. I whined because I didn't want to do it, not because it was hard. The second husband is a bounder, and there is the suspicion he may be a master criminal...isn't there always?
The youthful ingénue is Thomasina, who starts the whole investigation by looking for an old school friend who seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Since Anna is not well liked and has no other friends, Thomasina feels a strong sense of responsibility towards her. Peter, a step-cousin or some such (English books of this sort often have people who have been raised together fall in love, which is doubtful if you buy the Westermarck Effect) is one of Wentworth's less appealing love interests. Peter is a big bully, always trying to tell Thomasina what she can and cannot do, and willing to use a little physical force if he thinks it will help.
Thomasina hires Miss Silver to investigate Anna's whereabouts and then can't help interfering; Peter follows Thomasina and stomps around unhelpfully, like a sullen bull in a china shop.
The criminals are the people you least expect, which of course means they were the ones I figured it had to be. Wentworth rarely goes out on a limb and has a sympathetic person be the villain. Her criminals are people who chew the scenery and flaunt their evil in everyone's faces, as if to say, "Here I am, a thoroughly bad hat." And yet there are several women in love with Mr. Sandrow:
"...it is, and always has been, quite impossible to account for the violent attraction which some criminals appear to exercise. The victims are as a rule lonely women who have failed to make other ties. It is a tragic spectacle, and one which would be avoided if these people would realize that their craving for affection defeats its own end. If they were willing to give instead of merely wishing to receive, they would form genuine ties of friendship and not fall prey to the first adventurer who plays upon their vanity."
Despite the name, Death at the Deep End is not about a drowning in a swimming pool. Go figure.
This one is full of portent, as we are told at the beginning that Miss Silver is going to face one of the most horrifying crimes in her storied career. There are disappearances, theft, and cold-blooded murder during a bank robbery.
Maudie goes to a country estate that has been turned into a Colony, a community for artists, outcasts, and (whisper this) possible Socialists or Communists. One character who is universally despised by everyone is obviously meant to be a homosexual (he embroiders and lisps), and one of the women is a bit butch.
Miss Silver is in disguise as a governess for three young children, which is a job she's perfectly suited for. There is a sensitive young girl for Maudie to teach and her mother, Mrs. Craddock, to be supported. Mrs. Craddock is one of these wispy women who is not strong (she is often in a "weak and tearful condition") and can't cope with disciplining her children, standing up to her second husband, or doing housework. For fuck's sake, I've been doing housework since I was about 6 years old...it's not that difficult. I whined because I didn't want to do it, not because it was hard. The second husband is a bounder, and there is the suspicion he may be a master criminal...isn't there always?
The youthful ingénue is Thomasina, who starts the whole investigation by looking for an old school friend who seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Since Anna is not well liked and has no other friends, Thomasina feels a strong sense of responsibility towards her. Peter, a step-cousin or some such (English books of this sort often have people who have been raised together fall in love, which is doubtful if you buy the Westermarck Effect) is one of Wentworth's less appealing love interests. Peter is a big bully, always trying to tell Thomasina what she can and cannot do, and willing to use a little physical force if he thinks it will help.
Thomasina hires Miss Silver to investigate Anna's whereabouts and then can't help interfering; Peter follows Thomasina and stomps around unhelpfully, like a sullen bull in a china shop.
The criminals are the people you least expect, which of course means they were the ones I figured it had to be. Wentworth rarely goes out on a limb and has a sympathetic person be the villain. Her criminals are people who chew the scenery and flaunt their evil in everyone's faces, as if to say, "Here I am, a thoroughly bad hat." And yet there are several women in love with Mr. Sandrow:
"...it is, and always has been, quite impossible to account for the violent attraction which some criminals appear to exercise. The victims are as a rule lonely women who have failed to make other ties. It is a tragic spectacle, and one which would be avoided if these people would realize that their craving for affection defeats its own end. If they were willing to give instead of merely wishing to receive, they would form genuine ties of friendship and not fall prey to the first adventurer who plays upon their vanity."
