{"product_id":"mrs-pargeters-past-9781448318650","title":"Mrs Pargeter's Past","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A delightfully twisty comic caper . . . If you've never met Mrs. Pargeter and her merry crew of criminals, now's your chance\" - \u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003eStarred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\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, Robert Thorogood and M.C. Beaton.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Severn House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/21\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781448318650\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192","brand":"Simon Brett","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52284297478325,"sku":"9781448318650","price":14.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_3c7ea542-b6f4-43d8-9184-59673aa1083b.jpg?v=1771990530","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/mrs-pargeters-past-9781448318650","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}