Malice Aforecourt

by Rennae Todd

He was an irritating man, but just because she’d argued with him didn’t mean she wanted him dead.
Hettie Parke enjoys her position as president of the Parke Croquet Club, but she can’t believe her eyes when she finds her croquet mallet wrecked beyond repair. She isn’t just annoyed. She’s furious. Someone will pay for this. But her fury quickly turns to dismay when her damaged mallet is linked to the murder of the Bowls Club president whose body is found on her croquet court.
Hettie decides she’d better uncover some other likely suspects before she’s charged with murder, but with all her candidates turning up with solid alibis her future is not looking bright.
It’s then she discovers an unlikely ally in that cat Ceefer. But can he be trusted, or is he just angling to have a certain blue-eyed Persian join their household?

Genres: Mystery, Ebooks

Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2023

About the author

Rennae Todd is the pen name of Irene Sauman. While Irene writes historical cozy mysteries, Rennae writes cozies in a more modern setting. They reside in Perth, Western Australia and their books can be found at all good retailers in print and digital format.
Rennae shares Irene's website where you can learn more about the books of both authors. Follow her on BookBub and never miss a new release.

Reviews

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

With two different sporting clubs sharing a single space, trouble was sure to raise its head. The president of the bowls club has been murdered, and the president of the croquet club has been accused. Adding to the trickiness is the complication of a former paramour investigating the crime. Things could get awkward.

Eighteen different versions of the cover and mine isn't listed! Crazy!

The only thing I want to change is the book's length. Though the story was wrapped up neatly, I felt I had missed a crucial point somewhere along the line. Still, I enjoyed the read and look forward to the next book in the series.

[Stella Budrikis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hettie Parke has a problem. The body of Craig Lewis, the president of the local bowling club, has been found on her croquet club court. She and Lewis had a very public argument on the night before he died, and her own croquet mallet seems to have been used in the crime. And to make matters worse, the police have confiscated all the croquet club's equipment just before the club is due to host a major tournament.
But Hettie isn't content to let the police sort things out. She's determined to solve the crime and clear her name.
Malice Aforecourt has everything a cosy crime story should have - an unlikeable corpse, a cast of interesting characters in a village-like setting, a feisty amateur detective of mature years, romance and illicit affairs (but no sex) humour and more than just a dash of far-fetchedness. Add to that a black cat named Ceefer who practically talks and knows more than any cat should. It all adds up to a fun read.
As I expected from this author (who writes historical mysteries under the name Irene Sauman) the story is well written and there are no awkward plot holes. It took me a while to keep track of the line up of characters, but there's a handy 'How it all began' at the beginning that explains the three generations of the Parke family who appear in the story. It's all set in Western Australia's Upper Swan Valley. After reading the book I know a lot more about croquet than before I began. I look forward to hearing more about Hettie Parke in future.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Ms. Todd did a wonderful job of setting up her characters and the direction for the series in this first book. She took time with Hettie, the protagonist in the mysteries, but not so much time that the plot became bogged down. There are plenty of twists and turns and suspects galore...including Hettie of course. Then there is the other main character, of the animal persuasion that is. Ceefer, the cat, is dropped off at the Club Cafe with a box of his belongings. Hettie's daughter, Violet, convinces her mother that he will give the cafe a good vibe. I can't be sure but there might even be some romance for Hettie a little later in the series. All in all this was a delightful beginning to a new series that I'm looking forward to reading.

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Anne G. Kasaba · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started this book I had a hard time staying interested but I am so glad I stuck with it to the end. The story was engaging with a mystery that kept me guessing until the end. The characters had distinctive personalities but the scene stealer was Ceefer a smart, sassy cat that kept his humans on the right path. Can't wait for the second book in this series!

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woody Lake, Western Australia.

Hettie Parke, President of the Parke Croquet Club, and Craig Lewis, President of the Bowls Club, had an argument that everyone in attendance overheard at the Wednesday night meeting. By Saturday, it is not the morning anticipated least of all by Hettie. Craig is found on the clubhouse lawn with the weapon nearby, a yellow-handled croquet mallet everyone knows belongs to Hettie. Luckily, Ceefer, a new feline member of the family, might be able to assist, or if Hettie pays attention to Ceefer’s non-verbal signals for the time and direction of a needed walk.

What a pleasure to meet Hettie, her family, club members, and the community. A lively and fun cozy with twists and turns for investigation. But best of all is a little black cat with green eyes that stole the show. I loved Ceefer’s non-verbal signals and the intervals when distracted by playtime with Aurora.

I look forward to reading more of this series. As this cozy written by Rennae Todd is a pseudonym used by Irene Sauman, I also look forward to reading the author’s historical cozies, but I had to learn the name of the black cat scampering across the book cover*. I’m so glad I did!

