I love this series of books. I read them as I wait for my husbands treatment of chemotherapy is being given. They are just a perfect mystery series for that type of situation. Light, sometimes funny and in general not something you have to concentrate on heavily. A good read. ( )

I enjoyed this up to half way through, but the main character I found obnoxious and annoying. The particular relationship she has with the police force and how they are permitting her to interfere with the investigation was the final straw. Done with this series. Many more to read. ( )

This is the first in a series of cosy mysteries featuring a cleaner, Lois Meade, who works for a number of families in a small village in England. When a woman is cruelly murdered Lois, who has already shown an interest in volunteering for community police work, is well placed to find out information from her clients and pass it on to the police.
I do like it when books give a sense of place and the social structure and behaviour of the players in this story meant it dripped English-ness. Imagine one of those villages in Midsomer where the dozens of murders that happen all seem to be done in a more civilised way than would happen anywhere else. Although of course there’s lots of hidden emotions and dark passions lurking just under the surface.

I liked, but didn’t love, the characters. Lois is a wife and mother of three children as well as being a cleaner and amateur detective and is a solid lead character but a bit grim for me to be totally engaged by her. For most of the book I thought there was something not quite right about her and towards the end I realised it was her complete lack of friends. She has her immediate family and her clients but that’s it. As well as being odd I thought this probably created a few plot problems for the author because Lois didn’t really have anyone she talked things through with so there was a lot of thinking out loud and writing in notebooks which was a bit unsatisfactory after a while. However there are a few characters, including a couple of members of the Police force, who have the potential to become more substantial players in future books.

The plot was well constructed and sensibly resolved although it seemed to take an awfully long time. The book takes place over many months and for the first few it seemed as if the Police did nothing but wait for Lois to find out something during her daily cleaning rounds. The point of allowing this much time to elapse was, I assume, to allow other parts of the story to unfold but it gave the investigation itself an air of unbelievability. This was at odds with the rest of the story elements, including Lois’ family dramas and day-to-day life in the village, which were all quite realistic.

It would need a dash or three of humour for me to be thoroughly enchanted by the book but it was certainly entertaining and I liked its authenticity. I’ll look for the next in the series on another occasion when I need to take a break from the darker stuff that occupies most of my reading hours ( )

Lois Meade lives in a small English village with her husband and 3 children. She has to deal with the normal problems of a rebellious teenager and making ends meet. To help financially, Lois heads over to a nearby village for 4 mornings a week - cleaning house for the vicar the village doctor, village, nurse, and resident artist. When another female resident is found murdered, Lois gets involved because she works for all 4 of the major suspects.

This book (first in the series) had a great premise but moved to slowly with too much filler without substance for my taste. I doubt I will continue on anytime soon. ( )

Is it a coincidence that Lois Meade's surname recalls the ever-turbulent little village where Miss Marple sleuthed? Almost a century after that quaint place found respite from its homicidal cloud, Lois wisely takes her investigating into the village next to her own rather than tread too close to home. As a rebellious teen, Lois left school early and now finds herself bored with her cleaning business, in need of more intellectual challenge. Rejected from a volunteer position by the local constabulary she begins her investigations in part to spite them. Even when it seems she herself may be in danger she cannot resist the pull of unanswered questions. Lois and her husband are solid working-class parents doing their best to raise three children in a much more perilous time than Miss Marple experienced. Ann Purser's portrays the Meade family's lives realistically and engagingly. The plot moves smoothly - yet as in every good mystery danger takes an unexpected twist and as in every modern novel there is rift and reconciliation. A better-than-average addition to the genre. ( )