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Will o' the Wisp
Love and deception intertwine as a man searches for a woman believed to have drowned five years earlier
Seven years ago, childhood friends and distant cousins Eleanor and David Fordyce fell in love and became engaged. But their families, thinking them too young for marriage, conspired to keep them apart. David was sent to America to study architecture; Eleanor left for India, where she married Cosmo Rayne. Now a widow, Eleanor returns to England, more ravishing than ever. But rumors—of a husband’s infidelity and nightly beatings—have followed her home.
And David is harboring secrets of his own. When he sees a message in the newspaper, he confides in Eleanor. Is it possible? Is Erica Moore, his young wife who died at sea, still alive? And if so, why hasn’t she contacted David herself? The answers may lie with Folly March, a spirited nineteen-year-old who makes up stories and takes pleasure in playing pranks.
Beloved British crime writer Patricia Wentworth plunges readers into a world of lies, romance, and mystery as David’s search leads him across London on a winding journey to a shocking truth.
Seven years ago, childhood friends and distant cousins Eleanor and David Fordyce fell in love and became engaged. But their families, thinking them too young for marriage, conspired to keep them apart. David was sent to America to study architecture; Eleanor left for India, where she married Cosmo Rayne. Now a widow, Eleanor returns to England, more ravishing than ever. But rumors—of a husband’s infidelity and nightly beatings—have followed her home.
And David is harboring secrets of his own. When he sees a message in the newspaper, he confides in Eleanor. Is it possible? Is Erica Moore, his young wife who died at sea, still alive? And if so, why hasn’t she contacted David herself? The answers may lie with Folly March, a spirited nineteen-year-old who makes up stories and takes pleasure in playing pranks.
Beloved British crime writer Patricia Wentworth plunges readers into a world of lies, romance, and mystery as David’s search leads him across London on a winding journey to a shocking truth.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1928
98 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Wentworth
162 books521 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
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September 16, 2019Well, this was a ride. About 60% of it is a really compelling story of a man who starts seeing strange adverts addressed to him by his dead wife. This bit is really good in a psychodrama way, though enragingly Wentworth doesn't follow through to the full conclusion. Then there's a subplot which touches temptingly on 1920s demimonde and gets honestly nasty and sordid, all fascinating.
Unfortunately the heroine, the will o'the wisp of the title, is an early example of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, aka an unbearably self-centred silly show-off who behaves in a really annoying way all the time. She's *awful*. Put it this way: a male character voices the opinion that she needs a slap, and my feminist hackles stayed completely unraised because honestly, she needs a slap. Also she's apparently old enough to be sexy but the hero is late 30s and keeps calling her a "child", particularly in the bits where she's just been sexually threatened by another man, which is...why, Patricia Wentworth, why.
There are also *two* completely undeveloped subplots, one about the family backstory and one about a past abusive marriage. Basically, it feels like Wentworth had half a dozen ideas, none of which made a book on its own, so she lobbed them all together in this one.
Sigh: I really want to go back in time and send Wentworth a stern editorial letter because the dead wife plot is played out terrifically. And if you want a sense of sleazy 1920s London this is great. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
Unfortunately the heroine, the will o'the wisp of the title, is an early example of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, aka an unbearably self-centred silly show-off who behaves in a really annoying way all the time. She's *awful*. Put it this way: a male character voices the opinion that she needs a slap, and my feminist hackles stayed completely unraised because honestly, she needs a slap. Also she's apparently old enough to be sexy but the hero is late 30s and keeps calling her a "child", particularly in the bits where she's just been sexually threatened by another man, which is...why, Patricia Wentworth, why.
There are also *two* completely undeveloped subplots, one about the family backstory and one about a past abusive marriage. Basically, it feels like Wentworth had half a dozen ideas, none of which made a book on its own, so she lobbed them all together in this one.
Sigh: I really want to go back in time and send Wentworth a stern editorial letter because the dead wife plot is played out terrifically. And if you want a sense of sleazy 1920s London this is great. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
May 13, 2019
I downloaded this some years ago during one of my rampages through lists of free Kindle books. I wasn’t paying much attention at the time, and assumed the novel was a supernatural dive into the phenomenon which is will o’ the wisp. It isn’t.
Wentworth’s Will O’ the Wisp instead features a mystery set in Golden Age London. Although David Fordyce lost his wife at sea some years ago, strange advertisements begin appearing in the paper, implying she’s still alive. Chills.
Although the mystery itself wasn’t the most intricate, I was (as always) fascinated by the social customs and morals present in 1920s London. The Fordyce family is ruled by Grandmamma - a formidable matriarch who will bang the gavel down at anything, whether it be wearing pressed flowers, or marrying your cousin. There was so much commentary surrounding the concerns over what people will think - wearing red shoes, being alone in a house with a man unchaperoned, divorce; I just absolutely adore immersing myself in this era.
I was fairly surprised at the lack of enthusiasm (and actually, the lack of overall reviews) for this one over on Goodreads. Although I couldn’t say it astounded me, it piqued me, it interested me, and it entertained me. I’d never heard of Wentworth before delving into Will O’ the Wisp, however I’ve discovered she’s written a number of mysteries - I plan to conduct my next download rampage immediately around these.
Wentworth’s Will O’ the Wisp instead features a mystery set in Golden Age London. Although David Fordyce lost his wife at sea some years ago, strange advertisements begin appearing in the paper, implying she’s still alive. Chills.
Although the mystery itself wasn’t the most intricate, I was (as always) fascinated by the social customs and morals present in 1920s London. The Fordyce family is ruled by Grandmamma - a formidable matriarch who will bang the gavel down at anything, whether it be wearing pressed flowers, or marrying your cousin. There was so much commentary surrounding the concerns over what people will think - wearing red shoes, being alone in a house with a man unchaperoned, divorce; I just absolutely adore immersing myself in this era.
I was fairly surprised at the lack of enthusiasm (and actually, the lack of overall reviews) for this one over on Goodreads. Although I couldn’t say it astounded me, it piqued me, it interested me, and it entertained me. I’d never heard of Wentworth before delving into Will O’ the Wisp, however I’ve discovered she’s written a number of mysteries - I plan to conduct my next download rampage immediately around these.
January 19, 2021
Hmmmm... I have a pretty generous tolerance for Patricia Wentworth's writing. I love her cosy Miss Silver mysteries and I make allowances for the ludicrous plotting of her early light romances. The latter do test me though and this one tested me particularly high.
Its protagonist is David Fordyce, who combines having inherited the big family estate with an unconvincing job as an architect. He has reams of female relations who have no agency and nothing to do other than marry (usually badly), trail round to a series of tea-parties and be mildly compromised by dashing through London streets at night. To an extent, that's perhaps what life WAS like for aristocratic ladies, but lots of light novelists challenge the conventions (including Georgette Heyer and Wentworth herself when she feels like it) so it annoys me that it doesn't happen here.
I failed to warm to David. While upright and honourable, he doesn't have the imagination to see how fortunate he is compared to his comparatively badly off and restricted female relations. He is also patronising and bossy and lays down the law to everyone. But there isn't anyone else much to warm to either in the story. His cousin Eleanor, who he fell in love with at 18 before their cruel family separated them and who then married (unwisely of course) but is now a widow and back in England? Absurdly sentimentalised 'Folly', a teenage dependent of Eleanor who kicks up her heels and causes trouble? David's dissatisfied sister Betty who also married unwisely? Iron-rod wielding 'Grandmamma'?
It's impossible to discuss the problems with the plot without spoilers, hence
The writing quality in Wentworth's early romances is of variable quality and in this one, it's possibly slightly stronger than most, perhaps reflecting its relatively late publication date - 1928, the same year as her first Miss Silver mystery, Grey Mask. However, the weak plotting (it seems not to be able to decide whether it is a thriller or a romance), the snobbery and the dubious handling of teenage Folly March all tell against it, hence my 2-star review.
Its protagonist is David Fordyce, who combines having inherited the big family estate with an unconvincing job as an architect. He has reams of female relations who have no agency and nothing to do other than marry (usually badly), trail round to a series of tea-parties and be mildly compromised by dashing through London streets at night. To an extent, that's perhaps what life WAS like for aristocratic ladies, but lots of light novelists challenge the conventions (including Georgette Heyer and Wentworth herself when she feels like it) so it annoys me that it doesn't happen here.
I failed to warm to David. While upright and honourable, he doesn't have the imagination to see how fortunate he is compared to his comparatively badly off and restricted female relations. He is also patronising and bossy and lays down the law to everyone. But there isn't anyone else much to warm to either in the story. His cousin Eleanor, who he fell in love with at 18 before their cruel family separated them and who then married (unwisely of course) but is now a widow and back in England? Absurdly sentimentalised 'Folly', a teenage dependent of Eleanor who kicks up her heels and causes trouble? David's dissatisfied sister Betty who also married unwisely? Iron-rod wielding 'Grandmamma'?
