Waste of a Life

In Edgar finalist Brett’s gentle third Decluttering mystery (after 2021’s An Untidy Death), kind and empathetic Ellen Curtis, the owner and sole employee of SpaceWoman, a company in Chichester, England, offering decluttering assistance, is asked by Social Services to bring order to the home of Cedric Waites, a recluse in his late 70s. Over the course of her regular visits, she becomes fond of the old man and is shocked when she arrives one afternoon to find him dead. The autopsy reveals that he was poisoned by something he ate. Ellen’s occasional helper, Dodge, who has a deep-seated distrust of the police, becomes a prime suspect. Dodge’s running off complicates the situation for Ellen, whose easy narration pulls readers into her visits with her eccentric and often well-read clients, her interactions with her family, and her observations on the unpredictability of life. These interludes may seem extraneous to Ellen’s murder investigation, but, in fact, often impart salient information. Ellen’s personal problems, such as dealing with a manic depressive grown son, deepen her character along the way to the satisfying conclusion. This book is pure pleasure. Agent: Lisa Moylett, CMM Agency (U.K.). (Dec.)