Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1587675 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Art theft in reverse is the subject of Brett's latest comic mystery starring Mrs. Melita Pargeter (Mrs. Pargeter's Plot, etc.), a charming Londoner whose genteel demeanor belies a keen intellect and steely determination. Elderly Veronica Chastaigne enlists Mrs. Pargeter to oversee the secret return of her late husband's collection of "hot" paintings to their rightful owners. To do so, Mrs. Pargeter assembles a team of her own late husband's old "associates," including private detective Truffler Mason and interior designer Denzil Price. But when Mrs. Pargeter's team go to pick up the paintings, they discover that someone has already scooped up the stolen collection of Old Masters. A merry chase is on, as Mrs. Pargeter and company seek to reclaim the paintings even as they are dogged by the ineffectual Det. Insp. Craig Wilkinson and his ambitious assistant, Detective Sergeant Hughes. In the end, the police prove no match for the wily Mrs. Pargeter and her cadre of knights in tarnished armor. In this fast-paced tale, Brett offers yet another repast of merry mayhem with the redoubtable Mrs. Pargeter as the most excellent main course. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Brett (Mrs. Pargeter's Plot) outdoes himself as clever Mrs. Pargeter and a group of cronies attempt to return, secretly, a batch of stolen Old Master paintings to their rightful owners. Before they can begin, however, someone steals the paintings from them. Delightful characters and a captivating plot.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
For those who haven't met the delightfully spunky but refined Melita Pargeter, her latest adventure offers the perfect introduction. Before Veronica Chastaigne dies, she's determined to return the paintings by Old Masters that her husband acquired under dubious circumstances. And who better than Mrs. Pargeter to help? Unfortunately, the paintings belong to museums, galleries, and private owners around the world, presenting the delicate dilemma of how to smuggle the masterpieces past customs and surreptitiously replace them in their rightful "homes." Fortunately, Mrs. Pargeter can call on her dear, departed husband's many acquaintances. (Mrs. P. would never acknowledge that Mr. P. was involved in anything even remotely shady, but he did have an unusual number of con men in his address book.) Despite much careful planning by Mrs. P. and the considerable talents of her Robin Hood^-like cohorts, there are still plenty of hilarious misadventures and mishaps before Mrs. P. makes good her promise to Veronica. Great fun. Emily Melton

Customer Reviews

From a series on Mrs. Pargeter
This novel is really not a mystery as the facts of the case are fairly clear. The only mystery is a side issue of identifying an informer. It is a cops and robbers novel where the author takes the side of the robbers. Most of the characters are either reformed villains who somehow avoided prison, or police who have been trying to make a case against them.

It took some time for the story to develop while various characters were being introduced and relationships were established. The first portion of the novel was somewhat dull. Once the story was sufficiently developed, and the action picked up, it was harder to set the book aside.

The main plot concerns restitution, i.e., trying to return stolen paintings to the rightful owners. This is not as simple as it sounds. A police inspector wants to catch people with the goods and make a case for his own career advancement. A band of thieves wants to steal the paintings from the original thieves. There is also the problem of trying to transport the paintings through customs without getting caught.

This is an average length novel of 265 pages broken up into 48 short chapters. It is a good novel for commuters who want a book to read in installments. It is a fun book if you don't get offended by being on the side of the villains.

Mrs.Pargeter is absolutely delightful!
However, there is one character in the book that could have had his air time shortened. He was borrrrring... About 1/2 way through the book, the story really picks up and becomes very intriguing; like "Mission Impossible" with Mrs.Pargeter in charge of the gang. The author really kept me guessing until the end. So Mr.Brett, keep the CW character, but get him to the point, or give him less air time... Looking forward to the next...