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A review by byrdnash
The Case Is Closed by Patricia Wentworth
3.0
In this 2nd Miss Silver mystery, we start to see some glimmers of Wentworth's talent as she starts to experiment more with her characters and plotting.
Hilary's cousin, Marion, has a serious problem. Her husband has been sentenced to prison for a murder.
Like Agatha Christie, we have the couple of Bright Young Things who are trying to get along - Henry with his inherited antiques shop, and Hillary with trying to keep her cousin from sinking into despair (and never said, but possible madness/suicide). You have to take this with a tongue-in-cheek reader attitude today because it is so over-the-top that it could be read as silly.
The primary reason why this one is a cut above the first edition, is our heroine Hilary Carew who is Plucky (with a capitol P) and her relationship with her fiancée, Henry, who's stoicism and pompousness has caused a brief interruption in their engagement.
What the book doesn't do well: there is a HUGE amount of space given to recounting the murder and the evidence through clippings and people re-telling which is mind-blowingly boring. Henry is a bit dense sometimes and could do well with a good slap of common sense.
While the book has flaws and leans heavily on Sherlock Holmes (the long dry recap), we start to see the better side of Wentworth. The murder is clever though the plot is weighed down by far too many coincidences to the point of utter ridiculousness. There is also some amusing dialogue and scenes between Hilary and Henry that also shows Wentworth at her best.
There is a very intense scene when Hilary is in danger during a bike ride in the country that is truly rather scary.
BTW this story really gave me deja vu, because it is VERY similar to the Lady Molly of Scotland Yard stories: Sir Jeremiah’s Will and The End (1910). The crime is the same and some of the clues are super similar.
Hilary's cousin, Marion, has a serious problem. Her husband has been sentenced to prison for a murder.
Like Agatha Christie, we have the couple of Bright Young Things who are trying to get along - Henry with his inherited antiques shop, and Hillary with trying to keep her cousin from sinking into despair (and never said, but possible madness/suicide). You have to take this with a tongue-in-cheek reader attitude today because it is so over-the-top that it could be read as silly.
The primary reason why this one is a cut above the first edition, is our heroine Hilary Carew who is Plucky (with a capitol P) and her relationship with her fiancée, Henry, who's stoicism and pompousness has caused a brief interruption in their engagement.
What the book doesn't do well: there is a HUGE amount of space given to recounting the murder and the evidence through clippings and people re-telling which is mind-blowingly boring. Henry is a bit dense sometimes and could do well with a good slap of common sense.
While the book has flaws and leans heavily on Sherlock Holmes (the long dry recap), we start to see the better side of Wentworth. The murder is clever though the plot is weighed down by far too many coincidences to the point of utter ridiculousness. There is also some amusing dialogue and scenes between Hilary and Henry that also shows Wentworth at her best.
There is a very intense scene when Hilary is in danger during a bike ride in the country that is truly rather scary.
BTW this story really gave me deja vu, because it is VERY similar to the Lady Molly of Scotland Yard stories: Sir Jeremiah’s Will and The End (1910). The crime is the same and some of the clues are super similar.