Miss Silver Series by Patricia Wentworth

Miss Maud Silver is a fictional main character in series mystery novels written by bestselling British author Patricia Wentworth. Miss Silver is a former governess turned a private investigator whose age and physical appearance make her appear harmless. 

Unlike her literary contemporary Miss Marple, Miss Silver is an active,  professional investigator, often working closely with Scotland Yard (especially Inspector Frank Abbott) - a "true predecessor of all female private detectives". 

Most of Miss Silver’s activities happen from the readers view without getting a glimpse of how she works or how she learns all that she does. In fact, very little is known of the character - she appears fully developed, and readers are not treated to the backstory.

The Miss Silver series begins in 1928 with the Grey Mask and lasted thirty-two books concluding in 1961 with The Girl in the Cellar.

A full list of Miss Silver titles can be located here @ Goodreads

A must for fans of the golden age of classic crime.

see also:

- A List of Female Detective Characters

Review: The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos

Synopsis: In the small town of Crozon in Brittany, a library houses manuscripts that were rejected for publication: the faded dreams of aspiring writers. Visiting while on holiday, young editor Delphine Despero is thrilled to discover a novel so powerful that she feels compelled to bring it back to Paris to publish it. The book is a sensation, prompting fevered interest in the identity of its author - apparently one Henri Pick, a now-deceased pizza chef from Crozon. Sceptics cry that the whole thing is a hoax: how could this man have written such a masterpiece? An obstinate journalist, Jean-Michel Rouche, heads to Brittany to investigate.

By turns farcical and moving, The Mystery of Henri Pick is a fast-paced comic mystery enriched by a deep love of books - and of the authors who write them. 

Thoroughly enjoyable novel about the mystery surrounding the author of a book found in  regional library housing an area for rejected manuscripts, which when published, becomes a sensation. It is a story of how this fame has affected not only those directly associated with the book, but also the town in which the book was discovered. It is also the story of a washed-up critic and his journey for a final piece of redemption by discovering the truth behind the facade.

Translated from the original French by Sam Taylor, this story flows across the pages, separated by neat little chapters and some highly amusing footnotes from the author. Well worth discovering and reading for your selves!

Mystery Women by Colleen Barnett

Many bibliographers focus on women who write. Lawyer Barnett looks at women who detect, at women as sleuths and at the evolving roles of women in professions and in society. This three volume series is excellent for all women's studies programs as well as for the mystery hound.

An Encyclopedia of Leading Women Characters in Mystery Fiction, Volume 1: 1860-1979. 

An Encyclopedia of Leading Women Characters in Mystery Fiction, Volume 2: 1980-1992

An Encyclopedia of Leading Women Characters in Mystery Fiction, Volume 3: 1990-2002

            

Each volume in the series has an dedicated author / character list as well as a book title / author / character list.