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The Annam Jewel
One man will stop at nothing to obtain a priceless jewel that has eluded men with dreams of riches and glory for centuries James Waring stares into the darkness of a cavern at a remote shrine in Annam. He’s given his pursuers the slip and is about to behold a gem that few men have ever seen. It is a sacred stone—the only one of its kind in the world. The magnificent blue, green, red, and gold jewel is nearly within his grasp. But as his hand finally closes around it, someone—or something—grabs his ankle . . . Peter Waring has waited thirteen years to claim his heritage. After losing both his parents, he helped his adopted sister, Rose Ellen, escape her orphanage and find a loving home. But now Peter lives only to possess the elusive Annam Jewel. He will succeed where his father and uncle failed. And he will marry the woman he Sylvia Coverdale. As Peter sets out to retrieve the jewel, he’s shocked to discover that the beautiful Sylvia knows all about the fabled gem. Set before and after World War I, this novel from one of Britain’s most renowned crime writers details a centuries-old legacy of hate, greed, revenge, and violence that is about to come full circle.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1925
113 people are currently reading
131 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 35 reviews
July 10, 2017
I belong to the Reading the Detectives Group. Another member (thanks Abbey!) says this genre was very popular in the early 1900's. It was called Young Ladies novels & it was an early form of YA. Good to know. I felt horribly like I'd accidentally stepped into an Enid Blyton children's novel (& I'm not a Blyton fan!)
Things improved after Our Hero Peter rescued his adopted sister Rose-Ellen from an orphanage (although the way Rose-Ellen called him Peter De-ah Every Single Time she spoke to him totally got on my last nerve. But this remained a confused & confusing story about various people's struggle to possess the Annam Jewel.
Good enough to finish, bad enough that I don't want to read any non Miss Silver Wentworth's for a while.
An aside - I really love the covers Dean St Press are giving their reprints. Awesome.
Things improved after Our Hero Peter rescued his adopted sister Rose-Ellen from an orphanage (although the way Rose-Ellen called him Peter De-ah Every Single Time she spoke to him totally got on my last nerve. But this remained a confused & confusing story about various people's struggle to possess the Annam Jewel.
Good enough to finish, bad enough that I don't want to read any non Miss Silver Wentworth's for a while.
An aside - I really love the covers Dean St Press are giving their reprints. Awesome.
June 24, 2017
Patricia Wentworth is best known for her Miss Silver mysteries, the first of which, “Grey Mask,” was published in 1928. However, she also wrote many other books, including many stand alone novels. This, “The Annam Jewel,” was published in 1924, a few years before the appearance of Miss Silver and involves a mysterious sacred jewel, stolen from a temple in Annam.
Peter Waring is twelve when we first meet him and has been told he will inherit the Annam Jewel when he is twenty five. His mother has recently died and his relatives are less than enthusiastic about taking on the care of either Peter, or his adopted sister, eight year old Rose Ellen. Although the relatives unwillingly agree to pay for Peter’s education and take turns having him for holidays, they are certainly not prepared to care for Rose Ellen and she is shunted off to an orphanage. However, Peter is a not a young man to turn away from responsibility and he decides he must do something about Rose Ellen. This is probably the most enjoyable part of the book and the beginning was certainly the section I enjoyed most.
However, once Peter reaches adulthood, he is somewhat smitten by the manipulative and beautiful Sylvia Coverdale, whose family also have links to the jewel. Once Peter inherits this, he discovers there are many others who are keen to get their hands on something so valuable. This involves a story of even more outlandish coincidences, conspiracies and plans, fake jewels and copies…
Peter is a very typical young product of his class and his time. He is often tongue tied, gets himself into tricky situations because he feels he cannot leave a woman in trouble and is horrified by any hint of dishonesty. Although it is obvious that Sylvia offer nothing more than a pretty face and a devious heart, he is oblivious to the better qualities of Rose Ellen. However, by the end of the book, so was I. If I read the words, “Petah de-ah!” once more I would have happily thrown her off a cliff and walked away, with no care for the Annam jewel or anyone who had anything to do with it. The characters were infuriating, the plot so full of bizarre coincidences it lacked any credibility and this was not a great read – even for someone like me who enjoys Golden Age mysteries.
Still, there was obviously the beginnings of a good novel here, even if it got somewhat lost and I do enjoy Miss Silver, so I am glad that I read Miss Silver before this. Had I read this first, I doubt I would have picked up another Wentworth novel, but perhaps I will stay away from the stand alones and stick to the series.
Peter Waring is twelve when we first meet him and has been told he will inherit the Annam Jewel when he is twenty five. His mother has recently died and his relatives are less than enthusiastic about taking on the care of either Peter, or his adopted sister, eight year old Rose Ellen. Although the relatives unwillingly agree to pay for Peter’s education and take turns having him for holidays, they are certainly not prepared to care for Rose Ellen and she is shunted off to an orphanage. However, Peter is a not a young man to turn away from responsibility and he decides he must do something about Rose Ellen. This is probably the most enjoyable part of the book and the beginning was certainly the section I enjoyed most.
However, once Peter reaches adulthood, he is somewhat smitten by the manipulative and beautiful Sylvia Coverdale, whose family also have links to the jewel. Once Peter inherits this, he discovers there are many others who are keen to get their hands on something so valuable. This involves a story of even more outlandish coincidences, conspiracies and plans, fake jewels and copies…
Peter is a very typical young product of his class and his time. He is often tongue tied, gets himself into tricky situations because he feels he cannot leave a woman in trouble and is horrified by any hint of dishonesty. Although it is obvious that Sylvia offer nothing more than a pretty face and a devious heart, he is oblivious to the better qualities of Rose Ellen. However, by the end of the book, so was I. If I read the words, “Petah de-ah!” once more I would have happily thrown her off a cliff and walked away, with no care for the Annam jewel or anyone who had anything to do with it. The characters were infuriating, the plot so full of bizarre coincidences it lacked any credibility and this was not a great read – even for someone like me who enjoys Golden Age mysteries.
Still, there was obviously the beginnings of a good novel here, even if it got somewhat lost and I do enjoy Miss Silver, so I am glad that I read Miss Silver before this. Had I read this first, I doubt I would have picked up another Wentworth novel, but perhaps I will stay away from the stand alones and stick to the series.
June 12, 2017
An early, pre-Miss Silver, 1920s adventure mystery from Patricia Wentworth. A cross between The Moonstone, Georgette Heyer, John Buchan.
Can our hero, and heroine (whom he rescued from an orpnanage when they were separated as young children) avoid the death and destruction caused by the Annam Jewel, stolen by an earlier generation, from the East, bringing bad luck to those who own, or want to own, it? Can they come through this alive, and will there be a happy ending.
You need to read it to find out.
A rattlingly good yarn!
Can our hero, and heroine (whom he rescued from an orpnanage when they were separated as young children) avoid the death and destruction caused by the Annam Jewel, stolen by an earlier generation, from the East, bringing bad luck to those who own, or want to own, it? Can they come through this alive, and will there be a happy ending.
You need to read it to find out.
A rattlingly good yarn!
Read
September 13, 2019This one was fantastic. It's absolutely top-hole spiffing Blyton-grown-up pulp nonsense with a stolen Mystical Eastern Jewel of the most eye-rolling kind, plus a rather delightful hero and heroine who grow up from unprepossessing children into a cracking pair of sensible protagonists with jolly decent principles carrying them through. There's lots of tension, some nice family byplay, a good scary villain and a better weaksauce villainess driven by selfishness and cowardice. This is the sort of wildly enjoyable tosh I come to 1920s pulp for. Delighted Dean Street Press are bringing these back to life
July 14, 2017
More of a Boys Own adventure story than a mystery, so not really my cup of tea. Annoying female characters, ridiculous villain, implausible plot. Occasionally it was very funny, mostly just bewildering and very silly.
