Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations

Mrs Pargeter #8

by Simon Brett

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?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Cozy Mystery, British Literature, Greece, Cozy

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2017

About the author

Simon Brett, OBE, FRSL is a prolific British writer of whodunnits.

He is the son of a Chartered Surveyor and was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he got a first class honours degree in English.

He then joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for BBC Radio and London Weekend Television, where his work included 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and 'Frank Muir Goes Into ...'.

After his spells with the media he began devoting most of his time to writing from the late 1970s and is well known for his various series of crime novels.

He is married with three children and lives in Burpham, near Arundel, West Sussex, England. He is the current president of the Detection Club.

Reviews

[Eilonwy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up from the New Books shelf at my library because it had a cute picture of a cat on the cover, and featured a mystery involving a cat charity.

Mrs Pargeter is the widow of the head of a major British crime syndicate (but "I know nothing about that" is her unfailing response whenever her late husband's line of work comes up) who finds herself doing informal detective work with the help of her husband's former gang members. This is the latest in an on-going series, but not having read any of the previous books didn't detract from this one bit.

The writing is amazingly spare, the book amazingly short, but everything that needs to be there is. I thoroughly enjoyed this as a quick palate-cleanser after the intensity of the book I read before it. There are a couple of completely impossible gizmos, and the book occasionally felt like a knock-off of Modesty Blaise, but overall it was just a lot of fun. I'll definitely look for more of these mysteries the next time I need something to read that doesn't require much time or mental energy.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melita Pargeter, widow of the shadowy but generous Mr. Pargeter, is present at a charity auction for a cat-rescue organization called PhiliPussies when someone steals the main offering, a gold cat necklace. Even more surprising, Mrs. Pargeter runs into her late husband’s sister — someone she had not realized even existed. Rochelle Brighouse, the head of her own public-relations business, rubs Mrs. Pargeter the wrong way from the start. Combined with some other events, Mrs. Pargeter decides to find out more about PhiliPussies, which eventually leads her to visit the (fictional) island of Atmos in Greece.

Those new to the series might be inclined to underestimate Mrs. Pargeter and her late husband’s talented associates, but longtime readers know that justice — of a sort — will be done. Simon Brett very rarely produces a book that’s less than stellar, and I adored this eighth book in this humorous and delightful series. I can’t wait to read the next entry, Mrs Pargeter's Patio.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book was the perfect tonic, producing satisfaction and good humour after using my not yet broken in gardening muscles. Mrs Pargeter is in jeopardy, and it is coming from a hitherto unknown sister-in-law her husband had protected her from during his life. The action takes her and her jolly gang to Greece investigating a dodgy charity. There are many scenes that provide entertainment, making for a relaxing and enjoyable read. I loved the new special tool Mrs. Pargeter was given for unlocking padlocks with the press of a button, something she truly needed in this adventure.


Loan from Friend - thank you!

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs Pargeter is a breath of fresh air. After a few “heavies” it was nice to return to Simon Brett. I’ve read all his Carole and Jude stories, so now I look forward to spending time with Mrs P.

Cats and Greece - what more could you ask for in a plot? I guessed the “crime” right off the bat, but still enjoyed all the quirky characters and their madcap actions.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light read but very enjoyable. The plot a bit far fetched but an easy read and will probably read another Simon Brett if I need some light relief.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was an entertaining light read. It clearly pokes fun at most cozy mysteries with the comments about Mrs. Pargeter being "accustomed to the ways of synchronicity" and therefore not surprised when the phone rings and it is exactly the person she was thinking of or talking about. The whole book is written with a tongue-in-cheek style that is fairly entertaining. The thing that I found annoying was how silly Mrs. Pargeter is. Her late husband was clearly a mob boss. Their mob wasn't as violent as some, but clearly they would beat people up or kill them when it was "necessary." Her husband also inspired great loyalty so his former associates are happy to help out his widow on her murder-solving adventures. The fact that all of them are still somewhat criminal also helps (not that she acknowledges their criminal activity). That is the annoying part: her constant pretense that her husband was not a criminal. She intentionally doesn't know about his "business affairs" and any time someone starts to comment about them she stops them with a look of wide-eyed innocence and a comment that she doesn't know what they are talking about. It got annoying and makes her look like a silly old woman.

