A Small Hill to Die On
A Penny Brannigan Mystery
-
-
4.1 • 11 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
Winner of the Bloody Words Light Mystery Award
The North Wales market town of Llanelen is abuzz when a Vietnamese family moves into Ty Brith Hall. It isn't long before the family's business dealings have the townsfolk wondering what's really going on up at the big house on the hill.
Things take a sinister turn when Penny Brannigan, spending a midwinter afternoon sketching the magnificent views that surround the town, discovers the body of the new family's teenage daughter. Many secrets lie buried in the shallow grave, along with the girl, who Penny identifies by the snakeskin manicure she received at Penny's salon. When an elderly woman returns to Llanelen to care for her ailing brother, Penny discovers the truth about another death at Ty Brith Hall, one that hits very close to home. Though Penny's romantic interest, Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Davies, warns her to stay away, Penny can't resist getting involved, and her urge to help will ultimately put her in danger.
Elizabeth J. Duncan's fourth offering in this engaging series, A Small Hill to Die On is filled with memorable characters, great escapes, explosive plot twists, and plenty of Welsh charm.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Duncan's solid if unsurprising fourth cozy featuring nail salon owner Penny Brannigan (after 2011's A Killer's Christmas in Wales), Mai Grimstead, the owner of Nailz, a chain of nail bars and tanning salons, has just moved to Llanelen, Wales. Mai courteously stops by Penny's shop to inform her that she will soon have competition. But Nailz's new branch draws few customers, so why is its cash-deposit bag, which Penny spots one day at the bank, so much larger than her own? Meanwhile, Mai's children are unhappy in their new home, and one of these, her 19-year-old daughter, is displaying signs of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. When Penny stumbles on a corpse during a walk and realizes that the female victim was a customer, she once again turns sleuth, though her detective work does little to distinguish her from countless other curious, well-intentioned amateurs.
Customer Reviews
Weak offering
Full of racist language and tropes that went unaddressed. Very disappointing. Story was thin and lacked the playfulness of previous books. This one falls flat.