MRS. PARGETER'S PLOT

by Simon Brett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1998

Another glitch in the lush life of unflappable Melita Pargeter, whose generous-minded late husband ran a network of thieves and rascals mostly to the benefit of all concerned (Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh, 1993, etc.). His widow is living in Greene's Hotel while builder Concrete Jacket works on her new house--a project abruptly interrupted when the body of Willie Cass is found on the site. Willie had been heard to threaten Concrete with inside knowledge of an old crime, and Concrete is promptly arrested for the murder, refusing to say anything in his own defense. Now it's up to Mrs. Pargeter to get him off the hook, and she looks to detective Truffler Mason for help. Together they work Concrete's old connections, gradually uncovering a bizarre scare that involves a few felons serving time in various prisons; overseas trips by their wives; a substantial money cache; a pair of villains named Blunt and Clickety Clark, fronted by a respectable lawyer; and a nasty physical threat by Mrs. Pargeter and Concrete's wife Tammy. All of this gets complicated by the misguided efforts of bornagain Fossilface O'Donahue to make ""restitooshun"" for his past self-serving acts. Heavy-handed but good-natured whimsy, with just enough reality quotient to hold the reader to the finish.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1998

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1997

Categories: FICTION