Keeps you on the edge of your seat until you get to the end. Lots of twists and turns and unexpected things in this story. Entertaining and interesting characters to help build the story. Good read.

A breath-holding, staying-up-all-night-to-finish romp! Albeit with a slightly slow start.

David Coverdale, who works for the Foreign Office, is just back for good in England. One of the first things he does is to call on Meg O'Hara, the childhood friend he's always loved - she married someone else but it doesn't matter to him. Her husband Robin, an FO agent like David, went missing some time ago and is presumed to have died, so she is now a widow, but has no evidence to prove it. Having recently lost her job she's now without income except from what she can sell. However, she tells David, she's now afraid that Robin is not dead, and is punishing her by "haunting" her, because she had wanted a divorce - she's received messages saying "Alive" and found things in her flat disturbed.

When David reports all this to his boss, Frank Garrett, he's assured that the body found in the river was definitely Robin, but Meg is still unconvinced. And when David takes Meg home to her flat one night he is shot at just after he leaves, while unbeknownst to him, Meg has had a close shave with an intruder. David is at least half-convinced that she is correct about Robin. And, whether dead or alive, he was clearly involved in something very nasty. Meg's safety is now David's paramount concern.

The action moves, with Meg, to a mysterious walled island, with locked gates and and alarming henchmen and a thrilling night-time chase takes place.

I have only read one other book by Patricia Wentworth - for some reason they just don't seem to have come my way – but I’ll certainly be looking for more.

I very much enjoyed this mystery/thriller, and was rooting for Meg all the way. I will definitely be reading other books by Patricia Wentworth!

Patricia Wentworth is hot right now, and some of our book clubs are planning to read several of her books - I am so glad that they have been reissued.
This is not a Miss Silver mystery, but it is very enjoyable. Love her descriptive writing, and her strong characters.

Dead or Alive was a little creepy at times, but overall a good read.