A Sheila Malory mystery
23 total works
Sheila Malory is shocked to hear that her friend Dame Elizabeth Blackmore, the novelist, has died. Sheila discovers an unfinished novel and is convinced it is autobiographical - was Elizabeth leading a double life? Then an academic researching the novelist's life also dies - is it just coincidence?
Malcolm Hardy, the new partner at Taviscombe's veterinary practice, is not a popular man; but without his money the surgery would have to close. Within a few weeks of starting his new job he seems to have upset most of the town: firing one of his long-serving colleagues; installing his girlfriend as veterinary assistant at the surgery; refusing to treat stray animals for free; accusing another colleague of malpractice as well as being seen out with a married woman. As far as Sheila Malory is concerned there is little to like about the new vet. But despite his unpopularity it is still a shock when Hardy collapses and dies at the surgery. And when the post-mortem reveals that his death was unnatural, suspicion instantly falls on his former colleagues. Could somebody at the practice be a killer? Or might the thoroughly unpleasant Malcolm Hardy have other enemies with murder in mind?
When local author Sheila Malory is asked to research the history of Mere Barton, she has her reservations; particularly as 'The Book' is one of the many projects of Annie Roberts, the most unpopular resident.
Indeed, it seems that hardly anyone has a good word to say about her. When Annie suffers a fatal bout of self-inflicted food poisoning, there is more relief than grief around the village. However, as Sheila continues work she discovers there is more to Annie's unpopularity than just a forceful personality. Was the death as accidental as it first seemed?
Indeed, it seems that hardly anyone has a good word to say about her. When Annie suffers a fatal bout of self-inflicted food poisoning, there is more relief than grief around the village. However, as Sheila continues work she discovers there is more to Annie's unpopularity than just a forceful personality. Was the death as accidental as it first seemed?
Slowly I began to understand fully the horror of what had happened to that family, and the extent of Bernard's responsibility for it. More than ever, when I thought of the irreparable damage he'd done to so many people, I felt, with Veronica, glad that he was dead. Bernard Prior was never popular with the rest of his family. And when his second cousin, Sheila Malory, is warned that he is visiting members of the Prior family in order to research their genealogy, Sheila considers it nothing more than a bore. However, what seems like an innocent pastime soon turns into something more sinister. When Bernard dies in suspicious circumstances, family secrets start to emerge. It appears that Bernard's death is not as straightforward as it seems; while he is known as a bore and a bully, there is nothing to indicate any motive for cold-blooded murder. But someone clearly wanted him dead, and Sheila begins to realise that his research into their family history may have turned up more than a collection of old photographs. Never one to let sleeping dogs lie, Sheila takes it upon herself to discover the truth behind Bernard's demise. What secrets lie buried in the family past?
And what will happen to those who try to uncover them? Set in the West Country, this modern-day Miss Marple is about to learn that murder can often hit uncomfortably close to home, and that appearances can sometimes be deceptive...
And what will happen to those who try to uncover them? Set in the West Country, this modern-day Miss Marple is about to learn that murder can often hit uncomfortably close to home, and that appearances can sometimes be deceptive...
When widower Shidney Middleton is found dead in his cottage from carbon monoxide poisoning, Sheila Malory is deeply disturbed. The old man had seemed in good health and the ageing wood-burning stove, cited as causing the fatality, had just been serviced. Sheila's suspicions that this was no accidental death just won't be quietened. Sidney had always seemed a pleasant, unassuming gentleman. So Sheila is shocked when, at the old man's funeral, she encounters outright hostility. Then Sheila uncovers some rather shocking information about the deceased - information that paints him in a very different light and leads her to ask how many people might have borne him a grudge?
Arson and murder in the English countryside from the author of Mrs. Malory and a Necessary End . . .
In the wake of a reporter’s death, biographer Sheila Malory must dig through the remnants of his life to discover the devil in the details . . .
Sheila’s friend, larger-than-life Eva Jackson, has returned to the village of Taviscombe after losing her husband, Alan. A foreign correspondent, Alan reported on dangerous stories around the world from Libya to Afghanistan—but the cause of his death was more mundane: kidney failure in a London hospital. Still, he led a storied life, and much of his past lies in his writings, papers, and books now boxed away in Eva’s garage.
After Eva decides to compile a book of Alan’s unpublished works, a fire mysteriously breaks out in the garage. Then Eva meets a suspicious end, leading Sheila to wonder if there’s a killer at large in their charming Devon countryside . . .
In the wake of a reporter’s death, biographer Sheila Malory must dig through the remnants of his life to discover the devil in the details . . .