*The black cat is scampering across the bottom of the book cover without a human, as downloaded from Kindle Unlimited‎ (Jakada Books, 2nd edition, December 15, 2021). The book cover is not one of the featured editions on GoodReads at the time of posting my review.

[Judith Mosconi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hettie is the mature Parke relative who runs the croquet side of the Parke Bowls and Croquet Club. After a contentious meeting over which club should take over the new hall, Hettie calls for a special meeting of the entire club membership to make the decision. Before that takes place, however, the president of the bowls side, and her adversary at the meeting, is found dead on one of her croquet fields and her special mallet is obviously damaged. Hettie goes into action to clear her name with her many family members contributing.

I liked many aspects of this book, likeable characters, a nice mystery and interesting location, but I'm always a bit uncomfortable when a strong woman decides to withhold information from the authorities so that she can find out more on her own. It always creates misunderstandings and puts the character in more danger. I'd rather she sleuthed and shared!

Would definitely read the next in the series to see how Hettie manages.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written book with a unique setting. The book begins with an intro from the author letting readers know that the book contains British/Australian spelling and word usage which is appreciated, and in actuality with so many authors setting their stories in Great Britain and Australia, it has gotten easier for those of us in the US to pick up on the meaning of those differences in phrasing. The section on ‘How it all Began’ was also really helpful in setting up both the setting and the primary characters. The mystery was well crafted and interesting. The murder victim was so unpleasant that there was no lack of suspects for us to choose from. Ceefer the cat is truly an interesting character and it’ll be interesting to see how he helps in future investigations. This was an enjoyable new series debut!

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short cosy mystery. Sports clubs in Western Australia share grounds and a building, as the sports, bowls and croquet, have a lot in common. However, there is some rivalry and tension, and when an organiser is found dead at the club, another organiser is a possible suspect, since her croquet mallet was used at the scene.
Other than the murder, everything rings quite true to my experience, and the bright and friendly black cat, is also true to my experience. Cats which are walked on a lead do get to know the harness and react immediately when they see it. We don't learn why the lead is required - are there stray dogs or dingoes, or is there an ordinance to protect native birds and animals? As the author lives in Australia, she may not realise that people from other places would find this unusual.

Plenty of suspects and sleuthing. Enjoy.
This is an unbiased review.

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book from beginning to end! Hettie is facing a major problem after Craig, a man she had a heated argument with the night before, is found dead on the croquet court the next day. The characters were well-developed, mist with interesting quirks! Add in an inherited cat with seemingly special traits, an old high school flame and someone having an affair, and you have everything you need for a great cozy mystery. There’s enough twists and turns, even a red herring or two, and you have a very entertaining, enjoyable story! I received a free copy of this book from the author and was delighted to read it! I write this review voluntarily.

[Anna Bornino-glusac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malice Aforecourt is a cozy mystery with an Aussie twist. Some terminology will be new to American readers, but easily understood.

The story revolves around a murder of a club president. A host of family members as well as cats named Ceefer and Aurora and the main character Hettie, are likely to become more developed in future books. This book feels like an introduction to a series with more ideosyncracies to appear.
A cozy mystery with twists and turns!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Croquet isn't just a game!

There was nothing I didn't like about this book! Character Hettie was both smart and snarky and a joy to follow her next train of thought. Family members assisting Hettie to solve a murder were just as good with their one liners and commradery. Looking forward to the next story and future books from this author. It flowed well til the end!

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ceefer is a special cat that Hettie and her daughter Violet acquired from his previous owner’s nephew. He is a special cat as those who previously knew him tell her, but won’t tell her how he is special. However, he seems to have taken charge of the murder investigation when Hettie is the number one suspect - since the murder was committed with her croquet mallet.

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining mystery, with a very special cat who helped the Main Character to come across all the suspects! Loved the cat, Ceefer. I also loved that it was written by an Australian author and set in Western Australia, but was horrified to see the spelling "stepmom" - weird when everything else was in Aussie English.

[Sharon Spindler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malice

It took me a bit to figure out that this story takes place in Australia, but after the confusion it was a reasonable read. I liked Hettie, and Clever is a hoot!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start to a new series from a new-to-me author. I did enjoy this book, but I have not given it a 5 star rating because although it was a fun read, it was not particularly different from many of the other cozies on the market. Clever enough, the characters well developed. I found the first few chapters were a little bit slow and drawn out but then it started hotting up a bit more and the pace picked up.

I did however like Ceefer the cat very much - he is a dark horse, oops sorry, cat ;) !! When I got to the end of the book, I was not too sure if I would read the next one, until I saw the blurb for Book 2. Now that sounded even more promising, so I will certainly be on the look out for it.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable quick read. I learned about some Australian club sports and a few different terms used there compared to in the USA.