“She puts things together – things you don’t notice when you’re saying them – you don’t think they’re going to mean anything to anyone else. She puts them together and she’s got something you didn’t mean to tell her.”
The speaker is talking about Miss Maud Silver, the first-rate "private enquiry agent" created by author Patricia Wentworth. Miss Silver is often compared to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. The primary difference between them may be that Miss Silver is a professional investigator, where Miss Marple is a gifted amateur. Miss Silver looks like the stereotypical "little old lady," sitting in a corner of the room, busily knitting, while listening to people - particularly suspects in a murder case - reveal their secrets through gossip. Miss Silver's talents are on display in the strange story of the man known as "William Smith," in a book with the rather prosaic title, The Case of William Smith. It's the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the entire review by clicking here.
William Smith - we may as well call him by that name - had awakened in a German military hospital as a prisoner of war during the final years of World War II. He knew nothing of his life prior to that awakening. He did have a British identity disk which said he was “William Smith,” but there really wasn’t any proof one way or the other. As a prisoner of the Germans in World War II, he managed to survive the living death of the concentration camps. After eventually being liberated, he returned to London - he was an English soldier, after all - still with no idea about who he really was. As a skilled craftsman in wood carving - another talent he had obviously developed in his previous life - he got a job making beautiful and intricate toys for children.
And then some unusual things began happening. There were a couple of deaths – people apparently tripping and falling in front of buses. It happened to William Smith, more than once, though he survived. And it bothered Frank Abbott, a Scotland Yard detective who happened to witness one of those attacks. Frank Abbott suggested to William Smith that it might be a very good idea for him to consult an expert – a woman who appeared to be just an inconsequential little old lady – but one who could boast an astounding history of success as a "private enquiry agent." And so Miss Silver becomes involved in the case of William Smith.
Miss Silver presumes that the attacks against Smith are happening because someone from the young man’s lost past has seen – and recognized – him and finds him a threat. She discovers that a number of recent attacks against other people seem to be linked very closely with the one on Bill (I think we can refer to him familiarly now, don't you). So she devotes her energy to uncovering Bill’s past – using her detective skills very cleverly indeed. She also realizes that Bill and the people around him – including the young woman who loves him – are in grave danger until the mystery can be resolved.
I have a confession to make: I’m in love with Maud Silver. Between 1928 and 1961, Patricia Wentworth wrote more than thirty novels featuring her. I think The Case of William Smith is one of the best of them. I suggest you read it and see if you don’t fall in love with Miss Silver too. At the moment, it seems to be most readily available as an e-book, but there seem to be plenty of inexpensive second-hand copies floating around. It's worth the effort.
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