Reviewed By Liz

ISBN 0-425-21019-7

I look forward to reading everything by Simon Brett. He is a recent discovery for me and I like all three of his series. Stabbing in the Stables is a Fethering mystery, featuring Jude (an alternative therapist) and Carole Seddon (an uptight Home Office retiree). This interesting duo becomes involved in a murder at a stable after Jude has been called upon to look at, and possibly heal, a horse.

I love the relationship between the two women. Jude is a very accepting Earth mother sort with healing hands and Carole is a very rigid type who is learning to unwind as she spends time with Jude. And she, like the rest of us unbelievers, is skeptical of Jude’s abilities (a good move on Brett’s part as this built-in skeptic keeps the reader from balking and moves the story along). And both Carole and Jude have a need to find out answers and can’t resist the lure of a mystery.

Brett populates this entire book with interesting characters. They all have depth because they all have needs, desires, and conflicts (with the possible exception of the villain of the piece, who is obvious fairly early on). The character of Donal is fantastic and is slowly revealed like a peeled onion, changing the way he is regarded by both the other characters and the reader.

This is not a book for the extremely squeamish. While not explained in gory detail, it does have violence against both humans and animals in it. But if you can handle a dose of reality in your mystery, the writing makes this one quite worthwhile.

Did I guess it? Sort of. Any more detail would ruin it for you. Will I read more? Absolutely.

Mystery Book Reviews by Reviewed By Liz.com ©2006

ISBN 0-373-26361-9

This is a charming book. It is quaint, old-fashioned, and fun all at the same time. It is about Mrs. Pargeter, who is the widow of a master criminal whose activities are only vaguely described, but who garnered the loyalty of all who worked for and with him. After his demise, this loyalty has been extended to Mrs. Pargeter who, while her husband was alive, knew almost nothing of her husband’s activities - at his insistence. Now that he is dead, however, she feels obligated to wrap up his unfinished business.

The particular bit of business in this book is to return a bunch of stolen paintings to their rightful owners. Mrs. Pargeter and her husband’s colorful former associates plan a delightful little caper to accomplish this feat. And while there is a little mystery in this book, the caper seemed the more interesting part. But that may just be me, I am a sucker for a well-planned heist.

Younger and more liberated female readers will find the character of Mrs. Pargeter unusual. While some of her ignorance of Mr. P’s illegal activities is feigned to protect herself from moral or legal unpleasantness, Brett has fashioned her after a generation of women that really existed but are quickly disappearing. Yes girls, there really were women who never worked and had no idea what their husbands did for a living. But if you can get past this oddity, you will enjoy this book.

Did I guess it? Yes. Will I read more? Absolutely.

Mystery Book Reviews by Reviewed By Liz.com ©2006

In Charles Paris, Simon Brett has created a very flawed, but very entertaining character. A mature, often out-of-work actor on the British stage (or whatever stage he can get), Charles barely keeps body and soul together while falling in and out of bed with an assortment of women between stints at the pub. In Dead Room Farce, he meets up with an old pal from the BBC who soon after dies in mysterious circumstances.

Which leads me to one of the things I really liked about this book. This is the 17th Paris book, so Brett is well along in this series, but he doesn’t use some of the annoying shortcuts that some authors of long-time series do. For example, Paris sort of backs into this mystery. He didn’t discover the body and he doesn’t pull out his Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap as soon as he realizes this might be murder. None of the other characters prod him to investigate based on his past victories at solving crimes, and the end of the book is more a natural conclusion of events rather than a big, fake revelation and ensuing shoot-out with the murderer. Yes, I am probably giving too much away by telling you what the story is not. But it is a wonderful change from some of the books I have read recently.

In Dead Room Farce, Charles Paris is as much the goat as the hero. He blunders about and makes bad decisions, but you will enjoy reading about his messed-up life. If you like Jonathan Gash’s character Lovejoy, you will feel right at home with Charles Paris.

Did I guess it? Yes, but not the reason why. I look forward to more of Charles Paris’ adventures and to sampling Brett’s other series.

Mystery Book Reviews by Reviewed By Liz.com ©2006