Mrs. Malory and the Legacy

There's a classic piece of advice to would-be authors that goes: "Start out by writing about things you already know about", and it seems that this approach can have benefits for more practised authors as well.The first part of the book - in which Mrs Malory is asked to become the literary executor of a close friend/best selling author who dies under mildly mysterious circumstances - absolutely crackles with authenticity and pace, and is surely based on Hazel Holt's own experience of acting as literary executor and biographer to English novelist Barbara Pym. (Ms Pym, I hasten to add, did NOT die under mysterious circumstances of any kind!)As the book approaches its halfway point this initial focus shifts slightly and the pace becomes somewhat more relaxed. Indeed, it almost seems - for a page or two - as though the author is running out of steam....At this point Ms Holt elegantly drops a bombshell into the proceedings, a bombshell which, it now turns out, she has been subtly preparing us for over the previous 20-30 pages.There are more such finely calculated surprises to come, and the second half of the book revolves around an excellent development of the previously established plot lines in which - after the fashion of premier thriller-writer Robert Ludlam - nothing and no-one is quite what/who they appear to be.The final revelation of the killer is managed in true Malory style, sitting round a kitchen table. It is done quietly, even discreetly, and above all, the denoument makes sense.If I had to offer a criticism it would be that Ms Holt gives little opportunity for the reader to come to their own idea as to "who dunnit".For example, Mrs Malory's final unravelling of the mystery depends on two key pieces of evidence. Of the two, one is never shown to the reader, whilst the second is (so far as I can tell) deliberately mis-described.(To be fair, this mis-direction is genuinely essential to the plotting, and an accurate description would have given the game away quite some time before the formal solving of the puzzle.)Anyway, this one qualification apart, and much as I've enjoyed all of the *previous* books in the series, this is without doubt the best Sheila Malory mystery to date. Easily worthy of a five star rating.

Mrs. Malory and the Fatal Legacy is the ninth contemporary cozy in Hazel Holt's ever British Shelia Malory series, and it's still as fresh as ever. Sheila Malory is fifty...ish, a widow, the mother of a successful son, and a popular writer of nineteenth century novels, but her real claim to fame is her sleuthing skills. Fate has a habit of dropping mysteries into Mrs. Malory's lap knowing she has as an exceptional gift for solving them.Lately Mrs. Malory has been behaving pretty laid back. She seems comfortable with herself and her life in Somerset, England, so staying home, sipping tea, and sharing an evening with her pets sounds much better than going to a literary party of full of bookish know-it-alls. Her son Michael effectively prompts her to go, and once there, Shelia runs into some old Oxford school chums. One such friend whose name and popularity as a famous novelist hasn't change her true personality is Dame Elizabeth Blackmore, who still goes by Beth. They reminisce, have a good time, and promise to meet up again. Later they talk briefly, Beth shares some things that are concerning her. Soon Sheila gets a call saying her dear friend has passed away and the coroner has ruled it Death by Misadventure. Shelia suddenly finds herself back on the writing arena as Beth's literary executor. She must write a biography of Beth's life and prepare her unpublished work for publishing. Shelia finds her quiet life suddenly overwhelmed with a shocked widower, his angry grown children, a greedy publisher, and some even more greedy scholars. Once she moves in with Aunt Hilda to be near the work, and persons unknown begin reeking havoc on her work, Shelia doesn't think she will ever get back to her quiet, cozy village. I found Mrs. Malory and the Fatal Legacy to be a smooth, composed read. Shelia's relaxed attitude had me wondering if there was going to be a mystery at all, but then she meets up with the school chums, the feeling of a plot begins; the conversation and characters held my attention, and once the first death occurred, the mystery took off in more than one direction leading to a satisfactory end.Hazel Holt's Mrs. Malory series is a laid-back cozy coo waiting to tempt its next literary victim into a mystery menagerie of delight.

Somerset, England villager Sheila Malory is the author of several critically acclaimed books on nineteenth century novelists. She has also stayed in touch with several individuals from her days at Oxford, including the acclaimed author Dame Elizabeth Blackmore. Sheila considers Elizabeth such a close friend, she agrees to meet her buddy in London to catch up on each other's lives. After their wonderful time together in London, Sheila looks forward to seeing Elizabeth some time soon, but before they meet again the latter dies due to a mix-up in the medications she was taking.Sheila is stunned, but even more surprising to her is that Elizabeth has named her as the estate's literary executor. This means spending an enormous amount of time sifting through the deceased's papers to determine what should be published and writing the definitive biography. However, while digging through the papers, Sheila uncovers a secret that a certain party will kill to keep buried.MRS. MALORY AND THE FATAL LEGACY is the fundamental British cozy that stimulates the mind of the reader. The warm heroine is a likable person who the audience will appreciate for her self-deprecating wit and willingness to seek out the truth even at the cost of bodily harm or death. Hazel Holt provides sub-genre fans with a first class novel that will send new fans seeking the previous Mrs. Malory stories.Harriet Klausner