February 29, 2016
The TV show Antiques Cymru comes to the Welsh town of Llanelen in Duncan’s well-paced seventh Penny Brannigan mystery (after 2015’s Slated for Death). On filming and appraisal day, Catrin Bellis, a shy, quiet young woman whose parents are recently deceased, brings a family quilt to be appraised. A couple of hours later, a woman who wants to rent a room from Catrin finds her lying on her sitting room floor with her head bashed in. The quilt is missing. Penny Brannigan, the owner of the popular Llanelen Spa, inadvertently ends up working the case alongside Det. Chief Insp. Gareth Davies, who happens to be her former beau. As hidden treasures and family heirlooms are undusted and brought back into the light after years away in the shadows, the secrets of Llanelen’s residents gradually emerge. Penny knows she has to act fast before the culprit gets away or someone else is hurt. Fans of small-town cozies will find a lot to like. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency.