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?
Simon Brett 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.
Mrs. Pargeter is a treasure, and so are her late husband's business associates, who idolized their mentor and would do anything for his widow. The lady is observant, intelligent, and has a strong streak of curiosity. At the same time, she firmly resists knowing anything about her husband's "business" activities that left her an extremely wealthy widow. It becomes immediately obvious that he was a criminal mastermind who took great care in selecting protégées to train, paying for their schooling as needed, and financing their more legitimate business enterprises. With a few notable exceptions, all of his associates are totally loyal.
When an acquaintance meets a suspicious end, Mrs. Pargeter seeks assistance from some of the experts listed in her late husband's little black book. She may not have planned a life of investigating mysteries, but it seems to suit her well. She also feels a strong sense of obligation to her husband's companions and their families.
I enjoyed the characters and their adventures so much, that I was sad when the last book came to an end. Highly recommended.
I just finished the 8th and final (?) book of THE COMPLETE MRS. PARGETER CRIME SERIES 1-8 BY SIMON BRETT, and I want more!! Excellent writer who created a fascinating set of characters (Especially Mrs. PARGETER!) , with an unusual twist of a plot. Funny , heartwarming, absolutely addictive series- thanks to you Mr. Brett, and the wise publishers of this amazing series! Well done - I would recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor with a love of mystery books.
There is so much humour in this text that I often laughed aloud. There is much that is preposterous, gently ironic and often downright slapstick that I was often overtaken by mirth. The juxtaposition of the correct Mrs Pargeter her late husband’s henchmen is continuously comic and her innocence about his background activities is humorously just believable. The best thing is Simon Brett’s understated irony which reminds me of a modern PG Wodehouse . A delicious series.
This was one of the best series I've enjoyed in a long time. The story lines were all different, the characters were fun to get to know and Mrs. Pargeter (although a bit quirky about some things) is intelligent, brave, creative and afraid of very little. Simon Brett used wonderful language, sometimes sending the reader rushing for a dictionary! No dumbing down of language for this series; it was great. I would definitely recommend the entire 8 books, over 1600 pages, to anyone who enjoys a good mystery read that has suspense, rich plot and humor.
What a hoot! I loved the premise that she "knew nothing" and the interesting characterizations. It was refreshing to read a mystery that had very few illicit sexual subplots or gruesome descriptions. Casting a "little old lady" as the main character who definitely did not fit that mold at all was very admirable. I enjoyed all eight of the series.
This was my first introduction to Simon Brett. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the Mrs Pargeter series. There was suspense, humor and drama right up until the end. The names of the characters were extremely humorous as well as there specialized occupations. I loved Mrs Pargeter and her “innocence”. Great work!
Mrs. Pargeter was the widow of a philanthropist who helped young criminals to get educated and get jobs. Her late husband was much admired by the recipients of his help and who, after his death, made themselves available to his widow for various jobs. She was devoted to her deceased husband, who had bequeathed her with a little black book of contacts he had helped over the years. I loved the way all those in the black book who she contacted jumped to repay her late husband's generosity by helping and protecting his Mrs. with whatever she needed, whether it was finding information to help a friend or busting a crime family. She was brave and generous with the wealth her late husband had left her. I also loved that she refused to let anyone call her late husband a criminal.
Words to live by for Mrs Pargeter, whose husband made sure she had no knowledge of his working activities. After his death she inherits his little black book, which includes the name, address and occupation of those included. While being unaware of her husband's activities, she certainly finds that the people who had worked for her husband held him in high regard and therefore were more than pleased to help her with her little projects. I couldn't stop 😃 smiling as I read these stories. I have, personally, met and conversed with such people, who only see what they want to see and can totally ignore anything or anyone who tries to tell them different. Well written, wonderful characters, great stories.
The Complete Mrs. Pargeter Crime Mysteries. I have now read book II. Mrs. Pargeter starts to investigate and delves behind the veneers of the beautifully designed estate’s net curtains into the fascinating lives of the inhabitants of Smith Loam and discovers some people's behaviors leave behind a lot to be desired. With fine attention to the peculiarity of suburban life, Simon Brett has once more woven a marvelously intriguing and deceptive tale of suspense. ----------------- What I liked about the main character; Mrs. Pargeter is that she knows her since of place as in this occasion she is there for some six month and then she will move on out of Smithy’s Loam. She is a nosy body who does wrap things up when it comes to solving the crime.