Sheila’s friend, larger-than-life Eva Jackson, has returned to the village of Taviscombe after losing her husband, Alan. A foreign correspondent, Alan reported on dangerous stories around the world from Libya to Afghanistan—but the cause of his death was more mundane: kidney failure in a London hospital. Still, he led a storied life, and much of his past lies in his writings, papers, and books now boxed away in Eva’s garage.
After Eva decides to compile a book of Alan’s unpublished works, a fire mysteriously breaks out in the garage. Then Eva meets a suspicious end, leading Sheila to wonder if there’s a killer at large in their charming Devon countryside . . .
When Sheila Malory reluctantly agrees to help out in one of Taviscombe's charity shops for a few weeks, her friend Rosemary warns her that about the 'control freak' manager Desmond Barlow, and wonders why she couldn't have said 'no'. Sheila does seem to find it difficult to let people down and it is not without some trepidation that she begins her volunteer work. Before too long, she begins to get the measure of her fellow volunteers including the bossy and strident Norma Stanley; no-nonsense and cheerful Jean; and Desmond's mousey and put-upon wife Wendy. It's clear there's a clash of personalities but surely no-one would wish Desmond harm? When his lifeless body is discovered in the shop after an apparent botched robbery, Sheila finds herself at the heart of the investigation as Inspector Bob Morris seeks her help - unofficially, of course. As Sheila delves deeper into the lives of her fellow charity-shop workers, she discovers long-held secrets and hitherto unknown connections - and perhaps a motive for murder exists after all?
As Shakespeare put it so eloquently in Julius Caesar, 'death, a necessary end, will come when it will come' but for Desmond Barlow it came somewhat sooner than nature intended...
As Shakespeare put it so eloquently in Julius Caesar, 'death, a necessary end, will come when it will come' but for Desmond Barlow it came somewhat sooner than nature intended...
Life in Taviscombe, Devon, ambles along at its own pace. Sheila Malory is being kept busy by her relations, particularly her god-daughter and granddaughter who have gone horse-mad at the local stables. Run by glamorous couple Jo and Charlie Hamilton, she a former leading lady and he, a once Olympic standard equestrian, the stables seems to be a fine business - but is all as it seems? When a series of tragic 'accidents' cast a shadow over the stables and the town Sheila, never backward in coming forward, determines to investigate.
Something peculiar is going on at the Group Medical Practice in Taviscombe. Sheila Malory can't help but feel it may be linked with the unexpected arrival of Dr Morrison. Arrogant and cold-mannered , his alleged misdiagnosis of a local patient who later died has made him the focus of village rumour. When Dr Morrison is found dead, apparently murdered, it is assumed to be a random act of violence. However, Sheila Malory is not convinced. Had Dr Morrison been involved in some sort of dangerous business in London? Or did someone local have a motive for wanting him out of the way? A twisting mystery, "No Cure For Death" should not be prescribed for the faint-hearted.
The village of Mere Barton would be a different place without local busybody Annie Roberts. Standing only five feet tall, the tireless retired nurse organizes and oversees all local activity with military precision.
When Sheila Malory gets roped into Annie's latest project, a compilation of the village's history, she has a feeling it will lead to trouble. But the project is cut short when Annie is found dead from a nasty case of mushroom poisoning--and Mrs. Malory seems to be the only one who finds the death suspicious. Because of her nosy nature, Annie had discovered some dark secrets about her fellow villagers. Secrets someone might kill to keep quiet.
When Sheila Malory gets roped into Annie's latest project, a compilation of the village's history, she has a feeling it will lead to trouble. But the project is cut short when Annie is found dead from a nasty case of mushroom poisoning--and Mrs. Malory seems to be the only one who finds the death suspicious. Because of her nosy nature, Annie had discovered some dark secrets about her fellow villagers. Secrets someone might kill to keep quiet.
Sheila Malory's old friends Charlie and Jo Hamilton run a popular riding school in the quiet English town of Taviscombe. When Charlie is found dead in his stables from a blow to the head--with only his horses as witnesses to his final moments-- the entire community is shaken. Especially since Charlie's is just the first in a series of shocking and suspicious deaths. Mrs. Malory is on the case, but the trail of clues, from an unlucky horseshoe to a lethal electric fence, proves to be anything but a smooth ride.
Sheila Malory is less than thrilled when an old lawyer friend, Graham Percy, invites himself to stay. How could she know that before the week is out she would be investigating his murder?
Eva Jackson is Rosemary's cousin ( 'umpteen times removed' ) and she has moved back to her childhood home in Taviscombe after the untimely death of her beloved husband Alan. As is the way of the village, Eva has been pounced upon by the local charities, and it is during a coffee morning that she mentions to Sheila Malory that she fears Alan might have died an unnatural death . Sheila is intrigued and sets out to find out more. But when Eva's body is discovered after a supposed insulin overdose, Sheila wonders if the killer might still be at large in the charming Devon countryside .
