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Miss Silver #19
The Ivory Dagger
When Lila Dryden is discovered standing over her fiance's body with dagger in hand, Miss Silver is called in to investigate, only to discover Lila's sleepwalking patterns, the return of her former lover, and the victim's circle of acquaintances--all of whom occasionally wished him dead. Reissue.
267 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
241 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Wentworth
162 books522 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
January 3, 2019
This novel is one of three that Patricia Wentworth had published in 1950. Her first novel in this series was published in 1928 and she kept up an amazing publication schedule until 1961, when the last one in this series (#32) was published. I am not even going to talk about the huge pile of stand alone novels she wrote!
As is the case fairly often, Miss Silver does not enter the story until events are well underway. I enjoyed the preliminary story a great deal as we are introduced to all the main characters who have an effect on the outcome of this mystery. There are star-crossed romantic relationships – not just a triangle, but with other connections as well. There is the Lady Sybil whose domineering personality is accustomed to having events under her control.
There is a sojourn in the country and a dinner party where an additional suspect or two are introduced and, of course, there is the ivory dagger itself and the question of how it made its way from its vaulted, locked display shelf and into the study.
A young woman is the strongest suspect, yet everyone tells the police it cannot be – that she is subject to sleepwalking but definitely not murder. Or is she? And what about the young man she tossed over in favour of the extraordinarily rich, ivory-obsessed “lord of the manor”? Who stands to gain? And what do they stand to gain? Money? Freedom? Love? Revenge?
Lady Sybil has lost control of the entire situation, and it is she who made the call to request Miss Silver’s services. Every time a new person is interviewed by the police and/or Miss Silver, they seemed to me to be the guilty person. Time and again, I was proved wrong.
Meantime, I learned a great deal about how different people respond to tension, stress, and fear – and at the same time, it is clear that another person in the same chair could react completely otherwise.
One thing I can say is that Patricia Wentworth writes her characters with full knowledge ahead of time about their personalities and their psychological motivations. It is one of the aspects of her novels that I have witnessed time and again. And since everyone has something to hide, small or large, shameful or criminal, embarrassing or incriminating, it is their efforts to cover up their own shortcomings that skew the progress of the investigations.
Reading the Miss Silver series has always been a delight for me. Although they are mysteries, and there is usually a murder or two involved, they are always interesting and entertaining. Each time I have to set the book down to do some task or other, I always look forward to picking it up again and continuing with the story. I look forward to my next Miss Silver read next month.
As is the case fairly often, Miss Silver does not enter the story until events are well underway. I enjoyed the preliminary story a great deal as we are introduced to all the main characters who have an effect on the outcome of this mystery. There are star-crossed romantic relationships – not just a triangle, but with other connections as well. There is the Lady Sybil whose domineering personality is accustomed to having events under her control.
There is a sojourn in the country and a dinner party where an additional suspect or two are introduced and, of course, there is the ivory dagger itself and the question of how it made its way from its vaulted, locked display shelf and into the study.
A young woman is the strongest suspect, yet everyone tells the police it cannot be – that she is subject to sleepwalking but definitely not murder. Or is she? And what about the young man she tossed over in favour of the extraordinarily rich, ivory-obsessed “lord of the manor”? Who stands to gain? And what do they stand to gain? Money? Freedom? Love? Revenge?
Lady Sybil has lost control of the entire situation, and it is she who made the call to request Miss Silver’s services. Every time a new person is interviewed by the police and/or Miss Silver, they seemed to me to be the guilty person. Time and again, I was proved wrong.
Meantime, I learned a great deal about how different people respond to tension, stress, and fear – and at the same time, it is clear that another person in the same chair could react completely otherwise.
One thing I can say is that Patricia Wentworth writes her characters with full knowledge ahead of time about their personalities and their psychological motivations. It is one of the aspects of her novels that I have witnessed time and again. And since everyone has something to hide, small or large, shameful or criminal, embarrassing or incriminating, it is their efforts to cover up their own shortcomings that skew the progress of the investigations.
Reading the Miss Silver series has always been a delight for me. Although they are mysteries, and there is usually a murder or two involved, they are always interesting and entertaining. Each time I have to set the book down to do some task or other, I always look forward to picking it up again and continuing with the story. I look forward to my next Miss Silver read next month.
August 8, 2011
Always love Miss Silver. Very nice cozy little mysteries...just wish someone would give her a cough drop. Three and a half stars.
