Helpful Score: 14
A lovely mystery! This is a quick read with enough twists and subplots to keep you guessing. I like that the author adds so much of the family detail to the story. It makes the characters rounder and more appealing. I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy British cozies. It reminds me a bit of M.C.Beaton's Hamish or Agatha series' with a bit less humor and a bit more detail.
Helpful Score: 13
Loved this one! 1st in a very enjoyable series - I have put the others on my wishlist. A Cozy series with a little bit of edge - the heroine sleuth is a little cranky (not Agatha Raisin cranky, but still..)
Helpful Score: 6
First in the terrific new series. Highly recommended.
Helpful Score: 4
First book in this wonderful series by Ann Purser. It is amazing what goes on behind the curtained windows in this little English Village. Lois Meade with her cleaning service is just so handy (and so curious) that she finds herself trying to solve this first mystery. However, the police think they should solve this mystery on their own, although they would love for Lois to "snoop around for them". But Lois won't stop at just snooping............
Jeanne G. (IlliniAlum83) -
Helpful Score: 3
Disliked this book from the first few pages! A working class family in England spouting anti-police comments without a good explanation as to why was just a big turnoff. And with the housekeeping mother as a sleuth wanting to be a volunteer special constable (maybe like our Neighborhood Watch??), the anti-authority stance just didn't make sense.
I have read historic British mysteries for years so am quite familiar with the Queen's English and have visited London several times, but the use of British street slang left me clueless as to what some dialogue meant.
I trudged through to the finish just to give it a chance since this series was recommended to me by other PBS members, but won't be seeking out any of the other Lois Meade mysteries.
I have read historic British mysteries for years so am quite familiar with the Queen's English and have visited London several times, but the use of British street slang left me clueless as to what some dialogue meant.
I trudged through to the finish just to give it a chance since this series was recommended to me by other PBS members, but won't be seeking out any of the other Lois Meade mysteries.
Helpful Score: 2
Title: Murder on Monday
Author: Ann Purser
ISBN: 0425192970/Berkley Prime Crime
Protagonist: wife/mum/house cleaner Lois Meade
Setting: Long Farnden, a small English village, present-day
Series: #1
Rating: B-
First Line: In the damp, raw cold of a winter's evening the women sat in rows in Long Farnden village hall, not listening to an elderly Land Girl's memories of "Life on the Farm During the War."
Lois Meade was a bit of a rebel when she was a teenager. If someone told her to do something, she almost always went out of her way to do the exact opposite. Now she's happily married, and once the third child arrived, she decided to clean houses to earn some extra cash. When Gloria Hathaway is murdered in the Long Farnden village hall, Lois realizes that all the people she works for knew the murdered woman. Having recently had her application for Special Constable rejected, Lois doesn't exactly jump at the chance to help the police with their investigation, but as she cleans house after house, she can't help noticing things. Could one of her employers be a cold-blooded killer?
Ann Purser does an excellent job of delineating her characters. Lois is Every Woman. She's married to a likable bloke, one of her children is a typical teenager, and she works for a living. Although she takes pride in her work, her family comes first--and her family life doesn't always run smoothly. This first book in the series sets up the characters quite well, but I sussed the killer quite early. The book lacked any real suspense, the mystery seemed to drag a bit, and my interest flagged. I have ordered the next book in the series because I would like to see the "house" Purser builds from her foundation of characters.
Author: Ann Purser
ISBN: 0425192970/Berkley Prime Crime
Protagonist: wife/mum/house cleaner Lois Meade
Setting: Long Farnden, a small English village, present-day
Series: #1
Rating: B-
First Line: In the damp, raw cold of a winter's evening the women sat in rows in Long Farnden village hall, not listening to an elderly Land Girl's memories of "Life on the Farm During the War."
Lois Meade was a bit of a rebel when she was a teenager. If someone told her to do something, she almost always went out of her way to do the exact opposite. Now she's happily married, and once the third child arrived, she decided to clean houses to earn some extra cash. When Gloria Hathaway is murdered in the Long Farnden village hall, Lois realizes that all the people she works for knew the murdered woman. Having recently had her application for Special Constable rejected, Lois doesn't exactly jump at the chance to help the police with their investigation, but as she cleans house after house, she can't help noticing things. Could one of her employers be a cold-blooded killer?
Ann Purser does an excellent job of delineating her characters. Lois is Every Woman. She's married to a likable bloke, one of her children is a typical teenager, and she works for a living. Although she takes pride in her work, her family comes first--and her family life doesn't always run smoothly. This first book in the series sets up the characters quite well, but I sussed the killer quite early. The book lacked any real suspense, the mystery seemed to drag a bit, and my interest flagged. I have ordered the next book in the series because I would like to see the "house" Purser builds from her foundation of characters.
Helpful Score: 1
I fell in love with this book, the characters are believeable, it's a real page-turner.
