"A Brush with Death" by Elizabeth J. Duncan: Book Review

"A Brush with Death"
by Elizabeth J. Duncan
Minotaur/Thomas Dunne, 258 pp., $24.99
Reviewed by David Marshall James

Renovation is the order of the day for Penny Brannigan of the North Wales village (fictitious) Llanelen, about an hour's drive (on steep, narrow roads) from the seaside resort of Llandudno.

(Happened to catch, serendipitously, a rerun of the "Two Fat Ladies" cooking show while reading this mystery novel, and the TFLs were prepping Welsh lamb pie, among other savories, for a men's chorus in Llandudno: What a beautiful place, and the chorus picnicked on a hillside above the city-- breathtaking views-- and then sang-- enchanting.)

So, it's not difficult to imagine why Penny, a native Nova Scotian, dropped her bags in Llanelen more than two decades ago. Since then, she has built up a manicurist's business, although painting is her true avocation.

And painting figures prominently in the plot of Elizabeth J. Duncan's second outing with Penny, who is looking into the life and tragic death of a young artist, Alys Jones of Llanelen, the victim in an unsolved hit-and-run incident in the village toward the end of 1970.

Alys's two brothers have remained in Llanelen, the older one (Alys's twin) is Penny's solicitor; the younger brother is a beloved veterinarian.

However, the brothers Jones remain on the fringe of Penny's backtracking, which leads her on two trips to Liverpool, where Alys taught painting.

Penny's friend and business partner, Victoria Shopkirk, grows increasingly exasperated at Penny's obsession with Alys, especially as the two ladies are in the process of purchasing a rundown building and converting it into a salon. Fortunately, Victoria recruits an eager young employee to "up" the youth trade.

It's not just Victoria who is pulled into the mystery of Alys Jones. There's also the rector and his wife, along with the village historian, and two detectives (Gareth Davies and Bethan Morgan, introduced in "The Cold Light of Mourning") from Llandudno, among others who are ultimately swept up in the snowballing intrigue.

As for Penny's fascination with Alys-- it's all tied in to her recent inheritance of a cottage that belonged to a local teacher who became Penny's longtime friend and mentor.

"A Brush with Death" is a beautifully set, sentimentally delivered story with an appealing (and expanding, including a doggie) cast.

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