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Miss Silver #4
Danger Point
Miss Silver attempts to save a young girl from her murderous husband...
Maud Silver, demure private eye, hardly has time to finish one adventure before another demands her attention.
She is making her way back to London when, with a terrible jerk, her train thrusts a young woman into her compartment - a beautiful woman in a state of shock. She is Lisle Jerningham, a newlywed with money - which may be about to get her killed.
Lisle fled her home in a hurry when she overheard a sinister conversation through the bushes. Her new husband's first wife died of an accident, and the resultant infusion of cash saved his family home. Now broke again, he may be trying to engineer a second convenient mishap.
Lisle has already survived one attempt on her life, but only Miss Silver can help her make it through the next.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1941
574 people are currently reading
768 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 191 reviews
October 18, 2017
Another Patricia Wentworth mystery featuring Miss Maud Silver. This time she is involved right from the beginning, even though it is somewhat peripherally. Her main role in this book was as a foil for the jeopardized young wife, Lisle, who was virtually immobilized by threats being made on her life.
Could her husband Dale be behind it? There is a lot at stake – Lisle’s fortune, for one thing. What about Dale’s cousin Rafe? He appears to be trying to make Lisle leave. Will his efforts prove to be fatal? And what about Dale’s cousin Alicia? She makes it obvious she wants Lisle out of the way so she can have Dale for herself.
Several attempts are made on Lisle’s life and any one of them could have been fatal, but so far Lisle’s luck has held and she makes an unsteady pathway through this minefield of people whose good wishes she can’t be sure of.
Written in 1941, I find it interesting to visit an era where customs and people’s roles in life are so different – yet crime and motives for murder are just as they are today.
Could her husband Dale be behind it? There is a lot at stake – Lisle’s fortune, for one thing. What about Dale’s cousin Rafe? He appears to be trying to make Lisle leave. Will his efforts prove to be fatal? And what about Dale’s cousin Alicia? She makes it obvious she wants Lisle out of the way so she can have Dale for herself.
Several attempts are made on Lisle’s life and any one of them could have been fatal, but so far Lisle’s luck has held and she makes an unsteady pathway through this minefield of people whose good wishes she can’t be sure of.
Written in 1941, I find it interesting to visit an era where customs and people’s roles in life are so different – yet crime and motives for murder are just as they are today.
May 16, 2021
This is the second Miss Silver book I've read and while it wasn't a bad story, it wasn't as good as the first one I read.
Miss Silver was in this a bit more but she didn't do a lot of sleuthing on stage. I felt a good amount of suspense as the main character in peril, Lisle has four attempts on her life and I wasn't sure she was going to survive the book. Her reactions and inaction to what is obviously happening (she is worried her husband is planning on killing her for her fortune) was a bit much to take but she was seriously enthralled by her husband so I suppose that explains that tendency. I certainly haven't come across this type of character often but I found her believable enough not to wish her dead from sheer annoyance. I did enjoy the portrayals of Rafe Jerningham and Inspector March. I also was interested in Dale Jerningham because I've always been captivated by stories with characters houseproud to the point of obsession that take them to extremes (see book-likes: The Perfect Guests and The Beloveds).
Also, I bought a Kindle edition of this and inside the book, it has an alternate title In the Balance with a black & white cover & the one (blue, white black drawing) I'm making my review under with the title Danger Point. So be aware so you don't buy more than one of the same book if you're looking.
I'll continue with the series.
Miss Silver was in this a bit more but she didn't do a lot of sleuthing on stage. I felt a good amount of suspense as the main character in peril, Lisle has four attempts on her life and I wasn't sure she was going to survive the book. Her reactions and inaction to what is obviously happening (she is worried her husband is planning on killing her for her fortune) was a bit much to take but she was seriously enthralled by her husband so I suppose that explains that tendency. I certainly haven't come across this type of character often but I found her believable enough not to wish her dead from sheer annoyance. I did enjoy the portrayals of Rafe Jerningham and Inspector March. I also was interested in Dale Jerningham because I've always been captivated by stories with characters houseproud to the point of obsession that take them to extremes (see book-likes: The Perfect Guests and The Beloveds).
Also, I bought a Kindle edition of this and inside the book, it has an alternate title In the Balance with a black & white cover & the one (blue, white black drawing) I'm making my review under with the title Danger Point. So be aware so you don't buy more than one of the same book if you're looking.
I'll continue with the series.
May 13, 2022
Murder On A Roll!
Another Patricia Wentworth mystery starring Miss Silver, who may have to stop a murderer.
She meets a young woman on a train who believe her husband wants to kill her. He may have killed before. He was married before.
He needs money to fix-up his estate. And his young wife has plenty of money. Is she right in her suspicions? Time will tell…
Another Patricia Wentworth mystery starring Miss Silver, who may have to stop a murderer.
She meets a young woman on a train who believe her husband wants to kill her. He may have killed before. He was married before.
He needs money to fix-up his estate. And his young wife has plenty of money. Is she right in her suspicions? Time will tell…
June 26, 2018
Real Rating: 2.5* of five
That was a very drab entry into the series. Miss Silver was stitched onto an existing thriller...no real mystery about whodunit or why...like rickrack onto an old blouse.
Jeesh. Pobody's nerfect, and every series has its saggy moments, but this was flat-out dull. And the gallons of dreadful Victorian verse spewing from so many orifices...! The mustachio-twirling villain, the airheaded drip of a woman without the oomph even to try something to save her own damned life! Why I finished it, I can't really say, but it was by dint of a good amount of skimming that I came to the other side of these turbid waters with only minor scrapes and bruises from floundering in the shallow, rock-strewn waters.
That metaphor will make sense IF you ever read the book. Strictly for completist series readers hooked on Miss Silver.
That was a very drab entry into the series. Miss Silver was stitched onto an existing thriller...no real mystery about whodunit or why...like rickrack onto an old blouse.
Jeesh. Pobody's nerfect, and every series has its saggy moments, but this was flat-out dull. And the gallons of dreadful Victorian verse spewing from so many orifices...! The mustachio-twirling villain, the airheaded drip of a woman without the oomph even to try something to save her own damned life! Why I finished it, I can't really say, but it was by dint of a good amount of skimming that I came to the other side of these turbid waters with only minor scrapes and bruises from floundering in the shallow, rock-strewn waters.
That metaphor will make sense IF you ever read the book. Strictly for completist series readers hooked on Miss Silver.
April 4, 2016
Lisle, the main character, got on my nerves after two pages. She is a total nincompoop who lets people walk all over her. There were moments when I could have strangled her. What was it that made me go on with the book? Well, I wanted to know the end, even if the end had meant that Lisle would be murdered.
It must have something to do with the fact that Patricia Wentworth knows how to tell a story.
It must have something to do with the fact that Patricia Wentworth knows how to tell a story.
February 24, 2011
Patricia Wentworth is one of my favorite mystery writers ever! Not great literature, but an exciting story and written well enough that I ignore everything around me when I'm immersed in one of her books. Danger Point (also known as In the Balance) is about a young married woman who is being plagued by "accidents" and the breakdown of her marriage. Miss Silver, Wentworth's most famous dectective, makes an appearance but does little detecting. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Miss Silver so this is a plus for me. I prefer Wentworth's mysteries without the little dowdy detective. Still I'll take Wentworth fluff over pretty much any other fluff out there. And the best part about this book is that my copy was printed in 1941 and encourages me to "Buy United States War Savings Bonds and Stamps" and to pass along my book "to a service man" because "our boys need books". I should give the novel another star just for that!
September 5, 2023
Oooh, I really really liked this. I had to finish and figure out who did it! I think Miss Silver is a super character! She is not in this very much but enough to get her delightful intelligence and wry observation of people. I loved the main character, Lisle. This is very much a coming-of-age story and has some excellent observations about human nature. There is another element of the story I loved too but I’ll be mum about it. 😁 I think this would be a good re-read to see how it all comes together when knowing the outcome. On this first read, I was back-and-forth every chapter.
December 11, 2015
Miss Silver is on the train to London when she meets Lisle Jerningham, a beautiful young heiress, who while staying with friends overheard a conversation to the effect that her recently wed husband Dale, whose wealthy first wife Lydia died in an accident, thus giving him the use of her inheritance, might be planning a similar fate for her. Miss Silver gets most of the story out of her but, once the train reaches London, Lisle's inclined to poopoo the matter. The most that Miss Silver can do is insist that Lisle take her business card.
Back at home in Dale's ancestral pile -- a money sink, and the reason why spousal fortunes come in so handy for him -- Lisle begins to feel more than ever like a square peg in a round hole. The only person there who seems to like her is Dale's cousin Rafe, but Rafe is such a flighty character that it's difficult to know how he's really feeling. Dale's other cousin, Alicia, whose rich husband died in an accident at about the same time that Lydia did, quite clearly hates her -- because, Rafe says, Alicia madly loves Dale and the two would have married years ago had the siren call of money not led them to different spouses.
Already Lisle has nearly drowned in a situation where Dale could have saved her; luckily a passer-by came to the rescue. Now a local girl, who bears a passing resemblance to Lisle and to whom she has given a distinctive coat, is pushed off a cliff at dusk while wearing it.
