Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #299703 in Books
• Published on: 1990-01-02
• Released on: 1990-01-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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.

From School Library Journal
YA-- 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, TX
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In this sprightly second outing for "old" Mrs. Pargeter, Brett places the refreshing, ample-bosomed sleuth in jeopardy as she endeavors to uncover the murderer of the woman whose house she has just purchased. As in A Nice Class of Corpse , the wealthy Mrs. Pargeter utilizes the extensive list of variously nefarious and illicit contacts left her by her late husband to bring the killer to justice. Self-contained village atmosphere, a restricted circle of suspects who slowly reveal their secrets, and breezy, witty style all contribute to a most attractive package.-- REK
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Mrs. Presumed Dead is Sheer Delight!
Move over Agatha. Not only is Simon Brett inordinately clever, but his characterizations and plotting throughout this book are marvelous! I am a tough reader to please but I was enthralled from the first word (I listened to the audio-book) to the last. This charming, wickedly clever and wildly funny story was further enhanced by the author's reading. Without question, one of the best books I've read (i.e., heard) for some time.

Polished English cosy
This is the second book in Brett's series about Mrs Pargetter ,a widow in her late 60's ,whose former husband was a successful burglar, a fact which proves useful when she applies her talents on the right side of the law .
The action mostly takes place in the affluent housing development of Smithy's Loam , an area of predominatly middle aged ,white residents .Mrs Pargetter moves into a house there .The houses are new and well maintained ,even if lacking any intellectual furbisments , Mrs P observes there is a distinct lack of books or other signs of intellectual cultivation

The reader has learned in chapter one that a murder has taken place -a woman is strangled with a cricket club tie .Mrs P is an active woman with a great deal of curiosity and she soon begins to detact all is not well in leafy suburbia ; the woman whose recently vacated home Mrs P now lives in ,has simply vanished and the woman's husband has not taken a new post in the North as rumoured but is instead a derelict sleeping rough in London .The missing woman was also a target for a religious cult and was on the verge of joining them ,in the process handing over a large sum of money to them .
She uses her criminal contacts to break into a warehouse where the possessions of Thersa ,the previous resident ,are stored and discovers her body in a freezer .
Mrs P sets out to solve the murder being convinced the culprit is one of the residents of Smithy's Loam ,most likely one of the women and it bcomes clear they all have persuasive motives for the crime no to mention secrets they are hiding from others ,secrtes about their origins or husbands or secret affairs .

The book is well and smoothly plotted but as is often the case with Brett the detection is often subordinate to the social comedy .The book isa soft centred satire at times as distinct from a novel of crime and detection with a mild satiric gaze being directed at social pretnesiousnesss at th thinly disguised racism of the estatae rsidents .Secrtes fester behind the respectable facade of suburbia and drug taking is rife .The facts of social division are faced head on and the passages of life among the London homelss are powerful ;people are a job -loss away from being derlicts and non-persons .The problem is that -perhaps because of his background in TV entertainment -Brett rarely follows up on his points and his book stay at the level of polished divertissements .They are good of their kind -light mysteries which are minor pleasures but not quite top echelon
People whose taste runs to the cosy will find the book and its series companions very much to their liking .Others will be less delighted in them