Mrs Pargeter's Past - Simon Brett

nA delightfully twisty comic caper . . .

If you've never met Mrs. Pargeter and her merry crew of criminals, now's your chance - Booklist Starred Reviewn n nn nA gambler on the run. A widow with deep pockets.

A pair of criminal brothers with a secret agenda. The new instalment of the quirky, inventive and charming mystery series featuring widow Mrs Pargeter - whose late husband was absolutely NOT one of the most notorious villains in Essex (the very idea). n nMrs Pargeter's friends know two important details about her marriage to her late husband.

First, that it was blissfully happy. And second, that Mr Pargeter was not a man to bring his work home with him. So, while the chance of her ever being asked by the police what he did for a living is, naturally, remote, Mrs Pargeter would be able to reply, in all honesty, that she doesn't know.

n nWhat she does know is that Mr Pargeter's former associates are all respectable members of society, and if they were ever criminals, they are now 100% reformed. So when she learns that Short Head Shimmings, her late husband's former accountant, has fallen on hard times, she springs into action, chequebook at the ready. n nBut Short Head has borrowed from the wrong people, and the infamous Batinga Brothers aren't out for his money - they're out for blood.

The only way to save Short Head is to dismantle their criminal empire. But how can the highly law-abiding Mrs Pargeter, whose only weapons are her charm, her quick wits and her little black book of Mr Pargeter's contacts, hope to do such an impossible thing? n nCosy mystery-meets-crime caper in this witty, light-hearted and terribly British novel from CWA Diamond Dagger-winner Simon Brett, which is perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janice Hallett and M.C.

Beaton.n