Mrs. Malory and a Time to Die

By Hazel Holt

Book Overview

The village of Mere Barton would be a different place without local busybody Annie Roberts. Standing only five feet tall, the tireless retired nurse organizes and oversees all local activity with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451229665
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: Berkley
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.7" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Settle in for a good gossip

One drifts through this book in a miasma of idle chatter and lifted eyebrows. Seemingly ordinary people putter around at predictable social gatherings eating quantities of homemade food, happy to gossip about their neighbors but curiously reticent about themselves. The narrator is Mrs. Sheila Malory, a clever lady who has written a book about Mrs. Gaskell. Because of her local renown as an author, she's been strong-armed by old Annie Roberts into writing a history of the village of Mere Barton. Annie is a formidable busybody with many projects. She somehow manages to get anyone she pleases to support her endeavors and do her bidding. Mrs. Malory notes that when Annie dies from ingesting poison mushrooms, everyone seems unaccountably relieved. As she talks to various people about Annie, while continuing her research into village history, Mrs. Malory begins to suspect that Annie did not die by accident. For a fast and light read, Mrs. Malory will do. I enjoyed this book, but I doubt I'll dip into the series again. I prefer characters with a bit more edge. Avid fans of cozy mysteries, however, might want to give Mrs. Malory a try.

Mrs. Malory Lives Next Door

The character development in the Mrs. Malory series is so well written by Hazel Holt that I feel a part of the village, maybe living next door. For me the highest compliment I can give an author is to make one so familar with the characters and settings that we feel a part of the story, and Hazel Holt does this every time. Thank you Hazel11