Mrs. Malory Wonders Why: 8

The picturesque English seaside village of Taviscombe, which bustles with small-town activity, proves not only a breeding ground for gossip but the perfect testing ground for Sheila Malory's ability to decode what she hears and overhears in order to solve a murder. The aging Miss Graham has been poisoned, and Sheila, as usual, can't help herself: she just has to get to the bottom of things. Did Dr. Cowley--the dead woman's physician and landlord who wanted her flat to make room for a nursing home--slip some extra digitalis into an almond tart? Or did her financially strapped nephew murder her for a considerable inheritance? Sheila, aided by her son Michael, a solicitor, and a wide network of old friends and family, becomes an invaluable aid to Chief Inspector Roger Eliot in his investigation. Applying her quick wit and sharp tongue, Sheila confronts the loathsome physician and his other elderly tenant in the surprising process of determining the murderer, who strikes again. Sheila's tart narration and her ear for the prevarications and evasions of her neighbors make her sixth outing (after Mrs. Malory: Detective in Residence) an enjoyably crisp affair. (Dec.)