‘Secrets On Saturday’ by Ann Purser
Published by Soundings Audio Books.
ISBN 1-84559-482-7 (7 Cassettes)
Read by Anne Cater

Lois Meade runs a cleaning  company in the fictitious village of Long Farnden.  She is a no-nonsense sort of woman, married to Derek with two children she also has her mother (Gran) living in the family home. 

She has in the past been of great help to Chief Inspector Hunter Cowgill in solving cases with her knowledge of village life and the fact that her cleaners do pick up bits of gossip, as they go cleaning from house to house, which they are obliged, as instructed by Lois not to pass on to anyone -  except to her of course. When asked by Reg Abthorpe to clean the house of his Uncle Everitt, following the old man’s move into residential care. Lois accepts the job despite not liking the look of Reg Abthorp, but she puts that aside, business is business. However her

misgivings re-surface when she hears via the village grapevine that the Uncle was in good health and not in any way frail or infirm.  So why was he moved to a nursing home, and is he the only elderly person to be have moved out of their home when it was not strictly necessary?  Lois decides to investigate and who better to share her misgivings with than Chief Inspector Hunter Cowgill. 

Considering their previous history , and having read the earlier books in this excellent series I was surprised that  CI Hunter Cowgill did not in this instance take Lois’s observations very seriously, he should in my opinion have known better than to dismiss Lois’s concerns with a ‘I’m sure there is nothing to worry about’ attitude.  However, nothing deters Lois when she is on a mission to ‘sort something out’.

A good entrant in the series. Not however, recommended for those upset by the death of animals as in this story  the intimidation of the villagers is achieved by the slaughter of their faithful pets. Not very pleasant., but a good mystery.

Anne Cater is very good as Lois Meade—she has the accent just right. 

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Lizzie Hayes.