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Rating: 
Summary: Mystery and Confusion
Review: There are many advantages in having access to both the english and north american editions of Hazel Holt's books - including being able to obtain titles and formats that would otherwise be unavailable. The only difficulty is deciphering the differing titles. 'Mrs Malory: Death among Friends' is actually the ninth book, it's english title being 'Dead and Buried'. It would be interesting to know why the titles are changed. It would almost seem that american publishers think their readers are incapable of remembering author's names but expect a greater recall of a book's main character. Many of the original titles are derived from english literature but this wouldn't seem to a major drawback, British readers would not necessarily recognise the references. However the result, particularly the inclusion of 'Mrs Malory' in each title, tends to suggest that the books resemble the many series of mysteries (many of them fun to read) by American authors who have a distinctly romantic idea of past and present life in Britain. I think this does the books an injustice. They are set in a relatively affluent area of England and most of the characters are fairly intelligent, very well educated people whose lives have mostly been reasonably comfortable (besides suffering bereavement and an incredible number of murders). However, Hazel Holt has an extremely good grasp of social interaction and a sympathetic approach to humanity, with a subtle sense of humour and a touch of cynicism that ensures the books are enjoyable but never unrealistic or sentimental. Of the other titles available, 'Mrs Malory Wonders Why ' was originally titled 'Superfluous Death', 'Mrs Malory, Detective in Residence' was originally 'Murder on Campus' and 'Mrs Malory and the Only Good Lawyer' was 'The Only Good Lawyer...' (the last subtly different!). -SW
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