I started reading mysteries with Agatha Christie. I have always had a soft spot for English cozies. I discovered Simon Brett with his Charles Paris mysteries. He is a B grade actor who had time to snoop. Simon Brett is currently working on the Feathering series with odd couple Carole and Jude. But my favorites of his has to be his six book series on Mrs. Pargeter. Mrs. Melita Pargeter is a sixty-seven year old widow who loves to snoop and any resemblance between her and Jane Marple ends right there. Melita Pargeter loves bright clothes, good food, silk stockings, and fine wine. She loves to pamper herself. When she has to go somewhere she does it first class and uses a chauffeur. Although Mr. Pargeter’s occupation is never clearly set out he was in fact a high class criminal. He left his beloved widow very well off and with a little black book like no other. Need someone to break into a safe? Check the black book. Need to trace a car? The black book will get you someone to break into the computer system. Need a new identity? You guessed it consult the little black book.
A Nice Class of Corpse starts out the series. Melita decides that maybe a nice exclusive seaside hotel would be a place to stay for a while. Mrs. Pargeter arrives after a self-indulgent lunch and sets out to charm the other residents. Poor Miss Naismith begins to fear that Mrs. Pargeter is just not their sort. Two suspicious deaths and jewel thefts jar the tranquility of the Devereux Hotel. Mrs. Pargeter decides to investigate. It is a charming start to a very fun series.
Mrs. Presumed Dead finds Mrs. Pargeter in a new home in an exclusive little development called Smith’s Loam. When things start to go wrong in the house Mrs. Pargeter tries to contact the Cottons who owned the house before her. Both have disappeared. The book touches on a lot of under currents in the lives of the people from a woman going through a bitter divorce to a woman scared to leave her house. It has affairs and au pairs. It also has a religious cult. Intriguing and a breezy read.
Mrs. Pargeter’s Package finds our lusty widow on the Greek island of Corfu. She has accompanied an old friend who has recently been widowed. This book has a lot of international intrigue and you learn just how extensive her late husband’s criminal empire spread. When Melita’s friend turns up dead the police immediately put it off as a suicide but Mrs. Pargeter knows better.
Mrs. Pargeter’s Pound of Flesh takes on the world of health and beauty. Melita accompanies her friend to an exclusive beauty farm where the woman wants to firm up and get beautiful for her husband who will soon be released from prison. Mrs. Pargeter knows the man who runs the place but he is acting funny. Soon she is deep into intrigue, physical fitness fads, blackmail and murder. This book is for anyone who is tired of the so-called weight loss experts who milk the public for every cent they can get but whose claims are dubious at best.
Mrs. Pargeter’s Plot finds Melita deciding to build her dream house. If something can go wrong it does. When a dead body shows up in the newly dug basement and her contractor is arrested for murder Mrs. Pargeter retreats to a swanky hotel. This is one of my favorites of the series. There are twists and turns and a bundle of fun in this book.
Mrs. Pargeter’s Point of Honor is the last book in the series. The wife of one of Mr. Pargeter’s business associates is dying. She has a grasping son she can’t stand and a whole house full of stolen art that she wants returned. She convinces Mrs. Pargeter to help her find away to return all the art. The book becomes a mad camp romp as Mrs. Pargeter calls in all of her husband’s associates and they try and get stolen art back to their proper owners without getting caught. I love this book.
If you are looking for a fun series of books I highly recommend this series. Simon Brett has a dry British wit that is great to read. He develops his characters very well. He has a wonderful light and breezy style but there is an under current of seriousness. He loves to puncture the balloons of pomposity. I recommend all of his series but this one has a special place in my heart because my late Mom loved the books and Mrs. Pargeter.
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