Caper Of Grand Proportions..
Mrs Pargeter and her crew are back in this wonderful ninth instalment. Sitting minding her own business, as per, on the patio of her mansion in Chigwell she expects nothing more than peace and quiet. It is not be. When a patio stone cracks revealing what appears to be a human skull she is understandably just a little perturbed. She certainly doesn’t want to bother the likes of the local constabulary with this small matter, obviously not, so the late Mr Pargeter’s ‘business associates’ are called in. So begins a caper of grand proportions. Written with the usual style, wit and eloquence, this latest offering is another sheer joy to behold. Wonderful stuff.

Rating: 3.0/5

If you have read any of Simon Brett's work previously then you will have a pretty good idea what you are going to get. There is nothing pretentious about his cosy mysteries. They are easy to read, entertaining and don't take themselves too seriously - but there is always a sound mystery structure at the heart of things.

This latest offering from the Mrs Pargeter series is no exception. It is a predominantly character driven story set comically in the criminal underworld. There is plenty of light-hearted humour as the mystery is investigated by the eponymous Mrs Pargeter and there are some nice social observations and commentaries along the way too. The parodying of a reality television gameshow is particularly well portrayed.

This is unlikely to win - or even be nominated for - any literary prizes, but it is an entertaining comedic cosy mystery that does exactly what it says on the tin.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Mrs. Targeter is back! Unfortunately she has an unwelcome surprise: a skeleton under her patio. Luckily she finds all kinds of help by calling some of her late husband's helpers from his little black book. They can't do enough for her.
Good sleuthing, great nicknames, lots of tongue-in-cheek moments and the company of the always charming Mrs. Pargeter make for an other great read!

I have missed Mrs Pargeter and was delighted to see a new title in the series. It is great fun to revisit the characters with their clever names and past shenanigans. And if course good wins over evil with a twist at the end which is quite satisfying.

I was delighted to see this new installment in the prolific Simon Brett’s Mrs. Pargeter series, which I feared had come to an end. And I was not disappointed by Mrs. Pargeter’s Patio. Another amusing, quickly paced, clever caper involving the widow of an organized crime boss and his former associates. The late Mr. Pargeter is viewed by his wife and reformed past colleagues as a saint, and Mrs. Pargeter affects to have no idea about the nature of his business, though she liberally calls on his colleagues for crime-solving skills including safecracking and other B&E, knowledge of other criminals, etc. Brett constructs fairly elaborate plots in which seeming unrelated topics and occurrences come together as the crime is solved: in this case, a body that Mrs. Pargeter finds under her patio and an attempt to find a long-missing person. As the narrator observes, serendipity and synchronicity seem to follow Mrs. P. The stories certainly require suspension of disbelief, so if you are looking for realism, look elsewhere, but if you are looking to be entertained by oddly endearing characters, this is a great read. It is probably not necessary to have read the previous installments, but doing so would help orient the reader to the characters and assorted running gags.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and talented author. A skull appears and chaos ensues. Try to solve this mystery. It is not easy. Likable characters add to the story. Even the title is intriguing. Sitting on the patio, the main character receives this horrible surprise. The story is a mystery that is not easily solved. I look forward to more books by this author.