I loved the names of the characters: Rewind Wilson, Mr. Runcorn, the late Mr. & Mrs. Cotton; both having died tragically (murdered) and yet no one in their social ranks noticed since it was presumed that they’d moved on and out of Smithy’s Loam. I also enjoyed the secretary/receptionist who worked at the Mason De Vere Detective Agency with the ‘righteous Welsh’ voice as described by Mrs. Pargeter. The ‘righteous Welsh’ voice had an answer for everything when it came to male and their cheating habits as they ended up divorced. I liked this character the best as she is the shining example of one with a presumptions nature and probably has more reason to be that way than not.
I must not forget to mention the Church of Utter Simplicity; I did think that perhaps someone from their establishment committed the crime (murdering Mr. & Mrs. Cotton) but no they did not. Their crime is that they want others to give up all their wealth, possessions and they must have large bank balances to donate to the Church of Utter Simplicity emphasizing that people could not take anything with them to the great beyond.
One favored character named Sue Curle; whose ideology on men and marriage rings true in today’s standard; well somewhat true or I don’t understand the times. Mrs. Pargeter went to visit Ms. Curle to try and find out more as to who may have committed the murder of Mrs. Cotton and so they were having this discussion about relationship and the sexes in that they are completely equal as that had been Mrs. Pargeter’s experience within her own marriage. But Sue Curle poured scorn on this idea. Huh. I’m sorry, Mrs. Pargeter, but it’s a generation thing. You only say that because your generation was brainwashed into thinking that a girl’s main aim in life was to get a husband, and once she’d got one she would spend the rest of her days kowtowing the selfish bastard! Sue went on to assert that had she been given time over again; certainly, I’d never get married. Never give any man power over me, oh no. Maybe I’d try exercising a bit of power over them. And when Mrs. Pargeter reminds her of how men always got the advantage since the power came with the tassel as it were…Sue hailed on saying oh, they think they have, but that’s just a product of another form of brainwashing. ---Keep in mind the times 2024, as a career-minded woman is now running for president of the United States; never having carried or born a child; one must wonder can she really understand the pressure and the times—a career minded woman who gave her all to her career to climb the ladder and seeing the highest power to be achieve and thought it best to marry a man with a family as she is now a married woman with family running for the presidency and she chose a male running mate; a former teacher, coach and governor for VP.
I wonder what Ms. Sue Curle would say of these two; what sort of brainwashing is going on and on whose part?
I found this second book in this Brett set to be fantastically delicious and I highly recommend reading this one as well. I hope when I have read them all that they are as enjoyable as these two.
I loved this series of books. I love that every character introduced had a story, and the books further developed their character as well as the lead character. The stories were interesting with lots of twists and turns.
You were never sure what the ending was going to be. I highly recommend these books, and the wonderful stories and characters that are within them.
You will love Mrs. Pargeter, a widow who ends up involved in mysteries and how they are solved and/or resolved is basically the story lines in all the books. They are wonderfully written and the pages fly by. I only sorry that there are no more books in this series.
Please take a moment to get to know Mrs. Pargeter and her friends - you won’t be disappointed!
Understated tongue in cheek irony abounds in this absolutely delightful series of whodunnit mysteries with Mrs Pargeter, a fulsome figured widow to the “great man who helped me get my start in life” fame. She’s got a lot going for her. Along with a generous inheritance that left her wanting for nothing, Mr Pargeter is still looking out for his beloved wife from the grave through his little black book of business contacts listed by talents and abilities
Cheerful by nature, curious of mind, and helpful by heart, Mrs Pargeter’s adventures in solving crimes and mysteries—with the help of the contacts in Mr Pargeter’s little black book—are great fun to read by the pool, by the fire, on planes, trains, or automobiles.
I enjoyed the first three books but after that it just got a bit silly. The author is very pleased with the names he has created for his characters and makes sure we know how clever he is. I also got very tired of hearing about how good Mr Pargeter was to everyone. By book 6, I felt I was wasting my life and gave up so didn't bother reading the rest of the series. Perhaps he should have made this a trilogy and quit while he was ahead.
