Mrs Pargeter's Plot

The indomitable Melita Pargeter has decided to build her dream house on the plot of land left to her by her husband, the much - loved, much - missed "businessman" Mr. Pargeter. And there is only one person she could possibly trust to make the dream come true - talented builder concrete Jack.

Scuppering her plans, however, are the dead body lane in her new wine cellar and concretes arrest for murder. The builder is certainly no angel, but nor is he a killer. Unfortunately, though, the evidence is piling up - in concrete is refusing to talk. So if he won't help himself, Mrs. Pargeter better do it for him.

And with the assistance of her husband's colorful band of ex-colleagues Troxler Mason, hedge clipper Clinton and keyhole crab, she sets out to unmask the real killer.

But first, could somebody please explain why there's a monkey in her hotel room?

Melita Pargeter, the genteel heroine of Simon Brett's series of whimsical cozies, is hardly your typical moll. Then again, the late Mr. Pargeter was considered (by his criminal cohorts, at least) a veritable prince among men. Now that he is gone (while his fortune lives on), Mrs. Pargeter decides to use some of her inheritance to build a country home. For such a large undertaking, Mrs. P. turns to someone she can trust, an old friend of her husband's who sports the moniker "Concrete Jacket." Despite his best intentions to keep on the straight and narrow while in Mrs. Pargeter's employ, it isn't long before Concrete finds himself in hot water when a corpse turns up in the wine cellar--to his dismay, all the evidence points to him. Before the cell door can slam behind him, the redoubtable Mrs. Pergeter is on the case, aided by the shadiest bunch of do-gooders this side of Robin Hood's Merry Men. Good writing, hilarious plot twists, and great characters make Mrs.Pargeter's Plot loads of fun.