Terror on Tuesday

by Ann Purser

Book Overview

Working-class mum and housecleaner Lois Meade plies her sleuthing skills once again after discovering a dead body--dressed in a suit of armor--in a chapel.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425197530
• ISBN13: 9780425197530
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.3" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Much stronger second entry in this series

When I read the first book in the series, Murder on Monday, I found it to be lacking a bit in mystery, but I enjoyed the characters so much that I wanted to see where Purser went with them. I also wanted to see if Lois mopped herself into a corner. Having one cleaner constantly stumbling over corpses would be problematic-- just how many people would continue to hire her to clean their houses? I also wondered about Inspector Cowgill insisting on always meeting her in the same place. Lois lives in a small village. No matter how out-of-the-way the meeting place is, sooner or later everyone in the village is going to know what's going on. Purser dealt with both of my questions very well in this second book in the series. Lois came into a bit of money at the end of Murder on Monday, and she and her family have moved to a different village and instead of a small council house, they now have a much larger one with plenty of room to spread out and still have a place for Lois to set up her own cleaning business. It's not long before she's interviewed applicants and has a crew working for her. One day she decides to take a short break in an old chapel and comes across a body dressed in a suit of armor. Once again, Inspector Cowgill has her searching for clues, and when the murderer almost kills her husband, Lois takes the investigation very seriously indeed. I like the direction in which this series is going. Purser has an excellent cast of characters to work with, and having Lois run her own cleaning company means that she has more time for investigation and an entire crew of cleaners who can help her search for clues. The mystery didn't flag in this second book; although I guessed quite a bit of what was going on, I still didn't have all the plot threads tied and tidied by book's end. This is a series that I'll be continuing on with, and I'd suggest it to anyone who prefers good characterization, amateur sleuths and cozy mysteries.

A fun read

I enjoy murder mysteries, especially of the classic "who-dunnit" type, and the Lois Meade series definitely fit the bill. As a central character she has been very cleverly chosen and well crafted. A misfit who started cleaning houses for extra money in the first book, she is now a successful entrepreneur with a cleaning business, New Brooms, which not only places her in the position of learning things about her clients and their relationships, it allows a whole cast of new characters to aid her in the endeavor, no matter how unwittingly. The author definitely has a feeling for environment and character. Lois's staff are delightful individuals, each a distinct, three dimensional person. I was especially impressed with her friend, Bridie Reading and her daughter Hazel Reading. They're not simply cardboard cutouts used to fill out the cast, they`re "real" people. The issue of family violence here, why it occurs, why it is perpetuated, and why women often find it difficult to leave, is one that is portrayed very realistically. Although I enjoyed this book as much as the first, I think it was more due to the relationships among the people than to the smoothness of the plot. The ending seemed a little muddier than the last work, and I felt that some of the plot strands were not as well pulled together at the end. I was left wondering about various individuals and what became of them. It was as though the author had woven together more than one plot to disguise the murderer's identity, but then failed to actually clearly resolve the extraneous plot. Others might disagree however.

Very British Cozy Mystery

This cozy mystery takes place in England. I love the English atmosphere, the pub and all the other British things, the British words and phrases, the teas. This is a Lois Meade mystery; Lois Meade is the supervisor of a cleaning company that she started. Of course, body or bodies are found, but they are found in the most interesting places and ways. I will not say more, as to not ruin it for those who have not read the book. I will just say that the author was very in clever in that respect. This is a very clever and interesting mystery. I especially loved the character of Hazel; she seemed to be a very strong and smart, even though young, person. Character development was superb. I loved this mystery. It is the 2nd Lois Meade mystery. ("Murder on Monday" is the first, and I have a superb, flawless review for that book, also.) There is a mystery for every day of the week, and I look forward to reading the remaining days of the week.

lois meade mysteries

enjoyed this book, would recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries

"Terror on Tuesday"

This 2nd book in the British village cleaner series lives up to the promise of the first. I enjoy series mysteries as much for the growth and changes in the characters as for the whodunnit aspects, and this series does not disappoint. Looking forward to finishing out the week with Lois and her merry bunch.