November 21, 2019
Miss Silver pulled on the large ball which lurked in a knitting bag of gaily flowered chintz. “ ‘Anna’—that is how it began. And then, I think, ‘Where are you? Do please write.’ And it was signed, ‘Thomasina.’ Perhaps you will now tell me a little more.”
Inspector Abbott said “The names are Anna Ball and Thomasina Elliot. Thomasina is the one with the eyes. Anna sounds as dull as ditchwater, but she has disappeared, and Thomasina wants to find her. When I say disappeared I am quoting Thomasina. She apparently thinks herself responsible because Anna hasn’t any relations. School friendship. Pretty, popular girl taking up the cudgels for dreary, unpopular one. Three years’ intensive post-school .letter-writing on Anna’s part. Generous response by Thomasina. A last letter saying Anna was going to a new job and would write when she got there. And then finish. No address. No hint of any destination. Previous jobs, nursery governess for over two years, and companion for one month. No clue as to new job. Might be anything from a housemaid to a henwife—and I rather gather she was likely to be a washout at whatever it was—”He broke off suddenly to enquire, “Why are you looking at me like that? You can’t possibly be interested. I can assure you that nothing can be duller than the whole affair.”
She gave him her charming smile. “Yet you have introduced the subject with care, and you are quite unable to let it drop.”
“She meant to write to Thomasina Elliot. She left a trunk with her. Miss Elliot informs me that it contains all her winter clothes. She had only a suit-case with her, and we are now in the third week of January. I should like to satisfy myself that she really did leave Deep End.”
Inspector Abbott said “The names are Anna Ball and Thomasina Elliot. Thomasina is the one with the eyes. Anna sounds as dull as ditchwater, but she has disappeared, and Thomasina wants to find her. When I say disappeared I am quoting Thomasina. She apparently thinks herself responsible because Anna hasn’t any relations. School friendship. Pretty, popular girl taking up the cudgels for dreary, unpopular one. Three years’ intensive post-school .letter-writing on Anna’s part. Generous response by Thomasina. A last letter saying Anna was going to a new job and would write when she got there. And then finish. No address. No hint of any destination. Previous jobs, nursery governess for over two years, and companion for one month. No clue as to new job. Might be anything from a housemaid to a henwife—and I rather gather she was likely to be a washout at whatever it was—”He broke off suddenly to enquire, “Why are you looking at me like that? You can’t possibly be interested. I can assure you that nothing can be duller than the whole affair.”
She gave him her charming smile. “Yet you have introduced the subject with care, and you are quite unable to let it drop.”
“She meant to write to Thomasina Elliot. She left a trunk with her. Miss Elliot informs me that it contains all her winter clothes. She had only a suit-case with her, and we are now in the third week of January. I should like to satisfy myself that she really did leave Deep End.”
March 24, 2013
When Thomasina stops hearing from her old school friend Anna, she worries because Anna has no family and no other friends, and wouldn't stop writing unless something were wrong. While her cousin Peter rants at her for doing anything at all, Thomasina stands up to him and reports to the police, then hires Miss Silver to investigate Anna's last position at a partially-bombed-out country manor house. Miss Silver finds a would-be artistic community surrounding the master of the house, Peverell Craddock, a bully of a man who has his wealthy wife and her children firmly under his thumb. Still not satisfied, Thomasina goes to the community herself, followed quickly by an enraged Peter (how dare a woman do something he told her not to??). Soon, though, the situation spirals out of hand; someone ends up dead, and it's up to Miss Silver to keep everyone else safe.
This is another classic Miss Silver, and I do enjoy her sensibleness. The plot is well-structured and fast-paced, and all the characters delightfully larger than life. Peter, though, is one of the worst of Wentworth's forceful men, though I was delighted that Thomasina would have none of it. Alas, he got to say "I told you so" in the end, and she came to regret not listening to him, which was a bummer. I don't think a marriage in which you expect to be constantly at odds with your partner is a pleasing prospect, but then, different strokes, I suppose.
