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Mrs. Malory Mysteries #5
Mrs. Malory: Detective in Residence
British from the tips of her sensible shoes to the lapels of her classic tweed suit, the delightfully civilized Mrs. Sheila Malory of Taviscombe, England, has a talent for solving the most frightfully uncivilized of crimes. In this fifth outing into the dark byways of homicide, she leaves her cat and her village behind to teach a literature course at a small American college...and finds herself right at home instructing the local police in the ABCs of murder. Mrs. Sheila Malory gazes at a fabulously attractive man at the faculty party welcoming her to Wilmot College. Unfortunately, Professor Carl Loring shares a penchant for malice with his brother, Max Loring, the curator at the nearby Whittler Institute. Between them they have destroyed reputations, committed character assassinations, and killed colleagues' careers. Nearly everyone in this close-knit academic community nestled in a Pennsylvania river valley wants to see them get their comeuppance. And someone wants to see them dead. Mrs. Malory is soon plunged into a moral and most emotional dilemma amid the groves of academe. The discovery first of Max's dead body, then Carl's, brings divorced, middle-aged Police Lieutenant Mike Landis onto the scene and into her life. Landis enjoys Mrs. Malory's company, shares a passion for Shakespeare, and welcomes her help in solving a case where clues are few, but suspects are many. Mrs. Malory's close friend and hostess, Linda Kowolski, has motive and opportunity for committing at least one of the crimes. So do a gorgeous graduate student who has been sexually harassed, a soft-spoken writing professor who finds his future in jeopardy, and a powerful local businessman who may have blown millions on a forged work of art. One by one the incomparable Mrs. Malory uncovers the facts that add up to the shocking truth.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
18 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Hazel Holt
36 books72 followersHazel 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 30, 2019
3.75 stars
I enjoy the Sheila Mallory series by Hazel Holt. This is the 5th book in a 21 book series. This is a very cozy mystery series. The reader follows Sheila Mallory in her daily life. She has a lot of common sense and a nose for involving herself in murders.
Normally, Sheila's mysteries are set in a small village in England. In this book, she travels to the U.S. to teach a 3 month course at a Pennsylvania college on 19th century women writers. She stays with a friend and murder soon follows.
This was not my favorite read in the series so far but I did like it ok. I liked to read Mrs. Mallory's impression of the U.S. One of her first comments about the U.S. upon arriving was that there are so many trees or forests. She tried the local foods that are popular in Pennsylvania and toured a Civil War battlefield. She is a very literate woman.
One thing I remembered about reading a Hazel Holt mystery is that the endings always end in a surprise. I thought that the ending of this book was maybe a little too much. (one event or reveal after another) Was I surprised? The answer is yes. I have the next book to read. Mrs Mallory will be back in England.
I enjoy the Sheila Mallory series by Hazel Holt. This is the 5th book in a 21 book series. This is a very cozy mystery series. The reader follows Sheila Mallory in her daily life. She has a lot of common sense and a nose for involving herself in murders.
Normally, Sheila's mysteries are set in a small village in England. In this book, she travels to the U.S. to teach a 3 month course at a Pennsylvania college on 19th century women writers. She stays with a friend and murder soon follows.
This was not my favorite read in the series so far but I did like it ok. I liked to read Mrs. Mallory's impression of the U.S. One of her first comments about the U.S. upon arriving was that there are so many trees or forests. She tried the local foods that are popular in Pennsylvania and toured a Civil War battlefield. She is a very literate woman.
One thing I remembered about reading a Hazel Holt mystery is that the endings always end in a surprise. I thought that the ending of this book was maybe a little too much. (one event or reveal after another) Was I surprised? The answer is yes. I have the next book to read. Mrs Mallory will be back in England.
December 26, 2016
Sheila Malory is invited to spend a semester at a small university in Pennsylvania teaching English literature. Shortly after she arrives a body is discovered and Sheila is approached by the police officer investigating the case because she can give him an outsider's view of all the people involved.
Sheila soon finds her loyalties divided as she wonders whether keeping a friend's secret is more important than keeping information from the police which could lead them to the perpetrator.
This is an interesting cosy mystery which is well written and well plotted with believable characters and dialogue. It is part of the Sheila Malory series and the books can be read in any order. The background to this story provides a fascinating insight into American academic life.
Sheila soon finds her loyalties divided as she wonders whether keeping a friend's secret is more important than keeping information from the police which could lead them to the perpetrator.
This is an interesting cosy mystery which is well written and well plotted with believable characters and dialogue. It is part of the Sheila Malory series and the books can be read in any order. The background to this story provides a fascinating insight into American academic life.
September 15, 2021
Demure Britisher Sheila Malory is on her way to the states to teach an literature class at the college where one of her dear friends works. Soon she finds herself totally a part of the literature department, including being one of the members who totally dislikes fellow professor Carl Loring, and his brother Max, two men who seem to live to make all others miserable.
Mrs. Malory sees it first hand with her friend and fellow department members, as well as one of her students. And there it might have stood, until Max Loring, the curator at the nearby Whittier Institute, was discovered dead.
Its the beginning of a friendship Mrs. Malory develops with the investigating detective Mike Landis, and also the beginning of her gentle sleuthing despite her best efforts. Soon, she finds out perhaps more than she wanted to know about all those she has developed relationships with. But who really could have killed the man?
This is one of those typical cozies, very relaxing and easy to read. I didn't find it any great challenge to come up with a likely suspect, nor surprised at the unlikely way things are uncovered. Was I a little bit disappointed by the end? Not really. Will this be one of those stories I will remember? Probably not but like a sweet bit of chocolate, it was nice while it lasted.
Mrs. Malory sees it first hand with her friend and fellow department members, as well as one of her students. And there it might have stood, until Max Loring, the curator at the nearby Whittier Institute, was discovered dead.
Its the beginning of a friendship Mrs. Malory develops with the investigating detective Mike Landis, and also the beginning of her gentle sleuthing despite her best efforts. Soon, she finds out perhaps more than she wanted to know about all those she has developed relationships with. But who really could have killed the man?
This is one of those typical cozies, very relaxing and easy to read. I didn't find it any great challenge to come up with a likely suspect, nor surprised at the unlikely way things are uncovered. Was I a little bit disappointed by the end? Not really. Will this be one of those stories I will remember? Probably not but like a sweet bit of chocolate, it was nice while it lasted.
February 25, 2010
I love academic mysteries, but not this one.
The author was the literary executor for one of my favorite authors, Barbara Pym. I guess I expected Pym's writing wizardry to rub off on her close friend, Hazel. It certainly did not.
The author's "detective in residence" really did no detecting, she just formed the most unlikely relationship with the policeman in charge. But that wasn't my problem with the book. Ms. Holt never provided any description of her principal character---we don't know what she looked like, we don't really understand how she was perceived to be worthy of the residency in the English Dept. of an eastern college, and for the life of me I can't figure out why the bright policeman in charge confided any case information to this less-than-forthcoming woman.
And, the writing was very pedestrian. It is only the remnants of the little Catholic girl in me that made me finish the book.
The author was the literary executor for one of my favorite authors, Barbara Pym. I guess I expected Pym's writing wizardry to rub off on her close friend, Hazel. It certainly did not.
The author's "detective in residence" really did no detecting, she just formed the most unlikely relationship with the policeman in charge. But that wasn't my problem with the book. Ms. Holt never provided any description of her principal character---we don't know what she looked like, we don't really understand how she was perceived to be worthy of the residency in the English Dept. of an eastern college, and for the life of me I can't figure out why the bright policeman in charge confided any case information to this less-than-forthcoming woman.
And, the writing was very pedestrian. It is only the remnants of the little Catholic girl in me that made me finish the book.
December 6, 2012
Mrs Malory comes to America! Having been offered a four-month teaching gig at a small college in Pennsylvania, Mrs Malory is in the US, visiting her friend Anne in Brooklyn (and spending much of her day on 5th Avenue, though not buying much.) The two will drive to Wilmot College where Mrs Malory will stay with Anne's sister Linda while she is teaching at the college. . . .
