Grey Mask

Grey mask is the first in a long series of Miss Silver stories, and is not a typical example. Miss Silver plays a minor role in this story, but gradually becomes more important in the later novels. All of the stories are charming in their old-fashioned style. Each one has a heroine who ends up in peril; a hero who assists Miss Silver in bringing about a happy ending; a scheming villain; usually an admiring policeman left floundering in Miss Silvers wake, and plenty of excitement along the way. The order of reading doesn't matter greatly. As far as I can recall, the only notable change during the whole series is that her first inside-contact in the police force is swapped for a younger model after a few books. It is easy to confuse one book with another after you have read a lot of them, as they don't vary greatly in style or plot device. But that isn't a bad thing for me; they are my go-to comfort-read, or preferably comfort-listen. If you can get the audio books, brilliantly read by Diana Bishop, you will love them. She really gets the period tone and voices just right. I listen to them all again every now and then, on long car journeys or when I'm under the weather. They are the perfect cozy mystery treat.