This is another classic Miss Silver, and I do enjoy her sensibleness. The plot is well-structured and fast-paced, and all the characters delightfully larger than life. Peter, though, is one of the worst of Wentworth's forceful men, though I was delighted that Thomasina would have none of it. Alas, he got to say "I told you so" in the end, and she came to regret not listening to him, which was a bummer. I don't think a marriage in which you expect to be constantly at odds with your partner is a pleasing prospect, but then, different strokes, I suppose.
January 12, 2024
When Thomasina’s friend Anna Ball seems to have disappeared into thin air, Miss Silver is called on to investigate. She takes a job as home help with Anna’s last employers- the Craddocks, who live in a strange commune in the country. Mr Craddock encourages the children to have free expression and says they must never be corrected - naturally Miss Silver isn’t having any of that. And she does he best to help the timorous and downtrodden Mrs Craddock, who is another of those ladies who seem to be very weak and feeble without suffering from any known ailment. Miss Silver also meets the other members of the commune, including the charming eccentric Miss Gwinneth and Miss Elaine Tremlow. When the Miss Tremlows praise the countryside, Miss Silver responds politely, but has her own thoughts “it being her private opinion that the country was a cold and draughty place and only too apt to be lacking in modern conveniences” . There are many surprises in store for Miss Silver, and for Thomasina too, in this entertaining mystery with many twists and turns.
October 30, 2019
In this twentieth installment, Maudie goes undercover as a governess, her old gig at which she ezcelled, to care for three unrestrained children who live in a huge old country home, partially bombed and not restored fully after the war, which includes on its grounds a collective colony of artistic eccentrics. They have a domineering self-congratulating stepfather and a frail mother who is the source of all the family money. Not only must Miss Silver reform the kids, she is also trying to track down the eponymous Anna, a dour wallflower of a nobody who has gone missing, and the only one determined to find her is the lovely but hot tempered and obstinate Thomasina,who hires Miss Silver and provides the love story component element, as her cousin Peter, who suddenly realizes he has always loved her, fears there might be danger afoot. A series of bank robberies add intrigue. Some odd eccentric characters, but a story that drags compared to other installments in the series, and Thomasina and Peter are shallow representations.
August 23, 2012
This was almost unbearably enjoyable; I really didn't want it to end. The combination of village personal drama with murder mystery is great, although of course I suspect I'd like it even more without the mystery.
"It is quite extraordinary how angrily you can dislike a persopn with whom you are in love. Peter had moments of cold fury in which he told himself that he never wanted to see her again. As these persisted side by side with a complete inability to stay away from her, his mental state was naturally an extremely uncomfortable one, and as far as possible removed from the placidity of his hypothetical courtship."
When I was pregnant with my daughter I read a metric ton of Angela Thirkell -- now that I'm pregnant again Wentworth is fulfilling the same niche, although I think she is (on the whole) better (and much kinder) writer.
"It is quite extraordinary how angrily you can dislike a persopn with whom you are in love. Peter had moments of cold fury in which he told himself that he never wanted to see her again. As these persisted side by side with a complete inability to stay away from her, his mental state was naturally an extremely uncomfortable one, and as far as possible removed from the placidity of his hypothetical courtship."
When I was pregnant with my daughter I read a metric ton of Angela Thirkell -- now that I'm pregnant again Wentworth is fulfilling the same niche, although I think she is (on the whole) better (and much kinder) writer.
February 26, 2020
Thomasina Elliot is worried about her friend Anna, who left one job but never wrote to tell Thomasina where her next job was. She's wealthy enough to hire Miss Maud Silver to trace Anna, and with almost no information Miss Silver finds out--but Anna has already left for another place. Miss Silver decides to stay on at isolated Deepe House, and help with the three children, who find her much more congenial than they found Anna. Thomasina arrives, too, eager to find her friend, and so does Frank Abbott, investigating one of a series of bank robberies that took place in the area.
April 21, 2021
This seemed to be an excellent book - I was thoroughly enjoying listening to it...then...just over half-way through, I discovered I didn't have the rest of the audio book :(
Not a happy bunny at all
2021 update - have finally got hold of a complete copy of the audio book and have now finished it. A very good mystery with well-written characters and a plot that moves at a steady pace. All-in-all, a good read.
Not a happy bunny at all
2021 update - have finally got hold of a complete copy of the audio book and have now finished it. A very good mystery with well-written characters and a plot that moves at a steady pace. All-in-all, a good read.
July 21, 2019
Another title for this book is: Anna Where Are You. A story of unconscious patronizing beneficence, bitterness, grief, emotional abuse, and, of course (cough) - romance. First time I've seen the name Thomasina. Apparently most popular in 1932, 1966 and 1975.
November 1, 2018
Feels a bit dated. Still reasonably engaging mystery but feels like a slightly darker and adult Enid Blyton. Worth an airplane read.
July 16, 2023
I have read more than a dozen of Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver mysteries. I enjoy them very much. In most cases, Miss Silver slips into the environment about halfway through the story and intrudes herself into the plot.
This book had quite an elaborate plot and cast of characters, and I would say it differs from the others I have read because it paints an aggressive satire of an artists' colony (reminiscent perhaps of William Morris' little community in the late 1880s, although this novel was written in 1951.) We have the narcissist/family overlord who oppresses everyone else while isolating himself in a separate wing of the house, engaged on some mysterious work. There is the ultra-sensitive, spiritual seeker (male), mostly engaged in embroidery and always talking about it. There is a female medium. Everyone wears eccentric clothes. They predate their American hippie cousins by about 60 years and don't use drugs, but they are regarded with similar disdain by the inhabitants of their small village.
One odd thing is that Wentworth's description of Inspector Abbott is almost identical to Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey, although the latter had been created at least 30 years earlier. Smooth blond hair slicked back, long slender nose, elegant clothing...although Abbott does not have the aristocratic bloodline nor the attitude of Wimsey. But it was a bit obvious of Wentworth to have swiped his look, don't you think?
And I have to bring up Wentworth's recurring description (I swear she does this in every novel) of describing the heroine's eyes as "grey." Who has grey eyes? I have never met anyone with grey eyes. Was this a fad in the early 20th century?
Then there is the resolution of the murder/bank robbery plot, which I confess, I still do not understand. The long-lost father of the 3 children masquerading as a bird watcher in the colony displays no emotion whatsoever about being reunited with his kids. It takes his estranged wife a really long time to recognize him. The narcissist/overlord turns out to have been counterfeiting money in his solitary wing of the house, but how does this fit in with the bank robberies perpetrated by Anna herself? While this book was quite a page turner, in the end, it did not make a lot of sense. Still, I do like Patricia Wentworth. She was endlessly resourceful and prolific.
This book had quite an elaborate plot and cast of characters, and I would say it differs from the others I have read because it paints an aggressive satire of an artists' colony (reminiscent perhaps of William Morris' little community in the late 1880s, although this novel was written in 1951.) We have the narcissist/family overlord who oppresses everyone else while isolating himself in a separate wing of the house, engaged on some mysterious work. There is the ultra-sensitive, spiritual seeker (male), mostly engaged in embroidery and always talking about it. There is a female medium. Everyone wears eccentric clothes. They predate their American hippie cousins by about 60 years and don't use drugs, but they are regarded with similar disdain by the inhabitants of their small village.
One odd thing is that Wentworth's description of Inspector Abbott is almost identical to Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey, although the latter had been created at least 30 years earlier. Smooth blond hair slicked back, long slender nose, elegant clothing...although Abbott does not have the aristocratic bloodline nor the attitude of Wimsey. But it was a bit obvious of Wentworth to have swiped his look, don't you think?
And I have to bring up Wentworth's recurring description (I swear she does this in every novel) of describing the heroine's eyes as "grey." Who has grey eyes? I have never met anyone with grey eyes. Was this a fad in the early 20th century?
