The Girl in Blue - P.G. Wodehouse

I imagined The Girl in Blue, knowing Plum’s romantic side, to be that angel of his dreams conjured up in words. It turned out to be a miniature statue of some sort of an ancestor of a certain Will Scrope with enough money to waste on such cravings. Not that I was disappointed, since there were other pretty girls to take her place! And while one of them was Vera Upshaw, a devil in Prada so to speak, the other was an airhostess going by the name Jane, with her figure and her heart in the right place. Our protagonist, Jerry West, falls in love, and as always, in first sight, with the airhostess, but is deterred in making a move by the fact that he is engaged to be married to the former girl. Jerry, also happens to be the nephew of Will Scrope, and by extension, the poor Scrope brother, Crispin.

If only the cast stopped there. But it’s good that it doesn’t.

Tying all of them together is a kleptomaniac American woman, Barney and her rich lawyer brother Homer Pyle, who know Will Scrope. And they travel to England, the brother for a writer’s gathering, and the sister, to get away from the shopkeepers whose wares Barney might have inadvertently stolen.

And then, the pricey, or priceless if seen from the rich Scrope’s eyes, goes missing. And the ensemble gathers at the poor Scrope residence, which is a Mellingham hall, which is kept above the red financial line through the money doled out by guests who can acquire the status by paying a fee. And adding some spice to the story is the fact that Homer Pyle, like many other men before him, falls in instant love with the lovely Vera Upshaw. And while he has no greek God body to boast off, his financial muscle is considerable and enough of an incentive for girls to take him seriously. And then there are some other miscellaneous characters, like Vera’s mother, and a broker’s man posing as a butler, and a hefty policeman which bring as much delight in their limited roles as any of the other prominent members of the story.

This is a tale of treasure hunting, mystery, and as usual, love, both pure and adulterated.

So go ahead, find the Girl in Blue for Mr. Scrope. Two Hundred Pounds reward is up for grabs!