The Silent Pool

Miss Silver #25

by Patricia Wentworth

First she felt herself being pushed downstairs. Then there was the bowl of poisoned mushroom soup. Finally the tampered-with tablet amongst her sleeping pills was the last straw. Adriana Ford, famous actress and mistress of the house decided to call in Miss Silver. And Maud Silver, with impeccable logic, pointed out that the person who was trying to kill her must be a member of her own household. And then the murders started...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Cozy Mystery, Romance, Classics

281 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Patricia 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.

Reviews

[Jaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Patricia Wentworth’s “Miss Silver” series from the beginning. The first one, Grey Mask, was written in 1928. It was a refreshing experience for me – a mystery, yes, but also a great story that introduced a fascinating and unlikely heroine in the ethics and determined pursuit of justice of retired governess and now private investigator, Miss Silver.

Throughout this series, Miss Silver’s character has developed in strength and depth. Her uncanny ability to be an unbiased, fully engaged listener leads troubled people to open up to her. Add in an ability to recall conversations verbatim and a mind that is able to assemble odd bits and pieces in their proper order, and we are treated time and again to completely satisfying endings.

This novel, written in 1953, is no exception. Although this series is most likely to be classified in the “Cozy Mystery” genre, the progression of Patricia Wentworth’s writing abilities has been one of the best elements of this series for me. Her storytelling abilities shone from the beginning, yet what I have noticed over the past two novels particularly is Ms Wentworth’s ability to generate and sustain suspense and tension.

I am sure that many synopses are available so I won’t touch on the storyline this time around. What has become apparent, however, is how Patricia Wentworth never gave way to a formulaic pattern with her novels. Rather, she strove to keep her stories fresh, to develop her main character into a three dimensional sentient being, and to develop her craft so the tension and suspense keep her readers turning the pages.

When the resolution occurred at the end, and I was left sated, it was much like eating a chocolate mousse for dessert: I still want more.

[Judy Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather unusual circumstance for me, but I found this book in the Miss Silver series to be just okay, even on the negative side of okay. A bit of a disappointment. For one thing Miss Silver doesn't even begin investigating the possible attempts on the life of her client until halfway through the book. For another many of the characters are "artistic" in one way or another and they kept on being artsy so long they became irritating. Miss Silver never seemed to connect with this client and when she gave perfectly sound advice it was summarily dismissed. There is also the romance element that wasn't satisfactory for me because the man was one of those who had strayed more than once but assured the sweet young thing that it would never happen again. Well, I didn't believe him.

Not a favorite but I am glad I finally read it. I've found that some of these books written toward the end of the series don't hold the same delight and appreciation for me as the earlier books.

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The character Ninian is TERRIBLE and controlling and psycho, so it's hard to be excited about the main character falling in love with him. He is so terrible it's hard to enjoy the mystery. His awfulness is beyond what you would expect even for a different generation (when this was written in 1953)

[Sharla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery isn't bad but not one of my favorites from the series. It's a little heavier on the romance angle than I like and a little light on Miss Silver. Some of the characters were not very appealing and the pace is a bit slow. I've read worse by far but it's not one of Wentworth's better efforts.

[Anna Dowdall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish (even) more people knew about Patricia Wentworth, who was born squarely into Victorian England and who produced entertaining "had she but known" mysteries. Her influence (tart old lady amateur sleuth, atmospheric settings, clever misdirections) is probably vastly underrated on so many other writers... This one's denouement was effectively hidden in plain sight, and the 1950s sartorial details are memorable.

[Shauna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very unremarkable book. It reads like a third rate romantic novel, the dialogue is laughable and the whodunit element is glaringly obvious. I am amazed that it took the usually excellent Miss Silver so long to detect the murderer.

[Tuesdayschild · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021: repeat late night listen.
It would have made for a justifiable extra to have had that philandering, prat, of a husband pushed into the pool too.
Patricia Wentworth serves up an interesting cast of characters, along with her prerequisite ‘gone mad’ one.
Extra: neglect of a child.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retired and, her family hopes, wealthy, actress Adriana Ford lives in country seclusion with a selection of family retainers and poor relations. But when she feels her life is being threatened, she consults Miss Silver. The death of a close friend of Adriana's brings Miss Silver to her house, where she realizes that the supposed accidental death is something more sinister. There's a young couple fighting the misunderstandings that keep them apart, a smart little girl, a lazy but charming middle aged man and his very dull wife, and Adriana's adopted daughter, who has temperament but no talent. Which is the next victim, and which is the murderer?

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic Miss Silver mystery. Retired actress Adriana Ford is worried that one of the members of her shifting household is trying to kill her. And when someone is drowned in the garden pool while wearing Adriana Ford's very conspicuous coat, it becomes clear that these attempts are escalating. Miss Silver is invited to stay as a guest, and over her knitting needles she observes the suspects. As usual, there is a thwarted love affair this is satisfactorily resolved in the end.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of the best in the Miss Silver series but still a quick and fun read.

[Mélyssa]

I haven’t even got as far as the murder in this one. The Ninian character was too annoying, I couldn’t bear to put up with him for another 200 pages or so!

[Suzanne Bratcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a slow start, The Silent Pool is another classic Miss Silver puzzle. I almost gave up a third of the way through, but I'm glad I kept reading.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the weaker titles in the series.

For a start, the majority of the characters are unpleasant, so it's hard to care much about what happens to them - they're either self-centred and arrogant or really drippy. The two redeeming characters are the heroine, Janet, and the little girl she is looking after, Stella, who seldom appears. Unfortunately, Janet is to share the fate of a lot of Wentworth heroines - marriage to a man who is not worthy of her. Ninian has betrayed her in the past with other women, but apparently that's ok because they 'didn't mean anything' and he always comes back in the end...One would think that the example of Geoffrey and Edna Ford would be enough to put anyone off marrying a philanderer, but it's obviously not enough of a warning for Janet.

The plot is a fairly obvious one, but I wouldn't mark it down for that if it were not for two main weaknesses. The first concerns the murder attempts. At the start of the book, Adriana visits Miss Silver to tell her of three attempts on her life, yet at the end of the book, we are told that the killer gave in to an impulse when finally committing a murder. The implication is that the murderer had not tried to kill before...but if that person is not responsible for the earlier attempts, then who was? The second, far bigger weakness, is that after a key piece of information makes it obvious who the killer is, their identity is not revealed for several more chapters, meaning that the ending drags far too much. The book could easily have been 5 or 6 chapters shorter without harming the story - in fact, it would have made for a stronger tale.

[Alane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story itself, but the ending was so disappointing that I can't say I would recommend it.

One of the story's "good guys" is really not a good person. The way Ninian hurt Janet by holding onto her wrists when she clearly wanted to get away from him....not OK. And then he basically badgered her into accepting his proposal, and right up to the end, we're led to believe that she knows better than to go back to him. She knows better than to trust him, but she does it anyway. That was really too bad. And I know we were supposed to be happy for them, but I just could not be.

But worse -- Miss Silver is hired because of several potential attempts on Adriana Ford's life . At the end when we find out who killed Mabel Preston, Miss Silver says it was an unplanned crime of opportunity, but the original potential attempts that brought her to the house are never explained or even mentioned again. Was Edna responsible for those too? Were they all in Adriana's imagination? Was it Meriel? Did Mrs. Wentworth forget how the story started? We'll never know!

Also -- "Edna did it. She's nuts." just wasn't very satisfying as an ending. And that's a shame, because the story was going great to that point.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite fun in its way, with a cast of well-drawn characters and numerous red herring and bits of misdirection.
PW has a nice line in neurotic characters who seem fairly normal, if irritating, and turn out to be murderous.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Patricia Wentworth! In some ways, her books are very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple stories, but Wentworth's books have a different feel. This is a classic house mystery.

[4cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Silver novels are fun and easy to read, from a time gone and lost to us. Perfect for fans of Christie.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what I'm going to do when I run out of these. Then again, with my memory, I could probably just start the series over again and never miss a beat.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the weaker Miss Silver novels. The most interesting character is in no way necessary to the plot. Just an add-on so that Wentworth can feature young love triumphing.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery was pretty good by itself, but it was spoiled by the male "love" interest. He was a horrible, selfish, presuming chap. Miss Silver was, as always, insightful and capable.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing makes you appreciate Agatha Christie like reading one of her contemporary imitators. I have enjoyed Wentworth’s mysteries when she is writing silly romance/thrillers disguised as mysteries, but so far her Miss Silver stories have been boring, predictable, and sometimes just plain stupid.
A clear imitation of Christie’s successful Miss Marple, Miss Silver annoys me whenever she opens her lips. While Miss Marple shines as a realistic old spinster who nevertheless has shrewd insight into human nature, Miss Silver is a pack of contradictions. How can she be an old spinster constantly knitting and unconnected from the world while also running a successful business as an investigator? Why is she constantly described as “a harmless looking old woman” while also talking with preternatural calmness and impressing even old hardened policemen with her steely gaze? How can she have such a “keen mind” while never having done anything significant with her life? I just don’t believe in her, and Wentworth’s attempts to talk her up make me want to roll my eyes.
As for the mystery that Silver so “brilliantly” solves, I’ve rarely seen something so simple and dull. The identity of the murderer is withheld from the reader, but every other circumstance is told up front so the audience has no opportunity to solve anything at all. We watch dramatic scenes and the planning of intrigues, and then watch Miss Silver laboriously piece together information that we already have. Does Wentworth not understand how a mystery is supposed to work? There is zero surprising information in the entire story. Every suspected affair is proved true, every unsuspected affair is proved false, and everyone’s estimation of everybody else is confirmed. The characters easily eliminate all of the likeable characters from suspicion despite little evidence clearing them, and the final solution reveals that they were right to have done so. Nobody lies and nothing is ever revealed. The entire mystery hinges on two clues discovered very early on: a scrap of fabric found near the scene of the crime and an overheard conversation about the scrap of fabric. These two pieces of information are laboriously dissected no less than ten times by Miss Silver, policemen, and the members of the household. The most obvious deduction is made each time unchanged, and yet each time it is treated like a horrifying revelation by the household members. The whole story was nail-biting in the sense that I was so bored and frustrated that I was reduced to ripping my nails off. Only read this novel if you are interested in how not to write a mystery.

[Rose Clifford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 24th book featuring Miss Maud Silver, a good character study with a murderer I didn’t guess until the reveal.

Miss Silver is visited by a lady unsure if she is in danger or just stressed and seeing what’s not there. Miss Silver gives her advice and waits to see if she’s called upon again, since it’s a Miss Silver book she is. A fairly by the numbers book it is has Wentworth’s usual observations on human nature, in this case a house that has people ‘collected’ by Arianna Ford but discontent has come to her house.

While the murder mystery is straight forward, the interesting part of the book to me is the consequence of women’s work opportunities that appear in the book. The contrast between Janet and Star, who work, with Edna and Meriel, who don’t, is highlighted by the fact that although Star and Janet don’t have everything they want they are still presented as happier then Edna and Meriel. Edna and Meriel rely on handouts from Arianna Ford who has the money in the family, but Edna was brought up to only be a wife and Meriel expects everything to be handed to her and not start at the bottom. Clearly Patricia Wentworth had a position on this subject.

The independence that comes with work also is underlined by Ninian, who thought that he cheat on Janet with another woman and Janet would wait around and rejoice when he came back. Instead she went off and got a job and didn’t talk to him until the events of the book. Ninian spends most of the book slowly realising that Janet has other options than him, and won’t bend since he’s already cheated on her. After realising that this isn’t a romance novel and she won’t swoon into his arms, he starts to change his lifestyle but will that be enough to convince her he’s changed?

Wentworth also has a look at the various ways that women react to married men who have an affair and the women who have affairs with married men. Wentworth has plenty of scorn for the men who use women as a hobby and expect no consequences because they think women lose their feeling for you at the same time you lose feelings for them. The women she has some sympathy for, so long as they realise that they are used and use it as a growing lesson. She has little to none for the women who resent the wives and learn nothing after the man has broken their hearts. The author also has little patience for the women who let adulterous men carry on and expect the women to get over him instead of curtailing his actions or think that he can be kept in line with money or other such inducements. Nothing groundbreaking but an interesting insight to her views on these issues.

A straight forward mystery that is enjoyable.

[Rebecca Reddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silent Pool gives us Miss Silver from the very beginning. When Mrs. Smith arrives at Miss Silver's home to engage her services, she tells the story that many others have shared before her. She suspects someone attempted to poison her, gave her a shove down a flight of stairs, and other small dangerous efforts which can only lead to one conclusion: someone is trying to murder her. With a house full of relatives, Mrs. Smith has a plethora of possible suspects. She wants Miss Silver to get to the bottom of these attempts.
Miss Silver is never reluctant to help a new client and takes a special interest in this woman - not because of her story but because of her disguise. Almost at once, Miss Silver notices the inconsistencies and discrepancies of Mrs. Smith's costume. Her suspicions lead her to the conclusion that Mrs. Smith is really an actress of the London stage, and her real name is Adriana Ford. Once found out, Adriana doesn't deny the allegation and comes clean to Miss Silver.
At once, Miss Silver sets about her work and travels to Adriana's home to seek this would-be murderer. Before she arrives, someone does end up dead, and it isn't Adriana. But it could have been. Now, Miss Silver has to seek out the killer and keep Adriana safe from another attempt on her life.
Again, another solid story written by Patricia Wentworth. I loved the plot, the characters, the red-herrings, the dialogue, and the setting of this book. It was an entertaining story, and it kept me engaged and reading until the very end.
In fact, all of Miss Silver's stories keep me reading until the end. My recommendation is that anyone who love mysteries, private investigators, and British whodunits needs to check out this series and enjoy a pleasant 31 book series. It's a delightful way to pass the time, and I can recommend them as a leisurely pastime to get you through this crazy life. :)

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few too many rambling women at the beginning of this book in the Miss Silver series. We have the country house setting, and an assortment of characters as suspects and potential victims. Miss Silver is involved from page one, which is unusual, and then doesn't reappear for a while.