February 7, 2017
3 1/2 stars
I was not feeling very well and all I wanted to read was a nice, cozy novel. This book from the Miss Silver series fit the bill admirably.
I was not feeling very well and all I wanted to read was a nice, cozy novel. This book from the Miss Silver series fit the bill admirably.
April 24, 2022
"What an epitaph! 'Here lies the man whom no one liked.' What would you think about adding, 'and a good many people hated'?"
May 25, 2021
Every time I finish one of these books I'm sad because I'm one book closer to being at the end of this series. It's fantastic. Start with any book except the first one.
January 12, 2018
I read this book because, according to the publisher's note, 'Patricia Wentworth was as popular in the 1940s as Agatha Christie'.
While this was certainly an interesting read in places, it was nowhere near Agatha Christie's standards. Two of the main characters - Lila Dryden and Bill Waring - fell into the category of characters I'd have been happy to see bumped off along with the novel's murder victim.
Miss Silver (the private detective) spends most of her time knitting and, unlike Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, has no deductive skills. With about 20 pages to go and no idea who the killer was, I was eager to be surprised and satisfied (as I always am in an Agatha Christie book) with a clever denouement in which all the clues would be laid out before me and I'd kick myself for not having noticed them.
In the end, the killer could have been anyone. This was because they were revealed simply because another character saw them in a certain place at a certain time. This character had conveniently not mentioned this fact before. And that was that. Very disappointing.
That said, I have two more books by Patricia Wentworth (they were given to me by someone else who's never read them so can't comment), so I may read another. To be fair, as I've remarked, the book was well written and - the ending apart (and a couple of annoying characters) - it was a pleasant read.
While this was certainly an interesting read in places, it was nowhere near Agatha Christie's standards. Two of the main characters - Lila Dryden and Bill Waring - fell into the category of characters I'd have been happy to see bumped off along with the novel's murder victim.
Miss Silver (the private detective) spends most of her time knitting and, unlike Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, has no deductive skills. With about 20 pages to go and no idea who the killer was, I was eager to be surprised and satisfied (as I always am in an Agatha Christie book) with a clever denouement in which all the clues would be laid out before me and I'd kick myself for not having noticed them.
In the end, the killer could have been anyone. This was because they were revealed simply because another character saw them in a certain place at a certain time. This character had conveniently not mentioned this fact before. And that was that. Very disappointing.
That said, I have two more books by Patricia Wentworth (they were given to me by someone else who's never read them so can't comment), so I may read another. To be fair, as I've remarked, the book was well written and - the ending apart (and a couple of annoying characters) - it was a pleasant read.
April 10, 2020
A country house full of suspects, a disagreeable and wealthy victim, an astute detective, and a truly classic solution made for pleasant reading. I know I read this and other Miss Silver mysteries when I was growing up, and the names of the characters are familiar, but it’s been many years and it’s enjoyable to revisit them during a stressful time. They are dated, true (I loved how Miss
Silver wrote off the cook without meeting her because the cooking was so good that nothing could be troubling her!), but well-written. Popular fiction used to pitch upwards in that sense, and I even found myself reaching for the dictionary a couple of times (‘sedulously,’ ‘peculation’).
Silver wrote off the cook without meeting her because the cooking was so good that nothing could be troubling her!), but well-written. Popular fiction used to pitch upwards in that sense, and I even found myself reaching for the dictionary a couple of times (‘sedulously,’ ‘peculation’).
November 9, 2025
Fun mystery set in a country house. I could not guess the murderer, though that person was on my short list of suspects. I'm not sure it was strictly possible to guess from reading the book, but that's OK. Some other things I predicted came true.
The great thing about these books is Miss Silver's way with people - that's how she went from governess to private detective. As she tells someone who has discovered an important clue just because she enjoys listening to people and getting to know them, "The proper study of mankind is man." (Alexander Pope) The woman replies she was not studying the person, just being friendly. Miss Silver enjoys listening to people, too, and that's the secret of her success.
The characters are well-drawn and interesting. This is my second Miss Silver novel and I will read more!
Fine for 12 and up.
The great thing about these books is Miss Silver's way with people - that's how she went from governess to private detective. As she tells someone who has discovered an important clue just because she enjoys listening to people and getting to know them, "The proper study of mankind is man." (Alexander Pope) The woman replies she was not studying the person, just being friendly. Miss Silver enjoys listening to people, too, and that's the secret of her success.
