Just finished Mrs. Pargeter's Patio by Simon Brett. It gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me. A humorous, modern day, cosy mystery.
This was my first foray into the world of Mrs. Pargeter, but it won't be my last.
See my full review on Goodreads www.goodreads.com/loopykaz
Thanks to @netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A daft but amusing crime story with a surprising ending. Mrs Pargeter is the widow of a rather dodgy businessman. When a cracked paving stone on her patio reveals human remains, she decides to enlist the help of her husband's associates. They're a motley crew, many with alliterative nicknames like Handbags Harrison, Tina the Transformer and Melting Maurice. A great light read. I look forward to reading more in the series

An entertaining cozy about a widow who, unwisely to be honest, decides to investigate how a body got buried under her patio on her own rather than calling the police. Mrs Pargeter's husband now decreased had some colorful friends who he hired to work on his dream house. She reaches out first to Concrete Jacket (goodness) for help and that takes the two of them down a path to identifying the victim and solving the murder. Fine cozy territory. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'd not read the earlier books in the series and this was a good read as a standalone.

Hilarious characters names mixed in with changed identities via plastic surgery and a TV presenter who is so sickly horrible that the reader grows to hate him. A very entertaining quick read that I would recommend to others. This is the first book by Simon Brett I have read remarkably considering his huge output. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

An easy gentle read, perfect for the end of a long tiring week. This is a classic cosy murder book - just intriguing enough to keep you reading but no real mystery requiring effort full thought.

3.5 stars

The Mrs. Pargeter books are humorous cozy mysteries about a widow of a certain age who likes to help people and solve crimes.

When Mrs. Pargeter needs assistance, she consults her deceased husband's 'little black book', which has contacts with skills like safecracking, forging documents, disguising people, getaway driving, etc. Mrs. Pargeter professes to believe her husband was a saintly businessman who helped crooks go straight, and the aforementioned crooks are careful not to disabuse Mrs. Pargeter of that notion. This is a running joke through the novels.

In this 9th book in the series, Mrs. Pargeter (and her helpers) investigate a murder and look for a missing person.

*****

Mrs. Pargeter lives in a mansion commissioned by her husband, Mr. Lionel Pargeter, before he passed away. The house, called 'Lionel's Den' was built by Concrete Jacket, who did excellent work between stints in the slammer.

One morning Mrs. Pargeter takes her third cup of coffee out to the patio when one of the paving slabs gives way. Peering into the void revealed by the broken slab, Mrs. Pargeter sees a human skull. Mrs. Pargeter realizes that a body was buried during patio construction, and she decides to investigate herself before contacting the police. The widow learns that the builder, Concrete Jacket, was unavoidably detained when the terrace was constructed, and he farmed out the job to a Polish contractor named Marek Grabowski.

To find Grabowski - and identify the body and track down the killer - Mrs. Pargeter phones people in the little black book. These include Truffler Mason - a former felon who's now a private detective; Fixin' Nixon - whose credo is 'there is always a way'; Gary - a professional chauffeur; Hedgeclipper Clinton - a hotel manager that 'knows people'; Tina the Transformer - who's a whiz with disguises; Melting Maurice - a plastic surgeon who provides new faces; and more.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Pargeter also embarks on a second mission. The widow's gardener, 20-year-old Kirstie Rollins, mentions that she hasn't seen her father since her 9th birthday. On that occasion Kirstie's dad, reggae singer Red Rollins, gave Kristie a necklace......and then vanished. Mrs. Pargeter makes it her business to try to locate Red, dead or alive.

As things play out, it appears that the body under Mrs. Pargeter's patio has a connection with Red Rollins.

Meanwhile, gardener Kirstie Rollins applies to be a contestant on a reality TV show called 'Dirt Under the Fingernails', a floriculture competition where contestants spar to grow the best plants. The show is hosted by comic Brenton Sykes, whose modus operandi is to make crude jokes and insult the gardeners. The studio audience seems to find this hilarious, and the program is very popular. (In today's 'anything goes' reality show culture, this is probably a realistic scenario.)

In the course of the story, Mrs. Pargeter has occasion to dine at the luxurious Greene's Hotel, and to visit an eatery that used to be called 'Hot Honey's', famous for its Caribbean goat curry and beef patties.

This is an entertaining cozy mystery, perfect for a fun read between more serious books.

Thanks to Netgalley, Simon Brett, and Severn House for a copy of the book.

One June morning, Mrs. Pargeter enjoys a cup of coffee on the patio overlooking the garden of her mansion in Chigwell, Essex. One of the patio’s paving slabs cracks in two causing Mrs. Pargeter to fall to the ground. She sees a human skull and enlists the help of two people her deceased husband had assisted when he was alive, Truffler Mason from the Mason De Vere Detective Agency and Gary, chauffeur and owner of a car-hire business, to find out whose skull it is and how it ended up under her patio.

This light-hearted cozy mystery is a delight to read. The humor in this book reminds me of that found in M.C. Beaton’s, Agatha Raisin series. I smile when I recall some of the names Simon Brett has given his characters, such as Hedgeclipper Clinton and Melting Maurice. This is the first novel I’ve read featuring Mrs. Pargeter, but it won’t be the last. What a fun read! Thank you, Severn House and NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy of MRS. PARGETER’S PATIO.

"Mrs Pargeter's Patio" by Simon Brett is another delightful instalment in the Mrs Pargeter mystery series. The story begins with an unexpected and macabre discovery under Mrs Pargeter's patio, setting the stage for a quirky and engaging investigation.

Mrs Pargeter, along with her unique group of friends and associates, takes it upon herself to uncover the truth behind the human skull with a mysterious hole in its forehead. The blend of humour, suspense, and the eccentric cast of characters makes this mystery a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Simon Brett's writing shines as he weaves a clever and entertaining narrative that keeps readers guessing and chuckling along the way. The dynamic between Mrs Pargeter and her late husband's associates, Truffler Mason and Gary, adds depth to the story and brings out the charm of this unconventional detective team.

"Mrs Pargeter's Patio" is a witty and engaging cozy mystery that will appeal to fans of the genre. It's a light-hearted and intriguing read that offers both entertainment and a puzzle to solve, making it a perfect addition to the Mrs Pargeter series.

A fun, entertaining mystery with a number of red herrings, engaging characters set against a backdrop of a former criminal masters widowed wife and his former accomplices who have gone straight since his death-or have they?

Nothing like finding a skull in your garden. But that’s exactly what Mr’s Pargeter has found and she’s decided to look into her things herself since the police aren’t moving quick enough for her liking. With her late husband’s network and her own crew, there are some interesting and, sometimes comical, times as they all work to figure out whodunit!

This is the third book I have read and it’s always quite an enjoyable read with a solid mystery and plenty of red herrings to keep you going back and forth until the final reveal. I definitely recommend this one!

A cosy mystery with the twist that the main character has a network of contacts from her dead husband who was a criminal mastermind which she knew nothing about. A great deal is therefore made of “shielding” Mrs Pargeter from any wrongdoings whilst it being perfectly clear that she knows exactly what’s going on.

This is the first of these books that I have read and, as a cosy mystery, it was perfectly fine. However I think the device of the little black book could easily become tedious and it’s actually a rather lazy way to solve any interesting parts of the investigation without having to put in too much effort.

As I say, it was fine, but it wasn’t anything different than a number of other better written novels.

Mrs Pargeter makes a grim discovery of a skull in her garden. She decides that the police are not moving quick enough so she will investigate herself. Armed with her late husband's little black book of contacts she uses ingenious methods to get to the truth.
This book was a lovely gentle read, although set in current times it had a very Miss Marple feel about it, lovely simple language of simpler times.
This book was a series of books, this I believe was the 9th instalment. I’ve not read any of the others in the series but that did not distract from my enjoyment of the book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I always enjoy taking a spin into Simon Brett's cosy crime series, especially the Charles Paris and the Fethering Mysteries. This is the second Mrs Pargeter book I have read, and while the series retains the author's characteristic light touch and wry sense of humour, I find these rather slight and a little bit silly, if not totally daft and implausible, I prefer the sparring relationships of the other two series: Charles and his agent or wife; Carole and Jude, the amateur partners at Fethering, which enhance the humour and keep the characters more credible. Mrs Pargeter's cronies have comedy names - or aliases among the criminal fraternity, such as Concrete Jacket and Truffler Mason, which for me give a rather one-dimensional cartoonish quality. However, these cosy crimes are still quite fun, A gentle, undemanding holiday read.

Love the Mrs Pargeter's books, they are a great read. Mrs Pargeter and her late husbands cronies are on the hunt for the killer after a body is found under her patio, As the story unfolds with great characterisation of the people involved it contains humour and a cosy mystery follows. Mrs Pargeter is the star of this a lovely book to read and I look forward to the next instalment of the series.

My first Mrs Pargeter book although I have read other books by Simon Brett previously and enjoyed them.. A nice little cozy mystery about a widow whose husband made his fortune by dubious means and had a lot of friends with various skills of a criminal nature. A body is found under her patio and she calls upon these people to help solve the crime. She’s an interesting character and I have already requested the first of the Mrs Pargeter books from my library to see how her story first started.

I had heard about this author before, and I decided to try one of his books.

This was a Mrs Pargeter mystery, and it was a fun, entertaining read. I warmed to Mrs Pargeter, and the other characters, and I did find this book quite funny. It was a very light, easy read too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

My first visit to Mrs P's world for quite a few books (and a year or two) and I had forgotten how much fun it is. I think she's got a bit younger since the series started, and some of the things about her have adjusted a bit - but no more than Charles Paris has with his floating timeline over the years. It's funny and I enjoyed the twists of the plot. It's sent me back to read some more from earlier in the series.

Thanks to Severn House & NetGalley for ARC.

It's tricky to come into a series well into it, particularly with an author as prolific as this one. There are comforting sketches of the main supporting characters, and in jokes for the in crowd. All of that fails to spoil the enjoyment of this cosy tale of dirty deeds, set in the deliberately innocent world of the widow of a businessman whose old cronies all just happen to have been unlucky with the law.
There is considerable skill on display here, keeping the tone just the right side of arch, keeping the humour light, and nothing too realistic. Thoroughly enjoyable sun lounger or patio read, or even a wet weekend one.

I love Simon Brett’s crime novels but hadn’t read any of his Mrs Pargeter novels before. From the first page, I was sure we would get on. Any woman who would much rather go out to eat than cook herself is a woman after my own heart.
This is a lovely cosy mystery with all of Simon Brett’s usual care with the characters and plotting. The mystery unfolds beautifully as Mrs Pargeter, with the help of her deceased husband’s associates, works out how the body got under her patio. It’s a light-hearted mystery and definitely requires some suspension of belief as there is always someone with the precise skills required who is only too happy to help after just a phone call.
However, what worked less well for me was the character of Mrs Pargeter herself. She felt very dated and I felt that she would have been much happier in a novel written 50 years ago. In fact, the whole set up of her husband’s connections and book of useful contacts didn’t really seem to belong in a book set in the 21st century.
This was an easy, entertaining read but not one of my favourites by this author.
Thank you to Net Galley and Severn House for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My first read of Simon Brett's books. How can you not like Mrs Pargeter? What a fascinating character. I did enjoy reading this book, it's light, amusing , with characters so cleverly portrayed.. I shall look for more of Mrs P.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.