I just love Mrs Pargeter - what a woman! From the start you are fully engaged with the characters, the dialogue is well written, the stories engaging & the escapism is perfect. When I read a book I want to be able to immerse myself in the story, to feel a part of it and these books do this. They are thoroughly engaging whilst still being light and easy to read. Thoroughly enjoyed the series and could read more!
Absolutely brilliant dosn't really seem enough to describe these books. I have been gripped right from the start of each book. There have been so many twists and turns to keep me guessing just how things were going to work out. A fantastic bunch of fictitious characters who, by working together, could find solutions to the most elaborate problems (legally or not so legally) but always to beat the bad guys. Well done Simon Brett, thank you.
I am so sad I have now finished this set of amazing books, I loved every word and every story with twists and turns to make me dizzy. Mrs Pargeter is a wonderful character I fell in love with from the first page. All the characters in these stories are truly intriguing and every story had me hooked. I am now going to find more books by Simon Brett and the five stars are so well deserved.
Lots of wry, somewhat sarcastic commentary on the world in this cozy murder series, which gives it a nice edge. I like the older lady being the star of these books, because I tire of always reading about students and 30 year olds. The characters are all benign (now) criminals, and their nefarious talents are used for good even though they are not exactly always law abiding. That makes the plots interesting. This is a really fun, light, humorous series.
This set of books was very entertsining. They keep me guessing shat was going to happen next. I knew, at least I hoped that nothing would happen to Mrs. P. She was very adventurous, kind of a denialis. She could seem to be kind of thick/dense. But she was smart. She had a great body positivity thanks to her husband and male friends, who are true friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I absolutely loved Mrs Pargeter and hope to be just like her when I grow up😊 . The stories are filled with intriguing situations and solutions. Each embodies the similar background, but continues with novel detective work by our gran dame. Try it. I bet you will like it!
The complete Mrs Pargeter crime mystery series is fantastic. I read all 8 books with relish. The characters are wonderful and all have delightfully original handles. Each story had plots and twists to keep you turning the pages with no need for foul language or sexual exploits. Loved them all!
Great reading, fun and entertaining. I enjoyed all the stories and so found myself taking lots of short breaks to continue where I had left off. Highly recommended for some light reading.
Thoroughly enjoyed this series! I read them back to back and found myself falling more and more in love with the characters. Some of the books I found a bit slow to get into but by the second or third chapter I was unable to put them down.
Love Mrs. Pargeter and her gang of side-kicks. Lots of adventure and laughs. Mrs. Pargeter has a great time romping through the upmarket hotels and restaurants of London.
Delightful box set from best-selling author Simon Brett. Filled with colorful characters who skirt the edge of legality to reach worthy goals. Recommended for all who enjoy British mysteries. Mrs. Pargeter is definitely memorable!
For the reader who enjoys a mystery series with engaging characters and plenty of plot twists, "The Complete Mrs Pargeter Crime Mysteries'" is just the ticket! I truly enjoyed each story and highly recommend it.
Being married to a criminal mastermind can lead to a fantastic life especially when he leaves his little black book. Great job enjoyed the characters and the primary attraction.
I loved this series of books, the characters made me laugh and I enjoyed the fact that not every story was a murder mystery, there were quite a variation of plots but the good guys always won.
Love this book set. The plots are intriguing with wonderful humour included all the way. Loved it! Refreshingly good read. The characters were fun and the storyline wonderfully put together.
I have just read all eight books, back to back. So readable, excellently written and I read them with a smile on my face. I now want book nine and more. Simon Brett, you are an amazing writer. Thank you.
The first and second book were the best. After that some of the tropes and themes that kept repeating became less fun and less believable (Mrs. Pargeters "blank innocence" whenever anything crimnal was mentioned, dispite her doing and encouraging obviously criminal things herself).
Great value, purchasers it was on special. I adore the writings of Simon Brent. Mrs Pargeter stories are great fun and quite adventurous. I do get a bit fed up of repetitive explanatuons. I will always continue to read and enjoy Simon Brent stories.