Warning at One

Lois Meade Mystery #8

by Ann Purser

The tenants of Lois Meade's terrace house in Tresham are frustrated by their neighbor's feisty pet cockerel, Satan. His owner, Clem Fitch, refuses to part with his feathery companion-making Lois's tenants fly the coop. Luckily, her son Douglas agrees to rent the house. But when Clem and Satan are found dead, Douglas-who is involved with Clem's daughter-becomes a prime suspect in some foul business.

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

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Ann Purser lives in the East Midlands, in a small and attractive village which still has a village shop, a garage, pub and church. Here she finds her inspiration for her novels about country life. She has only to do her daily shopping down the High Street to listen to the real life of the village going on around her.

Before turning to fiction, she had a number of different careers, including journalism – she was for six years a columnist in SHE magazine – and art gallery proprietor. Running her own gallery in a 400-year-old barn behind the house, she gained fascinating insights into the characters and relationships of customers wandering around. She had no compunction about eavesdropping, and sharpened up her writer’s skills in weaving plots around strangers who spent sometimes more than an hour in her gallery.

Working in a village school added more grist to the mill, as does singing in the church choir and membership of the Women’s Guild. She reminds herself humbly that Virginia Woolf was President of her local WI…

Six years hard study won her an Open University degree, and when she faltered and threatened to fall by the wayside, writer husband Philip Purser reminded her that he was paying good money for the course. During this period, she wrote two non-fiction books, one for parents of handicapped children (she has a daughter with cerebral palsy) and the other a lighthearted book for schools, on the explosion of popular entertainment in the first forty years of the twentieth century.

Ten years of running the gallery proved to be enough, and while it was very successful she decided to sell. The business moved down the street to another barn and owner, and Pursers stayed on in their house next to the village school – another rich source of material for the stories. Time to start writing novels.

Round Ringford became Ann’s village in a series of six novels, each with a separate story, but featuring the same cast of characters with a few newcomers each time. The list of books gives details of each story, and each features an issue common to all villages in our rural countryside. “Just like our village!” is a frequent comment from Ann’s readers.

Next: the Lois Meade Mysteries, each title reflecting a day of the week. Ann has always loved detective fiction, and determined to make it her next series. So Murder on Monday was born, followed by Terror on Tuesday, and Weeping on Wednesday. The rest of the week follows!

Mornings are set aside for writing, and the rest of the day Ann spends walking the dog, retrieving bantams’ eggs from around the garden, gossiping and taking part in the life of the village. She is never bored!

Reviews

[Awallens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back by popular demand cleaning lady Lois Meade has sleuthed through a full week, but crime can happen at any hour...

Lois Meade is a working class mum, cleaner extraordinaire, and a part-time sleuth. But she has her work set out for her when tenants of her rental home
start leaving, frustrated by their neighbor’s noisy pet rooster. The owner, elderly Clem Fitch, refuses to part with his feathery companion, aptly named
Satan.

It’s a relief when Lois’s son Douglas asks to rent the house. But then peculiar things start occurring on Gordon Street. When Clem and his pet are found
dead, Douglas is one of the prime suspects. As landlord, mother, and witness, Lois must take action and flush out the killer who’s fouling the Meade name.
this book continues the Lois Meade series. these are always good for a cute read... and I always want to read the next book.…

[Jennie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first hundred and fifty pages felt like I was caught in the mud, tires spinning. It just went absolutely nowhere. People clean houses, some shady characters pop in from time to time, a new, random character gets introduced and Lois, interviewing him for a job as a cleaner for New Brooms, decides on the spot to offer this total stranger an opportunity to become her business partner to add interior decorating to the business, it’s almost a hundred pages til the murder, there’s a WI meeting, Cowgill still moons over Lois, Joise stuff, and - oh, whatever. I gave up at around page 170 and just skimmed the rest. No surprises. Yawn.

[Kenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't say I learned anything from this book per se. It is another book that just appeared at my husband's work and he brought it home for me. a fun mystery for light summer reading, but not necessarily one I would ever read again. If more books by the same author appear on my nightstand, i am sure i will read them, but i am not running out to find the others in the series.

