Murder Is for Keeps - (Penny Brannigan Mystery) by Elizabeth J Duncan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Murder is for Keeps, the latest book in an award-winning mystery series, celebrated for its small-town charm and picturesque Welsh setting, starring amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan.

Local artist Penny Brannigan has been spending her summer painting Gwrych Castle and its surrounding landscapes. A privately owned, castellated Welsh country house, Gwrych has been sadly neglected for decades and is in a heartbreaking state of disrepair. So when she learns architectural historian Mark Baker is leading a team of enthusiastic volunteers to restore the castle grounds and gardens to their former grandeur, Penny is thrilled.

But it's not long before disagreements over the restoration turn deadly, and Penny is horrified to discover the body of a volunteer hidden in a castle outbuilding. Penny enlists her friend Gareth Davies, recently retired from the North Wales Police Service, to help investigate. As the two dig deeper into the castle's history, including its glamorous heyday in the 1920s, they find startling connections between an old, unsolved murder and Gareth's own family, and as they solve the present-day murder, Penny recovers a stunning piece of the castle's architectural heritage.

Review Quotes

Praise for Murder on the Hour

"Fans of small-town cozies will find a lot to like."-Publishers Weekly

"Whatever else you can say about appealing Penny, she doesn't let romance distract her from her search for a killer. Information about appraisals and local color enhance the story's charm."-Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Slated for Death

"Dorothy Sayers fans will welcome Duncan's fifth Penny Brannigan mystery set in North Wales... [Duncan] does a good job evoking the toil and hardship intrinsic to the slate mining industry that supported the area's economy for over two centuries. She manages a neat surprise ending, too."-Publishers Weekly

"An entertaining entry in this long-running series."-Kirkus Reviews

"This remains a delightful series, with continuing characters adding texture to the already good story." -Booklist

About the Author

ELIZABETH J. DUNCAN is a winner of the Bloody Words Best Light Mystery Award and has been a finalist for the Agatha and Arthur Ellis Awards. Her books include The Cold Light of Mourning, A Brush with Death, and A Killer's Christmas in Wales. She has worked as a writer and editor for some of Canada's largest newspapers, including the Ottawa Citizen and Hamilton Spectator. Duncan is a faculty member of the Humber School for Writers. She lives in Toronto, Canada and enjoys spending time each year in North Wales.