Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth

I read both print and Kindle books, and Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth was my recent Kindle read. Grey Mask was the first in the Miss Silver mysteries that Wentworth wrote. Even though the book was written in 1928, it's still an interesting and thrilling read. Grey Mask is the name of a master criminal who is running a crime ring out of Charles Moray's house. Charles has been out of the country for several years after his broken engagement, and returns just in time to spy on a meeting of the gang. Charles is ready to bust the ring when he is shocked to see his former fiancee, Margaret Langton participating. As Charles listens, he cannot determine Margaret's involvement, but he does learn of a heinous plot against a young 18-year-old heiress, Margot Standing, whose father, Edward Standing, was recently swept overboard on his yacht in the Caribbean. Pushed overboard is actually what happened. Standing was murdered so his nephew, Egbert would collect the large inheritance. The gang plans on destroying all evidence that Margot is the legitimate daughter of Edward Standing and on destroying the will. Instead of going to the police, because of Margaret's involvement with the gang, Charles goes to Miss Silver, who has built quite a reputation in the wealthier classes as a private investigator. Miss Silver is knows to intelligently and discretely handle sensitive matters. Not only does Miss Silver accept Charles' case, but she seems to have a greater understanding of the Grey Mask gang. That's the surprising thing about Miss Silver. She looks very unassuming, and she's always knitting something or other, but she is lightening quick in figuring out what the heck is going on. Also, Miss Silver, unlike Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, actively investigates crimes, even trailing suspects to learn more about their evil doings. Meanwhile, Charles and Margaret come upon Margot, who escaped from her cousin, Egbert, after overhearing his plot to murder her. Charles tries to keep Margot safe from the gang, while he also questions Margaret's true involvement in the situation. Can Charles trust Margaret? Can they keep Margot safe from the Grey Mask? Who is Grey Mask?

Boy, did I enjoy reading Grey Mask! It was thrilling and exciting. The plot was convoluted enough to keep the reader guessing what was going to happen next. I have to admit that I did not foresee one of the twists in the end. I did figure who Grey Mask was, but there was a lot more going on than I figured out. One of the things that I love about Wentworth's Miss Silver books is that there is always a romantic relationship developing throughout the story. In Grey Mask, it is the relationship between Charles and Margaret, the former engaged couple. Then there is the budding relationship between Margot and Archie Manning, Charles' buddy, who helps him with the threat against Margot. In the end, everything is satisfactorily tied up. I like happy endings, and Grey Mask's ending was very satisfying!