July 10, 2017
Entertaining romantic thriller but not as good as Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone with which it shares many similarities. I prefer Wentworth's Miss Silver mysteries but I am glad that I tried this earlier stand-alone.
June 28, 2017
This was quite a disappointment . At first it put me in mind of Indiana Jones, which had me hooked. Then it shifted to the story of two young children and their lives, which was interesting and held my attention. However, as they grew older and their childishness should have left them, it continued with the girl talking in a very babyish way and the boy becoming a real pain. After a pretty farcical skirmish with a what can only be called a villain, I had,had enough of them, but saw it through to the end.
Having read another of this author's books, I did feel let down. I want to continue with the detective stories from this author, and will probably try another book in this Golden Age series to see if they improve at all
Having read another of this author's books, I did feel let down. I want to continue with the detective stories from this author, and will probably try another book in this Golden Age series to see if they improve at all
July 13, 2017
My assessment is probably not fair, as I really couldn't justify buying it after reading the free sample. I felt that the beginning, strange feelings/strange journey/strange beings in the shadows suggested that, although not the sort of book I really enjoy, I could go along with something different and find some enjoyment. However, once I met the two protagonists in the next part of the book my interest wilted. In some ways I liked surly Peter who refused to be daunted by his awful relatives. However, the 'de-ah' affectation in each time Rose Ellen addressed him grated. Probably if the book had been 99p on kindle I would have bought and finished it. However, it just wasn't appealing enough.
Instead I bought another Patricia Wentworth which features Miss Silver, Grey Mask. I am now reading this as an example of Wentworth's work and find it more appealing. It is of its time, but pleasantly so, some of the early features are just a 'bridge too far' to be believable. But the pace is nice, the characters engaging in an odd way, and I am well on my way to thinking I might buy another Wentworth.
Instead I bought another Patricia Wentworth which features Miss Silver, Grey Mask. I am now reading this as an example of Wentworth's work and find it more appealing. It is of its time, but pleasantly so, some of the early features are just a 'bridge too far' to be believable. But the pace is nice, the characters engaging in an odd way, and I am well on my way to thinking I might buy another Wentworth.
July 2, 2017
Not for me. I didn't like the lead characters, nor did I care who got the jewel.
July 10, 2017
A quick, fun read. very much YA of it's day.
Read
November 30, 2017These early books of Wentworth's continue to be more adventure than mystery. She definitely became a much more polished and better paced novelist as she matured.
September 21, 2016
very good reading on par with her miss silver stories no in fact better than the miss silver stories.
February 18, 2019
Peter Waring is an orphan child lately returned to England from India. His family does not know what do with him. They know what to do with Rose-Ellen, the eight year old child his mother brought into her home, they intend to dump her in an institution. Peter objects, but he is only twelve. He promises Rose-Ellen he will look after her, and she believes him. Peter will be rich some day; he knows his father left him the Annam Jewel and he will get it on his twenty-fifth birthday. He also promises to marry her so that her name will always be Waring.
True to his word, some months later Peter breaks her out of the orphanage. Luckily for them, they wander into the home of a woman who is happy to keep Rose-Ellen and eventually offers to adopt her.
[I’ve been listening to a Fry audio series about the Victorians. And one of the early episodes was about the children of the empire (as it were); the children fathered by Englishmen on their Indian mistresses. I wonder if Rose-Ellen is half Indian. There is something obvious about her that makes the other orphans exclude her.]
As he gets older, Peter learns more about the Jewel. His solicitor has his father’s notebooks and he learns that the Jewel was fought over by three men: Waring, Henders, and Dale. Looking for it resulted in the deaths of both his father and his uncle. All he can remember is his mother telling him to have nothing to do with it.
When he talks to Rose-Ellen about it, she says this:
Ooh foreshadowing …
Peter grows into a big dumb lunk of a teen.
He falls madly in love with Sylvia but she is engaged to a poet. He pours all this out to Rose-Ellen.
[Ha. I was right.]
Then Peter realises that Sylvia’s father is Dale.
But Sylvia is a bad one. I want to say she is one of the most self-centred women I have read recently. Years later, she gets herself into serious debt and is beholden to an American named Virgil P. Henderbakker. Every evening he and his wife Anita make an entrance into the Gold Room of the Luxe Hotel. People wait and watch because the woman always wears the most exquisite jewel. It’s not a diamond or an opal, but it has four colours in it. It’s The Jewel of Annam and the man is Henders; the scar on his hand matches the one Peter’s father described in his notes.
But the man Peter is dining with is a jewel expert and he says that jewel is a fake.
So, who has the real one?
***
The bad guys read like the best black and white movie gangsters, as they should, it was written in 1924. There’s threats, violence, kidnappings, and blackmail. [Oh, my.]
Peter is clever and, once he works out where his heart lies, true.
And Rose-Ellen makes the best choice.
3 stars
True to his word, some months later Peter breaks her out of the orphanage. Luckily for them, they wander into the home of a woman who is happy to keep Rose-Ellen and eventually offers to adopt her.
[I’ve been listening to a Fry audio series about the Victorians. And one of the early episodes was about the children of the empire (as it were); the children fathered by Englishmen on their Indian mistresses. I wonder if Rose-Ellen is half Indian. There is something obvious about her that makes the other orphans exclude her.]
As he gets older, Peter learns more about the Jewel. His solicitor has his father’s notebooks and he learns that the Jewel was fought over by three men: Waring, Henders, and Dale. Looking for it resulted in the deaths of both his father and his uncle. All he can remember is his mother telling him to have nothing to do with it.
When he talks to Rose-Ellen about it, she says this:
“Dearest has lots, and, indeed, I don’t like them—not very much, Peter de—ah. They’re hard, and they’re cold, and the colour in them doesn’t change. They’re not like flowers.”
“Of course they’re not,” said Peter. “Who wants them to be?”
“I do,” said Rose Ellen. “I would like them much better if they were flowers. I like things to be soft, and to smell sweet like flowers do. I think I don’t really like jewels at all, Peter de—ah.”
Ooh foreshadowing …
Peter grows into a big dumb lunk of a teen.
He met Sylvia Coverdale in Ledlington, where she was staying with an elderly cousin. He met her in very romantic circumstances which combined a bicycle accident, a car which was grossly exceeding the speed limit, a scream from Sylvia who thought her last hour had come, and a really good exhibition of presence of mind and dexterity on the part of Peter.
Sylvia was eighteen, distractingly pretty, and an arrant flirt. She told Peter he had saved her life. She said saving a person’s life was a Link, wasn’t it? Didn’t Peter think it was a Link? Peter thought a good deal, but he didn’t say very much.
He falls madly in love with Sylvia but she is engaged to a poet. He pours all this out to Rose-Ellen.
Rose Ellen saw his shoulders heave. Her soft mouth trembled a little, but she did not speak. After a minute or two she dropped her little ring of plaited grass and laid a small brown hand on Peter’s head.
[Ha. I was right.]
Then Peter realises that Sylvia’s father is Dale.
But Sylvia is a bad one. I want to say she is one of the most self-centred women I have read recently. Years later, she gets herself into serious debt and is beholden to an American named Virgil P. Henderbakker. Every evening he and his wife Anita make an entrance into the Gold Room of the Luxe Hotel. People wait and watch because the woman always wears the most exquisite jewel. It’s not a diamond or an opal, but it has four colours in it. It’s The Jewel of Annam and the man is Henders; the scar on his hand matches the one Peter’s father described in his notes.
But the man Peter is dining with is a jewel expert and he says that jewel is a fake.
So, who has the real one?
***
The bad guys read like the best black and white movie gangsters, as they should, it was written in 1924. There’s threats, violence, kidnappings, and blackmail. [Oh, my.]
