Sheila Malory is asked to join the faculty of a prestigious girls’ school in Birmingham for a term following the sudden death of one of the English teachers there; she only needs to teach one group, the English Seventh, who will be taking exams at the end of the term which will determine their future University careers. Sheila is a bit nervous, but soon finds that she enjoys the very smart students and the very beautiful school itself, until the peace of the campus is shattered by the death of the headmistress, a modernizer who had made many enemies at the school. Still, the police cannot quite ascertain if the death was an accident or murder, and Sheila is compelled by her insatiable curiosity to start asking awkward questions…. This thirteenth novel in the Sheila Malory series is a bit of an anomaly, being set completely in a city far from Sheila’s village of Taviscombe, and featuring none of her usual friends and family members (though they are referenced here and there). In the previous novel, much is made of the marriage of Sheila’s son and subsequent pregnancy of her daughter-in-law, but nothing is said here about that at all, even in passing, which makes me wonder if this had been written before “Leonora” but published after; it just struck me as a bit odd. Nevertheless, this addition to the cozy series is quietly enjoyable, and rather makes one wish that an oasis such as Blakeney’s in a big grimy city like Birmingham really existed! Mildly recommended. ( )

Mrs. Malory has been shanghaied into teaching at a prestigious girls school as a substitute, after one of the teachers suddenly dies. Her expertise is writing and amateur sleuthing, but she did teach a semester in America at a university. It will be with the Seventh Level students and only one semester.

Even though she is not comfortable facing a classroom of teens, she takes the job and finds that the small class is not as intimidating as expected. They are serious students with manners!

While there, she starts feeling that the death of the teacher she is replacing is not such a simple event. There are so comments and feelings that start her to digging and finding a number of things that point to murder. And when another of the faculty turns up dead, the feeling is certain that murder has once again happened.

This is another in Hazel Holt's cozy series, taking place in England and featuring Mrs. Malory. An enjoyable read that can go quite fast or slower if you don't rush. ( )

Two teachers at a girls' school die. Murder or accident? The motive is surprising. ( )