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Ernest Lamb #2
Who Pays the Piper?
“I wouldn’t like to make you really angry, darling. You know, the only time I did you nearly scared me dead. I believe if you were really roused you might do something rather frightful.”
Lucas Dale, new owner of King’s Bourne, was flirting with danger when he showed his priceless collection of pearls to the guests assembled in his period salon. But when, under threat, he forced lovely Susan Lenox to break her engagement and consent to marry him, he started a train of events that inevitably led to murder, shattering the quiet of the English village. Bill Carrick, Susan’s former fiancé, is the primary suspect, but as Inspector Ernest Lamb and Detective Frank Abbott soon discover, Dale’s questionable past offered motives of revenge and greed to darken the mystery. Motives which would lead another victim into the path of murder…
Who Pays the Piper? was first published in 1940. 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
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Patricia Wentworth
180 books548 followersPatricia Wentworth--born Dora Amy Elles--was a British crime fiction writer.
She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London. After the death of her first husband, George F. Dillon, in 1906, she settled in Camberley, Surrey. She married George Oliver Turnbull in 1920 and they had one daughter.
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.
Miss Silver, a retired governess-turned private detective, is sometimes compared to Jane Marple, the elderly detective created by Agatha Christie. She works closely with Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Frank Abbott and is fond of quoting the poet Tennyson.
Wentworth also wrote 34 books outside of that series.
She was educated privately and at Blackheath High School in London. After the death of her first husband, George F. Dillon, in 1906, she settled in Camberley, Surrey. She married George Oliver Turnbull in 1920 and they had one daughter.
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.
Miss Silver, a retired governess-turned private detective, is sometimes compared to Jane Marple, the elderly detective created by Agatha Christie. She works closely with Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Frank Abbott and is fond of quoting the poet Tennyson.
Wentworth also wrote 34 books outside of that series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 1, 2017
Wealthy Lucas Dale, having made his fortune in seemingly rather shady business dealings in the States, has returned to England, buying up the stately pile in the village of Netherbourne, somewhere in the home counties. He has generously let the widow, Mrs. O'Hara, of the previous incumbent stay on in a cottage in the grounds along with her daughter Cathy and her orphaned niece Susan Lenox; in fact, he has even given the frail-spirited Cathy a sinecure as his personal secretary. But how generous is he really? His motive in all this is to lure Susan into marrying him, even though Susan is engaged to and very much in love with Bill Carrick, a broke but up-and-coming architect.
Dale frames Cathy for having stolen items from his pearl collection and then, as the young woman collapses in a bag of nerves, tells Susan that the only way she can stop him prosecuting her cousin is to agree to marry him. Realizing that a prosecution would destroy Cathy, and even more so a conviction, Susan despairingly agrees. Dale changes his will accordingly, posts the banns, and so on.
Thus when Dale gets a bullet through his brain there's no huge distress, at least on the part of this reader. The trouble is that both Bill and Susan have powerful motives . . .
Enter Inspector Lamb, whose stubborn insistence that Bill must be the killer means he jumps to every wrong conclusion on offer, and his young sidekick Frank Abbott, whom I assume is the same Frank Abbott who in later life will work with Wentworth's series detective Miss Silver.
It's all a splendid setup, but the novel does get a bit bogged down in the middle, precisely because of that stubbornness of Lamb's: his case can never actually make any progress. In the end the mystery is solved not because of any deduction on Lamb's or anybody's part but because someone who witnessed the murder, and has stupidly been keeping silence about it, finally sees the sense in telling Lamb all. It's only at this late stage that we're given information that allows us to infer the killer's motive.
Really, then, this is a rather poor mystery novel, although Wentworth's a good enough writer that I enjoyed reading it, even the bogged-down parts.
Dale frames Cathy for having stolen items from his pearl collection and then, as the young woman collapses in a bag of nerves, tells Susan that the only way she can stop him prosecuting her cousin is to agree to marry him. Realizing that a prosecution would destroy Cathy, and even more so a conviction, Susan despairingly agrees. Dale changes his will accordingly, posts the banns, and so on.
Thus when Dale gets a bullet through his brain there's no huge distress, at least on the part of this reader. The trouble is that both Bill and Susan have powerful motives . . .
