The Brading Collection

Mr. Lewis Brading meets with Miss Silver regarding his unusual collection of Jewellery. A fanatic about the collection and its security to the point he has a custom-built annex for it on the grounds of a country club; complete with living accommodations for him and an secretary Some strange things that have recently happened have made him concerned about the people around him.

He chooses to ignore Miss Silver’s advice and is later found murdered in the annex — a building only he and his secretary have access to.

Chief Constable Randal March, a friend of Miss Silver, asks for her help in solving the case. The country club owner, the owner’s ex-wife (a young portrait artist), a gold-digging fiancée, an aging actress and her two show more daughters, Brading’s adopted sister — who wants to marry Brading,, along with family secrets, blackmail, greed and gossip makes for a challenging case for Miss Silver. show less

2019 reread: I am downgrading my rating from 4* to 3½*
I don't know whether I have become better at solving these mysteries or if my subconscious mind recalled the culprit. I didn't have any conscious memory of this book's plot but I thought that the guilty party was fairly obvious. Another reason why I am downgrading my rating is that I found the romantic subplot a little frustrating. Still, despite these complaints, I enjoyed reading this.

Wentworth's books are part detective story and part love story and this one is no exception. Although I spotted the murderer early on in the narrative it didn't spoil the journey.

Thanks for the book, Seth!