Then there is the resolution of the murder/bank robbery plot, which I confess, I still do not understand. The long-lost father of the 3 children masquerading as a bird watcher in the colony displays no emotion whatsoever about being reunited with his kids. It takes his estranged wife a really long time to recognize him. The narcissist/overlord turns out to have been counterfeiting money in his solitary wing of the house, but how does this fit in with the bank robberies perpetrated by Anna herself? While this book was quite a page turner, in the end, it did not make a lot of sense. Still, I do like Patricia Wentworth. She was endlessly resourceful and prolific.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2021
When we begin, we're introduced to Thomasina Elliot and her cousin Peter Brandon. Thomasina is worried about her friend Anna Ball. Anna seems to have disappeared and hasn't written or made contact with Thomasina in months. This is unusual, and Thomasina is determined to find out where her friend has gone. However, Peter isn't eager for her to go on this quest. He doesn't care for Anna's negative attitude and continual complaints and cold attitude. His attempt to dissuade Thomasina does no good, and before long, the police are contacted and so is Miss Silver.
DI Frank Abbott is on the case, and he talks it over with Miss Silver. She's immediately interested, and by the time Thomasina asks for her assistance, she's hooked. What I loved most about this story was the continued growth of the easy conversation and affection Frank has for Miss Silver and she for him. His visits to her home and the easy partaking of tea and sandwiches is a precious highlight of the story. I enjoy his mischievous streak and her disapproving rebuttals. Their connection makes the story even better. I really love how Miss Silver is the friend of a police detective and how he consults her as well. It's a brighter, slightly comedic, and beautiful part of the story instead of the usual animosity and displeasure between the private detective and policemen.
Finding Anna Ball involves a move to the country, becoming a governess, bank robberies across the county, and so much more. It's an intertwined, intricate, and rotating plot which provides compelling and entertaining characters and twists. Miss Silver gets to the bottom of the story with her usual grace and care, and readers are provided with a diverting read.
DI Frank Abbott is on the case, and he talks it over with Miss Silver. She's immediately interested, and by the time Thomasina asks for her assistance, she's hooked. What I loved most about this story was the continued growth of the easy conversation and affection Frank has for Miss Silver and she for him. His visits to her home and the easy partaking of tea and sandwiches is a precious highlight of the story. I enjoy his mischievous streak and her disapproving rebuttals. Their connection makes the story even better. I really love how Miss Silver is the friend of a police detective and how he consults her as well. It's a brighter, slightly comedic, and beautiful part of the story instead of the usual animosity and displeasure between the private detective and policemen.
Finding Anna Ball involves a move to the country, becoming a governess, bank robberies across the county, and so much more. It's an intertwined, intricate, and rotating plot which provides compelling and entertaining characters and twists. Miss Silver gets to the bottom of the story with her usual grace and care, and readers are provided with a diverting read.
April 21, 2025
Nobody really loved Anna Ball, including Thomasina, but Thomasina felt vaguely responsible for her. So when Anna stopped writing, she felt she had to find out what had happened. And fortunately she got Miss Silver to do the investigating…
This book does one of the things Wentworth does very well: the set-up which seems at first perfectly normal but gradually reveals that beneath the surface something isn’t right. Some of the people in the artsy-crafty commune in the wreckage of an old country house are just what they seem to be - harmless cranks. But at least one of them isn’t - and the question is, who? Is the most unlikeable a red herring, and the villain really one of the seemingly innocuous, or is Wentworth double-bluffing us? In the middle of the detective story she also gives us the the great creation of the truly monstrous and unsettling Mr Craddock, at first appearing as just a comedy egocentric, and turning out to have a much darker and never fully revealed hold over his stepchildren. Wentworth also takes seriously the background deaths of the local bank robberies, so that these are never just something to be lightly considered as possible motive or red herring. The one big problem of this book is that both Thomasina and her young man behave like total idiots several times. I also think that unusually for Wentworth, there is a gaping hole in the set-up, and I don’t like the way that she treats the man who prefers embroidery and gossip to high-handed dominance. So a mixed bag that scores highly on the psychodrama and detecting and much lower on some very reductive characterisation.
