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Mrs. Malory Mysteries #6
Mrs. Malory Wonders Why
A preference for scones at teatime, a penchant for sensible clothes, and a knack for solving crimes are all part of Mrs. Sheila Malory's irresistible British character. And not since Jane Marple's St. Mary Mead has there been a village more suited for a cozy mystery than Mrs. Malory's Taviscombe, a scenic seaside town where it is difficult to keep a secret, let alone get away with murder. Yet, in Mrs. Malory's sixth appearance as an amateur sleuth, a poisoned almond tart is the first clue that someone has.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
25 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Hazel Holt
63 books72 followersHazel Holt is a British novelist. She studied at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham, England, and then Newnham College, Cambridge. She went on to work at the International African Institute in London, where she became acquainted with the novelist Barbara Pym, whose biography she later wrote. She also finished one of Pym's novels after Pym died.
Holt wrote her first novel in her sixties, and is a leading crime novelist. She is best known for her "Sheila Malory" series. Her son is the novelist Tom Holt.
Holt wrote her first novel in her sixties, and is a leading crime novelist. She is best known for her "Sheila Malory" series. Her son is the novelist Tom Holt.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 6, 2019
Entertaining cozy mystery fills the bill. Mrs. Malory is a likeable and tenacious sleuth who reminds me a little of J.B. Fletcher. The dialogue was sharp. I'd be willing to try more entries in the series.
February 27, 2014
Three and a half stars, rounded up. This is my first Mrs. Malory, an English village cozy mystery series, and it was as delightful as my Goodreads friend had suggested (thanks, Jeanette!). Mrs. Sheila Malory, a middle-aged widow in the small village of Taviscombe, finds herself in the middle of a mystery upon discovering her elderly friend Miss Graham dead of an apparent heart attack. Alas, the postmortem revealed she had been poisoned. A grasping landlord, eager to have poor Miss Graham give up her lease so he could turn the property into a nursing home, seems to be the obvious suspect, and the intrepid Mrs. Malory, finding his actions suspicious, wastes no time in confronting him directly. That is the surprising thing about Mrs. Malory - she seems rather heedless of her personal safety when it comes to accusing possible murderers. But solving a mystery is never as outrightly simple as one would suppose.
The way Mrs. Malory gathers her clues are wonderfully everyday, no secretly stealing about or being where she has no business being. No, she's either out to tea with an old curmudgeon, walking the dogs along the sea shore, gossiping with her best friend, chatting with the other ladies at the charity fundraiser, or discussing events with her lawyer son Michael, who happens to have access to key information. This mystery is not only grounded in its village setting, but in Mrs. Malory's regular cooking and housekeeping rituals - grating cheese for the casserole, scrubbing the kitchen floor, feeding the dogs and cat, fetching a load from the dryer, or my favorite - tackling getting rid of the no longer worn clothes in the wardrobe, but failing because of the sentiments attached. Such a job can be immensely time-wasting. Each garment is absolutely swathed in memories and can provoke any amount of vague daydreaming. Ha, don't I know it! Such realistic endeavors give the book the feel of everyday normality, while its subject - murder - certainly is not.
My only disappointment was a lack of resolution at the end. Mrs. Malory, the typical mother she is, succumbs to a threat to her offspring. Doing so allows the murderer to escape justice, for the time being at least. I found that rather surprising. After all, isn't it the goal of cozy mysteries that perpetrators of such crimes do get punished in the end?
I wish my public library had more of the Mrs. Malory mysteries on its shelves. This was the earliest one available, and it is sixth in the series, and I certainly look forward to reading more of this fun cozy series.
The way Mrs. Malory gathers her clues are wonderfully everyday, no secretly stealing about or being where she has no business being. No, she's either out to tea with an old curmudgeon, walking the dogs along the sea shore, gossiping with her best friend, chatting with the other ladies at the charity fundraiser, or discussing events with her lawyer son Michael, who happens to have access to key information. This mystery is not only grounded in its village setting, but in Mrs. Malory's regular cooking and housekeeping rituals - grating cheese for the casserole, scrubbing the kitchen floor, feeding the dogs and cat, fetching a load from the dryer, or my favorite - tackling getting rid of the no longer worn clothes in the wardrobe, but failing because of the sentiments attached. Such a job can be immensely time-wasting. Each garment is absolutely swathed in memories and can provoke any amount of vague daydreaming. Ha, don't I know it! Such realistic endeavors give the book the feel of everyday normality, while its subject - murder - certainly is not.