This one begins a bit dull and more like a romance novel than a murder mystery, I'm afraid. And I did not like the match the author sets up; I wished the woman would run a mile in the other direction to get away from the jerk! His “playful banter” was horrible.

The murder occurs just before the halfway point, and then Miss Silver reenters the story, with her knitting, her coughs, and her Tennyson quotes. We have yet another narcissist who tries to control all around her with the promise of money after her death, leading to many to want her death to come sooner rather than later, of course.

There are Britishisms in the book, of course, but also some poor punctuation and grammar. Other reviewers have mentioned the purple prose, which I notice most when the author describes people's emotional reactions, including lots of female fainting. There is some spousal abuse in this book, much as in many of the other books in the series.

I find I have to agree with some reviewers: the books decreased in quality and imagination as the Miss Silver series continued.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adriana Ford was once a popular stage actress who had retired and was living at Ford House with her staff, a fellow actress and relative parasites as retainers... one of them was trying to kill her as she had informed Miss Maud Silver. In fact, when she made an appointment to see Miss Silver she had just recovered the use of her leg which was broken from her fall on the stairs when she was pushed but after listening to the latter's advice that she change her will and to inform her staff and hangers on about it... thereby removing the threat on her life... given that the division of their future legacies were known to all the inheritors. But the therapeutic effect of her consultation with the remarkable Miss Silver plus the light of day may have had a diminishing effect on the former actress' perception So she finally decided not to take the detective's advice. Because of this, two deaths among the inmates of Ford House occurred.

[Ilona Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is someone trying to kill the actress? Who cares?

Not one of her best I think. The formula is there but there is very little for Miss Silver to. The pool of suspects is limited so you pretty much know whom it must be. The possible victim at the beginning isn’t murdered and is an annoying person to boot. There are some loose ends that aren’t tied up which bothered me. There is, as usual, a young couple in love but neither of them are ever seriously suspected. Usually in a Miss Silver mystery one of them would be in danger but this time they felt superfluous. In fact there were a few surplus to requirements characters. Or more like characters whose motivations were never adequately explored. I enjoy a good cosy but sadly this one wasn’t it.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is 24th in the series, not 25th, according to the author's official website. In any case, it's a fun one, as a grand dame of the theatre, now retired, is living with a household of greedy hangers-on, all incompetent and unattractive in their own ways, and vying to get a bigger slice of her inheritance. She gets a sort of sadistic glee in playing them off one against another, but then after a series acceleratingly troubling incidents, she becomes convinced someone is trying to kill her.

Miss Silver is called in to help, but murders begin anyway. This would be fun to see performed on the stage. A touch of the insouciance of Knives Out.

[Cindy Ladensack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took a while to get going, and up until the last third or so of the book, it was even more like a two-star for me. Part of this was the child character—so difficult to write, and the portrayal of the screaming brat was just so not believable. Part of it was the icky misogyny of the man in the budding romance storyline—which unfortunately lasted until the last page of the book. Even the character of Adriana was a bit over the top—like someone was trying to do a not very charitable impression of Moira Rose. But the last part of the book—the unraveling of the actual murder plot—was interesting, if a bit predictable.

[Ninaminacat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Patricia Wentworth at her best. The story, with its unusual opening, is arresting right from the start, the characters sufficiently distinct and different to avoid confusion and the healthy serving of red herrings just what is required to keep you guessing - all superbly narrated by Diana Bishop. The resolution was, as far as I was concerned, unexpected. Perhaps if I hadn't been fixated on an alternative ending of my own, I would have spotted the clues - but, of course, perhaps not!

If you are a fan of Miss Silver, this is definitely not a case to omit and if you haven't yet met this particular private detective, this is a good place to make her acquaintance.

[Rosana Adler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decepcionante.

La protagonista (La señorita Maud Silver, en su 24 entrega) sale poco y resuelve el caso con razonamientos poco creíbles.

La que parece protagonista durante la primera mitad de la novela, y su interés romántico, prácticamente desaparecen en la segunda parte, en la que se comete el crimen y se "investiga" (es bastante evidente quién lo ha hecho y por qué), dando la sensación de que se trata de dos historias diferentes.

Información repetida, texto sobrante, personajes con potencial que no acaban de desarrollarse...

Entretiene, nada más.