Enter Inspector Lamb, whose stubborn insistence that Bill must be the killer means he jumps to every wrong conclusion on offer, and his young sidekick Frank Abbott, whom I assume is the same Frank Abbott who in later life will work with Wentworth's series detective Miss Silver.
It's all a splendid setup, but the novel does get a bit bogged down in the middle, precisely because of that stubbornness of Lamb's: his case can never actually make any progress. In the end the mystery is solved not because of any deduction on Lamb's or anybody's part but because someone who witnessed the murder, and has stupidly been keeping silence about it, finally sees the sense in telling Lamb all. It's only at this late stage that we're given information that allows us to infer the killer's motive.
Really, then, this is a rather poor mystery novel, although Wentworth's a good enough writer that I enjoyed reading it, even the bogged-down parts.
July 11, 2022
This was so much more enjoyable than the first Inspector Lamb. Yes, same sorts of stereotypical characters, but knowing what you are expecting and hoping for and getting it when you pick up a book is sometimes just what you need. This title had much more Lamb and Abbott.
The depth of Frank Abbott as a man came out so much more than in the first book in this series--heartwarmingly so to me. He was rather enamored with one of the characters and his feelings about her strength of characters were rather wistfully displayed in this passage: "The strained patience had gone from her eyes. The deep blue was serene again, but he saw a faint distress just touch the surface. That was all he could ever hope for--just to touch the surface of her thought. The deeps were not for him." Not profound, not, but a little bit more emotion than one might find in a book such as this.
I liked this a lot and was surprised at the culprit.
The depth of Frank Abbott as a man came out so much more than in the first book in this series--heartwarmingly so to me. He was rather enamored with one of the characters and his feelings about her strength of characters were rather wistfully displayed in this passage: "The strained patience had gone from her eyes. The deep blue was serene again, but he saw a faint distress just touch the surface. That was all he could ever hope for--just to touch the surface of her thought. The deeps were not for him." Not profound, not, but a little bit more emotion than one might find in a book such as this.
I liked this a lot and was surprised at the culprit.
October 16, 2019
3.5*
Pretty good mystery but I missed Miss Silver!
Pretty good mystery but I missed Miss Silver!
July 27, 2021
Kinda obvious mystery. Would have been better with Miss Silver in it, but also our heroine could have had a bit more backbone.
December 27, 2016
One of those aggravating old-fashioned mysteries that would be about 20 pages long if the heroine had any gumption. The murder itself was well thought-out and tricky to solve, so there's that.
October 30, 2020
This isn't a Miss Silver series book, but it does feature the policeman duo, Lamb and Abbott, who come to join the Miss Silver series soon after this three book series ends. In fact, the first two novels of the policemen's series resemble two Miss Silver books in many respects (authorial recycling, perhaps?), so much so that I was getting deja vu.
We have a typical Wentworth country manor house, the impoverished former owners, and the brash new-money new owner, imposing himself over the grounds, house and everyone around him.
I was enjoying this book until a very silly premise entered the story just before the murder, about one third of a way in. There really is nothing the powerful man has over the young woman; it is just his word against hers and her cousin's. There is nothing to hold over her and make her do as he wishes. She is an idiot, a real sap, to comply with his demands (her boyfriend points it out too, by the way, later)!
After that silliness, I had a hard time taking any of it seriously. Then when the idiot woman says he won't take the money and her ancestral home back when she has the chance, to relieve her mother and sister's lives and to finance her husband's start in his chosen career, I just wanted to shoot her and put US out of our misery. For heaven's sake, be real Patricia Wentworth!
We have a typical Wentworth country manor house, the impoverished former owners, and the brash new-money new owner, imposing himself over the grounds, house and everyone around him.
I was enjoying this book until a very silly premise entered the story just before the murder, about one third of a way in. There really is nothing the powerful man has over the young woman; it is just his word against hers and her cousin's. There is nothing to hold over her and make her do as he wishes. She is an idiot, a real sap, to comply with his demands (her boyfriend points it out too, by the way, later)!
After that silliness, I had a hard time taking any of it seriously. Then when the idiot woman says he won't take the money and her ancestral home back when she has the chance, to relieve her mother and sister's lives and to finance her husband's start in his chosen career, I just wanted to shoot her and put US out of our misery. For heaven's sake, be real Patricia Wentworth!