[Eugene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simon Brett has been around a looong time: his early Charles Paris "theatrical" mysteries were really awesome, these Mrs. Pargeter books were entertaining, the Fethering Mysteries were well crafted; at least, all of them were up to a point, alas, that point seems to have been reached. The most recent Charles Paris was disappointing, and this newest Pargeter is quite awful, fluffiest of fluff, and even at 170ish pages, packed with filler. Do yourself a favor, read the early stuff...

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Pargeter’s Public Relations is book 8 in the Mrs. Pargeter series. This installment sees Mrs Pargeter investigating a charity, looking into a smuggling ring, and meeting Mr. Pargeter’s estranged sister. This book takes her to Greece and back again. As always, with the help of her husband’s loyal crew, Mrs. Pargeter puts things to rights and preserves the memory of her beloved husband. Very enjoyable read in a great series.

[Rowena Onions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lighthearted comic read!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlikeable characters. Too much exposition and too drawn out.

[Imjussayin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations: Mrs Pargeter 8
Chronological order, not necessary but recommended.

In A Nutshell: Mrs Pargeter accompanies a friend to a charitable function although it is not Mrs Pargeter's type of charity. There she encounters family she did not know she had. Soon her sister-in-law makes a demand Mrs P will not meet. And then her valuable little black book is stolen and a member of the charity murdered.

The Protagonists: Mrs Pargeter is the widow of the late Mr Pargeter, who left her well off. Mrs P is not upper class, but she is respectable. Mrs P also inherited his little black book [LBB]. Whenever Mrs Pargeter has an inquiry, she uses the LBB to contact the best criminals people with the relevant expertise for help.

The Plot:Who stole Mrs P LBB and who killed the charity worker?

An okay read in the Mrs Pargeter series. Simon Brett is an accomplished writer, so his formula is tried and tested. The grammar is flawless. The book is amusing, but I tire of Mrs P being willfully ignorant of her late husband’s criminal activities. And her lavender eyes glazing over when his criminal exploits are mentioned. Afterall, she does work his former colleagues. And I had to suspend belief too often and so it took me ages to settle into reading it.

However, it's not labour intensive and one to read, escape and then throw away. But don't start here if this is your first foray into Mrs P, you may never come back and then you will miss the olde worlde charm of the earlier books.

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Book Rating

Sexual Content: U
Language: U
Violent: U
Would I read the next one or reread ?: Yes

My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book (waste of time)
1* Finished the book but didn't like it.
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* An excellent read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* A magnificent read. A prominent example of the genre.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

Mrs Pargeter finds herself supporting her friend Jasmine Angold at a social event in aid of a charity which brings feral cats from the Greek island of Atmos to new homes in the UK. Mrs P isn't especially keen on cats or dogs but she is always interested in finding charities to support with her fortune.

However this event arouses her curiosity in ways the charity might not appreciate. Mrs P is no one's fool and she can smell something not quite right about this charity. In addition she comes face to face to with a rather unpleasant woman who claims to be her late husband's sister.

Not one to be deterred once she gets her teeth into something, Mrs P calls on all her resources to uncover what is going on and right a few wrongs in the process even though what she does might not be quite on the right side of the law. But Mrs P is always on the right side of justice and it is always good to help your friends and to bring the baddies to book.

I enjoyed reading this amusing crime novel. Mrs Pargeter is an interesting character who has some marvellous ways of sorting situations to her own satisfaction. There is plenty of humour in the story and some tense moments as well as Mrs P pits her wits against some very nasty people. This is an entertaining series and something a bit different from the usual.

[John Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading books by Mr Brett for as long as I can remember. I have enjoyed the series about two ladies at Fethering , his struggling actor Charles Parrish and good old.Mrs Pargeter.

It must be difficult for an author to write about the same characters for years without letting signs of strain appear. I believe that was the case with the last Charles Parris book and after a very promising start, I thought that this one was going the same way. In fact I wasn't sure that I would finish it.

Then things started to look up a bit.

For readers of the series, there were bits of repetition in it, parts of the story were far fetched but this is after all Mrs Pargeter and there were a couple of nice twists. I guessed the significance of the father's letter but didn't actually solve it.

