The Fingerprint

We are nearing the end of a chronological read of Wentworth's Miss Silver mystery series, which started in the 1920s and now, with Book 30 (of 32) has progressed to the mid-1950s. The formula is familiar by now — there's always at least one romantic subplot whose happy resolution can be seen coming a mile away, and there is usually a cooperative police detective (often the charming Inspector Frank Abbott, with whom Maud Silver has a warm relationship — not that kind of warm, get your heads of the gutters!)

As is often the case in this series, Maud Silver is nowhere to be seen in the opening chapters of The Fingerprint. Instead we get the lay of the land through the eyes of Frank Abbott, who as a friend of a guest staying at the show more country home of Jonathan Field is present when the seeds of Field's eventual destruction are sown. The setting of the village of Deeping is familiar to readers of the previous The Eternity Ring, and Miss Silver's previous acquaintance with some of the characters from that book makes her entry into the murder investigation here more believable. For an elderly former governess who never stops knitting as long as her eyes are open, Maudie gets around!

It seems at first the impetus for Field's removal is an age-old one: He has recently re-made his will to leave the bulk of his considerable estate to Mirrie, a young woman who is a distant relative only recently discovered and brought to live at Field End. Her elevation in status has come at the expense of his beloved niece Georgina. There are other suspects, including the stepson of another distant relative and any of the people who attended the dinner dance where Field told a provocative story about his peculiar hobby of collecting fingerprints. Field claimed to have been trapped in a building collapse during the Blitz with a man who confessed to two murders but then vanished when rescuers came. Did the mystery man find out about Field having his fingerprint and come to cover his tracks for good? Or is this just a case of good old-fashioned family greed?

Miss Silver and Inspector Abbott get to the bottom of the case, as always, but this isn't one of those mysteries where the culprit is revealed in a dramatically staged scene. Instead, we follow along as Abbott and Maud figure out who done it and then work to gather enough evidence to enable his arrest. But someone desperate enough to kill won't go down without a fight ... show less

This one was really interesting for various reasons:

1. I don’t know whether Miss Silver simply was not coughing as much or whether I just managed to ignore it, but it certainly didn’t irritate me as much as in previous books.
2. There were several elements that reminded me of Christie’s plots – most notably those of Sad Cypress and Towards Zero – but without it feeling like a bad copy of a better book. I really did not mind the similarities I saw. If anything, I was intrigued how Wentworth would handle similar scenarios. And for what it is worth, Wentworth treats her female characters different from Christie in the sense that Wentworth’s stories feel more romance-y, and that in itself was interesting to watch unfold.

Georgina Grey, niece of Jonathan Field, had been raised by her uncle during the last 17 years. She is heiress to all of Field’s estate, or maybe not. Field had discovered another distant relative, Mirrie, and has taken on the responsibilities of raising her.

During a weekend celebration at Field End, Field’s estate, Georgina finds her uncle dead in his office. There had been a dust-up earlier in the week and impulsive Jonathan field had changed his will — Georgina is possibly no longer the loan heiress. Or is she?

Frank Abbott is friends with some of the relatives and is an invited guest. Instead of enjoying a celebration he is faced with solving the murder. Luckily, Miss Silver is visiting nearby and Frank asks for her help once show more again.

Two romantic threads run through this mystery along with blackmail, previous acquaintances, inheritance matters and theft. A missing page may be the key…

Another enjoyable read from the Miss Silver series. show less

I'm very fond of the Miss Silver mysteries and this is one of the better instalments as Patricia Wentworth sets up several possible suspects for the crime. This is a crime novel very much of its time and gently reflects some of the anxieties of post-war Britain while still trying to cling onto the mores of the past.

A Miss Silver mystery, first published in 1956.
"When she found the body of her beloved Uncle Jonathan, Georgina's mind went blank. Instinctively she picked up the revolver, and became the prime suspect, for she stood to inherit a fortune from his death. Once again Maud Silver was called in to solve a most intriguing mystery." - jacket notes, Warner 1988 edition. A pretty good traditional mystery.

3.5*

Very typical of the Miss Silver series, which I happen to enjoy.

Een heel ongewone hobby. Hij heeft de vingerafdrukken van iedereen die ooit bij hem heeft gelogeerd; zijn versie van een gastenboek.
Wanneer Georgina haar geliefde oom Jonathan doodgeschoten aantreft, is haar eerste reactie de revolver op te rapen. En daarmee wordt zij de eerste en belangrijkste verdachte. Temeer omdat ze op een grote erfenis mag rekenen na de dood van haar oom. Maar dan is er nog het raadsel van de verdwenen vingerafdruk: die is uit het album van de collectie gescheurd. Miss Silver is ervan overtuigd dat ze deze vingerafdruk eerst moet vinden om de moord op te lossen....