Fool Errant by Patricia Wentworth

Fool Errant by Patricia Wentworth

You mustn't go to Meade House. I've heard...

Ambrose Minstrel, the inventor, is undoubtedly eccentric. But even his oddities cannot account for the strange events at Meade House. Young Hugo Ross, Minstrel's new secretary, feels that all the dark happenings centre somehow on himself - cryptic remarks and veiled glances between Minstrel and his assistant, stealthy footsteps in the dead of night, the offer of a small fortune for the worthless field glasses. And then there is the unknown girl who had called from the dark, the rest of her statement swallowed by the night? But in spite of all his caution, Hugo Ross is drawn into a despicable plot involving government intrigue and espionage. With his own life on the line, how much is he willing to risk for his country?

Fool Errant was originally published in 1929, and introduced the eccentric, elderly series character of Benbow Smith. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

When I pick up a book by Patricia Wentworth I think, now to enjoy myself - and I always do. Mary Dell, Daily Mirror

Patricia Wentworth (1878-1961) was a master of the traditional English mystery novel. Dora Amy Elles was born in India, and following the loss of her first husband, she began writing, publishing her first novel in 1910. Miss Maud Silver, the former governess whose heavy figure, liking for Tennyson, and enthusiasm for knitting served to mask a bright brain, was introduced in the 1920s and became her most famous character. Miss Silver is the definitive representation of the English style of cozy mysteries, alongside Agatha Christie's Miss Marple.