A Lois Meade Mystery, No 11
Ann Purser
Berkley Prime Crime
Dec 2011/ ISBN: 978-0-425-24359-6
Mystery/Amateur Sleuth
Amazon
Reviewed
by Laura Hinds
Lois Meade has her hands full with her family and
her cleaning business, New Brooms. However, that never slows her
down when there is mischief afoot in the village of Long Farnden.
There has been a string of robberies of late, and it hits home when
her daughter Josie's shop is robbed. Before the crime can be solved,
another occurs at Farnden Hall, the estate home of local magistrate
Mrs. Tollervey-Jones. The magistrate is away, visiting her son in
London, when thieves break in. Lois· husband, Derek, recognizes
that the truck he has spotted there is the same one involved with
the theft at Josie's shop. The crooks bash Derek over the head and
leave him unconscious, and Lois is the one to find her husband injured.
Now it·s personal. Lois is determined to
bring these ne·er do wells to justice even if she has to
do it alone. Naturally, her friend, DCI Hunter Cowgill won·t
think of her chasing after dangerous men on her own, but he knows
she is stubborn as ever, and that they will share information. Cowgill
has long harbored romantic feelings for Lois, as she and Derek are
both too well aware, but he·s never crossed the line and
Derek tolerates him as long as he keeps Lois safe.
With Farnden Hall now up for sale, the village faces
changes, and Lois is determined to do her part to make them changes
for the good. With New Brooms employee Dot Nimmo as her sidekick,
Lois sets off to find the criminals and turn them over to DCI Cowgill.
I found this to be an interesting novel because
the reader is always ahead of Lois and of the police when it comes
to who, what, when, where, and why is going on with the criminal
element. The descriptions of the village and surrounding areas are
vivid, and I found myself pausing to look at the beautiful cover
of this book frequently. It was as if I could soak in the feel of
the place from the picture to go along with the words. I also enjoyed
Lois' pick for a sidekick this time, and found that I was chuckling
aloud more than once.
Fans of Purser's
previous books will love this good British cozy mystery. There is
not a lot of suspense or serious threats to life and limb for our
favorite characters, but the intrigue and being able to follow the
thought processes of the criminals kept me reading straight through
to the very last page. However, I am left with one question: what
became of poor little Orly?
Other
reviews in this series
Weeping
On Wednesday, No 3 [review]
Warning at One, No 8 [review]
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