Customer Reviews

Mrs. Malory and the Silent Killer

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"Mrs Malory and the Silent Killer" contains a tidy picture of life in a small English village, populated by a mix of local families, retired couples, and professionals drawn to the pretty countryside and mild climate. Some families have known each other for generations.

So when an elderly widower falls asleep one last time in his chair, and there seems to be no end to the dark secrets that come pouring out, villagers are left wondering how they could have so thoroughly misjudged a long term neighbour. The only question left is which of the old man's victims was finally driven to take revenge.

Holt's series of murder mysteries, based in rural Somerset in South West England, provides a calming escape for busy city workers. Characters quite properly eat digestive biscuits with their tea, donate their used clothing to Oxfam, and honour soldiers fallen on the field of battle on Poppy Day. The author gets the details of her stories right and that makes all the difference.

Sheila Malory and many of her neighbors in the village of Taviscombe are saddened by carbon monoxide poisoning death of old Sidney Middleton, a charming retired businessman - and then shocked to learn that the death was no accident.

Sidney Middleton was not what he seemed, as Sheila and her friends learn in the aftermath of his murder. Holt's assured narrative lays bare Sidney's dark past - and it's nothing as obvious or hackneyed as a stint as a spy. The secret truth about Sidney is so profound that his death has surprising effects on several survivors, including his son.

Sheila's troubled as she learns more about the murder and the suspects; she likes all of the people who have motives for murdering Sidney. The person who bumped him off did the immediate world a favor.

I did figure out whodunit a little sooner than usual, but this British cozy from a literate and mature author, featuring the literate and mature protagonist Sheila Malory, was nevertheless an enjoyable recreational read. I look forward to visiting Sheila's world again in the next Mrs. Malory novel.

The small English village of Taviscombe is usually a peaceful place where everyone knows their neighbors. One of the residents Sidney Middleton is liked and respected by everyone who knows him; they also feel sorry for him because his son David is trying to push him into a nursing home. The whole village mourns when Sidney passes away and is shocked to discover the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. Someone deliberately murdered him by tampering with the chimney.

Stella learns at Sidney's funeral that he wasn't the good hearted, generous person everyone thought he was. Instead he pretended to be a nice soul. Brian Thorpe tells Mrs. Mallory he's glad that Sidney is dead as the paragon cheated on his wife with Brian's mother but then cruelly dumped her. His mother had a nervous breakdown from which she never recovered. Another resident learns that Sidney was responsible for the death of his brother in WWII. Stella begins to hear other ugly stories about the man everyone respected and for once, she does not investigate, half-hoping that someone does get away with murder.

MRS. MALORY AND THE SILENT KILLER is the quintessential English village cozy mystery. Readers are entertained by the who-done-it because there are many suspects all of whom were hurt by Sidney and had a motive for killing him. It is impossible to figure out who the actual killer is until Hazel Holt unmasks the perpetrator. The heroine is very likeable and believable, the sort of person one wants as their granny.

Harriet Klausner

Sidney Middleton lives in the small English village of Taviscombe and is liked and respected by all his neighbors and acquaintances. We learn how nice he is as the residents talk about how his domineering son David is trying to place him in a retirement home far from the village. The villagers are shocked one morning to learn that Mr. Middleton has died because of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Through the eyes of the Mrs. Malory we learn that his death was not an accident, but a deliberate act. And the deeper she looks into the matter, the more suspects that start to become apparent. All the suspects are likeable and it turns out that the villagers learn that Sidney Middleton ruined many people's lives.

All the characters in this small English village are believable and brought to full life with the authors fine writing. It is what makes this murder mystery worth reading.

Cozies are not my preferred genre, but I read this, as it was one of our Mystery Group's selections. While the pace and the abundance of daily-live detail is something to which I am not accustomed, I found the plot to be quite good and definitely appreciated the idea of people not being as they seem. Mrs. Malory is not cloying or a busybody. For cozy fans, I recommend it.