My only disappointment was a lack of resolution at the end. Mrs. Malory, the typical mother she is, succumbs to a threat to her offspring. Doing so allows the murderer to escape justice, for the time being at least. I found that rather surprising. After all, isn't it the goal of cozy mysteries that perpetrators of such crimes do get punished in the end?
I wish my public library had more of the Mrs. Malory mysteries on its shelves. This was the earliest one available, and it is sixth in the series, and I certainly look forward to reading more of this fun cozy series.
May 3, 2022
A pleasant read with (mostly) nice characters. It is interesting that doctors should so often be the subject of gossip. If they're married there are questions about the wife or whether the doctor is "playing away" perhaps with a patient (ethics!) his receptionist or a visiting nurse (oh for the days of visiting nurses!) We are always ready to believe the worst of people in public positions, but in this case Dr. Cowley is going to turn his rental property into a nursing home (lots of revenue there) and what will happen to poor Miss Graham, ninety years old and not with any extra income to facilitate a move.
Mrs. Dudley, who always knows all the gossip details in spite of not going out much, is aware of it all, as well as the rumours about the past of a suspicious lady (?) of the neighbourhood. When Miss Graham dies of poison in an almond tart - and it wasn't arsenic, surprisingly, once almonds are mentioned.
Mrs. Malory does indeed wonder why someone should feel it necessary to kill her, since it wasn't something that could have gotten into those tarts accidentally. Surely it wasn't the doctor, even if Miss Graham did have a proper lease, and if not him then who? How convenient to have a son in a solicitor's office where he can check the records to find the terms of that lease.
It was a very pleasant read, although I have a feeling that if I read very many of them I may find that Mrs. Dudley is often the source of vital information and Sheila's best friend Rosemary is really very handy for support.
Mrs. Dudley, who always knows all the gossip details in spite of not going out much, is aware of it all, as well as the rumours about the past of a suspicious lady (?) of the neighbourhood. When Miss Graham dies of poison in an almond tart - and it wasn't arsenic, surprisingly, once almonds are mentioned.
Mrs. Malory does indeed wonder why someone should feel it necessary to kill her, since it wasn't something that could have gotten into those tarts accidentally. Surely it wasn't the doctor, even if Miss Graham did have a proper lease, and if not him then who? How convenient to have a son in a solicitor's office where he can check the records to find the terms of that lease.
It was a very pleasant read, although I have a feeling that if I read very many of them I may find that Mrs. Dudley is often the source of vital information and Sheila's best friend Rosemary is really very handy for support.
August 2, 2017
Miss Graham has lived in a flat in a nice ocean-side building for most of her life and plans to live there until she dies. When she discovers that Dr. Cowley has plans to turn the building into a nursing home and make a tidy profit, she becomes completely upset. She enlists the help of Mrs. Malory to find out what to do and how to stop the greedy doctor from following through.
Things turn upside down when Miss Graham is found murdered. Interesting thing is that she has a weak willed nephew that she wills all her property to along with her money. A larger inheritance that anyone expected. Also part of the picture is the nephew's strong-willed wife. Could they be the culprits?
Also a new resident comes to live and work in quiet Taviscomb; Jenny, a new legal exec with Tom's law firm. Could there be a little romantic interest there, Mrs. Malory wonders. Is she really what she seems?
There is also Mrs. Wheatley, Miss Graham's neighbour. She is a bit mysterious and she is seen having a conference with Dr. Cowley. Is she part of his scheme to convert the building?
For a cozy murder, there is quite a bit of action and red herrings. Mrs. Malory and some of her friends are determined to solve the mystery of Miss Graham's death. Did I mention that there is also another murder that needs solving?
I fun, light read. I do plan to read more of this series.
Things turn upside down when Miss Graham is found murdered. Interesting thing is that she has a weak willed nephew that she wills all her property to along with her money. A larger inheritance that anyone expected. Also part of the picture is the nephew's strong-willed wife. Could they be the culprits?