Peter is clever and, once he works out where his heart lies, true.
And Rose-Ellen makes the best choice.
3 stars
March 23, 2022
I picked up this book because I love period adventure stories and this ticked both boxes. Set in the early 1900's (I think - a date was never given but the author wrote it in 1924) the story revolves around Peter Waring and Rose Ellen, who grew up together, and a jewel that Peter inherited.
There are endless convenient coincidences, and the jewel itself passes from hand to hand like a game of pass the parcel. But it's an ok story, for its time.
The women are incredibly irritating, but there was a school of thought at the time that this proper womanly behaviour and was considered 'attractive'. They faint at the drop of a hat, cling pathetically to the men, are afraid of the dark, constantly weep, have no initiative, are frightened of everything, and just want to be loved and admired. Sigh. Rose Ellen talks in baby talk half the time, which I refuse to believe would be anything other than annoying, and Sylvia is the real villain of the piece but is forgiven because she is female.
There's also a very uncomfortable view of the jewel, which was stolen from a shrine in the East by three Western men, and characters repeatedly ponder who the jewel really 'belongs' to. And of course, it has to be one of the three men. No one considers that it really belongs to the people it was stolen from. There are a few stories from this period that deal with jewels stolen from the East, presumably because it was happening so often in Britain's colonies. Agatha Christie's The Adventure of the Western Star, a Poirot short story, was published in 1923, a year before The Annam Jewel, and also features a spectacular and one of a kind jewel stolen from China. In this story, too, the jewel is considered the rightful property of the Europeans who stole it. Only Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, published in 1868, ends with the jewel being returned to its rightful owners in India.
All in all, if you're going to read this you need to do it in the spirit of the time in which it was written, keeping in mind that its treatment of women and colonisation is problematic at best, and harmful at worst, and the story itself isn't actually all that well written. If you're looking for a good turn of the century adventure, there are far better books out there.
There are endless convenient coincidences, and the jewel itself passes from hand to hand like a game of pass the parcel. But it's an ok story, for its time.
The women are incredibly irritating, but there was a school of thought at the time that this proper womanly behaviour and was considered 'attractive'. They faint at the drop of a hat, cling pathetically to the men, are afraid of the dark, constantly weep, have no initiative, are frightened of everything, and just want to be loved and admired. Sigh. Rose Ellen talks in baby talk half the time, which I refuse to believe would be anything other than annoying, and Sylvia is the real villain of the piece but is forgiven because she is female.
There's also a very uncomfortable view of the jewel, which was stolen from a shrine in the East by three Western men, and characters repeatedly ponder who the jewel really 'belongs' to. And of course, it has to be one of the three men. No one considers that it really belongs to the people it was stolen from. There are a few stories from this period that deal with jewels stolen from the East, presumably because it was happening so often in Britain's colonies. Agatha Christie's The Adventure of the Western Star, a Poirot short story, was published in 1923, a year before The Annam Jewel, and also features a spectacular and one of a kind jewel stolen from China. In this story, too, the jewel is considered the rightful property of the Europeans who stole it. Only Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, published in 1868, ends with the jewel being returned to its rightful owners in India.
All in all, if you're going to read this you need to do it in the spirit of the time in which it was written, keeping in mind that its treatment of women and colonisation is problematic at best, and harmful at worst, and the story itself isn't actually all that well written. If you're looking for a good turn of the century adventure, there are far better books out there.
April 6, 2022
It's lovely that these old titles are available without the great cost of vintage paper copies. While not a Miss Silver story, this was clearly Wentworth, with many of the same character types & traits we see in the Miss Silver stories. However, this is definitely intended to be a tale of adventure more than a mystery. I enjoyed it - it felt like visiting an old friend, even without Miss S. - but I wasn't completely thrilled with the ending. I won't say more, so as not to spoil it for anyone - but it's not what I would have done. ;-)
August 6, 2018
Unashamedly romantic
This is not a murder mystery as the majority of Ms Wentworth's books are, but a true, old-fashioned romance, with lovers, faithful and unfaithful, villains, fake jewels and one very special jewel complete with a history of danger and double-dealing. An excellent Golden Age read, very neatly set in its era, absolutely adorable. Buy it for a sentimental emotional afternoon of pleasure.
This is not a murder mystery as the majority of Ms Wentworth's books are, but a true, old-fashioned romance, with lovers, faithful and unfaithful, villains, fake jewels and one very special jewel complete with a history of danger and double-dealing. An excellent Golden Age read, very neatly set in its era, absolutely adorable. Buy it for a sentimental emotional afternoon of pleasure.
March 20, 2020
Not bad at all.
I love Ms Wentworth 's novels first for their suspense, sly humor and the happy -ending romances. I also love the period detail and the keen detailing of the social mores. The heroine is first separated from the hero as she is an orphan, placed in an orphanage to be taught a trade keeping with her station. Whereas the hero goes on to public school and becomes enthralled with a socialite. Read it to see what happens.
I love Ms Wentworth 's novels first for their suspense, sly humor and the happy -ending romances. I also love the period detail and the keen detailing of the social mores. The heroine is first separated from the hero as she is an orphan, placed in an orphanage to be taught a trade keeping with her station. Whereas the hero goes on to public school and becomes enthralled with a socialite. Read it to see what happens.
August 7, 2017
Less Mystery than Romance
The Annam Jewel is a romance, wrongly labeled as a mystery book. It's actually a soap opera with a story sometimes engaging, sometimes boring. The early life of Peter and Rose Ellen is presented. The Jewel has a part of it. Once you come to this work with a proper expectation, you can enjoy it a bit.
The Annam Jewel is a romance, wrongly labeled as a mystery book. It's actually a soap opera with a story sometimes engaging, sometimes boring. The early life of Peter and Rose Ellen is presented. The Jewel has a part of it. Once you come to this work with a proper expectation, you can enjoy it a bit.
September 6, 2022
Of Patricia Wentworth's stand-alone (not part of the Miss Silver series) mysteries, this is the best one so far. I haven't read all of them yet, but this one, first published in 1924, makes me hopeful. One of the things I liked best was figuring out which was the real jewel. And there, dear reader, I leave you to ponder.
July 5, 2017
Not really a mystery more of an adventure/romance story. Entertaining but rather old fashioned. Kind of sappy.
August 20, 2020
Classic Wentworth portrayal of characters, not so much a murder mystery, but a fun read.
October 27, 2020
A great rollicking adventure story
Not only is this a good old fashioned adventure, evil gets it's come uppance, & Peter gets the right girl.
Not only is this a good old fashioned adventure, evil gets it's come uppance, & Peter gets the right girl.
August 6, 2021
Patricia Wentworth is solely responsible for my irrational fear of being imprisoned in the cellar of a remote, semi-abandoned manor house in the English countryside
September 14, 2021
I loved this book. The main characters were wonderful. The story had suspense, some mystery and romance. Excellent ending.
March 20, 2022
This is one of Patricia Wentworth's earlier books, and not as engaging as her later mysteries.
July 14, 2024
Not nearly as as good as Wentworth's later detective stories.
June 26, 2025
The Dean Street Press paperback is full of typo's.
August 31, 2017
Séduite par l'ambiance des années 20, mais peu conquise par l'intrigue générale...
Un rendez-vous en somme charmant, mais peu captivant.
http://blogclarabel.canalblog.com/arc...
Un rendez-vous en somme charmant, mais peu captivant.
http://blogclarabel.canalblog.com/arc...
August 6, 2017
More Adventure Romance than a mystery, this was really rather silly, but fun and very light.
March 11, 2024
Touches of Dickensian, and less mystery than expected. Spoiler alert: the villain turns out to be a bit wimpy in the end. Kind of 'oh well, no hard feelings. See ya.' Ridiculous!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews