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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Miss Silver Mystery,
By E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Benevent Treasure: Benevent Treasure, The (Mass Market Paperback)
Someone scribbled "Dan 12:4" on the first page of my second-hand copy of "The Benevent Treasure"--"And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament..." Miss Silver is a wise old lady, no doubt about that. She is also a sympathetic listener, although the sound of her knitting needles going click click click might eventually drive her confidant to homicide. That's okay too, since Miss Silver is also a private detective (shades of Miss Marple!).Even though "The Benevent Treasure" has a little old lady detective who knits socks for her nephew, it's not exactly what I would call a 'cozy.' It's the story of two sisters who are so warped by their dominating Victorian father and his screwy legacy that they spend the rest of their lives alone together (except for servants) on the ancient Benevent estate, irritating the living daylights out of each other. A third sister was kicked out of the family for marrying beneath herself, and eventually turned her unmarried siblings into great-aunts, although the two branches of the family don't speak to each other. The story really begins with the Benevent sisters' great-niece, Candida Sayle while she is on a vacation at the sea shore with a school friend. As Candida registers at the seaside hotel, two old ladies dressed in black recommend that she go for a nice walk along the seashore. High tide doesn't occur until 11 P.M., so she has plenty of time for a stroll. Since her friends' train hasn't arrived yet, Candida decides to take their advice, and soon finds herself trapped on the tiny ledge of a very high cliff by a tide that came rolling in at 9 P.M. The teen-ager is rescued by a young man who is studying to be an architect. When they get back to the hotel, the two ladies in black have vanished. Five years pass while Candida, who is an orphan, nurses her aunt Barbara through her final illness. After her aunt's death, Candida receives a letter from the Benevent sisters, inviting her to come live on the ancestral estate with them. They represent a branch of the family that would have nothing to do with Candida's grandmother after her marriage. Nevertheless Candida decides to pay a prolonged visit with her great-aunts (whom she has never met), since she has nowhere else go. Candida makes a well-mannered entrance to the old, Elizabethan family manor at tea-time and we get our first glimpse of the two great-aunts: forbidding, ramrod-stiff Cara (the youngest sister); and timid Olivia (think of Scarlet and Melanie if they'd been buttoned up in the same plantation all of their lives, and had never flirted with anyone, much less Rhett or Ashley). Right away, the mysteries begin to pile up. Candida dozes off for a second while her Great-Aunt Cara is droning on about the proud family lineage, and she dreams that her two old relatives are actually the women in black who tried to drown her five years past. The hidden family treasure (emerald buttons, gold plate, a golden figurine by Cellini) is mentioned. Mysterious hints are dropped as to the disappearance of the Benevents' previous secretary along with a portion of the family jewels. No wonder Candida sees someone creeping into her bedroom through a hidden entrance in the middle of the night! "The Benevent Treasure" isn't much of a mystery--Miss Silver could have left her knitting needles at home and still uncovered the treasure, the missing secretary, and a murderer. Even though it has oodles of gothic atmosphere plus a nice romance, I wouldn't call this mystery a 'cozy.' Too many grim deeds have been done. Plus none of the old ladies are particularly cuddly (and that very definitely includes Miss Silver).
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Gothic Mystery this time,
By
This review is from: The Benevent Treasure (Paperback)
Ms. Wentworth goes gothic in this one. This is an entertaining tale about ancient family secrets, hidden treasure, secret passages and murder. We have two sets of appealing lovers, and two old-maid great aunts to complete the story. The heroine is Candida Sayle, and she is a nice young lady that finds herself asked to visit her two maiden great aunts, but when she arrives at their old house she finds secrets, danger and of course Miss Silver. This is a pretty good story, and quite different than most of the books in the Miss Silver series.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love these old murder mysteries.,
By Clem "mystery fan" (Clermont, FL USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Benevent Treasure (Audio Cassette)
I love these old murder mysteries. For me these are a great escape. I particularly like this author.
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