Customer Reviews

A Brush with Death: A Penny Brannigan Mystery (Penny Brannigan Mysteries)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a terrific story, and it's such a treat to find a new British cozy series set in Wales--they are few and far between. I had read Ms. Duncan's 1st book in this series, The Cold Light of Mourning, and liked it enough to buy it for my local public library. Her 2nd effort is even better. The story of Penny Brannigan and her friends and co-workers in the north Wales village and her efforts to solve a crime from 30-odd years ago is first-rate. The pace and flow of the story are just right, and the little touches that identify the time and place are great. I'm so pleased to have discovered this author and look forward to many more in the series. Unlike many, Penny is a lady "of a certain age", and her sense of right and justice is not only filled with determination, but with a good dose of common sense, a dash of humor, and an endearing sensitivity. The local detective, the village vicar and his wife, the local busy-body, and Penny's practical business partner all add layers of depth to this enjoyable series. Very highly recommended.

Elizabeth Duncan's new mystery Brush With Death is delightful, a twenty-first century Agatha Christie. Penny Brannigan inherited a cottage at the end of her first adventure Cold Light of Mourning. While investigating the history of a painting she had always admired she encounters a mystery involving the painter. In solving the mystery Penny learns about the early life of her friend the cottage's original owner.
Luci Zahray

A Brush With Death is as engaging as the first book in the Penny Brannigan series(The Cold Light of Mourning). Its the perfect cozy mystery to lose yourself in.

Apart from the whole mystery angle, there is depth to the novel too. The author has dealt with certain relevant social issues. Underneath the cloak of respectability, lie so many secrets - the author has captured that so well.The characters are very realistic Moreover the book captures the social changes that the world has undergone in the last so many years. So many things that are considered "normal" or acceptable weren't so before.

I loved the intricate description of the town and its people. I actually could imagine and hear every character as the author described them.
Penny is so loveable.I couldn't help but warm up to her, like in the first book.She's an independent , kind woman who is also a very good friend.Her feelings about the loss of her friend were so touching.

Elizabeth J.Duncan reminds me a lot of the first mystery author I read-Agatha Christie. This is one of the main reasons I like the series so much.

This charming book will keep you engrossed all throughout.
I think this book can be read as a stand-alone too, if you haven't read the first part.

Overall:
Fast-paced and enjoyable with some relevant underlying themes.

Recommended?
Yes! To all mystery lovers.

Canadian Expatriate Penny Brannigan inherited her Welsh cottage in Llanelen, Wales from schoolteacher Emma Teasdale. A reasonably successful manicure shop owner, Penny cleans up her cottage when she finds letters describing Emma's affair with Liverpool artist Alys Jones. The painter, preparing for a gallery showing in Liverpool, died in a hit-and-run driver shortly after leaving in 1970.

Penny's plate is overflowing, but she is obsessed with Alys's death. She persuades her boyfriend DI Gareth Davies and police Sergeant Bethan Morgan to assist her as she investigates the cold case hit and run. Villagers are also interested in the Jones' case as most of her paintings vanished with only two canvasses recovered.

The second Brannigan investigative case (see The Cold Light of Mourning) is a wonderful Welsh whodunit as the amateur sleuth assisted by professional cops and the long time residents of Llanelen look into a cold case accident that soon looks like vehicular homicide. Fast-paced, readers will want to joy the intrepid Penny who is in for more than just a pound as she follows the clues, one cup of tea at a time.

Harriet Klausner

I was drawn to this title because I enjoyed Duncan's first mystery, and this, her second, did not disappoint. In fact, I thought it even better written, with a more original plot, deeper character portrayals, and a vivid sense of place with a historical perspective that the first book lacked. The suspense did not flag until the end. I look forward to more works by this talented new writer.

2nd in series with Penny Brannigan. I enjoyed this book very much, a book you can read in one sitting, be prepared to not
want to set it down !

I hope this is the 2nd in a LONG series of books with Penny by Elizabeth J. Duncan, you really feel like you know the characters and are there with them. Leaves you wanting to know what's going on in their lives tomorrow,next week etc, very good

Mar

I'm always on the lookout for clean cozy mysterys and so I was enjoying this author until I came to her 2nd book in the series. I'm not a spoiler so I'm not going to share the storyline, but if homosexuality isn't your cup of tea, this book is not for you.