Helpful Score: 1
Enjoyed this book. A little slow getting into it, but then went fast. Written in a very "British" style. If you like British style drama, mysteries, etc., you should like this book. Book about about a wife/mother that dabbles in detective work. Looking forward to reading the next one.
Helpful Score: 1
I had a little trouble getting into this book because it takes place in a small town in England and there is quite a bit of English slang: sods, blokes and so forth. This makes it difficult for me to get into the story and then when I did the storyline is a bit plodding.
1st Lois Meade mystery.
Fun to read. Easy for anyone to identify with the main character as she is hard-working, funny and bright without being overdone.
This book got me started on this series. So far it's been my favorite, but now I must read them all.
I loved this series. It's a great plot, strong family and detective line. interesting characters, set in England. Love the slang and the spunk and high spirit of the star, Lois Meade. Great reading cozy.
This book has an engaging heroine and a modern-day cozy feel...
A decent reading experience, not outstanding but better than some of the later books in the series.I guess I just don't like the style that much, a little too ccntrived and cartoonish even for a cozy.
Nina R. (britishladybooklover) reviewed Murder on Monday (Lois Meade, Bk 1) on + 57 more book reviews
Good, light reading. Just relax, put your feet up with a cup of tea and enjoy.
I agree with those who did not care for this book. Settting is just right,
but I did not like the characters much. Very slow in spots. I skipped
chapters to the end. Storyline goes at a snail's pace. Very dull.
but I did not like the characters much. Very slow in spots. I skipped
chapters to the end. Storyline goes at a snail's pace. Very dull.
If you like British cozies, I think you'll enjoy this book. They're not really my cup of tea, but the plot sounded really good so I went for it. It was decent enough, but not loving the English village cozies, I did skip a lot of pages to get to the end. I will say, the end was good!
Lois Meade is turned down for a job she applied for.....working for the police department, as she has "a lot on her plate". She does, however, end up working for Chief Detective Inspector Hunter Cowgill as an unpaid information gatherer.....She picks and chooses the cases she wishes to help with. She is feisty and puts up with no nonsense. Will read the next in the series to see how Lois and her quirky family get on..
Murder on Monday is a well-written contemporary English village mystery. The characters are real and interesting. The amateur sleuth, Lois, is easy to identify with, and well developed. It is the first of a series and I'll be looking forward to reading the rest.
Marlene W. (KansasSunflower) -
This book is okay, but nothing I'd rave about. I found the English colloqulisims sometimes a little hard to understand. I also thought the story drug in places and the behavior of the characters was hard to believe. I finished it, which is more than I can say for some of the books I've picked up lately. All in all, it's not something that I couldn't wait to have time to get back to it.
This book was an enjoyable read. It had suspencse and lots of mystery to be solved. I enjoyed getting to know the characters in a small village and how they interacted. I hope to follow up with more of her books.
Lots of fun and the ending was fantastic. Looking foward to the next in the series.
A devoted wife and Mother of three cleans houses in an English Village And becomes involved in murder. This si the first book and I plan to read the rest.
I really got involved in this. A little hard to understand the British slang but interesting story.
Nice, light English mystery. Easy and fun read.
First in the Lois Meade series, a working-class mum who cleans houses for a living but makes solving murders her buisness.
Nice, realistic view of family life in an English village. Looking forward to rest of series..
British village mystery - 1st in series. Well written. Cleaning woman starts a business, and finds dead body.
A cleaning lady is the detective in this funny book, she is looking for clues while cleaning hous3es and finds more than clues.
This book wasn't really what I was expecting and after I was done I though that I wasn't interested in the rest of the series but I have found myself wondering about what becomes of the characters and will probably end up ordering the rest of the series so I guess that's a sign of a good book.
Great first start for this series, will read more by Ann Purser.
1st in series...Entertaining story of working class Lois Meade and Detective Inspector Cowgills adventures solving murder...Each story is humorous with intelligent story lines and just the right amount of twists and turns in the plot...highly recommended for folks who like to follow the same characters from book to book.
Great new series- amazing characters and the story has lots of surprises. The author writes the story so well- you can't figure out who did it until the very end.
not your typical village cozy-much more blue-collar but likable characters and a good plot.
Meet Lois Meade--a working-class mum who cleans houses for a living but makes solving murders her business.
First book in the Lois Meade Mystery series. Quaint and cozy British village. Main character is a house cleaner and very down to earth. I love it! very British
This book is in Perfect Condition!
This one, sadly enough, just wasn't my cup of tea, so to speak. I gave it up after about 60 pages. I guess blue-collar English villages just aren't very comfortable for me, and if there's humor in the story, I'm missing it completely.
It's written well enough, but it just doesn't interest me.
Probably whoever I send it to will like it, though.
It's written well enough, but it just doesn't interest me.
Probably whoever I send it to will like it, though.