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

16th October 2010
One of the best Lois Mead books so far. There were twists and turns and I was still guessing up to the last chapter. These are gentle mysteries not too violent if you are looking for something a little less gruesome. Also, there is a good family back story and all the regular characters who work for Lois at New Brooms.

[Mary Cokenour · Rating 2 out of 5]

This first in the series started off as a good, old fashioned British mystery. After the murder of nosy old Clem Fitch, that's when the story began to drag and drag. Lois Meade runs New Brooms, a cleaning company, and she sometimes helps out Detective Cowgill with information found out via her cleaning people. These two characters were in the first series written by author Ann Purser, but I have not read them, and after reading this book, will be very likely not to. The reasoning behind the crime doesn't come out till the very last chapter, so save time, and just read it for a full summary of what the entire book was about.

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 1 out of 5]

A nosy, judgmental woman runs a house cleaning service in a rural English village. She also helps the local police, presumably by passing them information about her clients. When a local man is brutally murdered, it seems the motivation might be his noisy rooster.

This story does not come together well at all. The characters' personalities make little sense, and their actions are almost random. The cops are unobservant bunglers, the bad guys are idiots, and the townsfolk make hillbillies look sophisticated. It would make a good setup for a comedy, but there isn't a funny line in the entire book.

[Lalla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Ms.Purser's best foray in the series.This story features the return of her oldest son, Douglas. The plot involves human trafficking and other newsworthy social problems. Ms. Purser is ve adept at keeping the stories relevant to the times that we live in.
I also enjoyed the description of a historical museem.
I would advise to read this series in order as the stories and characters are connected.
.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it was an interesting book. But the main character is not portrayed very sympathetically. At least not to my eyes.

I believe this is a book 1 of a second series with the same characters. I have a couple of the other books in both series. And I am a sucker for cozy English mysteries, so I'll keep reading.

One curious feature: happily married main character (with grown kids) helps a police detective who is a widower in love with her.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting description of a small English village. Warning at One is a mystery with several different mysteries at the center of it. There is a disagreeable older man who has a type of bird that crows in the morning. Making the neighbors quite annoyed. He and the bird are discovered murdered by Lois Meade 's son who lives next to the older man. There in starts the mystery several twists and turns along the way make for an intriguing read.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize I was starting more or less in the middle of a series, with seven other books ahead of this one. It was entertaining if a bit stilted at times and I am not sure the solution to the mystery worked for me. The ending was rushed and some things just didn't quite make sense. Or, equally possible, I am just dense.

Not a bad series, and I might read another; not at the top of my list, though.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder on Monday, Terror on Tuesday---what do you do when you run out of days of the week?
Start in on numbers, as in this title.
The author's plots are sometimes a bit thin but she does an otherwise excellent job of writing interesting and well-paced mysteries.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The murder of Clem and his bird was the start of something big.The cleaning company had its own “detective” and nosybody and proved she could find the culprits. The crazy happenings in this book made it a page turner

[Donna Francisco · Rating 3 out of 5]

3:5

[Jan Cornell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish this book. Seemed to be going nowhere

[Deb Mervold · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the plot and characters.

[Sally Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

first one read by this writer will look for more

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable outing with Lois, her family, staff, and Inspector Cowgill, dealing with contemporary issues as they work to solve yet another murder.

[Lynette Caulkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just continuing along in one of my go-to cozy mystery series for light reading. :)

