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The Annam Jewel: A Golden Age Mystery

Patricia Wentworth

Start date: July 1, 2017

Finish date: July 31, 2017

Discussion: Group reads

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Group reads

* Nominations for November 2025 group read
By Judy · 18 posts · 21 views

last updated Sep 05, 2025 03:20PM

* Sept 25: Lonesome Road (#3 Miss Silver Mysteries) by Patricia Wentworth
By Susan · 13 posts · 11 views

last updated Sep 03, 2025 12:03PM

What Members Thought

Jul 10, 2017 Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vintage-retro-romance, mystery-murder-crime-20th-century, young-adult

I belong to the Reading the Detectives Group. Another member (thanks Abbey!) says this genre was very popular in the early 1900's. It was called Young Ladies novels & it was an early form of YA. Good to know. I felt horribly like I'd accidentally stepped into an Enid Blyton children's novel (& I'm not a Blyton fan!)

Things improved after Our Hero Peter rescued his adopted sister Rose-Ellen from an orphanage (although the way Rose-Ellen called him Peter De-ah Every Single Time she spoke to him t ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Susan rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Patricia Wentworth is best known for her Miss Silver mysteries, the first of which, “Grey Mask,” was published in 1928. However, she also wrote many other books, including many stand alone novels. This, “The Annam Jewel,” was published in 1924, a few years before the appearance of Miss Silver and involves a mysterious sacred jewel, stolen from a temple in Annam.

Peter Waring is twelve when we first meet him and has been told he will inherit the Annam Jewel when he is twenty five. His mother has Patricia Wentworth is best known for her Miss Silver mysteries, the first of which, “Grey Mask,” was published in 1928. However, she also wrote many other books, including many stand alone novels. This, “The Annam Jewel,” was published in 1924, a few years before the appearance of Miss Silver and involves a mysterious sacred jewel, stolen from a temple in Annam.

Peter Waring is twelve when we first meet him and has been told he will inherit the Annam Jewel when he is twenty five. His mother has recently died and his relatives are less than enthusiastic about taking on the care of either Peter, or his adopted sister, eight year old Rose Ellen. Although the relatives unwillingly agree to pay for Peter’s education and take turns having him for holidays, they are certainly not prepared to care for Rose Ellen and she is shunted off to an orphanage. However, Peter is a not a young man to turn away from responsibility and he decides he must do something about Rose Ellen. This is probably the most enjoyable part of the book and the beginning was certainly the section I enjoyed most.

However, once Peter reaches adulthood, he is somewhat smitten by the manipulative and beautiful Sylvia Coverdale, whose family also have links to the jewel. Once Peter inherits this, he discovers there are many others who are keen to get their hands on something so valuable. This involves a story of even more outlandish coincidences, conspiracies and plans, fake jewels and copies…

Peter is a very typical young product of his class and his time. He is often tongue tied, gets himself into tricky situations because he feels he cannot leave a woman in trouble and is horrified by any hint of dishonesty. Although it is obvious that Sylvia offer nothing more than a pretty face and a devious heart, he is oblivious to the better qualities of Rose Ellen. However, by the end of the book, so was I. If I read the words, “Petah de-ah!” once more I would have happily thrown her off a cliff and walked away, with no care for the Annam jewel or anyone who had anything to do with it. The characters were infuriating, the plot so full of bizarre coincidences it lacked any credibility and this was not a great read – even for someone like me who enjoys Golden Age mysteries.

Still, there was obviously the beginnings of a good novel here, even if it got somewhat lost and I do enjoy Miss Silver, so I am glad that I read Miss Silver before this. Had I read this first, I doubt I would have picked up another Wentworth novel, but perhaps I will stay away from the stand alones and stick to the series.

...more

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Jun 06, 2017 John Frankham rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-detective

An early, pre-Miss Silver, 1920s adventure mystery from Patricia Wentworth. A cross between The Moonstone, Georgette Heyer, John Buchan.

Can our hero, and heroine (whom he rescued from an orpnanage when they were separated as young children) avoid the death and destruction caused by the Annam Jewel, stolen by an earlier generation, from the East, bringing bad luck to those who own, or want to own, it? Can they come through this alive, and will there be a happy ending.

You need to read it to find o ...more

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Jul 10, 2017 Leslie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-suspense, ebook

Entertaining romantic thriller but not as good as Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone with which it shares many similarities. I prefer Wentworth's Miss Silver mysteries but I am glad that I tried this earlier stand-alone. ...more

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Jun 28, 2017 Jill rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This was quite a disappointment . At first it put me in mind of Indiana Jones, which had me hooked. Then it shifted to the story of two young children and their lives, which was interesting and held my attention. However, as they grew older and their childishness should have left them, it continued with the girl talking in a very babyish way and the boy becoming a real pain. After a pretty farcical skirmish with a what can only be called a villain, I had,had enough of them, but saw it through to ...more

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Jul 01, 2017 Sandy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-classic, rread-2017

Not for me. I didn't like the lead characters, nor did I care who got the jewel. ...more

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Aug 06, 2017 Marcus Vinicius rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

Less Mystery than Romance
The Annam Jewel is a romance, wrongly labeled as a mystery book. It's actually a soap opera with a story sometimes engaging, sometimes boring. The early life of Peter and Rose Ellen is presented. The Jewel has a part of it. Once you come to this work with a proper expectation, you can enjoy it a bit. ...more

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