Miss Silver, reading about the crime in distant London, is driven frantic with worry. Luckily the investigating officer is an old school pupil of Miss Silver's, now a cop, Inspector March. With his agreement she gets a lodging locally, and begins to investigate . . .
In reality, though, Miss Silver's role is peripheral to this tale. Her (and Inspector March's) investigation goes nowhere, and rightly so, because this novel is less of a mystery than it is a psychological thriller, following the naive Lisle as, far too susceptible to the highly manipulative Dale, she insists that all her doubts and fears must be unfounded and resolves to stand by her man, whatever happens. In the end she's saved partly because she has some steel in her after all but mostly because help arrives from an unexpected (to her) quarter. There's a mystery, yes, one that isn't resolved for us until near the end, but that resolution has nothing to do with Miss Silver's efforts.
I was reminded, for obvious reasons, of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca in terms of the situation and Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar in terms of this being a psychological thriller that represses any use of cheap tricks in the ratcheting up of the tension, instead focusing more on the interplay of characters and the yearning of a central character to be loved for herself. Danger Point worked for me very effectively in this way.
Time for a confession. I read a couple of the Patricia Wentworth/Maud Silver novels in my late teens or early twenties and despised them. I can't now remember why (or even if Danger Point was one of the two) -- maybe it was the character of Maud Silver, hardly the kind of role model a young male seeks, or maybe it was (to judge by this novel) their setting among the privileged -- but I found them dull to the point of direness and the antipathy was strong enough that it's taken me until now, perhaps half a century, to try Wentworth again.
And I'm cursing myself for all the time I've wasted, because I thoroughly enjoyed this, romping through it at a great rate of knots, and will now, obviously, have to read me some more Wentworth. Somewhere down the line, I suppose, I'll have to retry Gladys Mitchell and/or Georgette Heyer, too, but (shuddering at the prospect, taking nervous pull from hipflask) . . . well, let's put it this way: Not Yet.
=====
This is a contribution to Rich Westlake’s 1941 roundup at his Past Offences site. Although Danger Point was first published in the UK in 1942 I'm assured by the fabulous folk at EuroCrime that it originally appeared, unusually, in the US earlier than in the UK: in 1941 as In the Balance.
Back at home in Dale's ancestral pile -- a money sink, and the reason why spousal fortunes come in so handy for him -- Lisle begins to feel more than ever like a square peg in a round hole. The only person there who seems to like her is Dale's cousin Rafe, but Rafe is such a flighty character that it's difficult to know how he's really feeling. Dale's other cousin, Alicia, whose rich husband died in an accident at about the same time that Lydia did, quite clearly hates her -- because, Rafe says, Alicia madly loves Dale and the two would have married years ago had the siren call of money not led them to different spouses.
Already Lisle has nearly drowned in a situation where Dale could have saved her; luckily a passer-by came to the rescue. Now a local girl, who bears a passing resemblance to Lisle and to whom she has given a distinctive coat, is pushed off a cliff at dusk while wearing it.
Miss Silver, reading about the crime in distant London, is driven frantic with worry. Luckily the investigating officer is an old school pupil of Miss Silver's, now a cop, Inspector March. With his agreement she gets a lodging locally, and begins to investigate . . .
In reality, though, Miss Silver's role is peripheral to this tale. Her (and Inspector March's) investigation goes nowhere, and rightly so, because this novel is less of a mystery than it is a psychological thriller, following the naive Lisle as, far too susceptible to the highly manipulative Dale, she insists that all her doubts and fears must be unfounded and resolves to stand by her man, whatever happens. In the end she's saved partly because she has some steel in her after all but mostly because help arrives from an unexpected (to her) quarter. There's a mystery, yes, one that isn't resolved for us until near the end, but that resolution has nothing to do with Miss Silver's efforts.
I was reminded, for obvious reasons, of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca in terms of the situation and Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar in terms of this being a psychological thriller that represses any use of cheap tricks in the ratcheting up of the tension, instead focusing more on the interplay of characters and the yearning of a central character to be loved for herself. Danger Point worked for me very effectively in this way.
Time for a confession. I read a couple of the Patricia Wentworth/Maud Silver novels in my late teens or early twenties and despised them. I can't now remember why (or even if Danger Point was one of the two) -- maybe it was the character of Maud Silver, hardly the kind of role model a young male seeks, or maybe it was (to judge by this novel) their setting among the privileged -- but I found them dull to the point of direness and the antipathy was strong enough that it's taken me until now, perhaps half a century, to try Wentworth again.
And I'm cursing myself for all the time I've wasted, because I thoroughly enjoyed this, romping through it at a great rate of knots, and will now, obviously, have to read me some more Wentworth. Somewhere down the line, I suppose, I'll have to retry Gladys Mitchell and/or Georgette Heyer, too, but (shuddering at the prospect, taking nervous pull from hipflask) . . . well, let's put it this way: Not Yet.
=====
This is a contribution to Rich Westlake’s 1941 roundup at his Past Offences site. Although Danger Point was first published in the UK in 1942 I'm assured by the fabulous folk at EuroCrime that it originally appeared, unusually, in the US earlier than in the UK: in 1941 as In the Balance.
February 14, 2016
Obviously, Miss Silver is the thread that connects all these books, but it is a very slender thread. In my opinion, they could all stand on their own.
March 24, 2017
I realised that it was a long, long time since I had investigated a mystery with Miss Silver for ages. The delay was partly because I was wonderfully distracted by lots of Patricia Wentworth’s other books being sent back out into the world; but it was also because after loving books one and two I was rather disappointed in book three. I reached the point when I realised that it was time to try book four, and I am so glad that I did. It’s my favourite Miss Silver book to date.
The story begins on a train, with Miss Silver travelling back to London after a seaside holiday. An attractive young woman – clearly in a state of shock – rushes into the compartment. Miss Silver is concerned and she very tactfully begins a conversation; her companion responds, thinking that Miss Silver is rather like her old governess.
Lisle Jerningham was a wealthy young woman with a brand new husband, and she was terribly afraid that he was going to kill her. She had just overheard a conversation that suggested that husband’s first wife died of an accident, that that money she left him had saved his family home. Now he had run out of money again, he had acquired another wife with money, and maybe she would have an accident too …
When the train reached London Miss Silver pressed one of her business cards into Lisle’s hand, and said that she should call if there was ever anything at all she might do to help.
Lisle felt terribly alone. She was American and she had no family or friends of her own in England. Her money was managed by a trustee and she knew that Dale, her husband, was unhappy that he wouldn’t produce the funds that he needed to save the family home. He said that if Lisle was only a little more persuasive he would have the money and everything would be alright, but that she really didn’t understand how important it was. She didn’t understand, but she had tried for her husband’s sake.
The only person who seemed to care about her was Dale’s cousin Rafe, but Rafe was charming to everyone and so she could never be sure that he really was her fiend. She knew that Dale’s other cousin, Alicia, whose rich, titled husband died in an accident at about the same time that Dale’s first wife hated her. Dale and Alicia had been expected to marry, and she wondered if maybe they would when they had the money to secure the future of the family home that they both loved.
Lisle had already had one accident – she had nearly drowned – and she would have others.
A young woman was found head at the foot of a cliff, and a young man was charged with her murder. It seemed to be an open-and-shut case, but Lisle feared that it wasn’t.
A newspaper report about the trial caught Miss Silver’s eye, she realised that it was very close to the young woman she had met on the train, and she decided that she had to investigate. She knew the local policeman from her days as a teacher – he had been one of her pupils – and so she asked him to recommend a local boarding house, and she told him a little of what Lisle had told her.
It was lucky that she did, because Lisle really was in terrible danger.
I found a great deal to like in this book.
Lisle was more damsel in distress than heroine, but I understood the difficulty of the position she found herself in; with nobody outside the family circle to turn to, and not know who inside the family circle she might trust. I appreciated that she was young and inexperienced, that she coped with a great deal and that she found some courage when she most needed it.
I was inclined to like her, and I found it easy to understand why she thought and acted as she did.
I loved the echoes of Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ in Lisle’s situation; and the echoes of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple in Miss Silver’s relationship with ‘her’ policeman.
The details of characters, clothes and settings were so well drawn, as they always are in Patricia Wentworth’s books, making this a lovely period piece.
I continue to be impressed with Miss Silver’s knitting speed and prowess, and in this book I learned that she can crochet too!
The dialogues between Lisle and Dale as he tried to make her understand why his family home was so important, and she stood her ground because she knew there were other things that mattered more, were wonderfully well done.
The playing out of the story was so dramatic – a lovely mixture of the sensation novel and the golden age crime novel – and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end of the story.
The ending that she chose made me realise that Patricia Wentworth had understood the psychology of her subject matter perfectly.
The is definitely Miss Silver’s best case to date – though she wasn’t at the centre of the story she did have an important role to play – and it won’t be too long until I move on to the next one.
The story begins on a train, with Miss Silver travelling back to London after a seaside holiday. An attractive young woman – clearly in a state of shock – rushes into the compartment. Miss Silver is concerned and she very tactfully begins a conversation; her companion responds, thinking that Miss Silver is rather like her old governess.
Lisle Jerningham was a wealthy young woman with a brand new husband, and she was terribly afraid that he was going to kill her. She had just overheard a conversation that suggested that husband’s first wife died of an accident, that that money she left him had saved his family home. Now he had run out of money again, he had acquired another wife with money, and maybe she would have an accident too …
When the train reached London Miss Silver pressed one of her business cards into Lisle’s hand, and said that she should call if there was ever anything at all she might do to help.
Lisle felt terribly alone. She was American and she had no family or friends of her own in England. Her money was managed by a trustee and she knew that Dale, her husband, was unhappy that he wouldn’t produce the funds that he needed to save the family home. He said that if Lisle was only a little more persuasive he would have the money and everything would be alright, but that she really didn’t understand how important it was. She didn’t understand, but she had tried for her husband’s sake.
The only person who seemed to care about her was Dale’s cousin Rafe, but Rafe was charming to everyone and so she could never be sure that he really was her fiend. She knew that Dale’s other cousin, Alicia, whose rich, titled husband died in an accident at about the same time that Dale’s first wife hated her. Dale and Alicia had been expected to marry, and she wondered if maybe they would when they had the money to secure the future of the family home that they both loved.
Lisle had already had one accident – she had nearly drowned – and she would have others.
A young woman was found head at the foot of a cliff, and a young man was charged with her murder. It seemed to be an open-and-shut case, but Lisle feared that it wasn’t.
A newspaper report about the trial caught Miss Silver’s eye, she realised that it was very close to the young woman she had met on the train, and she decided that she had to investigate. She knew the local policeman from her days as a teacher – he had been one of her pupils – and so she asked him to recommend a local boarding house, and she told him a little of what Lisle had told her.
It was lucky that she did, because Lisle really was in terrible danger.
I found a great deal to like in this book.
Lisle was more damsel in distress than heroine, but I understood the difficulty of the position she found herself in; with nobody outside the family circle to turn to, and not know who inside the family circle she might trust. I appreciated that she was young and inexperienced, that she coped with a great deal and that she found some courage when she most needed it.
I was inclined to like her, and I found it easy to understand why she thought and acted as she did.
I loved the echoes of Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ in Lisle’s situation; and the echoes of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple in Miss Silver’s relationship with ‘her’ policeman.
The details of characters, clothes and settings were so well drawn, as they always are in Patricia Wentworth’s books, making this a lovely period piece.
I continue to be impressed with Miss Silver’s knitting speed and prowess, and in this book I learned that she can crochet too!
The dialogues between Lisle and Dale as he tried to make her understand why his family home was so important, and she stood her ground because she knew there were other things that mattered more, were wonderfully well done.
The playing out of the story was so dramatic – a lovely mixture of the sensation novel and the golden age crime novel – and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end of the story.
The ending that she chose made me realise that Patricia Wentworth had understood the psychology of her subject matter perfectly.
The is definitely Miss Silver’s best case to date – though she wasn’t at the centre of the story she did have an important role to play – and it won’t be too long until I move on to the next one.
March 9, 2020
While this book features Miss Wentworth's series detective Maud Silver, there really isn't much for her to do. She meets lovely, wealthy Lisle Jerningham on a train, distraught because she overheard some ill-natured gossip that suggested her beloved husband Dale had killed his first wife for her money, and might kill her as well. It's true that Dale and his two cousins all have a peculiar relationship with his estate, Tanfield, which has been in the family for centuries and which eats money. But loving your home doesn't mean you'll murder to support it! As Lisle luckily avoids several accidents that could have ended in her death, Miss Silver warns her friend in the local police force what is happening. But only Lisle and an unexpected ally take action to save Lisle from a frightening death.
April 27, 2020
She said like a distresses echo, 'I came away in a hurry.'
'Why?' said Miss Silver.
'They said he was trying to kill me,' sais Lisle Jerningham.
Miss Silver betrayed neither surprise nor incredulity. It was not the first time she had received a similar confidence. It was in fact her professional business to deal with such confidences. 'Dear me,' she said, 'and who is supposed to be trying to kill you?'
Lisle Jerningham said, 'My husband...'
August 12, 2025
de Miss Silvers zijn net zo rustgevend en Engels als de Miss Marples, ideaal leesvoer
June 7, 2012
The Danger Point begins in the most delightful way, with the inimitable Miss Maud Silver bumping into a distraught Lisle Jerningham on a London-bound train. A dazed Mrs. Jerningham, a newlywed and heiress, has stumbled onto the possibility that her husband, Dale, might be seeking to kill her. It's a fantastical notion -- too fantastical to be true. Or is it?
But the novel, the fourth in the Miss Silver series, doesn't live up to that auspicious beginning. Miss Silver barely plays a role in solving the crime, and Lisle Jerningham proves to be such a fatalistic milquetoast that one hardly cares about her fate. After all, why should we care more about whether she lives or dies than she apparently does?
A bad Patricia Wentworth novel is better than a lot of other authors' best effort, but The Danger Point is definitely not up to the usual standard of a Wentworth mystery. This is definitely no The Chinese Shawl, Latter End or Anna Where Are You?. You can skip this one with no regrets.
But the novel, the fourth in the Miss Silver series, doesn't live up to that auspicious beginning. Miss Silver barely plays a role in solving the crime, and Lisle Jerningham proves to be such a fatalistic milquetoast that one hardly cares about her fate. After all, why should we care more about whether she lives or dies than she apparently does?
A bad Patricia Wentworth novel is better than a lot of other authors' best effort, but The Danger Point is definitely not up to the usual standard of a Wentworth mystery. This is definitely no The Chinese Shawl, Latter End or Anna Where Are You?. You can skip this one with no regrets.
March 16, 2014
4 STARS Miss. Silver is on the train returning from her holiday with her niece when a young lady stumbles into her compartment. Right away she can tell the young girl is afraid of something and tries to get her to open up. The young woman, Lisle overheard some women gossiping about her husband. His wealthy first wife's death may have not have been accident and now that his estate is in jeopardy again will Lisle be next?
A predictable but engaging mystery. Like in Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca the new bride is frightened into thinking her husband is the killer of his first wife. And, also like in Rebecca you will be at the edge of your seat wondering if the husband is misunderstood or a monster.
A predictable but engaging mystery. Like in Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca the new bride is frightened into thinking her husband is the killer of his first wife. And, also like in Rebecca you will be at the edge of your seat wondering if the husband is misunderstood or a monster.
April 4, 2022
I love this series. These are my comfort reads/listens.
These are well styled and written mystery/romance books, with the lead character of Miss Maud Silver (ex governess turned Private Enquiry Agent), who fits in to any household or village quite easily with her knitting bag over her arm and a soothing, listening presence. Always backed up by one of her ex pupils, Randal Marsh or Frank Abbott, who are detectives in the police force.
Diana Bishops narration of the Miss Silver mysteries is to me the definitive voice of the audiobooks, just like Joan Hickson is for me the definitive Miss Jane Marple.
If you like the review and would like to read my other reviews on books I have read, visit my blog at www.finalchapterreadersgroup.wordpres...... like, comment and follow.
September 16, 2024
A woman gets on a train and spills her marital problems to Miss Silver, who is probably Miss Marple's sister. Miss Silver gives her some advice, and the woman totally ignores said advice to her detriment. Lisel is the wimpist wet noodle. I kept eye rolling her stupidity in the whole book. 4 stars, because even Miss Silver can't help you if you are dumb.
August 1, 2025
I wasn't sure who the guilty party was right up to the denouement. There were plenty of indications for both the 2 main suspects...
July 4, 2017
This is the second Miss Silver mystery that I have read and it was just as good as the first. This is a good old fashioned mystery series. At one point, quite a few of them had been on sale in an ebook format, and I bought them but hadn't read them, intending to fill in the gaps between those that had not been offered for sale. I like to read a series in order, but these are perfectly fine as stand alone reads. I like them so much, that I will likely buy and read the ones that I hadn't purchased the first time. Patricia Wentworth is a master of the mystery and I like the fact that the other characters in the book are so much in the forefront. It greatly adds to the interest of the stories. We don't see everything through the eyes of the detective, but through an omniscient narrator. I like the writing and descriptions and the time period. Good books.
June 14, 2013
Young and wealthy Lisle Journingham thinks her husband may be trying to kill her, because she doesn't want her money to go to the continual upkeep of the vast family mansion. She's had two accidents already, and now a young girl has been killed--a girl wearing a coat Lisle had just given her. Miss Silver advises Lisle to change her will at once, and let everyone know she's done it. Is there any chance Lisle will actually grow a spine and do it?
Not one of my favorites, because I had trouble feeling any sympathy for the world's most passive and limp heroine. I mean, seriously. You know your husband is trying to kill you, yet when he urges you to sneak out of the house at night and meet him at a dangerous and secluded place on the beach, you say, "Of course darling. Whatever you want," and go! Argh. I know that being pathetic doesn't mean she deserves to die, but she did everything in her power to help it along. Oh well. At least this time the bully was the bad guy and not the romantic hero, as often happens in Wentworth. And at least Lisle did throw herself from an out of control car rather than die a fiery death, but that's probably only because her husband hadn't told her not to. Why does no one ever listen to Miss Silver?
Not one of my favorites, because I had trouble feeling any sympathy for the world's most passive and limp heroine. I mean, seriously. You know your husband is trying to kill you, yet when he urges you to sneak out of the house at night and meet him at a dangerous and secluded place on the beach, you say, "Of course darling. Whatever you want," and go! Argh. I know that being pathetic doesn't mean she deserves to die, but she did everything in her power to help it along. Oh well. At least this time the bully was the bad guy and not the romantic hero, as often happens in Wentworth. And at least Lisle did throw herself from an out of control car rather than die a fiery death, but that's probably only because her husband hadn't told her not to. Why does no one ever listen to Miss Silver?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2012
This is not one of Patricia Wentworth's better Miss Silver mysteries.
Usuallly, I enjoy these very British mysteries in which retired governess Miss Maud Silver uses her listening skills and inconspicuous appearance to elicit information from people whose lives have been touched by crime. But this one had no plot whatsoever : in chapter 1 Miss SIlver encounters a young woman, Lisle, who is in a state of shock after overhearing some gossip that her new husband might have had a hand in his first wife's death and that her own death would be very convenient for him. Well -spoiler alert!- at the end of the book it turns out that her husband was indeed trying to kill her. Miss Silver barely appears in the book, and has no role whatsoever in the denouement.
I gave the book two stars because despite its deficiencies as a mystery, the book is a lovely period piece. As always with Patricia Wentworth, interiors, houses, landscapes are lovingly described. The book does draw you into the lifestyle of the British gentry before WWII, complete with tea parties on the lawn, faithful servants etcetera
Usuallly, I enjoy these very British mysteries in which retired governess Miss Maud Silver uses her listening skills and inconspicuous appearance to elicit information from people whose lives have been touched by crime. But this one had no plot whatsoever : in chapter 1 Miss SIlver encounters a young woman, Lisle, who is in a state of shock after overhearing some gossip that her new husband might have had a hand in his first wife's death and that her own death would be very convenient for him. Well -spoiler alert!- at the end of the book it turns out that her husband was indeed trying to kill her. Miss Silver barely appears in the book, and has no role whatsoever in the denouement.
I gave the book two stars because despite its deficiencies as a mystery, the book is a lovely period piece. As always with Patricia Wentworth, interiors, houses, landscapes are lovingly described. The book does draw you into the lifestyle of the British gentry before WWII, complete with tea parties on the lawn, faithful servants etcetera
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 7, 2021This was a chilling story of emotional abuse. If you've been in an emotionally abusive relationship, you might want to steer clear. It affected me a lot. If you've ever wondered why people stay with partners who abuse them, this might give you some idea. There's lots of lies, gaslighting, manipulation.
I'm sure a lot of people might think the victim is too passive, trusting, etc. Perhaps she is, but a big part of that is the confusing situation she finds herself in. I found it far too realistic, way too close for comfort. I'm not talking about the more obvious traumatic situations like almost getting killed. I'm talking about the much more subtle undermining that occurs in ordinary, everyday events like eating breakfast. And the way that you grasp at any sliver of positive to believe that everything's not so bad. Wentworth captures the paralysis you feel when you're the object of this kind of abuse and can't even trust your own feelings or judgement. Disturbing, and very real.
I'm sure a lot of people might think the victim is too passive, trusting, etc. Perhaps she is, but a big part of that is the confusing situation she finds herself in. I found it far too realistic, way too close for comfort. I'm not talking about the more obvious traumatic situations like almost getting killed. I'm talking about the much more subtle undermining that occurs in ordinary, everyday events like eating breakfast. And the way that you grasp at any sliver of positive to believe that everything's not so bad. Wentworth captures the paralysis you feel when you're the object of this kind of abuse and can't even trust your own feelings or judgement. Disturbing, and very real.
June 6, 2013
This story is outrageously annoying really .I just don't get it why Lisle behaves time and again so foolishly and unfortunately till the very last moment when her husband shows his true color .Even after seeing her husband kiss someone else would not convince her what she is afraid to believe .I almost flickered through the book in the middle part of the story to make myself less furious ...Speechless .... But maybe lisle is too innocent. Or naive .... Anyway not this one .I did enjoy several books written by Wentworth but not this one
October 4, 2023
Have now read 5 of these Miss Silver books. Reading out of order because I had to wait for ILL to arrive. This has been the least satisfactory in terms of how spineless and weak Lisle the heroine/intended victim was. Still, ended up enjoying for the second case of Miss Silver working with her former young charge Randal March who is now a policeman and trying to use the new technology of fingerprinting off fabric. Set in 1939 England.
February 4, 2017
It's a very uncomfortable read and very much before it's time. I've read books from this era that contain abusive husbands before, but it's usually the nasty landlord who uses his fists or guarded hints about horrible old peer who no one likes and ends up with a knife in his back by chapter two. This is different, it's about the upper classes and a emotionally abusive husband. It's well written and the subject is handled beautifully, but may be too raw for a lot of readers.
June 20, 2020
A young woman stumbles, in a state of shock, into Maud Silver's train compartment. Miss Silver elicits the information that Lisle Jerningham overheard speculation that her husband's first wife had not died by accident and that Lisle's recent near drowning might not have been an accident. Lisle's husband very much wants to preserve the family estate but needs Lisle's money.
Initially, the story put me in mind of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, with hateful cousins substituting for Mrs. Danvers, in taking advantage of the innocent, familyless bride, and the movie Suspicion (Francis Iles's Before the Fact), with the wife's doubts about her husband. The book does not, however, reach the same pitch of suspense.
Initially, the story put me in mind of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, with hateful cousins substituting for Mrs. Danvers, in taking advantage of the innocent, familyless bride, and the movie Suspicion (Francis Iles's Before the Fact), with the wife's doubts about her husband. The book does not, however, reach the same pitch of suspense.
May 17, 2020
Danger Point is my fifth Miss Silver mystery (it's #4, but I accidentally skipped over it), and it is by far the weakest. I'd bet almost anything that Wentworth added Miss Silver to an unfinished Rebecca-esque gothic manuscript - Silver appears early and comes back several times, but she really only fusses and worries; she doesn't even solve the crime. Well, I suppose that - technically - she does solve it, but it has already resolved itself by that point.
Wentworth is a good writer, and she has an unconventional eye for human nature. I can understand readers annoyed by Lisle's passivity here, meekly going like lamb to slaughter, but I can also understand the woman. She's so trapped by her own feelings and moral code that she'd rather space out and end up dead than fight. She'd rather believe an obvious lie than face an ugly truth. I'm not saying that I like or admire her, but I think some people do that. A lot of people, actually.
As a mystery, it's not much. Still on par with a mid-level Christie, I'd say.
Wentworth is a good writer, and she has an unconventional eye for human nature. I can understand readers annoyed by Lisle's passivity here, meekly going like lamb to slaughter, but I can also understand the woman. She's so trapped by her own feelings and moral code that she'd rather space out and end up dead than fight. She'd rather believe an obvious lie than face an ugly truth. I'm not saying that I like or admire her, but I think some people do that. A lot of people, actually.
As a mystery, it's not much. Still on par with a mid-level Christie, I'd say.
September 13, 2023
I read Miss Silver book #1 and disliked it. A while later, while looking for a new book, I read a review here, saying the Miss Silver books got better, so I read book #3. (Overdrive did not have book #2). #3 was ok, so I tried this one. Abandoned it after three chapters.
The lead female character (other than Miss Silver) is a weak, stupid, overly-emotional, fainting idiot. She's attracted to an abusive male, who she swoons on and on over. The lead character in book #3 was exactly the same, but the plot was interesting so I stuck with it. The other female characters in book 3 were even more idiotic. By the third chapter of this one, I'd had enough.
I've read many Golden Age and between-the-wars mysteries, and none of the female characters made me want to jump into the book and slap them. Not wasting any more time on this series, there are other books to read!
The lead female character (other than Miss Silver) is a weak, stupid, overly-emotional, fainting idiot. She's attracted to an abusive male, who she swoons on and on over. The lead character in book #3 was exactly the same, but the plot was interesting so I stuck with it. The other female characters in book 3 were even more idiotic. By the third chapter of this one, I'd had enough.
I've read many Golden Age and between-the-wars mysteries, and none of the female characters made me want to jump into the book and slap them. Not wasting any more time on this series, there are other books to read!
July 20, 2018
This morning I finished another great mystery! "In the Balance" by Patricia Wentworth is the fourth of thirty-two in the series. Wentworth is one of the "Golden Age" British writers whose careers defined mystery for several generations.
Like other authors of this period, Wentworth's detective is elderly, observant, and uses powers of reason and deduction to solve crimes. Miss Silver knits calmly and misses nothing. I strongly suggest this series, while there are sometimes minor references to previous cases reading in order is not required.
If you are looking for a mystery that requires attention and thought rather than a tolerance for blood this is an author you must read.
Like other authors of this period, Wentworth's detective is elderly, observant, and uses powers of reason and deduction to solve crimes. Miss Silver knits calmly and misses nothing. I strongly suggest this series, while there are sometimes minor references to previous cases reading in order is not required.
If you are looking for a mystery that requires attention and thought rather than a tolerance for blood this is an author you must read.
July 10, 2024
Слишком банально, слишком шаблонно, всего слишком. Слабая героиня, которой прямым текстом говорят, что муж хочет ее убить и нужно уезжать из страны; трио кузенов, которые непонятно кто как относится к слабой героине, хотя на самом деле очень даже понятно; поворот сюжета, который составляет 360 градусов- что в самом начале приходит в голову, то и правда- никакой интриги.
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