If you are looking for a nice easy read with plenty of gentle humour then you will enjoy this and don't worry about starting the series at the beginning, you will soon get the background.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Simon Brett's Charles Paris series (as well as the BBC Radio 4 adaptations with Bill Nighy - can't recommend them enough!) and have also enjoyed his Fethering series but this was the first Mrs Pargeter book I have read. It probably won't be my last either although I didn't think it was quite as good as some of the other series. It's a very quick read and there's not much depth to it; the plot is very convenient and requires enormous suspensions of disbelief!

That said, it's good fun with some humorous moments and a decent mystery. If you have read and enjoyed Mrs Pargeter before, I am sure you will like this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While supporting her friend in her bereavement Mrs Pargeter invites, Jasmine Angold to a charity reception for PhiliPussies. A charity which rehouses cats from the Greek Island of Atmos back to England. But at the event she meets her previously unknown sister-in-law, which is followed by a death, results in a lot of potential revealing of secrets.
An enjoyable cosy crime mystery which re-introduced me to the tales of Mrs Pargeter. A re-read to finish off the series.

[Liz V. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mrs. Pargeter's husband operated on a need-to-know basis and, since his death, Mrs. Pargeter has avoided knowing more than is good for her. His former employees--and now her friends--have loyally abided by her wishes. So, when Mrs. Pargeter learns for the first time that her husband had a sister and nephew, the friends won't say anything. They gather around, however, when a burglary leads to blackmail threats.

[Sylvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed Mrs. Pargeter's turning a blind eye to where her fortune came from and the people who assist her at the order of dead husband. I felt it dragged on a little too much, but it was interesting at the latter part of the book.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 3.5 stars for a clever cozy mystery, but 4 stars for sheer fun, light entertainment value. I’ve read almost the entire series with the Reading the Detectives group as Buddy reads, and enjoyed them. This was no exception.

Mrs. Pargeter is a delightful character; she had a long and loving marriage to a man who was clearly a criminal mastermind - but one of the running gags of the series is that she pretends total ignorance to the activities that made him a fortune, and allowed him to employ several characters at the top of their professions.

His management skills and eschewing of violence (unless absolutely necessary), and care and planning for the legitimate future occupations of his loyal crew earned their undying devotion and respect. Now, Mrs. Pargeter enjoys that devotion. Throughout the series, she has benefited from the precious little black book her loving husband left her; all of his former associates and their “particular set of skills” are listed there.

This time, the book opens with Mrs. P. accompanying a friend, a recent widow of one of her husband’s associates, to a charity auction for cats rescued from Greece. Not a pet lover herself, Mrs. P. is glad to accompany her friend so she can keep her company and assess her financial situation. Her husband always took care of his associates and friends, and Melita Pargeter sees it as her responsibility to continue that work.

But she gets a jolt of surprise when a woman approaches her claiming to be the late Mr. Pargeter’s sister - Melita didn’t know he had a sister! Several things seem suspicious about the woman and the cat charity, and the next day a woman involved in the charity turns up dead, strangled and left in a shallow grave in the forest.

As usual, Mrs. Pargeter calls on associates of her husband’s to help investigate the charity, the unknown sister, and protect her beloved husband’s reputation. Fun and entertaining as always, I enjoy taking a break from heavier reads to spend time with Mrs. Pargeter!

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for a review copy of Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations, the 8th novel in the Mrs Pargeter amateur sleuth series.

Mrs Pargeter is attending a cat charity function, Philopussies, to support a friend as it's not something she, personally, has any truck with when she meets Rochelle Brighouse, a woman she has never met or heard from before but who claims to be the late Mr Pargeter's sister. Her curiosity is awakened and brought fully to life when Mr Pargeter's former associates have, uncharacteristically, nothing to say on the subject. She is distracted from this, however, when she learns of the murder of Doreen Grange, a rather annoying volunteer with Philopussies whom she met at the function. Sensing something is wrong she decides to investigate.

It is a few years since I have read about Mrs Pargeter and her exploits so it was pleasant to dip back into her world. Mrs Pargeter is enjoying a very comfortable widowhood thanks to Mr Pargeter's varied business interests and farsightedness, which also stretched to setting up his former associates in business. Such is their loyalty to the late Mr Pargeter that nothing is too much trouble for them when Mrs Pargeter calls for their help in her sleuthing.

Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations is an amusing, fun read and an easy way to pass a few hours. My memory may be deceiving me but I felt the humour was a bit more laboured and repetitive than in the previous novels although the cleverness of the plot and Mr Brett's deft handling nullify it to a certain extent. The plot itself is fairly silly and not to be taken seriously but I imagine it takes a fair amount of thought to bring it all together so effortlessly so hats off to Mr Brett.

If you want a light, fun read then I have no hesitation in recommending Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are lots of reasons to cheer for Mrs. Pargeter, a thief’s widow who brings gentility to every mystery she solves. First, she’s not a cat person. Second, she’s comfortable with what the author describes as “her ample curves.” She may not like cats, but she loves food, and she doesn’t constantly lament that in this series. Those two reasons alone are enough to incentivize me to read the series, and the mystery solutions are always at least entertaining and sometimes quite good.

As this book opens, she attends a charity for cats. You see, a foundation exists that brings cats from Grece to the UK for dispersal among the cat-loving populous of the country.

But the charity event turns funky when the lights mysteriously go out and someone steals a highly valued, prized necklace that was up for auction.

Equally interesting is the introduction of a woman who claims to be the sister of Mrs. Pargeter’s late husband. Melita Pargeter and her husband had been so close that it seems impossible to her that he would have kept such a secret. Mrs. Pargeter is certain the woman isn’t who she claims to be. But if that’s the case, you must wonder who she really is and why she thinks it’s to her advantage to claim to be the sister of a dead man.

Incidentally, a few days after the charity event, Mindy, who sponsored the gala got her necklace back. It frustrated Mrs. Pargeter that Mindy didn’t even bother to read the postmark on the envelope that came in the mail and housed the necklace.

Soon, an elderly woman who knits cat figures dies by the hand of an anonymous killer, and the same killer threatens Mrs. Pargeter before the book ends.

My only problem with this is the author relies on stupid gadgetry. He crafts an electronic device that can open analogue padlocks? Ridiculous! Both this book and its predecessor use asinine gadgets to accomplish things.

[John Frankham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, my second in the Mrs Pargeter series. Simon Brett is severely underrated - in this episode the charity sector, voluntary help, charity auction, etc, is mercilessly pilloried, and we have the usual Brett understanding and mocking of pretension and modern over-sensitivities. Wickedly entertaining indeed. Good stuff.

The GR blurb:

'Mrs Pargeter discovers the skills by which Public Relations can make evil look good in the latest wickedly entertaining mystery.

It is her characteristic generosity rather than her love of animals that finds Mrs Pargeter supporting her friend, Jasmine Angold, at a charity reception for PhiliPussies, whose worthy aim is to rehabilitate stray cats from the Greek island of Atmos into caring English homes. But the evening is to have unexpected consequences. At the event, Mrs P is taken aback to meet a woman who claims to be the sister of her late husband, the much-missed Mr Pargeter.

This surprising encounter leads to unwelcome digging into past secrets, the discovery of a body in Epping Forest, an eventful trip to Greece - and unexpected danger for Mrs Pargeter. In the course of her investigations, she learns the true nature of charity and the dubious skills by which Public Relations can make evil look good.'

[M.H. Thaung]

I have fond memories of listening to the earlier books in this series some 20 years ago, and it was with curiosity I picked up this more recent volume.

We start with something innocuous—Mrs Pargeter attending a charity event—but things soon snowball with shady characters and suspicious happenings fitting together nicely. As always, Mrs Pargeter has a backup team to call upon for help in her investigations, in the shape of her late husband's various former business acquaintances who have access to... special resources.

The story is told in an entertaining style (I chuckled a couple of times, very unlike me). It's an easy read if you like your mysteries cosy and aren't concerned about plausibility. While there are plenty of fun clues to follow, there are also several unlikely coincidences and a couple of decisions I found odd. But we expect that with Mrs Pargeter's madcap stories, and it doesn't detract from the enjoyment.

The book is short, which I think a good thing. If it were longer, the charm of the larger-than-life characters would, I suspect, become tedious.

[Susan Amper · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Mrs. Pargeter's Public Relations" by Simon Brett is a delightful and entertaining mystery novel featuring the charming and resourceful widow, Mrs. Pargeter.

