Mrs. Pargeter's Plot (Scribner) [Hardcover]

I was vividly reminded of some of the antics of the long-ago 'Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight' by many of the happenings in this book, although it almost totally dissimilar. Such a contradiction! But it's true!

Mrs. Pargeter's late lamented was well-loved and respected by nearly everyone with whom he came in contact. It must be said, however, that most of those folks were on the shady side of the law. It was Mr. Pargeter's opinion, that whatever one did, one should do well, and so, for instance, he sent his 'driver' to school to learn those extra little tricks which can make all the difference in a getaway. He has also left Mrs. P. very well provided for--not only financially, but also with a wide variety of useful personages.

One of these is the builder, Concrete Jacket (shades of Damon Runyon in the naming of these characters!) who has undertaken to build Mrs. P.'s dream house. Unfortunately, a visit to inspect the progress quickly turns into a nightmare when a body is found in the proposed wine cellar.

Through the efforts of the hotelier, Hedgeclipper Clinton; the driver, Gary (such a plain name for such a talented young entrepreneur); Truffler Mason, the private investigator, and his secretary, the much-divorced Bronwen, a nasty scheme is unraveled just in time to prevent mayhem on a major scale.

Mr. Brett is a master of parody and satire, carefully balancing at the edge of the abyss, but never going overboard. He leaves that plunge up to the reader, who, after one book, is never quite satisfied, but must embark on a longer voyage through half a dozen or more of his many books before becoming sated.

There are three basic laws of life: You are born; you die; and Concrete gets into criminal trouble during a construction job. This time, in spite of Concrete's vows to stay clean (at least during the job), a corpse is found in the newly built wine cellar. All the evidence points towards Concrete as being the culprit and he is doing nothing to counteract the charges. Even at the risk of her life, Mrs. P decides to prove her employee is innocent, but first she must figure out why Erasmus the monkey is residing with her in her plush London hotel room.

The Mrs. Pargeter English cozies are one of the finest series (if not the finest) in the sub-genre. Mrs. P and her cohorts are humorous and seem to always land in jocular (for us the reader), but grave (for Mrs. P and company) scenarios. The fourth entry, MRS. PARGETER'S PLOT, is the best of this exemplary collection. Fans of humorous or English cozies should try Simon Brett's Mrs. P books because they are the royalty of the sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner