Scandal at Six (Lois Meade Mystery)
British cleaning lady Lois Meade is at a loss to explain the reptiles left in her daughter’s shop, but it seems as if someone is menacing her and her family. An eccentric zoo owner refers to his animals as “people,” even after some of them injure one staff member and kill another. Lois and her team of cleaners are on the case, helping to figure out how all the incidents are connected. Intruders and more animals sent to the women are meant to scare them off the case, but this intrepid group of English ladies is a brave lot. Purser’s series is distinguished by her sympathetic treatment of all but the worst villains, and that’s the case here, too, as an illegal-animal leader and a local prostitute receive multifaceted characterizations. Fans of M. C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin will enjoy Lois and her team of amateur sleuths. --Amy Alessio