It's impossible to discuss the problems with the plot without spoilers, hence
The writing quality in Wentworth's early romances is of variable quality and in this one, it's possibly slightly stronger than most, perhaps reflecting its relatively late publication date - 1928, the same year as her first Miss Silver mystery, Grey Mask. However, the weak plotting (it seems not to be able to decide whether it is a thriller or a romance), the snobbery and the dubious handling of teenage Folly March all tell against it, hence my 2-star review.
February 23, 2019
One of Ms. Wentworth's early novels (1928) based more on adventure and setting than a mystery. I've read it twice and it does deal with some tough issues for the cosy genre.
flipped-to-the-end
November 30, 2017Very slow - I got impatient and skipped to the end because the broad strokes of events were there, and I felt no particular desire to travel through them.
March 13, 2025
This was a strange book and I’d not recommend it. It was suspenseful to the end but I was uncomfortable with the conclusion. The “love story” part of this book was not believable.
May 1, 2023
I first discovered Patricia Wentworth a year ago and I have since read several of her books and added many more to my to-read pile. I love her quick reads combining mystery and intrigue and romance while capturing the atmosphere and time of her stories This is the first disappointing book of hers I have read. I never considered not finishing, she is still a master of time and place and unique characters. But there is virtually no story, very little mystery, and uninspiring romance. I will continue reading Patricia’s books, she has written so many it’s not surprising there will be an occasional stumble.
September 10, 2021
This book was not really a Wentworth mystery, the only mystery was whether David's wife was still alive. But it was a very good book, I really liked David and Eleanor, Folly was a little too childish at first, but I liked her. Betty, David's sister was the least likeable person and what she did to David was unforgivable.
August 21, 2025
Patricia Wentoworth is fond of a story about identity - are people who they say there are? This was a strange tale with a very irritating heroine but also quite charming plus David's sister has to be the most selfish and delusional character ever in a Wentworth novel.
Again wonderful descriptions of clothes and houses and weather!
Again wonderful descriptions of clothes and houses and weather!
October 16, 2017
Not a great one this one - it was okay. One of the main characters Folly was highly irritating and why the male main character should want to be with her I have no idea! However, it was reasonably well written and short so that was fine.
March 21, 2020
Enthralling
Page-turner, Couldn’t put it down. From one of the World’s best writers of murder mysteries, comes another stand alone mystery set in Britain with ties to Australia and Cape Town, South Africa.
Page-turner, Couldn’t put it down. From one of the World’s best writers of murder mysteries, comes another stand alone mystery set in Britain with ties to Australia and Cape Town, South Africa.
May 29, 2024
I generally enjoy Patricia Wentworth's mysteries but this one just didn't feel right to me. I could not stand the flapper Folly with her archness and rudeness. The main protagonists, David and Eleanor, were ok if a little dull. Not one of her best tales
March 1, 2019
I have read most novels by Patricia Wentworth, most of them I liked, but I didn’t like this one at all.
August 21, 2020
Excellent characters and portrayal of human emotions and conflicts, plus minus plot, and the love story wasn't my cup of tea
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December 31, 2021Although the ending is somewhat disappointing, this novel has several interesting threads. The characters are mostly well depicted, and there's a little of Wentworth's sly humor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2023
Tedious, alas
I think I’ve had enough silly flappers and people who won’t tell. No more Wentworth for me. I did love Miss Silver.
I think I’ve had enough silly flappers and people who won’t tell. No more Wentworth for me. I did love Miss Silver.
November 7, 2023
Up until now, I’ve read only mysteries by this author. So I kept anticipating a murder — and found myself desperately hoping it would be the wildly irritating heroine. Sadly, no.
January 5, 2024
I usually really enjoy PW's novels, but this was just... not great. Annoyingly juvenile heroine, too many loose threads at the end.
August 26, 2016
A lively read i really enjoyed it.
October 12, 2016
Loved it!
Not the whodunit of most of Wentworth's books, but with plenty of intrigue and her characteristic romance. Great fun, highly enjoyable.
Not the whodunit of most of Wentworth's books, but with plenty of intrigue and her characteristic romance. Great fun, highly enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews