Murder is for Keeps
A Penny Brannigan Mystery
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4.4 • 7 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Duncan's lackluster eighth mystery featuring spa owner and artist Penny Brannigan (after 2016's Murder on the Hour), Penny finds a body in the grounds of Gwrych Castle, near her home in North Wales. The dead man volunteered with a crew renovating the castle, and after his developmentally challenged son disappears, Penny pieces together a connection between their family, the renovation's site manager, and a 20-year-old theft. Meanwhile, a skeleton turns up in the castle garden, and Penny's friend Gareth Davies, recently retired from the police force, investigates. Duncan's reliance on dialogue to explicate plot points sometimes leads to stilted conversations and a facile treatment of the characters' emotions, such as when Gareth tells Penny about a new romance. Newcomers might be bewildered by the array of secondary characters, but longtime fans should enjoy cameos from many of Llanelan's quirky residents, whose participation in a pub quiz to raise money for the castle restoration provides a humorous interlude. Anglophiles will savor details about the castle's history and gardens.)
Customer Reviews
Eighth book in series!
Murder is for Keeps by Elizabeth J. Duncan is the eighth book in A Penny Brannigan Mystery series. Penny Brannigan is sketching at Gwrych Castle in Llanelen, North Wales. She is working on a series of painting for an upcoming auction to raise funds to help restore Gwrych Castle and the grounds. Penny is preparing to leave for the day when she notices a flash of red. Penny follows the trail into the old kennels where she finds a body. The victim turns out to be John Hardwick, a landscape architect, who was volunteering at the castle. The next day Penny is at The Llanelen Spa that she co-owns with Victoria Hopkirk, when she is approached by Christina Hardwick, John’s wife. Christina has heard of Penny’s reputation as an amateur sleuth and would like to hire Penny to investigate John’s death. Penny with the help of recently retired, Gareth Davies (former Detective Chief Inspector) starts asking questions. Gareth can provide some background details on the castle. His grandmother, Annie worked at the castle as a seamstress, and he has a box of photos and a beautiful needlepoint. When they return to the castle they meet Lane Hardwick, the victim’s son. Not long after speaking with Lane, he disappears. Then another body is found in the gardens at Gwrych Castle. This victim has been dead for over ninety years. Penny discovers that the castle has a colorful history and looking into the past will help solve the mystery of John’s death. Join Penny on her latest sleuthing adventure in Murder is For Keeps.
I thought Murder is for Keeps to be nicely written. It has a good pace and can be finished in a couple of hours. The location is unique, and I appreciated the pleasing descriptions of the area. I do wish the author would provide a pronunciation guide (for people’s names and locations). Murder is for Keeps may be the eighth book in the series, but it can be read alone. The author provides the necessary background details on Penny. I like the character of Penny Brannigan and her friends. I give Murder is for Keeps 3.5 out of 5 stars. The various mystery components are interesting, and I like how the author tied them together. I just wish, though, that the identity of the killer had not been so transparent (nor the location of the missing marble staircase). Murder is for Keeps is a cozy mystery that I believe many readers will enjoy. It has just the right blend of mystery and cozy (with a subtle romance element).