This book does one of the things Wentworth does very well: the set-up which seems at first perfectly normal but gradually reveals that beneath the surface something isn’t right. Some of the people in the artsy-crafty commune in the wreckage of an old country house are just what they seem to be - harmless cranks. But at least one of them isn’t - and the question is, who? Is the most unlikeable a red herring, and the villain really one of the seemingly innocuous, or is Wentworth double-bluffing us? In the middle of the detective story she also gives us the the great creation of the truly monstrous and unsettling Mr Craddock, at first appearing as just a comedy egocentric, and turning out to have a much darker and never fully revealed hold over his stepchildren. Wentworth also takes seriously the background deaths of the local bank robberies, so that these are never just something to be lightly considered as possible motive or red herring. The one big problem of this book is that both Thomasina and her young man behave like total idiots several times. I also think that unusually for Wentworth, there is a gaping hole in the set-up, and I don’t like the way that she treats the man who prefers embroidery and gossip to high-handed dominance. So a mixed bag that scores highly on the psychodrama and detecting and much lower on some very reductive characterisation.
September 21, 2020
This review is for "Anna Where Are You" book 20 in the Miss Silver series.
“The spoiled child is seldom happy or well, and is the cause of constant unhappiness in others.” The author seems to mention her dislike of only children in each of her books, and honestly, from my experience, she is in some measure correct (only children beware your sense of entitlement!).
Inspector Frank Abbott is in this one from the near start, and has his easy banter with Miss Silver, while worshiping her prowess as a detective. It is an entertaining, if convoluted, story, but we have one of her usual domineering men (whose relationship troubles did not entertain me at all), and a complete dictator of a man in this book in the Miss Silver series.
There is some amusement with Miss Silver coming head to head with the post WWII free lifestyles, and more specifically with the wild children of pre-hippies, but the amusement is marred by the brutality of the deaths in this book. There are also lots of filler stories and long descriptive passages in the book.
There is much in the story line that appears to have been 'lifted' by TV's “Midsomer Murder” for an episode (14.4), including having a detective undercover at the commune, just like Miss Silver in this book. Not classy, that sort of thing, IMHO.
“a revolver—one of those little things that look like a toy and hold half a dozen men’s lives.” The best phrase in the book. I recall my father showing me a gun in his desk drawer when I was a child, and all I could think was, “Why does dad have death in his drawer?”
“The spoiled child is seldom happy or well, and is the cause of constant unhappiness in others.” The author seems to mention her dislike of only children in each of her books, and honestly, from my experience, she is in some measure correct (only children beware your sense of entitlement!).
Inspector Frank Abbott is in this one from the near start, and has his easy banter with Miss Silver, while worshiping her prowess as a detective. It is an entertaining, if convoluted, story, but we have one of her usual domineering men (whose relationship troubles did not entertain me at all), and a complete dictator of a man in this book in the Miss Silver series.
There is some amusement with Miss Silver coming head to head with the post WWII free lifestyles, and more specifically with the wild children of pre-hippies, but the amusement is marred by the brutality of the deaths in this book. There are also lots of filler stories and long descriptive passages in the book.
There is much in the story line that appears to have been 'lifted' by TV's “Midsomer Murder” for an episode (14.4), including having a detective undercover at the commune, just like Miss Silver in this book. Not classy, that sort of thing, IMHO.
“a revolver—one of those little things that look like a toy and hold half a dozen men’s lives.” The best phrase in the book. I recall my father showing me a gun in his desk drawer when I was a child, and all I could think was, “Why does dad have death in his drawer?”
May 10, 2022
This novel is both a mystery and a thriller. Miss Silver, a former governess turned 'private enquiry agent,' is once again a governess (to three needy, unsupervised children). There to solve a missing persons case, she enters a world of waking nightmare and murder.
Wentworth's novel includes as usual a captivating romance and intriguing setting. As usual the book ends on two notes: with the mystery wrap-up - Miss Silver presiding - and with the threads of the romance neatly tied up.