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To read the rest of this review go to my blog at
http://maryslibrary.typepad.com/my_we...
September 9, 2024
"British from the tips of her sensible shoes to the lapels of her classic tweed suit, the delightfully civilized Mrs. Sheila Malory of Taviscombe, England, has a talent for solving the most frightfully uncivilized of crimes. In this fifth outing into the dark byways of homicide, she leaves her cat and her village behind to teach a literature course at a small American college ... and finds herself right at home instructing the local police in the ABCs of murder.
"Mrs. Sheila Malory gazes at a fabulously att4ractive man at the faculty party welcoming her to Wilmot College. Unfortunately, Pr9fessor Carl Loring shares a p[enchant for malice with his brother Max Loring, the curator at the nearby Whittier Institute. Between them they have destroyed reputations, committed character assassinations, and killed colleagues' careers. Nearly everyone in this close-knit academic community nestled in a Pennsylvania river valley wants to see them get their comeuppance. And someone wants to see them dead.
"Mrs. Malory is soon plunged into a moral and most emotional dilemma amid the groves of academe. The discovery first of Max's dead body, then Carl's, brings divorced, Middle-aged Police Lieutenant Mike Landis onto the scene and into her life. Landis enjoys Mrs. Malory's company, shares a passion for Shakespeare, and welcomes her help in solving a case where clues are few, but suspects are many.
"Mrs. Malory's close friend and hostess, Linda Kowolski, has motive and opportunity for committing at least one of the crimes. So do a gorgeous student who has been sexually harassed, a soft-spoken writing professor who finds his future in jeopardy, and a powerful local businessman who may have blown millions on a forged work of art. One by one the incomparable Mrs. Malory uncovers the facts that add up to the shocking truth. Anglophiles will love this excursion of Mrs. Malory in America ..."
~~front & back flaps
As usual, a very charming little mystery. the sub-motif of Mike Landis and Mrs. Malory is tantalizing ... until you stop to think about the difficulties of a relationship that spans the Atlantic Ocean. And so reluctantly, at least on Mike Landis' part ...
The culprit turns out to be -- also as usual -- someone you would least expect, and the ending is, well, less happy than that of most of these novels. But at least everyone else emerges unscathed, and the college is well rid of two very unpleqasant men.
"Mrs. Sheila Malory gazes at a fabulously att4ractive man at the faculty party welcoming her to Wilmot College. Unfortunately, Pr9fessor Carl Loring shares a p[enchant for malice with his brother Max Loring, the curator at the nearby Whittier Institute. Between them they have destroyed reputations, committed character assassinations, and killed colleagues' careers. Nearly everyone in this close-knit academic community nestled in a Pennsylvania river valley wants to see them get their comeuppance. And someone wants to see them dead.
"Mrs. Malory is soon plunged into a moral and most emotional dilemma amid the groves of academe. The discovery first of Max's dead body, then Carl's, brings divorced, Middle-aged Police Lieutenant Mike Landis onto the scene and into her life. Landis enjoys Mrs. Malory's company, shares a passion for Shakespeare, and welcomes her help in solving a case where clues are few, but suspects are many.
"Mrs. Malory's close friend and hostess, Linda Kowolski, has motive and opportunity for committing at least one of the crimes. So do a gorgeous student who has been sexually harassed, a soft-spoken writing professor who finds his future in jeopardy, and a powerful local businessman who may have blown millions on a forged work of art. One by one the incomparable Mrs. Malory uncovers the facts that add up to the shocking truth. Anglophiles will love this excursion of Mrs. Malory in America ..."
~~front & back flaps
As usual, a very charming little mystery. the sub-motif of Mike Landis and Mrs. Malory is tantalizing ... until you stop to think about the difficulties of a relationship that spans the Atlantic Ocean. And so reluctantly, at least on Mike Landis' part ...
The culprit turns out to be -- also as usual -- someone you would least expect, and the ending is, well, less happy than that of most of these novels. But at least everyone else emerges unscathed, and the college is well rid of two very unpleqasant men.
April 23, 2022
Sheila Malory is offered a teaching job for one semester at a small Pennsylvania college, where she would also serve as a mentor for two women pursuing Master’s degrees in different aspects of Victorian literature, Sheila’s specialty. She jumps at the chance to spend time with her old friend Linda and Linda’s older sister Anna, and after some initial nervousness, settles quickly into her temporary home. She is intrigued by the amount of in-house spite and disagreeableness amongst the faculty, but when the brother of one of the most obnoxious faculty members is killed, she finds herself drawn into the fracas if only to protect her students and her friends…. I much enjoyed this, the fifth entry in the Mrs. Malory series, if only for the change of location and the way rural Pennsylvania is portrayed through her eyes. I’m also a sucker for mysteries set on college campuses, and this one is nicely drawn, particularly with respect to departmental squabbling and how various personalities can rub each other the wrong way. There’s even a possible romance hinted at, although it’s not clear to me if Sheila will ever follow through on that possibility; the melancholy ending gives no hint either way. It’s also interesting to remember life in the early 1990s; things mentioned here include banks of computers, fax machines and the truly horrific death sentence that was AIDS back in the day - it reminds one that, however awful 2022 seems with wars and rising illiberalism and a pandemic, *some* things have improved over time! Recommended.
July 11, 2017
Mrs. Sheila Malory has been invited to teach a literature course at a small American college. This means leaving her comfortable home, cat and life in the English town of Taviscombe for a few months.
After arriving, while meeting and learning about the various faculty members, one of the least liked and most obnoxious is found murdered in an unusual location. While the majority of faculty members are glad to have him gone, no one can think of a reason. When another faculty member is found dead, the first victim's brother, then questions really arise.
Mrs. Malory finds herself drawn into the investigation and the attention of Police Lieutenant Mike Landis, who is handling the case. The common thread between Malory and Landis, besides solving the murder, is a love of Shakespeare. While the two enjoy each other's company, there are still unrevealed secrets between the two as Mrs. Malory is made privy to some of the characters' secrets and hesitates to share them with Landis.
A nice cozy and great summer read, I say it is a Goodread.
After arriving, while meeting and learning about the various faculty members, one of the least liked and most obnoxious is found murdered in an unusual location. While the majority of faculty members are glad to have him gone, no one can think of a reason. When another faculty member is found dead, the first victim's brother, then questions really arise.
Mrs. Malory finds herself drawn into the investigation and the attention of Police Lieutenant Mike Landis, who is handling the case. The common thread between Malory and Landis, besides solving the murder, is a love of Shakespeare. While the two enjoy each other's company, there are still unrevealed secrets between the two as Mrs. Malory is made privy to some of the characters' secrets and hesitates to share them with Landis.
A nice cozy and great summer read, I say it is a Goodread.
January 23, 2021
Not a vintage Sheila Malory book. The real appeal of this series is its quintessential Englishness:its descriptions of village life, of Oxford in Spring, of trips to Stratford on Avon and, of course, the unchanging and reassuring rhythm of the Devon tides.
Transplanting Sheila to an American college just didn't work, and the whole thing felt a bit forced.
There were far too many pointless and peripheral characters, and it just wasn't believable that an American cop who Sheila had just met would confide confidential details of a murder investigation simply because she was British and he loved all things English.
The best part was the ending - not the conclusion to the mystery so much as the real sense of sadness and loss and the turmoil in Sheila's mind as she tried to choose between compassion and honesty.
But really she belongs to the world of cake sales and village fetes and local gossip and arguments over who's going to organise the Christmas jumble sale. Sheila Mallory doesn't travel well.
Transplanting Sheila to an American college just didn't work, and the whole thing felt a bit forced.
There were far too many pointless and peripheral characters, and it just wasn't believable that an American cop who Sheila had just met would confide confidential details of a murder investigation simply because she was British and he loved all things English.
The best part was the ending - not the conclusion to the mystery so much as the real sense of sadness and loss and the turmoil in Sheila's mind as she tried to choose between compassion and honesty.
But really she belongs to the world of cake sales and village fetes and local gossip and arguments over who's going to organise the Christmas jumble sale. Sheila Mallory doesn't travel well.
September 17, 2017
I’ve never read one of these Mrs. Malory books before, and I’m glad I snagged this one. It was a delightful read even though I’ve done my usual silly dipping into a series somewhere other than the beginning.
Sheila Malory is a literary critic who takes a visiting professorship at a small college in the U.S. Accordingly, despite her nervousness and fear, she leaves England to teach here for a semester. Before classes even start, a widely disliked employee of an institution adjacent to the small campus is murdered, and before Sheila can solve the case, another murder occurs.
Indeed, the dead men are brothers, neither of whom are particularly well liked, and one is a faculty member at the college.
There is no shortage of suspects, one of which is Sheila’s friend, Linda, who convinced her to take the visiting professorship.
Sheila Malory is a literary critic who takes a visiting professorship at a small college in the U.S. Accordingly, despite her nervousness and fear, she leaves England to teach here for a semester. Before classes even start, a widely disliked employee of an institution adjacent to the small campus is murdered, and before Sheila can solve the case, another murder occurs.
Indeed, the dead men are brothers, neither of whom are particularly well liked, and one is a faculty member at the college.
There is no shortage of suspects, one of which is Sheila’s friend, Linda, who convinced her to take the visiting professorship.
September 3, 2022
Mrs. Malory is recruited to teach in the United States for a term. The academic life there is not rainbows and butterflies. Multiple deaths follow. I read this on my phone which is not the ideal medium, but it did not pull me in as thoroughly as other books in the series. I missed descriptions of her village life where chats with neighbors and friends she had known for years are central to solving mysteries.
August 5, 2017
Traditional cozy about a British widow who goes to an American liberal arts college to tach for a semester. She meets the various characters in the English department and witnesses the discovery of one of her murdered colleagues. It was pleasant enough to read but became pretty dark at the end. A couple of unnecessary deaths. I won't look for more in the series.
November 8, 2018
One if the better ones. More lively.
January 11, 2020
I enjoyed this book it kept me guessing until the end.
May 26, 2020
A fun cozy with a somewhat dissatisfying ending...
November 30, 2022
After reading Mrs. Malorty's Shortest journey. this book was a disappointment. Too many people to keep up with. Had to force myself to finish it
December 25, 2022
I was really enjoying it until we learned who the culprit was. Felt like a cheap copout.
May 6, 2024
Also published as: Murder on Campus (#5 in the Sheila Malory/Mrs Malory mysteries) - 1994
July 15, 2014
Wherever Sheila Malory goes, murder is sure to tag along. In Detective in Residence (aka Murder on Campus) Mrs. Malory travels across the pond to teach a literature course at a small college in Pennsylvania. It isn’t long before two particularly odious men associated with the college are murdered and she’s knee deep in the investigations.
There are suspects aplenty and little grief for the victims. To add to her challenges, Mrs. Malory has to fend off the attentions of the smitten Lieutenant Landis.
Detective in Residence is a mild and pleasant offering from a mild and pleasant author. Thrill seekers need not bother. The ending surprised me—always a good thing. Mrs. Malory solves crimes the way an amateur detective would in real life—she establishes trust by talking to people and caring about them. She doesn't do solo break-ins at suspect's homes and offices; she doesn't go charging after the intruders who break into her house in the wee hours. She couples her mental acumen with people skills to nab the killer or killers. She operates just as well on the American college campus as she does at home in the seaside village of Taviscombe, England.
But I do like my detectives with an edge.
Now, if Mrs, Malory and the Lieutenant had gotten together … Hmm.
