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Patricia Wentworth
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Silence in Court Kindle Edition

by Patricia Wentworth (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 466 ratings
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This London courtroom drama alternates between a murder trial and the events leading up to the crime

When Carey Silence first arrived at No. 13 Maitland Square, she was orphaned and penniless. Being taken in by her cousin, the very rich and domineering Honoria Maquisten, seemed the answer to her prayers. But what Carey encounters is hardly the safe haven she imagined. Mystery and scandal hang over the household like a shroud. And what is she to make of Jefferson Stewart, her handsome, self-appointed protector? Then Honoria shows Carey a magnificent diamond-and-ruby necklace that she promises will one day belong to her. The next day Honoria announces she’s going to draw up a new will. But before she can put pen to paper, she dies from a fatal dose of sleeping pills. The police descend and Carey is arrested for murder.
 
A classic courtroom drama with mystery, motive, and an abundance of suspects, Silence in Court, from the author of the Miss Silver Mysteries, will keep readers guessing right until the end.
 
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
  5. Publication date
    April 5, 2016
  6. File size
    2944 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patricia Wentworth (1878–1961) was one of the masters of classic English mystery writing. Born in India as Dora Amy Elles, she began writing after the death of her first husband, publishing her first novel in 1910. In the 1920s, she introduced the character who would make her famous: Miss Maud Silver, the former governess whose stout figure, fondness for Tennyson, and passion for knitting served to disguise a keen intellect. Along with Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, Miss Silver is the definitive embodiment of the English style of cozy mysteries.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01BXW8G4A
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (April 5, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 5, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2944 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 466 ratings

About the author

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Patricia Wentworth

Patricia Wentworth

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Patricia Wentworth (1878–1961) was one of the masters of English mystery writing. She published her first novel in 1910 and, in the 1920s, introduced the character who would make her famous: Miss Maud Silver. Along with Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Miss Silver is the definitive embodiment of the English style of cozy mysteries.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
466 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Patto
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 1945 legal thriller
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2017
Verified Purchase
A plethora of excellent courtroom dramas and legal thrillers are being written in the twenty-first century. But Patricia Wentworth had already done it to perfection in 1945.

It's all here -- the damning evidence, the lying witnesses, the tricky cross examinations, and best of all, a lovely young woman on trial for her life. Carey is accused of deliberately administering a fatal overdose to her elderly cousin.

Honoria Maquisten changed her will frequently because it amused her. She is a wonderful old lady -- rich, imperious, always magnificently dressed and bejeweled, and the sole support of a household of penniless relatives. Cousin Carey is a new edition to the household and is immediately added into the will. Was she about to be just as quickly disinherited? Someone was going to be cut, and that someone was certainly the murderer.

Wentworth skillfully leads us to suspect different characters, while the police focus totally on Carey. Fortunately Carey has an admirer. Jeff Stewart falls in love with Carey at first sight. It's Jeff who strengthens Carey's crushed spirits, so that she can support her trial with dignity. Wentworth is brilliant at dialogue, which makes the courtroom scenes particularly riveting. And the teasing repartee between Carey and Jeff makes delightful reading.

The trial is tense. The wartime setting adds to the interest of the plot. One nephew was grievously injured flying. One niece has the job of chauffeuring a general. And Carey was hospitalized after an enemy attack on her train.

This is one of Wentworth's most accomplished crime novels.
18 people found this helpful
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Khirul
4.0 out of 5 stars Decent romantic detection
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2019
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The hero is overdone-- rich, loving at first sight, persistent. The courtroom drama is good, and the heroine's emotions generally well handled. The mystery is fine.
4 people found this helpful
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Customer Cathy
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019
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Carey is hurt in a war accident and is brought to her Aunt Honoria’s house to recover. All the nieces and nephews live with there in hopes of being in the will. The old lady holds the money over all their heads and controls their lives. Aunt Honoria finds out someone has betrayed her, so she sets up a meeting to take them out of her will in front of everyone. Then, Honoria is killed and the newest niece, Carey, is accused. This book is about the trial, the witnesses, and lawyers on both sides. This was a very interesting book that kept me up reading.
5 people found this helpful
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Therese Van Arsdale
3.0 out of 5 stars Gasp, Gasp!
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2021
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Patricia Wentworth wrote this when she was fairly old since it is set during the Second World War but she could have written it much earlier since the heroine has more in common with those die away than she does with the brave girls of the war years. That said, there's drills enough to like about the book for me to.recommend it since the house is full of interesting people. Yes, much more interesting than the heroine. There's the Injured Soldier, The Terriibly Busy Driver, The Dropsicle Cousin, and more living under this roof and they all could have done it or could they? It's a good read. Give it a go a go some gloomy weekend when you want to be somewhere else entirely.
3 people found this helpful
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Guy Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars All rise for Wentworth's "Silence in Court!"
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016
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This is a beautifully intricate story -- what in modern terminology might be called a "procedural" if the policeman's point-of-view were added to that of the witnesses and the accused. After the first few chapters, I had to keep reading more and more! I simply couldn't stop reading until I found the solution. It is a page turner!

So much is said about the Miss Silver stories that finding a novel that is every bit as wonderful as the best Miss Silver is amazing!
8 people found this helpful
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Nena
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2019
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Pretty good plot, but the court scenes were repetitive and a bit boring. The female main character was not very likable. The solution was good.
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Mary S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the Miss Silvers I've read
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2019
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This book does a fine job of developing well-rounded, believable characters and also their emotions. It is deeper and thereby, to me anyway, more satisfying. Carey Silence as the heroine is a very sympathetic character. You will be on the edge of your seat rooting for her .... but the outlook is bleak ......
3 people found this helpful
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W. Laine
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Mystery & Courtroom Drama
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2019
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This is an excellent combination of mystery & courtroom drama. The first page, describing the defendant's feelings, is brilliantly written! Read that sample first page as a recommendation of the rest.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Dorene Meyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written!
Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2018
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Another great example of Patricia Wentworth's excellent story-telling ability. Enjoyed every bit of this book - from start to finish!
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FR
5.0 out of 5 stars Un de mes préférés (non Miss Silver)
Reviewed in France on January 31, 2018
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L'héroïne n'est pas nouille comme souvent.
L'intrigue est très bien montée.
Les personnages attachants.
Et l'ambiance inimitable de Patricia Wentworth est au rendez-vous
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CatsAndBooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2017
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Not a 'mystery' in the sense of Patricia Wentworth's other books, but a gripping novel that's partly a courtroom drama. I was riveted while I read it. The scene in court were tense, more gripping than I thought a courtroom drama could be (without lengthy legal technicalities).
However, I was left to wonder what the outcome would have been had the missing witness not turned up in the last minute. This felt a bit Deus Ex Machina to me.
4 people found this helpful
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Ron
5.0 out of 5 stars NIce read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2019
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Love these thrillers and keep them to read again in the future.
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