Also a new resident comes to live and work in quiet Taviscomb; Jenny, a new legal exec with Tom's law firm. Could there be a little romantic interest there, Mrs. Malory wonders. Is she really what she seems?
There is also Mrs. Wheatley, Miss Graham's neighbour. She is a bit mysterious and she is seen having a conference with Dr. Cowley. Is she part of his scheme to convert the building?
For a cozy murder, there is quite a bit of action and red herrings. Mrs. Malory and some of her friends are determined to solve the mystery of Miss Graham's death. Did I mention that there is also another murder that needs solving?
I fun, light read. I do plan to read more of this series.
January 25, 2023
This is another of Hazel Holt's tales of the fictitious town of Taviscomb in southwest England told by Mrs. Sheila Malory. A widow of late middle-age, she shares her home with a bossy Siamese cat and two dogs, and her son Michael who has returned home to work in the office where his father practiced law. Mrs. Malory is her usual inquisitive self (nosy but is inoffensive about it) and has a pipeline to the backstory of nearly every person in the town. In this installment, it is the medical profession that comes in for scrutiny, a particular concern for the aging citizens of the town. When Sheila discovers the body of an elderly acquaintance who died suddenly, her instincts are aroused by small details, and the woman's doctor becomes the first suspect. From there we're treated to life in a small English village as Sheila picks up one stray detail after another. Then there is a second murder and one by one her suspects are investigated and cleared.
Once again, a short little novel, strong on characterizations and observations of small town life. The little details make the novel all the more engaging. The plot is middling-complex and the telling of it somewhat stretched out. Though not many suspects, none fit the bill until one stands out - but not for the reason one might first expect. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Once again, a short little novel, strong on characterizations and observations of small town life. The little details make the novel all the more engaging. The plot is middling-complex and the telling of it somewhat stretched out. Though not many suspects, none fit the bill until one stands out - but not for the reason one might first expect. Thoroughly enjoyable.
January 22, 2017
Sheila Malory has several elderly ladies living on their own in Taviscombe whom she visits on a regular basis. Miss Graham is one of these ladies and she is living in a small block of flats which the landlord - a local GP - wants to turn into a care home.
Miss Graham has a long term lease and doesn't want to move from the flat. Sheila is concerned about her as she doesn't like the landlord and distrusts him. When she finds Miss Graham dead after a telephone call asking Sheila to visit as soon as possible, Sheila is immediately suspicious.
This is an interesting story with plenty of suspects - all of who seem to have secrets which they want to keep from the police but Taviscombe is full of people who collect scraps of information so it is virtually impossible to keep a secret. Sheila gradually builds up a picture of Miss Graham and her friends and relatives until she reaches a startling conclusion after another murder.
If you want something light but intriguing to read then this book - or any of the other books in this series - could fill the bill. They always deal with a serious issue but set against an everyday background. This book is number six in the series but the books can be read in any order.
Miss Graham has a long term lease and doesn't want to move from the flat. Sheila is concerned about her as she doesn't like the landlord and distrusts him. When she finds Miss Graham dead after a telephone call asking Sheila to visit as soon as possible, Sheila is immediately suspicious.
This is an interesting story with plenty of suspects - all of who seem to have secrets which they want to keep from the police but Taviscombe is full of people who collect scraps of information so it is virtually impossible to keep a secret. Sheila gradually builds up a picture of Miss Graham and her friends and relatives until she reaches a startling conclusion after another murder.
If you want something light but intriguing to read then this book - or any of the other books in this series - could fill the bill. They always deal with a serious issue but set against an everyday background. This book is number six in the series but the books can be read in any order.
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September 9, 2024"DEADLY EVICTION
"When Dr. Cowley, the greedy local physician of Taviscombe, plans to turn a prime oceanside building, occupied by the very elderly Miss Graham, into a profitable nursing home, Mrs. Malory becomes worried about the fate of her dear friend. What will happen to the poor soul if she refuses to move?
