Mrs Pargeter Series by Simon Brett
Mrs Pargeter #1
Mrs Pargeter 01; A Nice Class of Corpse mp-1
Simon Brett
The Devereux is a nice residential hotel which caters for a nice class of guest. But the arrival of Mrs Pargeter, an attractive widow, seems to act as a catalyst of disaster for everyone connected with the hotel. On the morning after her arrival, the corpse of one of the frailer residents is found at the foot of the main staircase, and shortly after that another death shakes the gentility of the hotel. Deciding to investigate herself, Mrs Pargeter discovers that more than one person in the Devereux has a motive for murder.
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Mrs Pargeter #1
A Nice Class of Corpse
Simon Brett
Brett introduces Melita Pargeter, his newest detective. Melita is a rich and vivacious widow whose mystery-solving talents come in handy when a murderer stalks a hotel for retirees. "An amusing caper . . . Mr. Brett is in top form".--The New York Times Book Review.From Publishers WeeklyThe British author's new mystery features Mrs. Pargeter, an amiable and rich widow who rivals Brett's Charles Paris as an appealing amateur sleuth. This continually surprising, witty story starts with Mrs. Pargeter moving into a "nice" hotel for "nice" elderly men and women. They conduct themselves according to a routine set by the prim owner, but which the new guest ignores. Interested in and curious about everyone in the place, Mrs. Pargeter ponders events following the fatal fall of one harmless old lady and the odd behavior of another. The forthright widow asks questions and gets answers that uncover startling facts about both the innocent and the guilty. Subtle hints on the source of the late Mr. Pargeter's fortune, a legacy to his beloved, add to the story's neat twists. Mystery Guild alternate. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Mrs Pargeter #2
Mrs Pargeter 02; Mrs, Presumed Dead mp-2
Simon Brett
A second case for the intrepid Mrs Pargeter – sixtysomething and a little bit more. She has moved to a prosperous housing estate, but something rankles about her new neighbours. She soon learns that the estate might be perfect for social climbing, but it’s also perfect for murder.
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Mrs Pargeter #2
Mrs, Presumed Dead
Simon Brett
From Publishers WeeklyBritish author Brett introduced Mrs. Melita Pargeter in A Nice Class of Corpse . With her "armoury" of mink coats, an oenophile's palate and her weakness for an occasional weekend at the Savoy, the widow Pargeter brings a distinct touch of class to the sleuthing scene. It is 18 months since the death of Mr. Pargeter (whose mysterious and lucrative business dealings left his wife with devoted contacts among such shady characters as "Rewind" Wilson, in the used car business, and Keyhole Crabbe), and Mrs. P. has just moved to a new home in a small development of upwardly mobile families in Surrey. But she quickly determines that something decidedly fishy has happened to the former mistress of the house, Theresa Cotton. Remaining quintessentially ladylike, Mrs. Pargeter--dare we say it?--snoops, uncovering clues that lead to Theresa's body and point the finger of guilt at any one of the other women of the houses in Smithy's Loam. Further investigation leads to a suspicious religious organization, The Church of Utter Simplicity, to the ruined career of Rod Cotton, and to real danger for Mrs. P. at the hands of a woman who has killed before. As with his Charles Paris stories, Brett here delivers solid mystery, deft characterization and delightful entertainment. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library JournalYA-- When the rich widow Melita Pargeter moves to Smithy's Loam, a commuter development outside London, she enters its own little world. Her new home Acapulco is one of six in the development. In her inquisitive, earthy style, Melita gets to know her neighbors and finds out that the former owners of her home have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Unlike Miss Marple, Melita indulges herself in amenities--and is certainly more sophisticated, with her silk dresses, high heels, and limousines. However, both have in common an understanding of human nature which is the basis of amateur sleuthing. Libraries expanding their mystery collections will want to add this old-fashioned British whodunit with a contemporary setting.- Anne Paget, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, TXCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Mrs Pargeter #3
Mrs Pargeter 03; Mrs Pargeter’s Package mp-3
Simon Brett
A trip to Corfu is not Mrs Pargeter’s usual idea of a holiday, but keeping a recently widowed friend company overrules her misgivings. But when that friend starts behaving strangely and then is found having apparently committed suicide, Mrs Pargeter resolves to get to the bottom of the mystery.
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Mrs Pargeter #3
Mrs Pargeter's Package
Simon Brett
A trip to Corfu is not Mrs Pargeter's usual idea of a holiday, but keeping a recently widowed friend company overrules her misgivings. But when that friend starts behaving strangely and then is found having apparently committed suicide, Mrs Pargeter resolves to get to the bottom of the mystery.
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Mrs Pargeter #4
Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh
Simon Brett
Mrs. Pargeter doesn't much like diets. She never felt any need to change her own pleasingly ample figure, but she's happy enough to accompany her slimming-obsessed friend Kim Thurrock for a few days' stay at the exclusive Brotherton Hall health spa. There's one condition, however. Mrs. Pargeter must receive a special "allergy treatment" featuring the choice delicacies of a cordon bleu chef and an excellent wine list. Suitably assured of rich food and drink, she relaxes and looks forward to a luxurious rest. Until ... she sees two men wheeling away a young girl's body. Never one to let a murder go unsolved, Mrs. Pargeter sets off on a dangerous trail of inquiry through the pretensions and occasional charlatanism of the health-and-fitness game. It's a trail that brings her up against many of her late husband's "business associates" - among them, the lugubrious private eye Truffler Mason, journalist Ellie Fenchurch, Brotherton Hall's manager "Ankle-Deep" Arkwright, surgical specialist "Jack the Knife," and the enigmatic Stan the Stapler. But can she trust them all, or were some involved in the notorious betrayal of the late Mr. Pargeter summed up in the one ominous word "Streatham"? In typically unflappable style, Mrs. Pargeter rides through the investigation - from Brotherton Hall to London's King's Cross, through Cambridge University to a Dead Sea mud bath - in search of the villain. Justice will prevail. One way or another, Mrs. Pargeter will get her pound of flesh. The fourth excursion for this irrepressible widow, Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh is bound to bring even more enthusiastic fans to Simon Brett's masterly series of mysteries.
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Mrs Pargeter #5
Mrs Pargeter 05; Mrs Pargeter’s Plot mp-5
Simon Brett
Melita Pargeter, widow of much-loved crook Mr Pargeter, embarks on an escapade to prove the innocence of her beloved friend, builder ‘Concrete Jacket’, who has been arrested for murder. Someone has set him up – but who? Mrs P calls on her band of ex-cons to help her trap the real killer.
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Mrs Pargeter #6
Mrs Pargeter 06; Mrs Pargeter’s Point of Honour mp-6
Simon Brett
Mrs Pargeter is forced to find out more than she would wish about her husband’s ‘business activities’, when she recreates one of his most famous scams.
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