Title:
Mrs Pargeter's Principle / Author: Simon Brett / Publisher: Severn
House / Release Date: 1 August 2015 / Rating: 3/5
Simon
Brett is one of the most reliably entertaining performers in the
world of cozy crime, with several series to his name, from the
relatively down to earth Fethering novels to the farcical country
house mysteries of Blotto and Twinx. Like the latter, the Mrs Pargeter
novels display the more whimsical side of Brett's talent. The
eponymous Mrs Pargeter is a wealthy widow, whose late husband was
apparently a criminal mastermind (one of the
pleasures of the series is the slow drip-feed of information
gradually filling in a picture of this mysterious but likeable
figure).
Mrs
Pargeter now passes her time investigating various cases, with
the aid of sundry willing helpers with names like Truffler and Gizmo
whose phone numbers she finds in her late husband's little black
book. In this new tale, she delves into the past of another one of
her husband's old acquaintances, a recently deceased knight of the
realm, only to quickly find herself on the end of threats and
reprisals.
It's a
leisurely adventure, with plenty of opportunity for long lunches at
Mrs Pargeter's favourite hotel, and the resourceful lady even has
time to plan a wedding. The settings are chic – Mrs P's mansion in
Chigwell sounds very nice – the dialogue is droll, and the comical
supporting characters, especially Gary, Mrs P's lovelorn chauffeur,
are as deftly drawn as one would expect from a writer of Brett's
pedigree. Arguably, it's all a little too fanciful and removed from
everyday reality for its own good, but it will keep Brett's fans
going nicely until the next Charles Paris or Fethering novel comes
along.
