Malvern View Retirement Village features in another novella-length tale of terrible rivalries, lies, death, and English pursuits. A TAIL OF FAIR PLAY AND MURDER is set in a genteel English village. This mystery will be best suited to those who enjoy watching a cricket match or playing in one.

Charity Cleveland lives in a cottage in a retirement community, and she goes over to the main house, Buzzards’ Nest, to meet her friends. The latest fun being planned is a match between their once-keen cricket players and the local team. The umpire will be provided by the team, and they also donate some safety gear and practise equipment. Well, the seniors, such as Frank and Edwin, don’t think much of the mildewy pads, but maybe that was a miscommunication. While walking her little dog Muffin, Charity manages to overhear that while the Malvern View team think it’s a fun match, they actually need to sell tickets to bolster their funds.

Dorothy, Charity’s best friend, is blithely ignorant of the rules of the game, as am I, but she contributes by helping to bake a splendid tea. The occasion takes place on the green, attracting a good crowd. Tragically, someone is found dead after half-time.  

The Charity and Muffin Cozy English Mysteries by Lucy Emblem show good-hearted people, keen to live life to the full in their golden years. During the previous outing, one of the ladies was abducted, so it shows that even a retirement home isn’t a safe place today. Malice, old misdeeds, and perhaps being in the wrong place at the wrong time can all prove dangerous. I enjoy how the dogs and cats are always part of the picture, and Muffin proves her worth on this occasion, too. There were not too many options for suspects, so it’s a light mystery to be read as part of the ongoing series. A TAIL OF FAIR PLAY AND MURDER gains a score of a century not out, from me.