Mrs. Malory And A Death In The Family (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
Sheila Malory is not happy when her obnoxious cousin Bernard comes to visit her looking for information for the family tree he is working on. It's all she can do to be polite to him and his timid wife Janet. Other family members also aren't pleased to see him - many of them have secrets long buried that he is uncovering. But as bothersome as Bernard is, Sheila is still shocked when he is found in his rented cottage with his head bashed in. Sheila wonders why someone would commit such a violent act and begins to investigate his death. She has plenty of suspects - not only did Bernard dig up secrets people wanted hidden, his actions as headmaster of a private school hurt more than one person. Also, his family isn't exactly grieving - his wife has come out of her shell and admits she never loved him; his daughter Christine has money issues and could use the inheritance; and he kept his gay son Luke from seeing his own mother."Mrs. Malory and A Death in the Family' is a nice gentle cozy mystery. The emphasis is on cozy because the mystery itself is slight. I don't read Hazel Holt's Mrs. Malory series for the mystery, what I enjoy about the series is the emphasis on the characters and their everyday life. Author Hazel Holt spends much time describing the day to day activities of Mrs. Malory as she goes about shopping, cleaning the house, working in the yard, feeding her pets, doing volunteer work, etc. and she feels like a real live character. The other characters are equally well written especially the obnoxious Bernard; his wife Janet who is not as meek and timid as she appears to be; his gay son Luke who loves his mother and would do anything for her; and daughter Christine who is just like her father. Other well-written characters include Sheila's friend Rosemary who is fretting over plans for her Ruby Wedding Anniversary, Sheila's son Michael, his wife Thea and young daughter Alice. The mystery tends to get lost at times and the ending is a bit abrupt and unsatisfactory, a common flaw in the Mrs. Malory series. Still, I enjoy the character of Sheila Malory and reading about English life in a small village so much that I'm willing to overlook the flaws.Fans of cozy mysteries set in small British villages will enjoy reading about Sheila Malory and her neighbors and friends.
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