"As Mrs. Malory fears, the answer is most distressing: poor Miss Graham is cruelly, unkindly, and most diabolically killed with her favorite dessert. Of course, it appears that Dr. Cowley must have done it -- except that he has an ironclad alibi. Now Mrs. Malory is snooping in earnest, hoping her search will lead her to intriguing revelations: about the physician with ambition, about a weak-willow nephew and his pushy wife, about a pretty neighbor of questionable virtue, and about a very large sum of money. Of course, Mrs. Malory's persistent inquiries may also get her killed."
~~back flap
For once, one of Mrs. Malory's flights of imagination about the identity of the killer turns out to be true ... resulting in a very nasty scene with the reader holding his or her breath -- is Mrs. Malory also going to be done in? Fortunately. the killer makes their escape in time to avoid the long arm of the law, and Mrs. Malory is only left shaking with relief and terror -- her adored son Michael was implicated (unjustly) by the killer -- ploy which left Mrs. Malory unable to involve the police and thus give the killer those precious hours to make good their escape.
But it was a very close shave. Will that cure Mrs. Malory of her (almost fatal) curiosity which so often places her directly in the midst of a murder investigation? Of course not! The next book is waiting ...
"When Dr. Cowley, the greedy local physician of Taviscombe, plans to turn a prime oceanside building, occupied by the very elderly Miss Graham, into a profitable nursing home, Mrs. Malory becomes worried about the fate of her dear friend. What will happen to the poor soul if she refuses to move?
"As Mrs. Malory fears, the answer is most distressing: poor Miss Graham is cruelly, unkindly, and most diabolically killed with her favorite dessert. Of course, it appears that Dr. Cowley must have done it -- except that he has an ironclad alibi. Now Mrs. Malory is snooping in earnest, hoping her search will lead her to intriguing revelations: about the physician with ambition, about a weak-willow nephew and his pushy wife, about a pretty neighbor of questionable virtue, and about a very large sum of money. Of course, Mrs. Malory's persistent inquiries may also get her killed."
~~back flap
For once, one of Mrs. Malory's flights of imagination about the identity of the killer turns out to be true ... resulting in a very nasty scene with the reader holding his or her breath -- is Mrs. Malory also going to be done in? Fortunately. the killer makes their escape in time to avoid the long arm of the law, and Mrs. Malory is only left shaking with relief and terror -- her adored son Michael was implicated (unjustly) by the killer -- ploy which left Mrs. Malory unable to involve the police and thus give the killer those precious hours to make good their escape.
But it was a very close shave. Will that cure Mrs. Malory of her (almost fatal) curiosity which so often places her directly in the midst of a murder investigation? Of course not! The next book is waiting ...
September 27, 2021
Mrs. Malory is not your usual elderly woman/amateur investigator a la Mrs. Marple, nor is she quite like any other amateur investigator as usually found in cozy mysteries — she's a middle-aged author of books about women writing. What she does is seemingly innocent but in every book of this series she somehow gets involved in a mystery. And this tale is no different
She just can't help herself. She lives in a small town where everyone knows what's happening with every one else, especially among the elderly. And Mrs. Malory is in the thick of it: she has many elderly friends who she got to know through her mother. And they have come to trust her as they would with their own children.
So when one of her elderly friends starts receiving letters trying to convince her to leave her home so the property can be developed into a senior housing unit, Mrs. Malory goes into action, first checking into the woman's lease and then when she find's the woman murdered, she starts to investigate.
This is a light, easy to read, fun read. Mrs. Malory is a wonderful character, smart but comfortable and very realistic and her entrance into these mysteries seems very natural and realistic. And its all enjoyable. The other characters, such as Mrs. Malory's son, are a delight to get to know, and what a wonderful village! So it doesn't really matter that I guessed rather quickly who was the guilty party — I loved every minute of just reading the story and discovering just how Mrs. Malory would come to the same conclusion.
She just can't help herself. She lives in a small town where everyone knows what's happening with every one else, especially among the elderly. And Mrs. Malory is in the thick of it: she has many elderly friends who she got to know through her mother. And they have come to trust her as they would with their own children.
So when one of her elderly friends starts receiving letters trying to convince her to leave her home so the property can be developed into a senior housing unit, Mrs. Malory goes into action, first checking into the woman's lease and then when she find's the woman murdered, she starts to investigate.
This is a light, easy to read, fun read. Mrs. Malory is a wonderful character, smart but comfortable and very realistic and her entrance into these mysteries seems very natural and realistic. And its all enjoyable. The other characters, such as Mrs. Malory's son, are a delight to get to know, and what a wonderful village! So it doesn't really matter that I guessed rather quickly who was the guilty party — I loved every minute of just reading the story and discovering just how Mrs. Malory would come to the same conclusion.
August 12, 2025
I have read a couple of others by this author but can't recall anything about them. This is another nondescript story. Village gossip, a fustery woman and a case of poisoning. There are clear indications that someone could profit, as a nursing home is being suggested for development nearby. But the middle aged women are busy clearing out clothes they like that don't fit them any more, while rolling lard into pastry for steak puddings and adding fairy cakes and pastries to every cuppa.
Eventually the killer gives themself away, the woman hears all the details - because killers apparently want to tell you how they did everything - and they walk off and the woman doesn't do anything for two days, whereupon she picks up the phone at her son's urging to report the information.
There is nobody to like and much to dislike.
Eventually the killer gives themself away, the woman hears all the details - because killers apparently want to tell you how they did everything - and they walk off and the woman doesn't do anything for two days, whereupon she picks up the phone at her son's urging to report the information.
There is nobody to like and much to dislike.
April 29, 2019
Mrs. Malory Wonders Why is a light-hearted English cozy with a typical British widow living in a small town with a nosy group of neighbors who solve crimes. I remember reading the first in the series, Mrs. Malory Investigates, but you don't have to read them in order. In this volume, possibly #6, Mrs. Malory investigates two related murders. While she solves them early on, she has no way of proving her guess. I was the one wondering why until the very end. Interesting characters, small British village setting, very entertaining. I'll read another.
November 1, 2017
Mrs. Sheila Holt and her friends in Taviscomb, England, are mystified when a gracious older lady is poisoned. – It wouldn’t even have been discovered as dying by poison if the regular doctor had not been away that morning. He would have signed the death certificate knowing that the elderly woman was in bad health anyway. – But now they knew. Could Sheila figure out who the murder is??? Mrs. Malory is becoming a favorite of mine.
November 12, 2020
I enjoy all the Sheila Malory books, but this is one of the weaker ones. I find her son Michael OK in small doses but he is quite central in this story which dragged it down a bit. I also felt Jenny Drummond was dragged quite awkwardly into the plot making it blindingly obvious she was there for a very specific reason.
Still a nice cosy read though.
Still a nice cosy read though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2018
3.5 stars
An enjoyable clean light murder mystery in an English village. Just what I needed at the moment. Will definitely be reading more Mrs. Mallory mysteries. My mom is enjoying these mysteries also.
An enjoyable clean light murder mystery in an English village. Just what I needed at the moment. Will definitely be reading more Mrs. Mallory mysteries. My mom is enjoying these mysteries also.
May 14, 2022
New to me cozy mystery set in an English seaside town. Mrs Mallory is a writer and reviewer of non fiction.A widow with two dogs and a cat .She shares her home with her son a solicitor. Well wrirren and ploted
November 8, 2018
Solid. Living this series.
May 16, 2019
A winner!
Clever story line, written so skillfully, you get as if you are right in the room with the characters! I'm going to read all of this series!
Clever story line, written so skillfully, you get as if you are right in the room with the characters! I'm going to read all of this series!
June 5, 2019
Light entertainment
August 29, 2022
I'm hooked on Mrs. Mallory. I enjoyed her descriptions of her daily life as much as the mystery that surrounded the death of an elderly tenant who could not be persuaded to give up her lease.
December 1, 2022
Very nice indeed. Makes up for the last one. The villain was hiding in plain sight, and it was fun to read.
