"A delightful cozy"
When seventh level schoolteacher Margaret Hood died from
diabetic coma, the English chair at Blakeney, Laura Wilson,
asks former Oxford pal Sheila Malory to teach the class.
Reluctantly the renowned literary critic and writer Sheila
agrees to teach the five brilliant female eighteen-year-
olds as they prepare for their exams. The students are easy to work with as they turn out even
more intelligent and motivated than advertised. However,
Sheila begins to see a dark picture of Margaret emerge from
a variety of sources. Learning further that Margaret
perished by not taking her insulin, Sheila notices
discrepancies in the account making her wonder if the
perfect decorum of her pupils hide something more sinister. Fans of cozies will enjoy the insightful look at life at
the sheltered Birmingham school, sort of a modern day
urbanized Miss Read tale. The story line is rich in detail
and the key cast members including Margaret are fully
developed so that the audience understands their motives.
However, the mystery is slow in coming though once Sheila
begins having doubts about her predecessor's death, her
investigation takes off. Fans of an insular cozy in which
the who-done-it begins in the latter half of the novel will
relish Hazel Holt's MRS. MALORY AND THE DELAY OF EXECUTION. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted May 10, 2002
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