In Simon Brett's lively eighth installment of the Mrs. Pargeter series, "Mrs. Pargeter's Public Relations," the clever and always elegant Melita Pargeter claims to know very little about her late husband's fortune. But when she meets Rochelle Brighouse and her son, Haydon, at a charity auction in London, she discovers a long-lost family member and a potential new source of information. When Mr. Pargeter's black book goes missing and a member of the PhiliPussies society is found murdered, Mrs. Pargeter's curiosity is piqued. With the help of her husband's former employees, she sets out to solve the case. Fans of light-hearted mysteries will thoroughly enjoy this entertaining and engaging read.

[Ann Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Pargeter accompanies her friend, Jasmine Angold, to a reception for an animal charity. The aim of the charity is to rehabilitate stray cats from the Greek island of Atmos and settle them into caring British homes. But Mrs P. is taken aback when a woman at the event claims to be the sister of the late Mr. Pargeter. Mrs. P Is not sure her husband had a sister but she realizes he never talked about his family. Immediately after that, the lights go out and when they come back on minutes later, the prize auction item, a gaudy gold necklace, has disappeared. Then two days later one of the fellow guests is found in a shallow grave in Epping Forest. The event organizers seem more concerned with the charity's public relations than the murder, so Mrs. P decides to investigate. The eight books in this series are a delight.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the latest in a series but my first reading of Simon Brett. I loved this book. The plot was built to suspense level and I was surprised at the ending. The British are a bit more formal in their relations and Mrs Pargeter is very particular, intuitive, and a perfect main character. I can't wait for a new adventure, so I plan to read back to the beginning. Although this is a series, one did not need to read the prior novels. The only question is what the late Mr. Pargeter really did for a living. He set up a network to protect his wife after his death, yet she knew nothing about his life yet anyone she meets who knew him tells her what an honor it was to work with or for him. For a nice change from all the bestsellers, dive into this one. Will make my best of 2017 list.

[Iraa ☘️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

cozy mystery pertamaku, I don't like it very much tho, awal2 oke tp makin ke pertengahan rada fall off aja, dr segi bahasa dan plot vibesnya terlalu kasual pendek gt tapi pake bahasa berbelit belit iykwim, terlalu banyak kalimat bentuk pasif yg ngeselin dibaca, sangat redundant.

Penokohan banyak dua dimensi dan aku inwardly roll my eyes every time they mention mr. pargeter 'business enterprise', masa lalunya kyk mafia badboy yg sering ditulis di wattpad, cheesy as hell, bagian 80% akhir aku skimming2, gak banyak ttg penyelidikan, cuma ttg perjalanan karakter2 yg aku gk begitu suka, overall not my cup of tea. 2,5/5

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ends up as a light cozy mystery read. I enjoyed it enough I may go looking for the previous novels. I'd actually grant it a 3.5 .
Mrs. Pargeter's husband ( deceased) was evidently involved in questionable activities that he carefully kept away from his wife. However, this novel definitely falls into the "honor among thieves" category. When an associate with limited funds becomes involved with a cat rescue project, Mrs. P. becomes involved---and meets a sister-in-law she never knew about.
Believable? No. Fun? Yes!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best of the Mrs. Pargeter mysteries. I enjoy reading the
adventures of Mrs. Pargeter and her semi retired criminals who's names
are in her little black book that she inherited. Mr. Pargeter's sister Rochelle
decides she deserves that valuable black book and from that time on trouble ensues.
There's a slew of villains in both Greece and Britain willing to
help Rochelle and her door mat son Haydon with their evil plans. Action goes on
practically to the last page. Great fun!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isis audiobook, but that edition doesn’t have a pic of the cover. I’m reading (e.g., listening to) this series because I happened to find them online. [I had them confused with another series (Mrs. Pollifax) which is a much better series. Thank goodness, now I’ve got it straight in my mind.]

I DO love these characters though. I think perhaps I might like reading a hardcover more than listening to them.

This book is a good one. I listened to all but the last disc, which is missing in this set. However, the story was good. If I ever run across a complete set, I’ll listen to the whole thing again.

[Annburnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs Pargeter goes with a friend to a charity for adopting cats. Where she meets her late husband's sister. When her sister in laws name is mentioned to others she is told that it is best to stay away from her. In the end she ends up finding out a lot more about her sister in law and her son. She travels to an Island in Greece to pursue some leads. As usual she has a mystery to solve. The whole series of Mrs Pargeter is wonderful.