Friday, May 12, 2023

Dead or Alive — Patrica Wentworth


Believe it or not, while traveling I find I have more reading time than at home where work, gardening, cooking, shopping, and TV steal away valuable reading time. But on vacation, there are planes, “down time” between excursions, and lazy mornings that mean more reading time!

This trip I finally dug into Patricia Wentworth, starting with Dead and Alive, the first of two in her Frank Garrett series. I chose it mainly because it was one of two PW’s available as ebooks from my library, and it did not disappoint. I gave it a solid 4 stars on Goodreads, which makes it a very good mystery.

Set in the 1930s (published in 1936), it is a thriller in which Meg O’Hara’s ne’er-do-well husband has been missing and presumed dead for almost a year. She is slowly starving as he left no money, she can’t find a job, and her eccentric well-off uncle and former guardian has taken a turn for the even more eccentric and can’t be bothered to advance her some money on which to live.

Enter Bill Cloverdale (aka lovesick childhood friend on a white horse) who sets out to help Meg survive, prove her husband is dead so she can be officially declared a widow, and (hopefully) agree to marry him.

But true love never did run smoothly. Before Meg can share her life with her one true love (was that too big a spoiler?), she must first battle a ruthless criminal gang, swim for her life, dodge multiple attempts on that same life, rescue her dotty uncle, and put some meat on her bones. Meg is plucky but polite and can dredge up nerves of steel when they are most needed. I absolutely loved spending time with her.

Not entirely sure why the author decided this was a Frank Garrett mystery as he barely figured in the story. Perhaps she had high hopes that he would rise to the occasion of being a first-rate Golden Age detective as she sort of eased him into the picture, but Meg and Bill were the stars of this story for sure. Kept me on edge and guessing til the end. Definitely a good book to travel with.

Now, time for me to get a few chapters into my next PW mystery, Fool Errant, before lights out.


2 comments:

  1. So is Meg in the next one in the series? I guess I don't know much about PW. But this book sounds enjoyable, especially while traveling. Happy reading.

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  2. AnonymousMay 15, 2023

    Hi Jane I have been curious about this author and am glad to hear that you enjoyed the novel. Wentworth has a Miss Silver series I might begin with. The first book in the series Grey Mask.

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