Severn House
Published April 7, 2026
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
Ellen Curtis and her daughter Jools don’t do house clearings: they declutter. They’re also not trained investigators. But somehow, in A Disorganized Death, Ellen finds herself doing a house clearance and investigating two deaths that may or may not be murders, all because of missing wills.
The fifth installment in Simon Brett’s Decluttering Mystery series, A Disorganized Death alternates between the “case” in Chichester where Ellen is looking for a will that’s gone missing after an elderly pub owner falls down the stairs to his death and London, where Jools has been helping her upstairs neighbor declutter. When Jools and Ellen discover the neighbor dead beneath piles and piles of Amazon boxes, a second case emerges.
Brett keeps readers guessing until the end as to whether either death is, in fact, a murder, as well as who the murderer is. Adding to both the tension and the intrigue, Ellen’s son suffers from depression, and there’s a very real possibility that he’ll follow his father’s example and commit suicide. Ellen’s relationship with Jools is also a bit rocky, as is her relationship with her guilt-wielding mother. All in all, what is primarily rather a cozy-esque puzzle mystery has some disturbing depths. But the main plot line is mostly a light adventure as Ellen questions witnesses and uncovers some surprising truths. Ellen is smart and insightful, which makes her fun to follow. The only thing that really strikes much of an off note is a bit of glossing over of a deeply serious scene involving Ellen’s son.
For those new to the series, there’s plenty of set-up, so there’s no need to have read the previous installments. That may mean that for fans of the series who already know the background and characters, there may be a bit much at the beginning to get through, but in either case, Ellen is a character you’ll want to spend more time with.