The Only Good Lawyer

Sheila Malory dreads the annual visit to her home from Graham Percy, an old schoolmate of her late husband and an exceedingly tiresome old bore. Still, it is only for four days and, if she rallies friends to come to dinner a couple of times, she just *might* get through it without blowing her top completely. However, on the third day Graham goes out for his usual early morning walk, only to be stabbed to death in a bus shelter by the sea! At first the police think it’s a robbery gone wrong, but when his wallet shows up intact, they must begin looking closer to home….The eighth Sheila Malory book is quite as charming as the earlier ones, although perhaps harder to find (for some reason, only the first seven are available as e-books; show more I found a used copy of this title, but it took a while). This is, I think, the first time that non-series characters from earlier books show up or are referenced, which was a nice touch. I also like the fact that most of the victims in this series more or less deserve it, one way or another. I must admit to getting tired of Sheila’s son Michael - a grown man, living at home and working as a lawyer, yet he expects Sheila to do all his cooking, laundry, etc., and worse, she does it! Rather passé even in the 1990s, I would think. In spite of that, Sheila remains an engaging lead character, and the story is quite entertaining; recommended. show less

Hazel Holt's amateur sleuth, Mrs. Malory, is a literary critic, sometime literary executor, and also a doer of good works in her seaside village. Hazel Holt herself was a good friend and the literary executor of Barbara Pym, and her mysteries show a similar sensibility. In this book, a houseguest (law school classmate of the late Mr. Malory) is murdered during his early morning walk along the seaside. His annual visit has never been eagerly anticipated, which somehow makes his death more disturbing to Sheila Malory. As usual, she moves through several suspects and red herrings before finally learning who the killer is. Nice light reading especially for those who enjoy sardonic comments about English village life.

Light, fun read.