The characters are well-drawn and interesting. This is my second Miss Silver novel and I will read more!
Fine for 12 and up.
December 5, 2019
Fragile Lila was engaged to Bill Waring, but when he went on a business trip to America, she yielded to the pressure of her guardian and said she'd marry Sir Herbert. Sir Herbert didn't care that she didn't love him--in fact, that made the marriage more attractive to him. Sadly, Sir Herbert was that kind of man. Lila's loyal cousin Ray tries to help Lila and Bill, even though she loves Bill herself. When Sir Herbert is murdered, there are so many motives that the police aren't sure who to arrest, but Bill and Lila are certainly near the top of their list. Fortunately, Lila's guardian has done one thing right--hired Miss Maud Silver to investigate.
April 5, 2019
The butler did it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2019
Herbert Whitall is disliked, repelled, and even hated by nearly every character in the book. (Most of whom are staying in his house.) Plus, he's a blackmailer. None of that matters to him. If he can get something someone else wants, he is happy. Naturally, as all Wentworth fans know, the man must die.
Miss Silver is called in to protect his young fiancée who was found standing over his body clutching a bloody knife. Between her, Frank Abbot and Inspector Lamb the mystery is solved and "every Jack has found a Jill."
Miss Silver is called in to protect his young fiancée who was found standing over his body clutching a bloody knife. Between her, Frank Abbot and Inspector Lamb the mystery is solved and "every Jack has found a Jill."
October 12, 2018
Another good mystery by Ms. Wentworth. I wish I had found her earlier. It is almost impossible to find her books now. This story is a mystery and romance tied together. Again as in most of her mystery one of the heroines is a needy girl disguised as a woman. Luckily the other heroine was not. There are plenty of people wanting the victim dead and from time to time they are all suspected. I had a couple of potentials in mind. I went with the second one and I was right. However, I don't think I got the whole motive. Hang in there; all will be resolved. The romance will be a 'happily ever after' as you probably will guess. Recommend.
September 6, 2020
I really enjoy the Miss Silver books; they're appealing when my brain is tired and overloaded. But this isn't one of Wentworth's best. It's too dependent on piled-up coincidences of people seeing things and concealing what they've seen, then revealing it all in a rush at the end. But it relaxed my brain, so it did what I needed it to do.
June 25, 2018
Given this is a murder mystery, it’s no surprise when an unpleasant wealthy collector ends up stabbed with the ivory dagger he just bought. Miss Silver, former governess turned private detective, sorts through the many suspects in this cleverly plotted story to identify the killer.
August 21, 2017
Wise, elderly lady goes to the manor house to detect the identity of the hateful industrialist's murderer. Ah, Golden Age of Mystery.
Read
November 14, 2017Murderers usually come to their just desserts in this series, but trustees who steal bunches of money never seem to be punished (unless they were also the murderer).
February 26, 2019
Bezaubernd!
August 19, 2020
A twisted tale of a macabre ivory collection, one of the items of which is used to murder the old man hankering to marry his young protege. >^..^<
March 31, 2020
A classic murder in the library English mystery. Miss Silver knits her way to solving this cozy little murder mystery.
May 10, 2019
The following just about sums up Sir Herbert Whitall, the despicable blackmailing murder victim and why he simply had to die.
The scene is that the dinner party has just ended, But Whitall had goaded one of the guests who left in a huff and also loved collecting artifacts decorated with ivory - He [Sir Herbert Whitall] laughed. [Lady Dryden said]My dear Herbert! The Professor is anything but soporific. Do you really enjoy quarrelling with him?”
“Oh, immensely. You see, I have a number of things which he would give his eyes to get, so he crabs them. If he could persuade me that they were fakes, I should get rid of them, and then, even if he didn’t manage to get them himself, he wouldn’t be aggravated by seeing them in my possession. Even if he can’t persuade me he can perhaps plant a thorn here and there, or at the very least he can blow off steam.”
She looked at him curiously. “And what do you get out of it?”
“My dear Sybil—can you ask? What used you to get out of it when you came into a room and knew that none of the other women could touch you? Wasn’t it meat and drink to you to be
envied and—hated?”
Adrian Grey who was doing renovations on Whitall's home had this to say about the victim when Miss Silver asked Had you any feeling of affection or friendship for him?”
He shook his head.“That’s the wrong way to put it. He didn’t want those things—he had no use for them.”
What did he want?”
“Beautiful things that would belong to him—things other people wanted and couldn’t get. He valued a thing much more if other people wanted it. And he liked power. His money gave him a lot of that, but it wasn’t enough. He liked to have people on a string, so that they couldn’t get away if they wanted to. He liked to know something about them which wasn’t usually known—something they wouldn’t like anyone to know. He mightn’t ever use that knowledge, but he liked to feel that he had got it there to use.”
The scene is that the dinner party has just ended, But Whitall had goaded one of the guests who left in a huff and also loved collecting artifacts decorated with ivory - He [Sir Herbert Whitall] laughed. [Lady Dryden said]My dear Herbert! The Professor is anything but soporific. Do you really enjoy quarrelling with him?”
“Oh, immensely. You see, I have a number of things which he would give his eyes to get, so he crabs them. If he could persuade me that they were fakes, I should get rid of them, and then, even if he didn’t manage to get them himself, he wouldn’t be aggravated by seeing them in my possession. Even if he can’t persuade me he can perhaps plant a thorn here and there, or at the very least he can blow off steam.”
She looked at him curiously. “And what do you get out of it?”
“My dear Sybil—can you ask? What used you to get out of it when you came into a room and knew that none of the other women could touch you? Wasn’t it meat and drink to you to be
envied and—hated?”
Adrian Grey who was doing renovations on Whitall's home had this to say about the victim when Miss Silver asked Had you any feeling of affection or friendship for him?”
He shook his head.“That’s the wrong way to put it. He didn’t want those things—he had no use for them.”
What did he want?”
“Beautiful things that would belong to him—things other people wanted and couldn’t get. He valued a thing much more if other people wanted it. And he liked power. His money gave him a lot of that, but it wasn’t enough. He liked to have people on a string, so that they couldn’t get away if they wanted to. He liked to know something about them which wasn’t usually known—something they wouldn’t like anyone to know. He mightn’t ever use that knowledge, but he liked to feel that he had got it there to use.”
February 26, 2018
Edited to add: in these books the murderer is asking to be killed. they are almost all complete bastards. so no one is really sorry when they get wacked. that is kind of strange.
Cast of thousands!
Sybil Dryden - The evil stepmother. Likes to call the shots and willing to run roughshod over others to to get her way. Forcing Lila to marry Herbert.
Lila Dryden - Exquisitely lovely. Everyone wants to marry her. Dumb as a bag of rocks and has the spine of a jellyfish. Terrified of Herbert.
Bill Waring - Strong and handsome and stupid. Wants to marry Lila.
Adrian Grey - Kind and sensitive architect-type of person. Fond of Lila. Does not particularly like Herbert.
Eric Haile - Charming, but his jolly exterior hides whatever he is really thinking. Has assumed he was Herbert's heir.
Professor - Would like to have all the pretty ivory things Herbert buys and brags about. Has threatened him, but it was a joke. Right?
Ray - Lila's cousin. Bright, nice, and pretty. No one ever notices her because they all fall in love with Lila.
Miss Whitaker - Herbert's secretary. Has a painful history with Herbert and several reasons to wish him dead.
Herbert Whitall - Icy cold and cruel. Collects beautiful things and enjoys them much more if someone else wanted them. He enjoys making people uncomfortable. Because he is such a bastard, he is wearing a giant target on his back. Someone is going to stab him with his beautiful new ivory dagger, mark my words!
Various dinner guests, butlers, cooks, housemaids, footmen, mostly window dressing. The rich people need a lot of people to take care of them.
Cast of thousands!
Sybil Dryden - The evil stepmother. Likes to call the shots and willing to run roughshod over others to to get her way. Forcing Lila to marry Herbert.
Lila Dryden - Exquisitely lovely. Everyone wants to marry her. Dumb as a bag of rocks and has the spine of a jellyfish. Terrified of Herbert.
Bill Waring - Strong and handsome and stupid. Wants to marry Lila.
Adrian Grey - Kind and sensitive architect-type of person. Fond of Lila. Does not particularly like Herbert.
Eric Haile - Charming, but his jolly exterior hides whatever he is really thinking. Has assumed he was Herbert's heir.
Professor - Would like to have all the pretty ivory things Herbert buys and brags about. Has threatened him, but it was a joke. Right?
Ray - Lila's cousin. Bright, nice, and pretty. No one ever notices her because they all fall in love with Lila.
Miss Whitaker - Herbert's secretary. Has a painful history with Herbert and several reasons to wish him dead.
Herbert Whitall - Icy cold and cruel. Collects beautiful things and enjoys them much more if someone else wanted them. He enjoys making people uncomfortable. Because he is such a bastard, he is wearing a giant target on his back. Someone is going to stab him with his beautiful new ivory dagger, mark my words!
Various dinner guests, butlers, cooks, housemaids, footmen, mostly window dressing. The rich people need a lot of people to take care of them.
December 30, 2019
I've now read 19 of the 32 Miss Silver mysteries. This is the 18th in the series. They are all pleasant cozy reads, with different plots and new personalities for Miss Silver to observe and analyze, but other than giving a synopsis of the plot, it is hard to give a meaningful review of each one. It does seem that each one has at least one really disagreeable character that either becomes the victim of murder or turns out to be the perpetrator, and in a way that makes them satisfying. Patricia Wentworth really knew how to make you dislike certain characters. It also seems that more often than not, blackmail is involved and more central to the crime than the other big motivators of greed and hatred. I particularly enjoy how the relationship between Maud Silver and the Scotland Yard man, Frank Abbot continues to develop.
Recently I viewed new presentations of a couple of Miss Marple stories on PBS Masterpiece Mystery and do think there are some similarities between Miss Marple and Miss Silver. It has been many years since I read the Agatha Christie mysteries, but I am finding that I really like Miss Silver, as a personality, better, and I think she is much more clever and subtle and not so doddering. I wonder why PBS has not done these mysteries, and if they did, who would they get to play Miss Maud Silver.
Recently I viewed new presentations of a couple of Miss Marple stories on PBS Masterpiece Mystery and do think there are some similarities between Miss Marple and Miss Silver. It has been many years since I read the Agatha Christie mysteries, but I am finding that I really like Miss Silver, as a personality, better, and I think she is much more clever and subtle and not so doddering. I wonder why PBS has not done these mysteries, and if they did, who would they get to play Miss Maud Silver.
September 12, 2020
Patricia Wentworth Miss Silver crime mysteries are set in post-war Britain and set among the English upper classes or upper middles. Miss Silver is very Edwardian or even Victorian and is an ex-governess turned detective. The genre is similar to Ngaio Marsh and Agatha Christie, and the solution to the whodunnits are always satisfactory in that they fit all the clues nicely. There is always a boy meets girl romance too. Her characterisation is well done. Her crime novels are cosy, comfortable, uplifting, old-fashioned British, fire-side reads. As I generally cannot remember who did it, I can read her whodunnits again and again.
This crime novel features a bland, weak-charactered female called Lila who would have been an ideal heroine in a Victorian romance, but Ray the main heroine is a fiesty female who fits well in the mid- to late- 20th Century.
This crime novel features a bland, weak-charactered female called Lila who would have been an ideal heroine in a Victorian romance, but Ray the main heroine is a fiesty female who fits well in the mid- to late- 20th Century.
June 17, 2014
I loved the setting. And it ended "right" for me. The characters are well developed but not overly so. Great plot, and an easy, enjoyable read. I did not give it five stars for two reasons. First, at least three times, as Miss Silver and/or the police were considering the case, it was reviewed in such a way as to seem whatever had happened was simply being repeated or rehashed. I felt like I was re-reading and did not appreciate that style. Second, why does Miss Silver cough so dang much? It was near to the point the woman could not speak without first making a cough. It became quite distracting to me. I was ready for her to choke, sneeze, grimace, clear her throat, gag, or simply speak....anything but another cough.
January 8, 2024
Herbert Whitall, a wealthy disagreeable bachelor is murdered shortly before he is due to be married. His reluctant fiancee is found standing over his body in a bloodstained dress - her guilt seems obvious, but she claims to have been sleepwalking. her aunt calls on Miss Silver to solve the case.
This is quite an enjoyable murder mystery, with a houseful of suspects, all of whom have good reason to want Herbert Whitall dead, and despite the presence in the house of several policeman, it naturally is Miss Silver who sorts out which is the guilty one. I did not guess the identity of the murderer. the main drawback is that Whitall's fiancee is a girl so idiotic it stretches credibility that anyone would want to marry her.