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August 28, 2012I am sad to say that this was Hazel Holt's worst. Even Agatha Christie couldn't outdo Hazel Holt in murder and suicides. She talked so much thruoughout the book and didn't pay much attention to the the small details. She wanted to tell you about her little trips into the country with friends in just one paragraph. Hazel Holt brought Sheila into a different light; a woman who is dishonest and a liar. The way she defended the Loring Brothers, she actually became one of them as well. She didn't speak the truth to Detective Mike about Gina's death, she didn't tell him that it was Anna who had killed the Loring Brothers and worst yet she didn't tell Linda the whole truth abouth Anna, and what she she had done and why. From this episode on I will always feel antipathy towards Sheila. I hope that it will all blow up in her face one day. I rate this book a zero! Let's see how Hazel Holt will fare in her others books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2014
Not as crazy about this one as I was about (several of) the other Mrs. Malory mysteries: taken out of the context of Taviscombe, the protagonist falls more than slightly flat. In her home town, it makes sense in a way that she'd be able to help the police because she's familiar with the locals, and able to talk to them in a way that no police officer ever could. You clam up when talking to the police, even if you have nothing to hide, while you might open up to the middle-aged widow who lives next door. In the United States, she's an incomer, a stranger.
And then there's that outre relationship with the chief investigating officer. I can see why Roger (husband of protagonist's goddaughter) would involve her. But to Mike, she's nothing to do with him.
And then there's that outre relationship with the chief investigating officer. I can see why Roger (husband of protagonist's goddaughter) would involve her. But to Mike, she's nothing to do with him.
December 31, 2013
Sheila is away spending 4 months in PA USA on this one. She is doing a visiting prof. role for the Fall semester. Her interlude within the American academics was interesting and fun for her food, animal, culture reactions. A jolly read as all in this series are. But it didn't get to 4 star because the who dunnit part in this #5 was contrived and some of the facts didn't make sense. I found Mike, the detective and her new friend- that characterization, it just seemed "off". What kind of homicide detective doesn't check if an exit was truly locked. Or doesn't check where the keys were for that alternative exit from the scene of a violent murder? But the English reactions to American staples and various status quo practicalities were entertaining and a nice tidbit cozy read.
December 9, 2015
This is another in the series of mysteries about Sheila Malory. In this story, Sheila is in America teaching a class at a small college. There the academic politics is awful and the in-fighting is lead by Carl Lofting. When Carl's brother Max is murdered, Mrs Malory can't resist snooping around and getting involved. In the earlier tales in the series, the local detectives are willing to include Sheila in her investigations. The fact that the local police detective in Allensbury is willing to do so in this story is much less believable. The book. Is a juicy read and will appeal to readers who have read others in the series but this isn't her strongest plot.
June 1, 2015
A mystery of the cozy variety set in a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania and fifth in the series. Sheila Malory arrives from England to spend a semester at the college, invited by her friend Linda to do some mild teaching and thesis advising. Unpleasant people start dying and the divorced local cop takes such a shine to Sheila that he makes her his assistant. The author's take on the many ways academic colleagues can rub each other the wrong way and the depth of feeling that academic politics can evoke is insightful -- fortunately such problems don't usually lead to murder.
May 19, 2011
This isn't the best-written series in the world. The best part about reading this series is that it takes place in a small village in England. This book doesn't even have that going for it. In it, Mrs Mallory becomes a visiting professor in a small Pennsylvania college. Her few observations about the differences between the US and the UK are interesting, but they don't make up for the poor writing and far-fetched solution to the mystery.
January 17, 2016
Another good English cozy in the series by Hazel Holt. This one takes place in America on the campus of an American University. The mystery was good and kept me guessing until the very end of the book. And even though it was a good book I do much prefer the setting of the lovely English village the heroine Shelia Mallory lives in; Taviscombe.
August 14, 2012
I found this book on my desk this morning with a note that said, "This is a cute summer read that I thought you might enjoy!" It was left for me by one of our English professors.
February 14, 2009
Mrs. Malory goes to Pennsylvania as a visiting professor and finds murder as well as a bit of romance.
December 19, 2011
This Mrs. Malory mystery is unique in that the reader is offered an opportunity to see America from the "west country" point of view. Delightful and surprising!
October 4, 2012
The series just gets better and better. This is Book #5 - Mrs. Malory spends a semester in the States teaching.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews