The Fingerprint

By: Patricia Wentworth

Narrated by: Diana Bishop

Miss Silver joins a friend from Scotland Yard to investigate a suspicious suicide.

Frank Abbott’s vacations never last very long, and his trip to Field End is no exception. He has hardly enjoyed a moment of Jonathan Field’s hospitality before tragedy strikes. A niece ventures into old Jonathan’s study at night to ask him a question, and finds him stone cold with a revolver by his hand. An obvious suicide, it seems, but Inspector Abbott is not so sure.

He asks his friend Maud Silver, the brilliant detective, for assistance. She agrees it must be murder. But who is the killer? Assisting their investigation is the dead man’s strange habit of fingerprinting all who come to visit. But there are fingerprints all over the house, and solving this murder will require Miss Silver’s particularly delicate touch.

©1956 Patricia Wentworth (P)2008 Isis Publishing Ltd.

Very Enjoyable Listen

Another wonderful Patricia Wentworth story! Her books tend to be somewhat formulaic, but nevertheless I do find them entertaining. This the first one I found somewhat scary.

Another enjoyable mystery with Miss Silver

Thus mystery is another solid mystery with Miss Silver that has Frank Abbott as the lead investigator in a murder. It was interesting to read about previous characters from The Eternity Ring. These characters included Frank’s relatives and the young woman who had been injured and spent time listening in on phone calls. (I do wonder why she can’t have a wheelchair to get about. Cecily Abbott, now Hathaway is her friends and wealthy. It seems like she would have been willing to provide it given she visits her frequently to bring her books. But then again, she would not have been sitting in her bed with the telephone at hand 24/7 so that she could provide vital information that lead to the discovery of the murderer. It would have been a good to include in the wrap up to give her a happier ending, so to speak. But, I have digressed…). Miss Silver’s sensitivity to which approach will coax an individual to share information is admirable. I am encouraged to exhibit patience in interactions with others. Diana Bishop’s narration is excellent, as always. She is the voice of Miss Silver. She can portray a male voice without sounding as if she is trying to force a low tone that sounds angry or stiff, as I have observed with other female narrators attempting to portray male characters. Overall, the audio book is a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience.

Fairly Predictable but Still Well Done

Story like a cozy Sherlock Holmes. Villains fairly obvious but the story is full and complete, the characters well rounded out and believable. Satisfying ending. Narrator one of my favorite readers. Took a minute to get into the book since so many characters were introduced at once but past that, fine. Got through in one day. Not life changing but kept my mind busy at work and I didn’t tire of it.

Clean and appropriate for a teenager too. You may have to explain that “make love” at this time meant flirt or court.

Love Miss Silver!

As usual, a wonderful Miss Silver mystery: A cozy whodunit that ends well for the good guys. I own all of the Miss Silver mysteries available on Audible and wish that they would make more! I generally like all of Patricia Wentworth’s writing, but the Miss Silver books are her very best.