This is quite an enjoyable murder mystery, with a houseful of suspects, all of whom have good reason to want Herbert Whitall dead, and despite the presence in the house of several policeman, it naturally is Miss Silver who sorts out which is the guilty one. I did not guess the identity of the murderer. the main drawback is that Whitall's fiancee is a girl so idiotic it stretches credibility that anyone would want to marry her.
November 29, 2021
4-* This is the second book I’ve been through this year that has focused on Sir Walter Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor, I have it on my to-be-read list so I’m going to try and make a push to read it next year. Maybe.
I rather enjoyed this Miss Silver Mystery, in spite of Lila; she is the sort of piteous, weak-spirited, girl that makes me wish the author had injected some grit into her diet. Ray is such a refreshing counterpart to her and I’m pleased she ended up with her young man.
2020: 4* repeat read.
2021: 4+* Repeat, late-night listen. Extra: one n- bomb.
Emsworth, Hampshire (free ebook collection https://www.fadedpage.com/sc/wentwort...)
I rather enjoyed this Miss Silver Mystery, in spite of Lila; she is the sort of piteous, weak-spirited, girl that makes me wish the author had injected some grit into her diet. Ray is such a refreshing counterpart to her and I’m pleased she ended up with her young man.
2020: 4* repeat read.
2021: 4+* Repeat, late-night listen. Extra: one n- bomb.
Emsworth, Hampshire (free ebook collection https://www.fadedpage.com/sc/wentwort...)
December 11, 2017
Free | Better than some in the series, there are more twists than usual but it contains the most insipid of Wentworth's girls, and that's saying something. | How anyone at any time in history could have believed that men existed on the planet who would want to marry Lila, let alone three who would vie for the opportunity, I do not understand.
October 22, 2017
I love old mysteries. I like them better when they don't start with an extended chapter that could be replace by a couple of sentences, have a murder early on and a credible and fully explained motive, and they don't have a totally gratuitous use of the N word.
December 9, 2017
It lost a star simply for the numerous (and increasingly annoying) references to Miss Silver coughing . . . an editor was sorely needed.
February 24, 2022
Sir Herbert Whithall, was a 47~year~old baronet collector of items crafted in ivory and an unrepentant sadist. He owned Vineyards, an old pile that was once owned by an old family that died out... over the centuries it had changed hands a number of times until its present owner. Whithall was engaged to a beautiful weak~willed girl who was bullied into accepting him by her domineering guardian. When Bill Waring, the man suggestible jelly fish Lila Dryden was originally engaged to, returned from America... where Lady Dryden, Lila's guardian, had maneuvered to be sent to. Lady Dryden whisked Lila off to Vineyards, away from Waring's possible influence... given that Lady Dryden had her own agenda in brokering Lila's union with a coldhearted sadistic man more than twice her age. At a weekend party in Vineyards, Whithall was stabbed to death with his own ivory dagger and the Police, headed by Detective Inspector Frank Abbott, was put through the hoops by the smorgasbord of suspects who hated Whithall given his obnoxious personality. The strong!willed Lady Dryden called for reinforcements in the form of Miss Maud Silver.
My tally for the idiosyncratic yet irritating repetitious occurrences of the following:
1. "Miss Silver coughed." or a variation of the same where the word "coughed" was used in a sentence reflecting a most Annoying Silver Affectation that never failed to be my No. 1 pet peeve in this series. 34 times.
2. "My dear ..." including any name or connotation in the conversation. Another common social expression... the "dear" was mostly hypocritical and sarcastic to this reader in this setting with some exceptions. 24 times.
3. "Dear me." not about repetition but in the context that the expression mirrors the drastic contrast of that Timeline to ours and the feeling of falsehood to the reader belonging to a much different Timeline. 6 times.
My tally for the idiosyncratic yet irritating repetitious occurrences of the following:
1. "Miss Silver coughed." or a variation of the same where the word "coughed" was used in a sentence reflecting a most Annoying Silver Affectation that never failed to be my No. 1 pet peeve in this series. 34 times.
2. "My dear ..." including any name or connotation in the conversation. Another common social expression... the "dear" was mostly hypocritical and sarcastic to this reader in this setting with some exceptions. 24 times.
3. "Dear me." not about repetition but in the context that the expression mirrors the drastic contrast of that Timeline to ours and the feeling of falsehood to the reader belonging to a much different Timeline. 6 times.
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