A Disorganised Death - Decluttering Mysteries #5

 

A Disorganised Death is the fifth book in the decluttering mystery series by Simon Brett. Released 7th April 2026 by Severn House, it's 192 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out from the same publisher in Oct 2026. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

The author writes entertainingly and well. All the parts (and they are varied and numerous) fit together and do precisely what they're meant to do. The characters are (mostly) believable and well rendered. Although this series isn't fluffy enough to fit firmly into the cozy mold, it's not terribly gritty, either. In short, it's a modern British murder mystery with a well plotted story arc, some not-too-graphic crimes, some humour, and an interesting/edgy denouement and resolution.

A fair bit of the book does revolve around mental illness (expectedly since the protagonist is a de-clutterer and works with professional local social services to help clients, many of whom are battling illnesses). The author manages to treat the subjects sensitively, but some readers could conceivably find some of the subject matter and situations triggering. This book also delves quite deeply into depression and bipolar cycling with a strong element of suicidal ideation and attempts as well as series back history (the MCs husband passed away from suicide years earlier).

North American readers should be aware that it's written in British vernacular (wellies, lift, flat, etc), but this shouldn't pose any problems in context.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 6 hours and is narrated by the author himself. He has a well modulated RP accent and does a pretty good job of the various regional accents, but during the read he *often* has a sort of ingressive vocalisation (an odd emphasis sound with an inhalation whilst reading - almost a tongue/tooth click). Sound and production quality are high throughout the read. The male voice narrating the female PoVs isn't distracting, but the odd vocalisations are.

Three and a half stars. With five books currently extant in the series and with such a prolific author, this would make a good choice for a binge/buddy read. Recommended for fans of not-terribly-fluffy modern cozies. Fans of M.C. Beaton, G.M. Malliet, and Anthony Horowitz will likely enjoy these also.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.