Here is a lovely description of Miss Maude Silver, whom her friend Scotland Yard detective Frank Abbott calls his 'revered preceptress':
"What in an irreverent moment he had been known to allude to as Maudie’s Moralities never failed to delight him, but under the mockery there was not only affection but a very real respect. Because Maudie was herself a Case in Point. She not only preached, but she practised. Going out into the world as a penniless governess, a position so undefined as to be exposed to the condescension of the employer and the formidable dislike of the domestic staff, she had won her way to a comfortable independence, and in the course of doing so had acquired a very large circle of admiring and devoted friends. And this had been done by the exercise of intelligence, courage and devotion to duty. She had thought of others before she thought of herself, she had sought justice and loved mercy, and walked humbly in the sight of what she called Providence. She had her reward, not because she had sought it, but because it had been earned."
Wentworth's novel includes as usual a captivating romance and intriguing setting. As usual the book ends on two notes: with the mystery wrap-up - Miss Silver presiding - and with the threads of the romance neatly tied up.
Here is a lovely description of Miss Maude Silver, whom her friend Scotland Yard detective Frank Abbott calls his 'revered preceptress':
"What in an irreverent moment he had been known to allude to as Maudie’s Moralities never failed to delight him, but under the mockery there was not only affection but a very real respect. Because Maudie was herself a Case in Point. She not only preached, but she practised. Going out into the world as a penniless governess, a position so undefined as to be exposed to the condescension of the employer and the formidable dislike of the domestic staff, she had won her way to a comfortable independence, and in the course of doing so had acquired a very large circle of admiring and devoted friends. And this had been done by the exercise of intelligence, courage and devotion to duty. She had thought of others before she thought of herself, she had sought justice and loved mercy, and walked humbly in the sight of what she called Providence. She had her reward, not because she had sought it, but because it had been earned."
February 25, 2022
Miss Silver came across this message on the Agony Column of the Times ~ "Anna, where are you? ~Thomasina" it was sent by Miss Thomasina Elliot a young heiress worried on the whereabouts of her less financially comfortable friend. Their old fashioned names caught the attention of an equally old fashioned governess turned Private Enquiry Agent. Thomasina hired Miss Silver to go to Deep End, Anna's last known address, and begin her investigations from there. Given that Anna's last post was as a governess to three unruly children, Miss Silver revisited her old profession much to the disgust and apprehension of Detective Inspector Frank Abbott, who was put in charge of a bank robbery that ended up with the murder of the bank manager and the wounding of a clerk... and Deep End was near the town where the robbery happened. Miss Silver's probings led her to encounter a disguised bank robber and murderer and Thomasina had her answer... one that she did not at all expect because it was shockingly toxic.
December 21, 2023
Thomasina Elliot has hired Miss Silver to locate Anna Ball. Anna had been working as a companion for a Mrs. Dugdale, a demanding invalid who wasn’t Anna’s cup of tea. Anna took another job as a governess for the Craddocks, but then shortly leaves them. Three children, whose parents don’t believe in supervising their children, were a bit too much to handle. In both instances, Anna leaves no forwarding address or continues her correspondence with Thomasina.
Miss Silver locates Anna’s last employer and takes the governess position with the Craddocks. Not difficult, as Miss Silver had been a governess for a number of years prior to becoming a detective.
Miss Silver meets the various residents of the ‘colony’ and is able to get an idea of Anna and her life there. Miss silver also finds things are not as presented by the residents. All have secrets to hide. Secrets Miss Silver discovers as she searches for clues to the disappearance of Anna Ball.
Miss Silver locates Anna’s last employer and takes the governess position with the Craddocks. Not difficult, as Miss Silver had been a governess for a number of years prior to becoming a detective.
Miss Silver meets the various residents of the ‘colony’ and is able to get an idea of Anna and her life there. Miss silver also finds things are not as presented by the residents. All have secrets to hide. Secrets Miss Silver discovers as she searches for clues to the disappearance of Anna Ball.
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