July 13, 2023
Good read
I love the MRS Malley books so easy to sit back and enjoy so believable characters just a reading joy
I love the MRS Malley books so easy to sit back and enjoy so believable characters just a reading joy
May 6, 2024
Also published as: Superfluous Death (1995)
April 28, 2022
When one of Sheila Malory’s elderly friends is found dead in her flat, suspicion turns first on her landlord, a rather smarmy doctor who wanted to repurpose the residential building for an old folks’ home. However, soon it is revealed that he could not have been responsible, and both Sheila and the police are at a loss as to who else might be culpable. But when the wife of the woman’s nephew is also killed, and it turns out that the nephew stands to receive a very substantial and hitherto unknown inheritance from the old lady, the field of possible suspects widens considerably…. This is the sixth book in the Mrs. Malory series, and once again she is close to home, observing her neighbours and friends as they cope with both the modern world and murder. I quite like this cozy series, because Mrs. Malory is such a likable middle-aged lady who one might suspect of meddling if it weren’t for her obvious good intentions. We learn a little more about village life in this book, and her son Michael is rather more prominent than he has been previously, but the story basically centers on Sheila and her friends, with cameos by her animals, of course! Recommended.
December 27, 2013
Mrs. Malory does what she does best in this one and Michael is home and involved on top of it. This delightful tidbit also features a greedy Doctor and the new possible development in town of a nursing home with shore views. But is this to be accomplished despite an elderly Mrs. Graham's ironclad lease? And there are fireworks and almond cakes in two varieties as centerpieces in this tale too. Rosemary, Mrs. Dudley and all the pets are spectacular at doing their things in this one- but the motive leans too much on circumstance this time to be a top run Mrs. Malory. 3.5 star Hazel Holt Mrs. Malory reads are quick and delicious- like a perfect cup of tea or best loved type coffee.
February 1, 2008
Hazel Holt was the friend, biographer and literary executor of Barbara Pym, and their voices are not dissimilar. Mrs. Malory, her series character, is a widow living in a small British seaside town, with one son, two dogs and a Siamese cat. Her days are filled with good works both organized and ad hoc, and it is in doing some of the latter, visiting lonely old ladies, that she discovers a murder. There are a couple of obvious suspects and then a surprise ending (although I could see it coming). Not the best of her books, but quite satisfactory as an exemplar of the "cozy" mystery.
November 2, 2015
This is the 6th book in the Sheila Mallory series by Hazel Holt and she just keeps getting better and better with each book.
I love the small English village setting of this series and Hazel Holt is so good at making the reading feel as if they are actually a part of the story I really feel like I know not only Sheila and her son Michael, but also her many friends and acquaintances in the village.
This mystery is about greed and the lengths some people will go for money. It had me guessing until the end and the end, though unusual for a mystery made perfect sense.
I love the small English village setting of this series and Hazel Holt is so good at making the reading feel as if they are actually a part of the story I really feel like I know not only Sheila and her son Michael, but also her many friends and acquaintances in the village.
This mystery is about greed and the lengths some people will go for money. It had me guessing until the end and the end, though unusual for a mystery made perfect sense.
April 6, 2011
Another good story. The death of an elderly lady and the greed of a local doctor come together in what appears to be a crime solved. However, there are other things to be considered. Mrs. Malory is a wonderful detective. A middle aged widow with an enormous curiosity for anything that looks not quite right. And the stories usually take place in her small village with an interesting populace. All I've read so far are an easy and enjoyable read.
July 7, 2015
Sheila Malory worries about old Miss Graham, one of her mother's few surviving friends, who is being harried by her greedy landlord. When she finds Miss Graham dead, it's clear that her heart gave out--until the doctor finds poison in her system. Did the landlord do it? Or was it her bossy, brusque niece-in-law or her ineffectual nephew? There really doesn't seem to be much motive, until Sheila's son, now training at his father's old law firm, reveals one.
March 13, 2011
ANother satisfyingly cozy mystery from Hazel Holt, set in a small seaside ENglish village in which the widowed Mrs. Mallory bakes scones for elderly shut-ins and keeps track of the surprisingly frequent murderous events that occur there.
November 21, 2011
Another confection from Hazel Holt... Mrs. Malory is so delightfully human... she could be me with her messy, but bright and kind son, dog problems (great humor with the nuts). This one offered more of a surprise that is generally the outcome. Well done and beautifully written.
August 21, 2013
This is not one of Holt's better efforts. Too much depends on circumstance with a not very well established motive for murder.
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