The Cold Light of Mourning: A Penny Brannigan Mystery

Elizabeth J. Duncan

Apr 2009 · A Penny Brannigan Mystery Book 1 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

Elizabeth J. Duncan spins a charming tale of murder and intrigue in her award-winning first novel, The Cold Light of Mourning.

The picturesque North Wales market town of Llanelen is shocked when Meg Wynne Thompson, a self-made beauty who has turned out to be something of an unpopular bride, goes missing on her wedding day...and turns up dead. The last person believed to have seen her is manicurist Penny Brannigan, an expatriate Canadian who has lived in North Wales for almost twenty-five years. When Penny notices that something is not quite right at the funeral of her dearest friend, she becomes emotionally invested in the case, and sets out to investigate.

It seems that several people, including the bride's drunken, abusive father, had reasons to wish Meg dead, but when the trail leads to her groom's home, an explosive secret will shake the small town.

With its bucolic Welsh setting and vivid, colorful characters, this mystery is sure to delight the most discerning of traditional-mystery fans.

Ratings and reviews

This book is slow to start but eventually you are drawn into it. Penny Brannigan is a conscientious manicurist with her own shop and a small apartment above that. What is unexpected is the way she sorts through her recollections of events to recognize clues about a missing bride to be that turns out to have met with foul play. A romance arises and she manages to deal with it and the twists and turns of a murder case. She finds a friend, gains a beau and solves the mystery. An enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book , it is well written and without an overly convoluted plot. The gentle hand of the writer kept me drawn to her genuine characters, real people think that way and real life happens that way. It made sense and yet was still entertaining and kept me hooked. I am definitely going to keep reading this author.

I really like this book! I kept thinking I'll read one more chapter, then I'll go to bed. That's the sign of a good book to me. I liked the main characters and the plot. Am looking forward to reading more of this series.

About the author

Elizabeth J. Duncan has worked as a writer and editor for some of Canada's largest newspapers, including the Ottawa Citizen and Hamilton Spectator. She lives with her dog, Dolly, in Toronto where she teaches in the public relations program at Humber College. She enjoys spending time each year in North Wales and is the first Canadian writer to win the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition. The Cold Light of Mourning, her first novel, is also the winner of the William F. Deeck–Malice Domestic Grant.