This may be a Golden Age book, but the book itself is perhaps bronze, or tin. Successive illogical happenings, the flightiest girl ever, a hero cast in the bumbling-but-ultimately-triumphant Brit mold, a fake femme fatale, and an untenable plot leave you with the impression that what you're reading is more a comic book than anything else. You’ve made me want to read this even though I gave up on Miss Silver at least twenty years ago. I have never tried a Benbow Smith book. The brave young Loveday and the vampish Madame de Lara are the two poles of womanhood in these espionage novels. Loveday is pure and childlike, prone to mad acts of bravery followed by weeping on Hugo's manly shoulder. She nearly gets sold into white slavery due to trusting the wrong people. I mean, reely. Madame de Lara is a vamp, a scamp, and a bit of a tramp. She is not so much evil as greedy. She wrote a series of 32 classic-style whodunnits featuring Miss Silver, the first of which was published in 1928, and the last in 1961, the year of her death.

crossexaminingcrime: We have the love interest, though thankfully the woman although a bit of twerp is bearable. Ultimately she redeems herself at the end, as during the middle of the book I think both me and Ross wanted to slap her, as she finds him too dictatorial when he advises sensible decisions e.g. Let’s not make lots of noise to attract the bad guys’ attentions. […]

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I really love these books from between the wars. Well, I'm not crazy about the casual racism, sexism, and xenophobia, but the core of the story is corny genius. Hugo alternates between blushing and stammering like an ingenue and doing the right thing because, dash it all, he's an English gentleman. from Vulgar Latin iterāre (compare Late Latin itinerāre, itinerāri ( “ to travel, voyage ” )), from Latin iter ( “ a route (including a journey, trip; a course; a path; a road) ” ), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- ( “ to go ” ); and I found the two Miss Silver novels I had the misfortune of reading very, very dull, but this one sounds far more intriguing. I might give Wentworth another try.

A week after Chandler's version was released in the UK, English singer Billy Fury released his own version, titled "Do You Really Love Me Too (Fool's Errand)", as a single, which peaked at number 13 on the Record Retailer Top 50. [5] Release and reception [ edit ] 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? Next, he takes up a position as secretary to a surly, eccentric genius, only to find himself in the middle of dark doings...yes, it's espionage! On a dark, foggy night, Hugo Ross encounters a beautiful woman. She claims to be running away and begs Hugo not to tell anyone that he’s seen her. Before boarding her train, she warns him not to take the job he’s applying for: secretary to eccentric inventor Ambrose Minstrel. The train pulls away, and the stunning stranger is gone.The villains come from Central Casting. Someone phoned Baddies R Us and requested one evil scientist, one dark and dangerous brute, and a red-headed Bolshie. Fantastic!

Arrant means complete or absolute. Errant means (1) roving, or (2) straying from the proper course. Arrant was originally a variant of errant,but it long ago developed a meaning of its own. It has negative connotations, usually modifyingnegative nouns (e.g., arrant fool, arrant nonsense). Maybe I should try this title first? But it seems as if the latest Dean Street Press release of Wentworth novels lean towards adventure rather than mystery/ puzzle? Further events follow, with the sinister plot against Ross unfolding rapidly. The tension builds up as the day of the “theft” arrives. Wentworth is adept at continually surprising the reader in the final section of the novel leaving the reader wondering if Ross will be triumphant or whether he will be ultimately enveloped by the machinations against him. Things do not go to plan for either side and Ross has the additional task of saving the woman he loves, as this being a Wentworth novel, there must be a love interest. A fun and humorous picaresque tale set on Old Earth concerning a spoiled young man and his older and no-nonsense travelling companion. Each chapter is headed by a story fragment which relates a tale set in Old Earth's history and is great fun in itself. Each chapter is also a complete story in itself, while also driving the whole tale forward.This is my second non-Miss Silver novel by Wentworth, with my first being Silence in Court (1945) and one of the main things this second read has taught me is that Wentworth is a much more creative writer when she is not tied down by the character of Miss Silver. Furthermore, I think in the beginning of the novel Wentworth shows brief moments of a much more literary, possibly even modernist writing style. But in all in all this is a thriller, a genre which actually marries well with Wentworth’s writing skills and penchant for including romance. As the two main characters travel Old Earth, we are introduced to many strange and wonderous towns, cities and especially societies, and the pair never fail to get into some kind of trouble. The fun is watching them try and get out of it! Filidor, nephew and sole remaining heir of the Archon, has been kind of a dandy. He is at a club partying with his superficial friends when he gets a summons to see the Archon. It's a dwarf that has carried the message who recognizes that Filidor will try to squirm his way out of the meeting and won't let him out of his sight. They go to Binch to find they've just missed him, the same thing at Ektop, Zeel and Jasp. chiefly with a negative connotation , obsolete ) Obsolete form of arrant ( “ complete; downright, utter ” ). si est un pople qe n’est mie erranz; Ja n'istra de son regne If it's a people that is not nomadic, it will never leave his kingdom