Friday, September 6, 2019

Remembering the Dead by Elizabeth J. Duncan: Review & Giveaway!


Remembering the Dead

A Penny Brannigan Mystery

by Elizabeth J. Duncan


About Remembering the Dead

Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Crooked Lane Books (September 10, 2019)
Hardcover: 296 Pages
ISBN-10: 1643851136
ISBN-13: 978-1643851136
Digital ASIN: B07NKQ22XN
In award-winning author Elizabeth J. Duncan's tenth Penny Brannigan mystery set in North Wales, Canadian amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan attends a dinner party at a posh country house--where a historic chair disappears and a waiter is murdered.
Artist and spa owner Penny Brannigan has been asked to organize a formal dinner to mark the centenary of the armistice that ended World War One. After dinner, the guests adjourn to the library for a private exhibition of the Black Chair, a precious piece of Welsh literary history awarded in 1917 to poet Hedd Wyn. But to the guests' shock, the newly restored bardic chair is missing. And then Penny discovers the rain-soaked body of a waiter.

When Penny learns that the victim was the nephew of one of her employees, she is determined to find the killer. Meanwhile, the local police search for the Black Chair. The Prince of Wales is due to open an exhibit featuring the chair in three weeks, so time is not on their side. A visit to a nursing home to consult an ex-thief convinces Penny that the theft of the Black Chair and the waiter's murder are connected. She rushes to Dublin to consult a disagreeable antiquarian, who might know more than he lets on, and during the course of her investigation confronts a gaggle of suspicious travelers and an eccentric herbalist who seems to have something to hide. Can Penny find the chair and the culprit before she is laid to rest in the green grass of Wales?
Highlights of North Wales, UK รข€“ Conwy castle and town

About Elizabeth J. Duncan

A two-time winner of the Bloody Words (Bony Blithe) Award for Canada’s best light mystery, Elizabeth J. Duncan is the author of two series of traditional mysteries: The Penny Brannigan Mystery series set in North Wales and Shakespeare in the Catskills featuring costume designer and amateur sleuth Charlotte Fairfax. A former journalist, public relations practitioner, and college professor, Elizabeth is a faculty member of the Humber School for Writers. She divides her time between Toronto, Canada, and Llandudno, North Wales.
A Penny Brannigan Mystery

Author Links




The Black Chair
Remembering the Dead by Elizabeth J. Duncan is the tenth A Penny Brannigan Mystery.  Emyr Gruffydd is going to host a dinner in honor of the hundredth anniversary of Armistice Day and he has asked Penny Brannigan to help organize the event.  There will be a display of World War I artifacts plus the newly restored Black Chair that was awarded posthumously to Welsh poet Hedd Wyn in 1917.  When they remove the black drape from the bardic chair, they find it is gone.  Penny is looking for Lane Hardwick who disappeared during the dinner service and discovers one of the waiter’s dead outside.  The waiter is Rhodri Phillips, the nephew of her spa receptionist, Rhian who asks Penny to investigate.  Remembering the Dead can be read as a standalone for those who are new to the series, but I would recommend reading The Cold Light of Mourning first which will introduce you to the series.   I thought the book was well-written with developed characters.  Mrs. Lloyd, Jimmy and Dilys are back.  Mrs. Lloyd is the town busy body.  She likes to attend the big events and know the latest gossip.  Jimmy provides insight on the theft of the chair (being a former thief himself).  Dilys is an unconventional woman who roams the area and drinks an herbal tea that is unappealing. We meet Riley who is staying in the traveller’s encampment near Penny’s house and a talented artist.  It was interesting to learn about the Black Chair and the poet, Hedd Wyn.  It would have been helpful if there had been a pronunciation guide for the Welsh names.  Elizabeth J. Duncan is a descriptive writer which allows the reader to imagine the characters and the scenes, but it does slow down the pacing.  The mystery is multifaceted with a twist or two.  I like how it all tied together in the end, but I did feel it could have used a little tweaking.  There were some tense moments that will have you quickly flipping the pages.   Solving the mystery, though, is not a challenge.  There are lovely cozy moments and the tea was hot and abundant.  Reading Remembering the Dead is a pleasing way to spend a quiet afternoon.  Remembering the Dead is a diverting cozy mystery with a delicious dinner, a misplaced bardic chair, encamped traveller’s, a wandering waiter, a lost coffee aficionado, and one kindhearted sleuth. 
Statue of Hedd Wyn in Trawsfynydd.
Remembering the Dead will be out on September 10 and can be purchased at Amazon (Amazon UK), B&N, and Kobo.  You can find a complete list of The Penny Brannigan Mystery novels here. As part of the tour, the author is giving away a special prize package containing a Welsh-themed tea towel, key chain and a packet of note cards.  To enter, click here or enter via the Rafflecopter form below.  Good Luck!  To learn more about Chairing of the Bard, visit Wikipedia (the contest Hedd Wyn won).  Please take the time to visit the other stops on the tour (schedule below) for guest posts, a recipe and author interviews.  Thank you for joining me today and reading my review.  I will be featuring A Curio Killing by Mary Ellen Hughes tomorrow as part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book tour.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Funeral Poem "War" by Hedd Wyn Welsh poem with English translation
Hedd Wyn Poem

Tour Participants


September 3 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

September 3 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 4 – Brooke Blogs - GUEST POST

September 4 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

September 5 – Here's How It Happened – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 5 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 6 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

September 6 – Babs Book Bistro – RECIPE POST

September 7 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 7 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 7 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

September 8 – Diary of a Book Fiend – REVIEW

September 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST

September 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT  

September 10 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 10 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT
Curious - Dream Photography by Lilyenn  <3 <3

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for your review on "Remembering the Dead" by Elizabeth J. Duncan and for being part of the book tour.

    Great sounding book and a cover that would definitely draw my attention. I can't wait for the opportunity to read this book on my TBR list.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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