Mrs., Presumed Dead - Softcover

Brett, Simon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440205522 ISBN 13: 9780440205524

Publisher: Dell, 1990

Synopsis

Possessing the same uncanny detective skills as her late husband, Melita Pargeter searches for a young couple who seem to have vanished from the earth

About this title

From AudioFile:

Mrs. Pargeter, a well-off and self-sufficient widow, moves into a deceptively quiet suburban neighborhood. She soon finds out that the young couple she bought her house from is missing--and that everyone in the development has something to hide. With help from her late husband's many colorful associates, Mrs. Pargeter solves the mystery -- although she has a very close call herself. The listener is gradually pulled into this low-key, well-paced mystery. Not many authors are able to perform their own work and do it justice, but Simon Brett does an excellent job. His characterizations are on target, and he succeeds in giving each character a distinctive and believable voice of his or her own. This is a solid and professional production. J.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Publishers Weekly:

British 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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dell
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0440205522
• ISBN 13: 9780440205524
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 248