"Mrs. Malory and a Death in the Family" by Hazel Holt

Bernard Prior is a bore – at least such is the general sentiment of the family he sets himself to researching, his family – as well as Sheila Malory’s family – in Hazel Holt’s MRS. MALORY AND A DEATH IN THE FAMILY.  It is his impudence that carries him from one house to the next; it is his brutish bullying that makes him an anathema to those whom he should be closest. 

From Sheila Malory, he records the information from the family Bible, as well as a collection of pictures she kept on hand.

With Bernard on this venture is his dutiful, though clearly oppressed, mouse-of-a-wife Janet.  A former secretary, she met him during his tenure as a school headmaster.  For some reason, the two married and produced to children – now both adults: Luke and Christine, Luke being estranged from his father after informing him of his sexual preference.

The night Janet visits Sheila to return the pictures Bernard borrowed, it is also the night Sheila drives her back to the cottage she and Bernard were renting – only to discover Bernard dead.

The story picks up at this point as Sheila Malory begins to more astutely observe Janet with her reactions to the death of her husband.  Granted, the marriage may not have been based on love; and yes, Bernard was pretty much of the bore every member of the family took him for; but surely, his death would evoke some measure of emotion from the woman who was his wife?

Oddly, Janet’s moods change.  Though she sheds not a tear when Bernard’s body is discovered, she is, even so, visibly upset.  Yet, the following morning, a calm demeanor, as if nothing had occurred, rests over her.  When Luke arrives, there is delight.  When Christine appears, the subservience to Bernard returns.

This was a most intriguing story to read.  Not in the standard predictable form I expected from the typical ‘mystery’, I found myself readily impressed with the characterizations Holt offers for not only Sheila Malory (the inclusion of her pets, along with her reaction to her cousin Bernard tell a lot), but especially Bernard, Janet, Luke, and Christine.  These characters are drawn well.

I was not that impressed with secondary characters like Michael, Thea, Rosemary, and a handful of others.  They came across as bland, which was a surprise.  How can the prominent characters carry a distinct nature, while the recurring characters fade into the wallpaper of the background?  Fortunately, for the reader, Sheila Malory comes across as one interesting woman to follow.  She is not a ‘sleuth’ in the typical vein of the genre; but she is a woman who asks questions and investigates theories.  There is a touch of believability here one may not usually find in the standard mystery.

The story itself came across with a natural flow to it that I enjoyed.  A family member no one was all that fond of is researching family genealogy.  He ends up dead, but he was not murdered – though someone apparently attempted to do so.  Now the only question is who tried to kill the already dead man – and why?  If, that is, anyone really tried at all.  Up to the end, you just don’t know; and with Holt spicing the story with avenues of intrigue down which murder may lie, MRS. MALORY AND A DEATH IN THE FAMILY will satisfy all curious souls seeking answers to those perplexing questions..