Murder on Monday by Ann Purser

Reviewed by Jeanne

Lois Meade is a cleaner in the English village of Long Farden, doing for several families.  It’s a bit of a step up from Lois’ own Tresham neighborhood where she lives with her electrician husband, Derek, two school-age sons, and daughter Josie, who is going through the teen rebellion stage at the ripe old age of 14.  It’s almost a relief to go and clean for other people, though Lois has a strict set of boundaries and a strong sense of her own worth.  She’s not about to let anyone take advantage of her.

Still, she’s feels she might have more to offer so on impulse she looks into joining the police as a volunteer only to find that the police aren’t quite as enthusiastic. Miffed, Lois resolves to have nothing to do with them.  Besides, it turns out that part of the problem with Josie is that she’s been seeing a bit of a much older (and to Derek’s mind, quite unsuitable) boy named Melvyn.

Then a shocking murder takes place in Long Farden and it seems that some of Lois’ clients might be suspects and suddenly the police are very interested in what Lois might be able to learn as she cleans. On the one hand, Lois is miffed; on the other, it is very exciting to be part of an investigation, and she can’t help but wonder if maybe one of her clients might actually be involved:  surely not Dr. and Mrs. Rix, who are so kind, but maybe the too-full of himself professor?  Or the lady art gallery owner and her husband who have a very odd relationship? What about the vicar, who doesn’t seem to be very effective at his job? It couldn’t be the compassionate village nurse… could it?

While Lois is somewhat agreeable to working with Inspector Cowgill, she knows he isn’t telling her everything he know…which is why Lois isn’t telling him everything either.

This is the first in the Lois Meade series, a cozy from a bit of a different angle.  Lois isn’t an upper class lady who attends teas on a weekly basis, but a scrappy working class mother with rambunctious children and bills to pay.  It’s definitely a different sort of vibe for a British mystery and one which I found refreshing. Lois has her problems and isn’t best buds with her clients; she’s always had to make her own way.  Derek is much the same.  Lois is intelligent but also can be prickly, making her a more realistic heroine than some I’ve encountered.  I also liked that the police are competent and on the job, even though Lois sometimes has her doubts.

I enjoyed the book and will be visiting with Lois again.

Mrs. Malory and a Death in the Family by Hazel Holt

Reviewed by Jeanne

Comfortable widow Sheila Malory receives a warning that her cousin Bernard may be coming to call in search of genealogical information. The warning is due to Bernard being a crashing bore, impervious to hints, and has more than his share of entitlement.  His wife is nice enough, or could be if she weren’t so firmly under Bernard’s thumb, but in this case the better part of valor is to plan to stay away from home as much as possible and not answer the phone.

Alas, another helpful cousin has told Bernard that Mrs. Malory holds an important family Bible so he is determined to pay a call—or several. It’s quite exhausting.  Still, when Bernard turns up dead, Mrs. Malory tries to be sorry, but she can’t help wondering if all the digging into the past has led to his demise.

This was my first Mrs. Malory book, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s firmly in the line of British village mysteries where innumerable pots of tea are consumed, and the detective uses information gleaned from friends and relatives to find the answers. The setting feels familiar because of that tradition, and because the author obviously felt comfortable in that setting. I found this book an especial treat because it is actually written by a British author:  recently I have read any number of “British mysteries” written by Americans.  Usually, several times in these books I will pause and wonder about some detail, an expression or such which seems more American than British, or else the author will take time to explain some quaint British custom that no British author would bother to do.  (In one book the American author felt obligated to explain “tea” repeatedly so her fellow Americans wouldn’t think that they were just drinking tea. The first time was okay; it was the next three times that annoyed me.)

Anyway, there was no such problem in this book, which was a nifty little mystery. There are any number of suspects because Bernard enjoyed bullying others as much as he bullied his wife, and he also liked to indulge in some blackmail to get his way. This particular story also has a bit of twist which readers discover early on but which I won’t divulge here to deprive anyone else of the pleasure.

I am definitely going to read more in this series.  Alas, Hazel Holt passed away in 2015 and there don’t appear to be any more books in the pipeline so I will have to make do with the nineteen or so already written.