Madeleine was sure she looked younger than her 37 years, but despite her charms, she has yet to meet a man worthy of her virginity. Until she gets to know a colleague. Together they plan a weekend away, but neither of them know that Madeleine has another admirer, who is tracking their every move.

Hired by another widow, Veronica Chastaigne, to return all the art treasures that her late husband accumulated in a long career of larceny, Mrs Pargeter is forced to find out more than she would wish about the deceased Mr P's "business activities" as she recreates one of his most famous scams.

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.

Simon Brett introduces a sparkling new series of crime whodunnits starring the redoubtable Carole Seddon and her worldly wise accomplice, Jude. Very little disturbs the ordered calm of Fethering, a self-contained retirement settlement on England’s southern coast. Which is precisely why Carole Seddon has chosen to reside there. So the last thing Carole expects to encounter in Fethering is a new neighbour with but one name and an obviously colourful past. ‘Jude’ was not really Fethering…but neither was the body Carole found on the beach. A body, it has to be said, that has disappeared by the time the police arrive. Only Jude is ready to believe what her neighbour says she saw – and from that moment on, the two women are resolved to turn detectives.

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.

Taking on his most unlikely performing assignment yet: 'forklift-driver-for-a-day' in the Delmoleen company corporate video, Charles Paris discovers—to his horror—that a forklift can lead to death. Industrial accident—or murder? Charles decides to find out.

A three-month run in a new farce, Not On Your Wife, is not to be sniffed at by jobbing actor Charles Paris. But by the time the troupe reaches Bath, a dark mood has set in, and Charles's old friend Mark has a drink problem that amounts to a death wish. But it's not the drink that kills Mark; it's somebody in the cast who has a dirty secret to hide.

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.

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.

A cozy featuring the return of Mrs Pargeter For Mrs Pargeter, it is a matter of principle that she should complete any of her late husband's unfinished business. Amongst the many bequests he made to her, perhaps the most valuable is his little black book, in which he listed all the people who ever worked for him, with details of their particular skill sets. This means that whenever Mrs P has a crime to solve she can readily contact someone with the relevant expertise to help in her enquiries.Attending the funeral of the rich and respected Sir Normington Winthrop, because his is one of the names in the little black book, Mrs Pargeter sets out to discover the connection between Sir Normington and her late husband. Her investigations will draw her into a shady world of gun-runners, shifty politicians – and a kidnapped vicar.

Construction on Mrs Pargeter's new country home comes to an abrupt halt when a corpse is discovered in the wine cellar. The accused is Concrete Jacket, the builder and great friend of Mrs P's late, lamented husband. Mrs P is not about to let prison come between her and her dream home. Concrete may be a scoundrel but he's no killer. Someone has set him up—but who? Mrs Pargeter determines to find out.