A Nice Class of Corpse

A Nice Class of Corpse by Simon Brett, 2022, Cozy

The story takes place in 1980 in Devereux Hotel, Littlehampton, England. Readers will enjoy the setting and language.

Melita Pargeter moves into the hotel where eight rooms are filled by elderly guests and staff is limited to Mrs. Naismith, who runs a tight ship, Kevin Newth, who does all the mundane duties and several maids who live off-site.

Someone is writing a diary and decides a murder will make life more interesting. Mrs. Selsby is thrown down the stairs but her death is ruled an accident. This opens up her coveted room facing the sea.

Melita believes her death wasn’t an accident. Her husband was an interesting character who didn’t always stay on the right side of the law. She breaks into Selsby’s room and examines her jewelry. That same night the jewelry is stolen.

Because Selsby left her wealth to the other boarders and employees, everyone is a suspect. Melita follows a woman who then is murdered but ruled an accident. The police become involved, but Melita is left to tie the murders to the jewelry. Each clue takes her closer to the killer and puts her own life in danger.

This story is set before cell phones and texting on purpose. Modern technology makes it difficult for amateur sleuthing since everything can be documented immediately. If you want a detective to use less technology and more sleuthing, you might consider a historical cozy or mystery. I am working a mystery set in the 1870s for that reason.

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