Library's review
I'd gotten used to Miss Silver not showing up until perhaps the middle of a book or even later, so it was a surprise to see her right there in the first sentence this time. That fact, combined with a rather lengthy bit of exposition in the first chapter that brings readers up to speed on Miss Silver's backstory, makes me think this book was seen as a chance to hook some new readers into the Tribe of Maudie. If you're one of those people who don't feel the need to start a series at the beginning, this could be a good one to begin with. But surely you wouldn't do that, would you?
Anyway, the story is a good one. There's a satisfying surfeit of suspects and some pleasant characters to root for, though this book further confirms my theory that Wentworth had much more fun writing terrible people than she did nice ones. Her villains are always just so delightfully villainous!
I'm feeling a little melancholy as we approach the end of the series (this is Book 25 of 32), but I'm pleased that each outing remains remarkably strong even this far along in the series.
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Fiction. Mystery. HTML: A star of the London stage urgently needs Miss Silver's help: From "a first-rate storyteller" (The Daily Telegraph). Mrs. Smith is not the first woman who has come to Maud Silver, the genteel private detective, claiming that someone is trying to kill her. She tells a story of attempted poisoning, a shove down a flight of stairs, and a house full of relatives who might want to push her out of the way. Miss Silver is intrigued, not least because this is not Mrs. Smith. Despite her attempt at a disguise, the detective recognizes the woman as Adriana Ford, the grand dame of the London stage. Mrs. Smith was a ruse; the attempts on her life are quite real. There is soon a body at Adriana's country estate, but it is not the actress who has been killed. Fully interested, Miss Silver travels to the house, where she learns that the actress is not the only one who tells lies..… (more)