Elizabeth J. Duncan

Penny Brannigan finds herself volunteering at the local agricultural fair, checking in entrants to the culinary competition and judging the childrens' pet competition. But shenanigans are afoot when Penny's friend Florence learns her entries have gone missing, and even more troubling, a Women's Guild member is also missing and later found dead. All Penny has to do now is sort out who sabotaged Florence's entries and how her cake ended up under a table with a dead woman.

This one was a fun, show more light read and frankly, I was more concerned about poor Florence than I was about the unlikable dead woman. I love Florence, I just want to give her a hug, and Mrs. Lloyd is a hoot. How dare they diss Florence's baking? HOW DARE THEY? *outrage* but it did provide some great red herrings to complicate things a bit. I liked the plot, there were several good suspects and lots of surprises along the way. This is a favorite series for me, I've always enjoyed the folksy feel of the characters and the small town Wales setting, the vibrant descriptions leave me with no problem putting myself right in the small town of Llanelen, walking its streets and visiting the small shops and even spending an afternoon at the local agricultural fair (minus the murder, of course.) The author does a great job of capturing the beauty of the Welsh landscape, with all the wildflowers and Penny's cute cottage (I've read this series since the start and I've always envied that cottage.) show less

The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J. Duncan is the ninth book in A Penny Brannigan Mystery series. Mrs. Lloyd has wrangled Penny Brannigan into assisting with the annual Llanelen agriculture show. Penny and Victoria Hopkirk co-own Llanelen Spa in Llanelen, North Wales. They are accepting the domestic arts entries and get their instructions from Joyce Devlin, president of the show committee. A half an hour before the deadline, they notice that Florence Semble has yet to drop off her entries show more and give her a call. It seems that someone had telephoned and told her she could drop off her entries the next morning (odd). Penny is judging the children’s pet competition the next day when a little girl gets upset because her grandmother, Gaynor Lewis failed to show up. Gaynor is not the only thing missing at the agriculture show. Florence’s carrot cake and her marmalade entries have disappeared as well. Joyce’s dog soon finds Florence’s cake under a table in the judging tent along with Gaynor Lewis. Was someone trying to eliminate the competition? Penny looks into the victim’s life to see who could have wished her harm and soon discovers that these competitions are taken seriously by the competitors. One women has something to important to tell Penny, but she ends up dead before she can speak with her. Penny needs to work quickly to expose the killer or she could be next.

The Marmalade Murders can be read alone. The information a reader needs is included in the book. I thought The Marmalade Murders was well-written and had a nice pace which made the story easy to read and enjoy. The characters are established and relatable (especially to those who live in small towns). Mrs. Lloyd and Florence are delightful. They provide levity to the story. I especially appreciate that the main character is in her 50s. It is a refreshing change from other cozy mysteries where the characters are in their late 20s and early 30s. Penny is smart, friendly, caring and level-headed. The village of Llanelen is charming and the author’s descriptions of the Welsh countryside brought it alive for me. Llanelen is a small village where the people grew up together, everyone knows each other’s business, and the rumor mill is alive and well. I think it is funny that after living in Llanelen for thirty years, Penny is still considered an outsider. The mystery has several suspects who each have a good motive for doing in the victim. I liked the misdirection that could easily lead readers down the wrong path. The investigation consists of Penny asking questions of the various townspeople. I felt that the story could have used some action. Inspector Bethan Morgan is a friendly detective who values Penny’s input into the case. She realizes that Penny has access to information that she does not. I did enjoy the historical information on Speke Hall (there really is a Speke Hall outside Liverpool). The Speke Hall in the book has a priest hole and an eavesdropper (just like the real Speke Hall). The Marmalade Murders has a sweet, heartwarming moment at the end. I am giving The Marmalade Murders 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). It was lovely to visit Llanelen again and spend time with Penny, Mrs. Lloyd and the other villagers. I look forward to returning to Wales in the next A Penny Brannigan Mystery. show less

This 10th installment in Duncan's Penny Brannigan series is a real treat for cozy fans!! I'd estimate that I read about 60 to 70 different mystery series and this Elizabeth J. Duncan series is a top 3 series for me. Of the first 10 books in the series, this one was my favorite!!

In this series, set in a village in North Wales, this particular book involves a dinner party for a World War 1-connected event. The plot is outstanding and I intend this as a high compliment, but it has an show more old-fashioned feeling. Though set in the present day, the story is well-told and proceeds at just the right pace. I also love the series characters who, over the course of these 10 books, have become "friends," at least in book terms.

This may well be my favorite mystery of the year, so far. Highly, highly recommended for cozy fans. I'd give it more than 5 stars, if I could.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.) show less

I sincerely hope your editor is reading some of these 1-star reviews, and the fact that many readers don't like your racist writing. You’re not writing historical fiction here, with outdated ideas. If you’ve got an axe to grind about “foreigners” why not write some oped’s for your local paper, or talk to your elected representatives? Don’t write these attitudes into these characters! Books 1-3 got us hooked, as we cozy mystery readers like to read a series. We already know our show more characters and have certain hopes in how they will grow and change. But now I’m dropping the series because you're moving backwards in book 4, and I looked at reviews for book 5 and will not be reading that. show less