October 24, 2020
Tough start, because you just want the murdered person to be murdered that much faster - I don't think I've encountered a murder victim I wanted to be dead sooner than the murderer does...
It's a very interesting read. A bit less enthralling than Wentworth's other stories (that I've read so far), but you do get into the hunt for the murderer easily. By the end, I was still rather surprised.
It's also very lovely to read about Frank Abbott and his superintendent in a more ... I almost want to say amiable way, as there is usually quite a bit of ego getting in the way of the superintendent when Miss Silver is there. A pleasure to read more about their detecting when miss Silver doesn't solve it all for them
It's a very interesting read. A bit less enthralling than Wentworth's other stories (that I've read so far), but you do get into the hunt for the murderer easily. By the end, I was still rather surprised.
It's also very lovely to read about Frank Abbott and his superintendent in a more ... I almost want to say amiable way, as there is usually quite a bit of ego getting in the way of the superintendent when Miss Silver is there. A pleasure to read more about their detecting when miss Silver doesn't solve it all for them
November 16, 2021
I am delighted to find so many Wentworth "Stand Alone" mysteries recently re-published. This one is 2nd of the 3 that feature Inspector Ernest Lamb and Detective Sargent Frank Abbot. The usual stock of characters inhabit this book: the strong woman, the weak sister, the love interest, the wicked [uncle-aunt-other relation], and so on. Of course, the boy friend is in jeopardy because he is the main suspect, and we (the readers) all know he didn't do it. The best thing about the book was that from the host of suspects, the real killer remained a secret until quite close the end--and I did not suspect that person until to guided to it by the author's process of elimination.
January 25, 2023
An emotional rollercoaster of blackmail and murder. Written in 1940, Miss Wentworth is still figuring out Frank Abbot. Miss Silver has yet to enter his life to provide a stable figure, but he still manages to solve the mystery. A delightful collection of characters ranging from an eager young architect to the village girl "walking out" with William. I particularly liked Mrs. Green.
Several characters mention relatives who died in Word War I, as did Patricia Wentworth, who lost two of her three stepsons.
Several characters mention relatives who died in Word War I, as did Patricia Wentworth, who lost two of her three stepsons.
April 29, 2024
Well, I’ve learned that the ideal setting for reading a Wentworth is NOT in small spurts over time, especially when the plot hinges on a dozen dull characters who each reveal that their implacable alibi actually isn’t, etc. I’ll save my unread books by this author for a sunny day when I have a few open hours and a new bag of sunflower seeds.
I do feel for Detective Frank Abbott, though — always falling for the girl who is engaged to the suspect or whatever. Does he ever find a girl or did Patricia Wentworth die with him still unattached and pining?
I do feel for Detective Frank Abbott, though — always falling for the girl who is engaged to the suspect or whatever. Does he ever find a girl or did Patricia Wentworth die with him still unattached and pining?
June 27, 2017
Early Bird Deal | Nothing exciting, pretty straightforward, nice to see Abbott but Lamb was a pain. | If you just enjoy cozy British murder mysteries of the time period, it's a good example. The victim is particularly loathsome, so that's always nice. While Lamb complains that Abbott is prejudiced in favor of his own class, Lamb himself is prejudiced against them, which was irritating. Not a lot to say on this one, there's nothing remarkable about it, but perfectly ok.
May 12, 2021
Not the greatest Wentworth book
Not a terrible book, but too sentimental for my taste. The plot is encumbered by a lot of drama; too much heartbreak and tears, turning pale (and then even paler), men getting angry etc.
Also, lots of unidimensional characters. Each female has one and only job in the book: Susan is seductive, Cathy is about to faint, Vicar’s wife cries while looking like a hen, Mrs. Green talks too much, etc.
Not a terrible book, but too sentimental for my taste. The plot is encumbered by a lot of drama; too much heartbreak and tears, turning pale (and then even paler), men getting angry etc.
Also, lots of unidimensional characters. Each female has one and only job in the book: Susan is seductive, Cathy is about to faint, Vicar’s wife cries while looking like a hen, Mrs. Green talks too much, etc.
March 6, 2021
The unpleasant but wealthy Lucas tries to blackmail Susan into marrying him, and shortly turns up dead in his study. The initial suspects are Susan and her hot tempered fiancée but it turns out that there are a lot more people that want Lucas dead than previously suspected! I enjoyed it but kept expecting Miss Silver to appear
April 3, 2022
Not as entertaining as her Miss Silver mysteries, although it is nice to see how she foregrounded the secondary characters from that series. A rich bully is murdered, and there are plenty of suspects. However there are WAAY too many people keeping obviously crucial information to themselves, and the solution is a murder scene that resembled a French farce!
Read
April 6, 2022This is pretty standard fare for Wentworth, but a satisfying book, nonetheless. It's something of a crossover story, since it involves two detectives from the Miss Silver series. Although the characters will seem familiar to readers of any of Wentworth's other mysteries, there are enough twists and turns in this one to keep the reader engaged till the very end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2026
So so
This book does a lot of what bores me about murder mysteries. Endless repetition. Every fact has to be repeated, etc., etc., etc. I didn't care about any of these people either. The man who is murdered is so vile that you actually wonder how he managed to live as long as he did. To my mind, there are many Patricia Wentworth books to enjoy, I just didn't enjoy this one.
This book does a lot of what bores me about murder mysteries. Endless repetition. Every fact has to be repeated, etc., etc., etc. I didn't care about any of these people either. The man who is murdered is so vile that you actually wonder how he managed to live as long as he did. To my mind, there are many Patricia Wentworth books to enjoy, I just didn't enjoy this one.
October 22, 2016
Loved it-- dizzying plot twists
You won't get bored with this page turner. As always, Wentworth serves up an exciting mystery with so many red herrings and surprises you'll want to plan ahead to read in one sitting!
You won't get bored with this page turner. As always, Wentworth serves up an exciting mystery with so many red herrings and surprises you'll want to plan ahead to read in one sitting!
January 24, 2019
Lovely cozy mystery
Frank Abbott without Miss Silver, but still enjoyable. So many suspects! I couldn't guess who the murderer was until the end. I intend to continue reading the Ernest Lamb mysteries, but they should be called the Frank Abbott mysteries!
Frank Abbott without Miss Silver, but still enjoyable. So many suspects! I couldn't guess who the murderer was until the end. I intend to continue reading the Ernest Lamb mysteries, but they should be called the Frank Abbott mysteries!
Read
August 14, 2022Interesting
Good plotline, but a little drawn out. I get a little of the fuzzy type , who always holds on to some important info, for an equally fuzzy reason. Good characters, well drawn.
Good plotline, but a little drawn out. I get a little of the fuzzy type , who always holds on to some important info, for an equally fuzzy reason. Good characters, well drawn.
December 24, 2022
Who Pays the Piper?
I am addicted to Patricia Wentworth books! At first I thought it was only Miss Silver, but her characters are so well put together she makes you care for them almost from the first page.
I am addicted to Patricia Wentworth books! At first I thought it was only Miss Silver, but her characters are so well put together she makes you care for them almost from the first page.
June 16, 2025
The story was a bit more convoluted than usual. I did not expect the killer until the great reveal, but I didn’t think any of her other supposed killers could actually have committed the crime. It was not as much of a lark to read as her other books.
May 30, 2026
A complicated mystery made infinitely more complicated by several elderly characters who just loved to talk and talk. Oh my goodness, the time of it the police detectives had dragging information out of them!
July 24, 2017
Definitely cozy
Pleasant mystery as usual for Wentworth, but missing the satirical edge which is often found in her work. Comes off as formulaic but still nice.
Pleasant mystery as usual for Wentworth, but missing the satirical edge which is often found in her work. Comes off as formulaic but still nice.
September 22, 2017
It picked up as it went along.
June 12, 2018
Frank Abbott and his mental asides are the cherry on top of this mystery.
December 26, 2019
Marvelous Mystery
Patricia Wentworth never lets you down if you are looking for a fine and complicated mystery with well-flushed characters. A very good read!
Patricia Wentworth never lets you down if you are looking for a fine and complicated mystery with well-flushed characters. A very good read!
April 16, 2020
It's a clever mystery, but most of the characters were either idiots or despicable, or both.
January 7, 2022
A good read, good story, but I missed Miss Silver. To me Lamb does not carry a book on his own.
May 28, 2022
Very good stuff even without Miss Silver.
June 10, 2022
Fun murder mystery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews