So good. Very well written, there were some formatting issues but that is to be expected on an e book sadly. Will definitely be reading more work of the authors.

Oh, the Mrs Pargeter books by Simon Brett do make me laugh - and Mrs Pargeter's Past didn’t disappoint me. Unusually, we get a flashback to the early years of the Pargeters’ blissfully happy marriage. Mr and Mrs P are out dining, when they meet a work connection of Mr P’s: Mr Smith. Funnily enough, the restaurateur, Lennie, calls Lionel Pargeter Mr Smith as well – what a coincidence! It’s as if neither man wants to use his real name when out on personal business. Mr P, of course, is a highly successful businessman, although Mrs P is unsure exactly what his business is, because he never brings work home. The other Mr Smith, however, looks like an unpleasant criminal.

One of the impressive things about these books is the deadpan way in which Simon Brett never states that the late Lionel Pargeter was one of the biggest villains in Essex, but everyone apart from Melita Pargeter seems to believe that to be the case. Of course, no-one would dream of accusing her late husband of such a role, as Mrs P would look astonished and then highly affronted that anyone could imagine such a thing. This contrast in views results in some wonderful dialogue.

Because Lionel left his wife a phenomenal amount of money, Mrs Pargeter has the luxury of always having enough money to handle problems. That gives the author the freedom to write of innovative solutions to situations. In this book, however, Short Head Shimmings has bilked the Batinga Brothers and they value their fearsome reputation far above money. They have to make an example of Short Head so that the world knows it must always pay debts to the Batinga Brothers in full and on time. Money cannot save Short Head. However, Mrs Pargeter has a plan – all she has to do is to dismantle the Batinga Brothers’ empire…

This book is light and funny – a book to cheer one up and make a dark day seem much brighter – just what is needed as we move towards dreary winter evenings.

#MrsPargetersPast #NetGalley

Great fun, with a wonderful cast of engaging characters.

Our main character is a loving wife who is deliberately oblivious to her husband’s occupation - which is just as well, as he leads a gang of criminals who regularly come up against a rival crew.

The suitably-monikered characters provide the reader with great entertainment, and Simon Brett has a wonderful turn of phrase for conveying descriptions and relating exploits.

This book is great fun and very easy to read. I look forward to reading more about Mrs P.

Thank you to Severn House, NetGalley and the author for providing this advance copy.

I first came across A Nice Class of Corpse, the very first Mrs. Pargeter book, while on a canal holiday in the mid-nineties—wonderful memories of sitting at the front of the boat, completely absorbed in the story. Having read every single Mrs. Pargeter book since, I was thrilled to return for this tenth instalment. Mrs. Pargeter tackles a tricky situation with Short Head Shimmings with her usual wit and poise, and the glimpses into her early married life add delightful depth. The eccentric cast of associates remains a joy, making this another thoroughly engaging read for long-time fans.

Simon Brett does not disappoint in this Mrs. Pargeter story. Mrs. Pargeter, with the assistance of her late husband's "friends" isa most enjoyable, funny, and wonderful mystery/read. These stories are lighthearted fun.

Escapist fun. Perfect for cosy mystery fans.

I love Mrs Pargeter's adventures and hope there are many more to come.

I loved this latest installment of Mrs. Pargeter. Mrs. Pargeter has a lovely life with friends of her husband who will do anything for her, even help take down her husband’s business associates. Fun, clever and a joy to read.

I think I may have erred slightly by jumping into this series at the tenth installment. This felt more like a cozy gangster thriller (if such a thing exists!) than a Christie-esque mystery. In fact, I think thriller might be too strong a word: the book toodles along a fairly predictable arc, including a long retrospective middle with an unsurprising reveal, to its foreordained happy ending. The writing is sprightly and entertaining, not least in its revolving door of characters, almost all remarkably charming criminals with rather silly nicknames ("Truffler," "Concrete," "Hedgeclipper"). The middle section definitely seemed like word count padding, particularly the section where a restaurant's entire menu is listed out, item by item. For those fans revisiting the series, I imagine this would be a fun little read filled with familiar characters; I, on the other hand, found myself skimming through chapters hoping for a plot twist that never came and increasingly irked by Mrs. Pargeter's (intentional?) obliviousness. That said, I enjoyed the punchy, vivid prose and might try an earlier book in the series.

As usual, Simon Brett did not disappoint in this Mrs. Pargeter story. Mrs. Pargeter, with the assistance of her late husband's "friends" makes for a very enjoyable, humorous, and wonderful mystery/read. This is my favorite series by Mr. Brett and I'm delighted there's a new one as I own and have read/reread the others.

A friend suddenly needs help after racking up gambling debts with the wrong people, and what seems like an ordinary episode in the world of Mrs. Pargeter, widow of popular crime boss Mr. Pargeter, turns into a chance for Mrs. Pargeter to get closure on a traumatic experience from years ago.
This is a great next book in the series, filling in more details about the Pargeters and their lives. There is probably enough information in this one to not be lost if you have not read the whole series first, but if you can I'd recommend reading the whole series to get a better understanding of the characters and situations in this book.

3.75 stars

I am a long-time fan of these tales featuring the widowed Mrs. Pargeter, who is anything but a staid older woman. Her late husband was a hugely successful businessman who operated outside the law and was much beloved by his associates, who still band together to take care of Mrs. P. She claims to have had no knowledge of his shadowy work and freezes out anyone who tries to bring it up. Mrs. Pargeter is self-confident, smart and quite savvy.

The nicknames of the criminal circle are reason enough to read the book: Jukebox Jarvis, Hedgeclipper Clinton, Truffler Mason and Shot Head Shimmings are but a few. This book is a bit different from others in that it goes back to the past when Mr. P was still alive. Mrs. P gets abducted in a gang war but is unruffled as she is certain her husband will find and rescue her. We get to see the late Mr. Pargeter in action as he takes on some rivals, a despicable pair of creepy brothers.

Although this happened many years ago, those same criminal brothers are now again causing problems for Mrs Pargeter's friends and she is determined to ruin them. These stories are lighthearted, dryly humorous and great fun. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an enjoyable read. It felt far fetched but that made it all the more fun. My one criticism, however, was that some of the repeated phrases felt a little overdone.

💼 Mrs Pargeter’s Past by Simon Brett
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another brilliant entry in this quirky, cozy crime series.

It’s not just Gary who has a soft spot for Mrs Pargeter! Her late husband’s past surfaces again, this time with dangerous ties to the Batinga brothers.

Short Head Shimmings (yes, the names in this series are part of the joy) has fallen on hard times. When Mrs Pargeter steps in to help, it sets off a chain of events involving criminal empires, shady debts, and the usual brilliantly oddball cast of reformed villains.

What I love about this series is how it blends cozy mystery with clever plotting and dry humour. You never quite know who to trust but you can always count on Mrs P to get the job done in her own unique way.

Perfect for fans of gentle mysteries, smart female leads, and books that don’t take themselves too seriously while still delivering satisfying twists.

📚 I’ve read most of the series via Kindle Unlimited, although this was an ARC I received (thank you, NetGalley & the publisher!).

#MrsPargetersPast #NetGalley #CozyMystery #TheFitishReader #BookReview #CozyCrimeReads #SimonBrett #QuirkyMysteries #CrimeFiction #Bookstagram #MysterySeries #BookLove

In MRS. PARGETER’S PAST, written by Simon Brett, Mrs. Pargeter is a widow who loves her deceased husband despite the possibility of his criminal inclinations. She has his little black book containing the names of his previous associates. One of those associates, Short Head Shimmings (an unofficial bookmaker), owes money to the Batinga Brothers (loan sharks). Short Head Shimmings hasn’t paid up, and the Batinga Brothers are after him. He seeks help from Mrs. Pargeter. How does Mrs. Pargeter help Short Head Shimmings?

Mrs. PARGETER’s naïveté is on display in this interesting and humorous tale. The humor is evident from the beginning with the introduction of characters with names like Short Head Shimmings, Hedgeclipper Clinton, and Jukebox Jarvis. I find myself laughing aloud when reading about some of Mr. Pargeter’s prior associates. I like the way Mr. Pargeter has set up ways to protect Mrs. Pargeter. The plot progresses logically as it moves to a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading other books in the Mrs. Pargeter mystery series. Thank you, Severn House and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of MRS. PARGETER’S PAST.

Mrs Pargeter's Past by Simon Brett covers both the present and the past of Mrs. Pargeter's life. When helping one of her reformed, sort of, associates who has gotten in trouble with the wrong people, the story goes back to when the Pargeters were newlyweds. The story goes back and forth in time but without being hard to follow. As more of the Pargeter history is reveled, the odds of catching the miscreants of both timelines gets better. As always, the tongue in cheek writing and the characters introduced make this a very fun series to enjoy.

A great addition to the series. Mrs Pargeter is written in a very British tongue-i-chhek way, packed with crazy characters very much of the old school style: you can imagine great train robbers and Italian job types all too easily. Definitely recommended for fans of the cosy crime genre.

This is the latest installment of a long running series, in which the criminals are ever so careful to observe the social amenities – right up until they commit their crimes.

In Mrs Pargeter Brett has created a vivid and captivating character who manages to be prim and proper while behaving in the most appalling way. She makes me laugh, admire her, and sneakily wish to be just a bit more like her.

The Mrs Pargeter’s beloved – and now departed – husband spent their marriage preserving her deniability. She’ll look at you in wide eyed innocence if you ask anything about her husband’s business. Yet she doesn’t blink an eyelid at his many criminal acquaintances, and manages a variety of illegal activities while somehow preserving an air of genteel ignorance.

Here Mrs Pargeter attempts to help an associate avoid a gruesome fate as a result of an unpaid gambling debt. A straight forward thing, you’d think, but it brings her back into the orbit of some of her husband’s rivals and recalls when they kidnapped her, seeking leverage.

This particular novel spends a substantial period back in the early days of Mrs Pargeter’s marriage. In most Mrs Pargeter novels Mr Pargeter is off stage, referred to but never seen. So it was interesting here to spend some time with him, getting to know both him and Mrs Pargeter better.

I really enjoy the Mrs Pargeter novels, and this one was no exception. There’s a quiet but very very funny humor that runs through the novel, touching plot, characters, and action alike. The novel manages to be both subtle and overt at the same time (quite the achievement), rather like Mrs Pargeter and her devoted friends.

It’s a very English kind of humor, with everyone saying one thing while doing something quite contrary. It works brilliantly. Brett has the perfect touch for this kind of novel. This isn’t a very long novel, and the writing style makes it an easy read. The tone is consistently sustained, both in terms of the language and the antics of the characters.

This was a great novel to sink into. It’s not too demanding, but it’s diverting and delicious. Highly recommended for fans, but new readers could also step into the novel and enjoy every word. It stands alone.

Rating: 2.3/5

If you have read any of Simon Brett's work previously then you will have a pretty good idea what you are going to get. There is nothing pretentious about his cosy mysteries. They are easy to read, entertaining and don't take themselves too seriously - but there is usually a sound mystery structure at the heart of things.

This tenth and latest offering from the Mrs Pargeter series is slightly different in that there is no real mystery. It is a predominantly character-driven story set comically in the criminal underworld. There is plenty of light-hearted humour as the mystery is investigated by the eponymous Mrs Pargeter and there are some nice social observations and commentaries along the way too. That said, on the whole, this particular offering feels a bit tired. There are witty moments, but for the most part the same jokes are done to death, re-done and then done again.

"Mrs Pargeter's Past" is far from awful and is a pleasant enough way to pass some time, but this is probably one for the true stalwarts of the Mrs Pargeter series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

I absolutely love this series and am so glad it's back.

This one has all the usual suspects although I was surprised she didn't twig earlier that the brothers were one in the same.

Overall a fun easy read and I hope there is more to come.

Thanks for the arc.

Book Review: Mrs Pargeter's Past
Reviewed from an advance pre-release copy provided by the publisher

Simon Brett’s Mrs. Pargeter’s Past blends the structure of a crime mystery with the ease and wit of a cozy humor, making for a brisk and rewarding read. Mrs. Pargeter, stylish and composed, is the sort of heroine who floats through danger with martini-worthy poise. She’s smart, sexy, and often plays up her cluelessness just enough to keep everyone wondering how much she really knows. If you’re hooked on Mrs. Pargeter’s capers, there's an entire series to dive into.

The plot kicks off when Mrs Pargeter tries to help an old acquaintance, Short Head Shimmings, who’s gotten himself into trouble with the wrong sort of people. What follows is a whirlwind of schemes, secrets, and a criminal empire that needs dismantling—preferably without breaking a nail.

What I loved most was Mrs. Pargeter herself. She’s sexy, sharp, and often pretends to be more clueless than she is, which makes her all the more fun to follow. The book is a perfect weekend read—short enough to finish in a day, but packed with enough twists and dry humor to keep things interesting.

That said, the story does get a bit tangled. There are a lot of characters with quirky names, and the narrative jumps between scenes and perspectives in a way that occasionally left me flipping back to reorient myself. Also, the author's vocabulary can be a bit obscure—thank goodness for Kindle’s dictionary feature.

Still, these are minor bumps in an otherwise entertaining ride. If you enjoy mysteries with a touch of British eccentricity and a heroine who’s always one step ahead (even when she pretends not to be), this one’s worth picking up.

#MrsPargetersPast #NetGalley #SimonBrett