MRS. MALORY WONDERS WHY (Hazel Holt)

Like Jeanne Dams with her Dorothy Martin series, Holt manages to create a strong sense of place in her Sheila Malory series.  Mrs. Malory is a widow who lives in the cozy village of Taviscombe with her grown son, Michael.  She discovers Miss Graham dead one afternoon after her elderly friend has asked her to stop by so she can share some important and disturbing news.  What appears to be a heart attack turns out to be murder, and suspects abound.  Was porr Miss Graham poisoned by Dr. Cowley, the greedy physician with questionable ethics who wants to turn her building into a nursing home?  Could it have been her wimpy and ineffectual nephew Ronnie, who stands to inherit, or his exasperated wife, Carol?  What about "Mrs." Wheatley, the woman of questionable reputation rumored to be friendly with Dr. Cowley?  Mrs. Malory, in the great tradition of Miss Marple, cannot resist investigating the crime.  There are some surprises at the end.  If you enjoy a good English cozy, you will love Mrs. Malory.