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series, "Murder on Monday" and thought that many of the weaknesses in plot and characterization were just rookie mistakes, but having jumped to this offering, much later on in the series, I see that nothing has changed. Not once, but twice, did characters fail to contact the police; once about a serious assault, once about a kidnapping! The collective laissez-faire attitude about placing oneself and others in danger is off-putting. No one in the series seems to take murder or the need for police involvement seriously. It's silly and slapdash. And frankly, although I liked Lois's brusque nature in the beginning, by this point in the series, her treatment of her ever-helpful and aging mum has become degrading and derogatory. I'm done with this series.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a small English village, an old gentleman is found dead beside his murdered rooster who has been disturbing the neighbours with his early morning crowing. There is a strange, grumpy recluse living next door. Meanwhile, an elderly blind woman has moved in across the street where there appears to be some strange happenings. Lois Meade, owner of the cleaning business, New Brooms, is asked to again assist Detective Cosgill in solving the murder. The crime becomes more complicated as the story progresses and the web is untangled. This book is an example of light reading and escape literature.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was glad to see Douglass returning to the series, and also glad to see so many characters standing by him, including some that were a surprise, making this somewhat of a family reunion in crisis. Oftentimes Lois' family seemed fractured or at odds with each other, but in this book, they were united. Hunter Cowgill got even more mushy and forward than in the other books, but of course Lois could handle him. Dot was as conniving as usual, one of my favorite characters.

The plot reminded me of the very first book of the series, Murder on Monday, because the mystery affected Lois' own family.

8th book in the series, on loan from my mother-in-law.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clem Fitch's cockerel is keeping neighbors awake--including the tenants in Lois Meade's rental property. They move out, and Lois's son Doug, who has just found a job near his parents, moves in. At much the same time, an elderly blind lady moves in across the street and hires Lois's cleaning service. When Doug finds Clem and his cockerel, both murdered, the police find that Clem's neighbor has vanished as mysteriously as he lived. Lois has solved crimes for each of the days of the week, but she's starts a new series with this mystery.

[Pamsholley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that Purser has finished with the days of the week, she continues with her heroine Lois Meade, owner of New Brooms. Her small rental house in Tresham is next to that of Clem Fitch whose noisy rooster sent her tenants in search of other quarters. When Clem and his rooster are killed, Lois and her son Douglas become enmeshed in a scam involving illegal aliens. Believable English setting and favorite characters.

[Yeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning at One was a bit different from the other Lois Meade books, and the difference was good. I've enjoyed this series, and the books keep getting better. I did hate when one of my favorite characters died, but with Ms. Purser's books no one is safe--which is fun, if you think about it. She reads like a good Midsomer Murder mystery--without Barnaby, of course. I like the Dot Nimmo character, and I think she brings a bit of hilarity to this series. Good work, Ms. Purser.

[Brenda Haven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun series of mysteries. However, I'm getting a little tired of the abrasive relationship between the main character Lois and her husband Derek with the police inspector Cowgill. After reading eight books in this series, it should have been mellowed down by now. The main character is still very abrupt and abrasive and kind of hard to like. I have seven more books to read in this series so I will see if anything changes. Maybe I'm just not used to British cozy mysteries!

[Toni berkshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Lois Meade mystery story and yes, a little editing, wouldn't hurt it, but I enjoyed it just fine the way that it is. Hope there are 11 more and that this is the first of a series. Soo nice to be back with Lois and her bunch, even though all the kids are grown and out of the house, there is still plenty going on to be interesting.

[Jan C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the Lois Meade "New Brooms" mysteries. They are generally fairly light and innocouos. However, this one did involve some danger, some nefarious characters and some murder. Worst of all, Lois' son Douglas is suspected. Not that anyone really believes that he did it but they have to go through the motions. And Lois doesn't like that one bit.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time I've read this author. It was all right, but more decidely British than most British writers I've read. Which made me ponder--do British authors "Americanize" their books to a certain extent if they want them to be published and popular here? This author did not. And it was okay. Just a few cultural and society references where I thought "no idea what she's referring to."

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pleasant and easy read, which I completed the same day I started it. It is one of a series starring amateur sleuth, Lois Meade, who uses her house cleaning agency to find out about people. We meet her family and her cleaning staff who are all involved in searching for clues. I've read another in the series and will be reading more.

[Mary Newcomb]

Lois Meade is also a landlord. A tenant (and his annoying rooster) is found murdered and Lois becomes involved in solving the mystery. There are several twists and turns which led to some unexpected results. It also seems that her adult children may be playing more of a role in her investigations.