{"product_id":"mrs-pargeters-past","title":"Mrs Pargeter's Past","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"\u003c\/i\u003eA delightfully twisty comic caper . . . If you've never met Mrs. Pargeter and her merry crew of criminals, now's your chance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\" - Booklist \u003c\/i\u003eStarred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA gambler on the run. A widow with deep pockets. A pair of criminal brothers with a secret agenda. The new instalment of the quirky, inventive and charming mystery series featuring widow Mrs Pargeter - whose late husband was absolutely NOT one of the most notorious villains in Essex (the very idea).\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMrs Pargeter's friends know two important details about her marriage to her late husband. First, that it was blissfully happy. And second, that Mr Pargeter was not a man to bring his work home with him. So, while the chance of her ever being asked by the police what he did for a living is, naturally, remote, Mrs Pargeter would be able to reply, in all honesty, that she doesn't know. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat she \u003ci\u003edoes \u003c\/i\u003eknow is that Mr Pargeter's former associates are all respectable members of society, and if they were ever criminals, they are now 100% reformed. So when she learns that Short Head Shimmings, her late husband's former accountant, has fallen on hard times, she springs into action, chequebook at the ready. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut Short Head has borrowed from the wrong people, and the infamous Batinga Brothers aren't out for his money - they're out for blood. The only way to save Short Head is to dismantle their criminal empire. But how can the highly law-abiding Mrs Pargeter, whose only weapons are her charm, her quick wits and her little black book of Mr Pargeter's contacts, hope to do such an impossible thing? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eCosy mystery-meets-crime caper in this witty, light-hearted and terribly British novel from CWA Diamond Dagger-winner Simon Brett, which is perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janice Hallett and M.C. Beaton.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1448314674\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781448314676\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Brett, Simon\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Severn House\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Severn House","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Oct 2025)","offer_id":46081071841477,"sku":"9781448314676","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781448314676.jpg?v=1776042864","url":"https:\/\/www.inveni.store\/products\/mrs-pargeters-past","provider":"Inveni","version":"1.0","type":"link"}