Meet Mrs Melita Pargeter, a vivacious widow whose mystery-solving talents come in handy when a murderer stalks a hotel for well-to-do retirees. She checks into the Devereux Hotel on England’s sunny south coast. Where secrets hide behind every door and the sea-views are to die for . . . Her arrival, in a fancy car and a flurry of silk, causes much excitement among the elderly residents. By next morning, they have something new to talk about—the discovery of a crumpled body at the foot of the stairs. The victim is old Mrs Selsby, timid occupant of the hotel’s most coveted sea-front room. Everyone says her death was a tragic accident, but Melita’s not so sure. Wealthy Mrs S. just happens to have left her fortune to her fellow Devereux residents. And then there’s the matter of her jewellery. A priceless collection that seems to be disappearing piece by piece . . . Melita may be pushing seventy, but she still has a trick or two left up her sleeve. Can she catch the killer before anyone else dies? Meet your next favourite sleuth in this wonderfully witty whodunit. Fans of Agatha Christie, Nita Prose, M.C. Beaton, The Thursday Murder Club, Faith Martin, Julia Chapman, T.E. Kinsey, Jeanne M. Dams, Janice Hallett and Jane Adams will be hooked from the very first page!

An absolutely gripping mystery full of twists.

The sleuthing skills of feisty widow Melita Pargeter are put to the challenge when a dead body turns up in her wine cellar in this newest mystery novel by the author of "Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh" and "Mrs, Presumed Dead". An absolutely gripping cozy murder mystery.

Mrs. Pargeter doesn't much like diets. She never felt any need to change her own pleasingly ample figure, but she's happy enough to accompany her slimming-obsessed friend Kim Thurrock for a few days' stay at the exclusive Brotherton Hall health spa. There's one condition, however. Mrs. Pargeter must receive a special "allergy treatment" featuring the choice delicacies of a cordon bleu chef and an excellent wine list. Suitably assured of rich food and drink, she relaxes and looks forward to a luxurious rest. Until ... she sees two men wheeling away a young girl's body. Never one to let a murder go unsolved, Mrs. Pargeter sets off on a dangerous trail of inquiry through the pretensions and occasional charlatanism of the health-and-fitness game. It's a trail that brings her up against many of her late husband's "business associates" - among them, the lugubrious private eye Truffler Mason, journalist Ellie Fenchurch, Brotherton Hall's manager "Ankle-Deep" Arkwright, surgical specialist "Jack the Knife," and the enigmatic Stan the Stapler. But can she trust them all, or were some involved in the notorious betrayal of the late Mr. Pargeter summed up in the one ominous word "Streatham"? In typically unflappable style, Mrs. Pargeter rides through the investigation - from Brotherton Hall to London's King's Cross, through Cambridge University to a Dead Sea mud bath - in search of the villain. Justice will prevail. One way or another, Mrs. Pargeter will get her pound of flesh. The fourth excursion for this irrepressible widow, Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh is bound to bring even more enthusiastic fans to Simon Brett's masterly series of mysteries.

Mrs. Pargeter begins building her dream house on the land left to her by her late husband, but construction is delayed when a body is discovered in her wine cellar and her builder is arrested for murder. Reprint.

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.

For Mrs Pargeter, it is a matter of principle that she should complete any of her late husband's unfinished business. Amongst his many bequests, perhaps the most valuable is his little black book, in which he listed all the people who ever worked for him, with details of their particular skill sets. This means that whenever Mrs P has a crime to solve, she can readily contact someone with the relevant expertise. Attending the funeral of the respected Sir Normington Winthrop, because his name is in the book, Mrs Pargeter sets out to discover the connection between Sir Normington and her late husband. Her investigations will draw her into a shady world of gunrunners, shifty politicians - and a kidnapped vicar. Listening Length: 6 hours and 25 minutes

Meet Mrs Melita Pargeter, a vivacious widow with a talent for solving mysteries. Accompanying her dear friend Jasmine to a charity reception, Melita is looking forward to an evening of champagne and canapes. It turns out to be a more eventful occasion than she expected. First of all, a woman introduces herself as the late Mr P’s sister. But Melita knows full well that her dearly departed husband never had a sister. And no sooner has the night begun, the lights go off, plunging the hall into darkness. When the lights come back on minutes later, the prize auction item—a gaudy gold necklace—has disappeared. Two days later, the body of one of Melita’s fellow guests is found in a shallow grave in Epping Forest. With the event organisers more concerned with the charity’s public relations than the murder, Melita decides to investigate. But finding herself in more danger than ever, she has to Is any mystery worth this much trouble?

A bizarre discovery right under Mrs Pargeter's patio turns a quiet and sunny June morning into a thrilling hunt for answers in this new instalment of the light-hearted and entertaining Mrs Pargeter mystery series. When widow Mrs Pargeter decides to have her morning coffee on the patio of her mansion in Chigwell, her intention is to admire her beautiful garden in peace and quiet. Little does she expect one of the patio's paving slabs to crack in two, depositing her on the ground - and revealing a human skull with a neat hole in the middle of its forehead! Not wanting to bother the police just yet, Mrs Pargeter decides to save them some trouble and starts investigating the curious find herself. And who better to assist than her late husband's 'business associates', private investigator Truffler Mason and chauffeur Gary? The trio are soon certain that a murder has been committed and the body disposed of under some convenient building works. But who is the mysterious victim? And more importantly, who put the body under Mrs Pargeter's patio? Mrs Pargeter and her friends must find out the truth and soon, before the finger of suspicion points in an unthinkable towards the late, great Mr Pargeter, whose business dealings Mrs P remains - naturally! - in blissful ignorance of . . . Mrs Pargeter's Patio is the ninth book in the series by CWA's Diamond Dagger winner Simon Brett. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this funny and exciting ride with unexpected twist and turns.

In this 8-book box set: Book 1: A NICE CLASS OF CORPSE Meet Mrs Pargeter, a vivacious widow whose mystery-solving talents come in handy when a murderer stalks a hotel. The victim is Mrs Selsby, timid occupant of the coveted seafront suite. Everyone says her death was a tragic accident, but Mrs Pargeter’s not so sure . . . Book 2: MRS, PRESUMED DEAD Mrs Pargeter moves to a lovely new home in leafy Surrey. But when she tries to get in touch with the former owners, Mr and Mrs Cotton, it turns out they have vanished without trace. Mrs P. soon discovers that the nice Mrs Cotton was mixed up with some very shady characters indeed. Book 3: MRS PARGETER’S PACKAGE Mrs Pargeter jets off to the sleepy island of Corfu with her dear friend Joyce. Two weeks of sun, sea and sand should be just what they need. But on their very first morning in Corfu, Joyce turns up dead in her bed. Everyone says she took her own life. But Mrs P. knows there are fishy dealings afoot. Book 4: MRS PARGETER’S POUND OF FLESH When her friend suggests a few days away at a health spa, Mrs Pargeter is happy to tag along. After all, no one ever died of a little rest and relaxation. Did they? She spots the body of a fellow guest being wheeled out of the spa. Everyone says it was the woman’s sparrow-like diet that killed her, but Mrs P’s not so sure. Book 5: MRS PARGETER’S PLOT Constructions for Mrs P’s dream summer home in Kent come to an abrupt halt when a body is discovered in the basement. The dead man appears to have been shot by a gun belonging to Concrete Jacket, her builder. Concrete is swiftly arrested for murder. But she smells a rat. Concrete may be a scoundrel but he’s no killer. Someone set him up. But who? Book 6: MRS PARGETER’S POINT OF HONOUR Well-to-do widow Veronica is in quite the fix. Her shady husband left her a gallery of priceless ‘borrowed’ paintings. She wants to return them—with a little help from her old friend, Mrs Pargeter. But when they arrive to pick up the paintings, they discover that someone has beaten them to it! Book 7: MRS PARGETER’S PRINCIPLE Sir Normington Winthrop’s funeral is a surprisingly jolly affair. Mrs P. goes along to pay her respects—and to discover his connection with her dear, departed Mr P. But when she approaches the teary widow, she is blocked by another mysterious mourner. He coolly threatens Mrs P. to stay away or else. Book 8: MRS PARGETER’S PUBLIC RELATIONS Mrs P. attends a charity event. But the night’s barely begun when the lights go off, plunging the hall into darkness. When the power comes back on, the grand prize of the auction has disappeared. Days later, a guest is found dead. Why aren’t the organizers concerned?