Books

Miss Maud Silver, governess-turned-sleuth, follows a trail of poison-pen letters to save an heiress from a murderer.

The plate over the bell at London’s Montague Mansions reads “Miss Silver, Private Enquiries.” Despite having an appointment, Rachel Treherne hesitates. Even as a young woman, Rachel always had a steady head on her shoulders; it’s why her late father, Rollo Treherne, named her the sole trustee of his considerable fortune. So Rachel fears she may be overreacting to the anonymous letters she’s received threatening her life.

After he struck oil in America, Rollo Treherne became a very rich man, but he never forgot the poverty he knew as a child. In his will, he entrusted his younger daughter with the task of ensuring his vast wealth would benefit only worthy causes—and worthy people. The decision galled a number of Rachel’s relatives, including her married older sister, her socialist nephew, and her father’s ambitious young cousin.

And someone did, after all, tamper with the chocolates Rachel bought herself as a special treat. If Rachel’s spinster cousin hadn’t partaken first and noticed an unwholesome taste, who knows what may have happened? As Miss Silver listens to her client’s tale, the retired-governess-turned-private-detective suspects that someone in Rachel’s inner circle has grown tired of being a poor relation.

Miss Silver travels incognito to the Treherne country home to unmask the culprit—before it’s too late—in this intriguing entry in the beloved series featuring a contemporary of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple.