Mrs. Malory and Death By Water

Mrs. Malory Mysteries #13

by Hazel Holt

Mrs. Malory is given the unenviable task of sorting through her dear departed friend Leonora's voluminous estate. Death by polluted water seems an unfitting end for a former investigative journalist whose life was the stuff of novels. But as questions about the will arise and strangers come out of the past, Mrs. Malory begins to doubt that the cause of the pollution-or Leonora's death-were due to natural causes.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Cozy, Fiction, British Literature

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 8, 2002

About the author

Hazel Holt is a British novelist. She studied at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham, England, and then Newnham College, Cambridge. She went on to work at the International African Institute in London, where she became acquainted with the novelist Barbara Pym, whose biography she later wrote. She also finished one of Pym's novels after Pym died.

Holt wrote her first novel in her sixties, and is a leading crime novelist. She is best known for her "Sheila Malory" series. Her son is the novelist Tom Holt.

Reviews

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the midst of grieving after the death of an old friend Leonora, Sheila Malory discovers that the former journalist has left her papers, her books and a big secret to her. And then there is the mystery of the woman's death as well — after living years in a rural cottage with her various animals and drinking the water from the natural spring, the woman ends up dying from E. coli in that spring water.

It's something that Mrs. Malory will not stand for. There are no grazing animals in the area who could have tainted the water and no one else who drinks from the spring has gotten sick. Soon Mrs. Malory believes its just a bit too far-fetched: she believes its a case of murder.

And there are immediately one man, or I should say, one family, that immediately comes to her: Leonora's brother and his wife who have been hankering after the land on which the cottage sits — they have plans for a land development project.

But there are others that Mrs. Malory discovers that may have had need to kill off the elderly Leonora.

An interesting premise but essentially a weak situation for Mrs. Malory, who I have generally enjoyed in this series of cozy mysteries. While she lives in a small village, she is active with a wide range of friends and can usually be counted on to find evidence and clues to those mysterious deaths that she seems to run across. But in this story, Mrs. Malory has no real clues, no evidence at all and nothing to hang her suspicions on. In addition, her harping on it begins to sound like she is a vindictive woman seeking a victim to tar and feather. The ending is equally unsuccessful — because in the end there is no solution.

A fun read but ultimately, not as good as prior books in this series.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

First time I've read this series. Well written, but I figured out who did it before I was halfway through it. Will try this author again to see if I can figure it out again. If so, that will be the last one I read.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sheila Malory is ecstatic: her daughter-in-law is pregnant and she’ll soon become a grandmother! Her joy is tempered with sorrow, though, when an old friend, Leonora Staveley, dies of an e. coli infection, evidently due to drinking contaminated water. Leonora had been famous in her day, a pioneering female journalist who worked all over the world, but when she retired, she retreated into a tumbledown cottage on family property where she raised animals and lived simply. The water source that provided her drinking water was a pure country spring, but somehow something had contaminated it, and Mrs. Malory just can’t quite seem to let the death go as an accident….This is the twelfth book in the Mrs. Malory series, and like the others before it, I don’t believe it is necessary to have read all the previous books to enjoy this one. There are certainly characters that recur in each book, including Mrs. Malory’s family and best friends, but each book seems to introduce more new characters who are, almost without exception, also old friends or neighbours of our heroine. Usually the victim is someone quite unlikable, although that is not true of this entry, and Mrs. Malory’s ability to gather information without seeming to do more than gossip with villagers, along with her intuitive leaps, stand her in good stead in this cozy novel too; recommended.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When murder and arson follow in the wake of a reporter's death, biographer Sheila Malory must dig through the remnants of his life to discover the devil in the details ..."

"Sheila's friend, larger-than-life Eva Jackson, has returned to the village of Taviscombe after losing her husband, Alan. A foreign correspondent, Alan reported on dangerous stories around the world, from Libya to Afghanistan -- but the cause of this death was more mundane: kidney failure in a London hospital. Still, he led a storied life, and much of his past lies in his writings, papers, and books now boxed away in Eva's garage.

"After Eva decides to compile a book of Alan's unpublished works, a fire mysteriously breaks out in the garage. Then Eva meets a suspicious end, leading Sheila to wonder if there's a killer at large in the charming Devon Countryside ..."
~~back cover

And of course there was. This time, the killer was more readily flushed out, simply because of proximity. Still, it was a good tale -- there was always the chance it was someone else, and of course the secondary (or was it primary?) romantic interest always adds spice to the murder mix.

[GB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book for free, and hoped for a “cozy British mystery” experience a la Inspector Morse. In my opinion not enough coziness or intrigue–a bit slow-paced, odd, and very predictable. Maybe I need to read some of the earlier ones in the series to find a better example from Hazel Holt (awesome name)!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant quiet story: an old fashioned English village cozy with only one body, no violence, villages and country side, and familiar types of characters. The author was a personnel friend of Barbara Pym and her official biographer.

[Madelyn Flammia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable cozy mystery. All the Mrs. Malory mysteries are good fun. Charming setting and true-to-life characters. A wonderful slice of English village life.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tightly written. Appreciate her conclusions.

[Joan Colby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pleasure in this one is mostly Mrs. Malory and her friends rather than the mystery. I had the culprit figured from the get-go. But the backstory in this series is always the interesting part.

[Clyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good cozy mystery....would like to find rest of series

[Martha Kearsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, not too cozy, cozy.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

#12 in the Mrs Malory/Sheila Malory mystery series. Published in 2002.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

figured out the killer almost immediately, then the ending was not very satisfying at all!

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was mildly entertaining.

I felt like this book was a 'G' rated, not quite murder-mystery. Written seemingly by a 65 year old for her 75 year old friends. I did enjoy a bit of the small town humor. I was a little irritated with some of the brittish english and continuity errors.

Story: An old woman dies from ecoli in her water supply on her deserted farm place. One of her other old lady friends thinks it was murder because she had some money to be inherited and some old grudges around town. Basically the living old lady goes around town gossiping with everyone trying to get information to solve what she believes to be a murder mystery.

Biggest frustration. At one point in the book we meet a character whos supposed to be the grandson of the woman who died. He wants to meet his grandfather. Later throughout the book the author forgets that middle generation. On the very last page even she writes something about 'I guess he will never get to know his father' . . but it is not his father, it is supposed to be his GRANDfather. Where is your story when you forget your own characters as you write.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheila Malory, a 50-something writer was one of the few people who still visited Leonora. Although Leonora was somewhat of a hermit now, in her prime she was a well-known international reporter/writer who was fearless in her search for a story. Now in her 80s she was frail and stubborn; withdrawing from almost everyone. When Sheila last visited her she found that Leonora had even given up her beloved animals to a friend because she could no longer take care of them. Shortly there after, Leonora died. People were shocked when it turned out she died from drinking tainted water … and very likely she was murdered. Sheila was given the task of going through her papers and books… She was shocked to find that Leonora had several secrets that no one knew. Could Sheila put the pieces together and not only write Leonora’s biography, but solve her murder? A good mystery.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new series for me and I kind of like it. A reclusive friend of Mrs. Malory dies of e-coli from contaminated water. She lived in a run down house and drank from a stream but the water was famous for being sweet and refreshing. Mrs. Malory finds her friend's death is just too convenient for her brother who needs the house for his get rich scheme to start a resort. She is sure that is the answer but then meets a young man who seems to be the deceased woman's grandson by the daughter she gave up for adoption at birth. This was a good read and the characters are very well done The story had a few mistakes in it (characters by the wrong name etc.) but the story was very well written and I will read more of these.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 13th book in the Sheila Mallory series by Hazel Holt.

In this one a good friend of Sheila's, a well known investigating journalist dies in her small English cottage. Her death is initially blamed on bad water. Considering that she lives in a very run down and filthy cottage the attending physician doesn't have trouble believing it. But Sheila doesn't for one minute believe it and she is soon proven correct when the stream that runs by the victim's house is tested for E Coli and no trace is found.

There is also some very good news for Sheila from her son is this book and that adds a very nice sweet tone to the story.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leonora retired from her glamorous life as a foreign correspondent to a small cottage on her brother's estate. Although Sheila Malory considers her a good friend, she's shocked at Leonora's growing frailty. When the woman dies, the authorities say there was E. coli in her water supply. But Sheila finds it suspicious that the water--always satisfactory in the past--should turn toxic just when there are a number of people who'd be happier with Leonora out of their lives.

[Virginia Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eccentric old lady dies of apparent food poisoning. It turns out to be a more sinister case of deliberate tampering with her water supply. Mrs. Malory eventually figures out who did it but can't prove it. Is justice served when the culprit has a debilitating stroke and is left in a nursing home by his young wife?

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author was friend and biographer of Barbara Pym. Her protagonist has some things in common with Pym's characters and solves mysteries in a cozy English village while cutting up fish for her cat, volunteering for every village good cause, and writing literary biographies.

[Mary Newcomb]

Mrs Malory's friend dies under mysterious circumstances. While she ultimately solves the case, justice is not really served. Or is it?

[Carol Peace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy read book with a good mystery to it. I really enjoyes reding it in the sun and will be looking out for another Shiela Malory mystery.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cozy mystery writer has some sterling credentials. She was a personal friend/literary advisor to Barbara Pym. She writes a pretty good mystery too in the vein of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely little read and Sheila's on the gorse in summertime, following a stream to the source of some answers to an old friend Leonora's E-Coli caused demise. She also gets the GRAND news in this one.

[scherzo♫ · Rating 2 out of 5]

"As the thunder rolled menacingly Tris crouched under my chair, his head close up against my ankles, while I ate my supper, whining pitifully, whereas ..."

[Peggi Warner-Lalonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

IVe been a fan of Hazel Holt for years, and this book did not disappoint. To my mind, her cosies are more literary than niche.