On Deadly Tides is the first book by Elizabeth J. Duncan that I've read. I don't normally jump into a series at book #11, but I've been wanting to try the Penny Brannigan series for some time. My TBR pile is a bit out of control and I lose track of things I want to read just because..... so. many. books. So I decided to break my rule of reading series in order and tried this newest book.

I'm so glad I did! This book was delightful!

Penny Brannigan decides to go on a weekend art getaway with a friend. A dead body on the beach adds some drama to their planned art retreat. Who killed the reporter and why?

This cozy mystery really has the old classic mystery feel to it! I really enjoyed it! This story has a bit slower pace, lots of description of Wales, the coast and the people they meet. I definitely got the old time whodunit feel from this story!

I'm definitely backtracking and reading this series from the beginning! Very entertaining read!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

Penny is enjoying a painting holiday at a retreat in Wales, when her visit is marred by the untimely death of a journalist she just met the evening before. Having discovered the body on the rocky shore, she feels compelled not only to delve into the mysterious accidental death which may not be an accident, but also to assist the grieving mother who comes from New Zealand to claim her daughter’s body. There is also a new romance for Penny, which may lead her life in a new direction. It’s quite an interesting mystery, tying a current case to a death many years before. The characters are delightful, and setting adds depth to the story, making the story as a whole a wonderful tale. ( )

On Deadly Tides is the eleventh book in the A Penny Brannigan Mystery series by Elizabeth J. Duncan.

Penny Brannigan and her friend, Alwynne Gwitt, are looking forward to attending an artist retreat at a nearby town on the coast of Wales. On the evening of their arrival, Penny stops in the hotel’s bar for a drink. The bar is quite crowded, so Penny shares a table with a handsome Canadian wildlife photographer, Colin Campbell. Jessica Graham, a reporter from New Zealand, Jessica, will ask if she can share their table. Jessica relates that she is here to do an article on Bill Ward, actor turned artist, whose television show was a hit in New Zealand. Jessica states she will also be investigating the disappearance of a wealthy New Zealander who was visiting the coastal town several years ago.

The next morning Penny and Alwynne head out for a spot from where they can paint the impressive lighthouse. Penny thinks she has found the perfect place but approaches the cliff’s edge to get a different perspective and looks down to view the waves crashing the shore and see what appears to a body. Penny finds a path and carefully slides down to the shoreline. As she thought, there is a body and drags the body on to land as the tide is going out and afraid it will take it out to sea. Penny recognizes the body as that of Jessica. Penny called the police, and after their investigation, they determined that it was an accidental death.

When Jessica’s mother, Louise, arrives, she contacts Penny to learn what she saw at the scene as she doesn’t believe it was an accident, and Penny has to agree with her. Penny decides to look into what Jessica had been doing since arriving in town. Penny and Colin have hit off rather well, and Colin agrees to help Penny with her sleuthing. When Louise is found unconscious from an overdose of sleeping pills, she will deny taking any sleeping pills, and Penny feels confident that she is getting close to the killer. Penny hopes that the killer will be arrested before anyone else is hurt.

I enjoy this series a lot. Ms. Duncan’s description of the area makes to visit the place. The story is well-written and plotted with enough twists and turns to keep guessing until the end. The book’s characters are both well-developed and interesting and who I would enjoy calling friends.

I’m hoping there will be more books in this beautiful series. ( )

This 11th installment in the Penny Brannigan series is the best one yet and that's saying something, considering that they've all been outstanding. Typically, the books are set in the North Wales town of Llanelen where Penny, a Canadian transplant lives, but this one is set elsewhere as Penny and a friend go a summertime painting holiday on an island off the coast of North Wales.

This book features a cleverly plotted mystery along with the usual cast of terrific characters but also a focus on Penny's personal life.

Normally, I read between 75 and 100 mysteries a year but, so far this year, On Deadly Tides is my favorite mystery of the year so far. Very highly recommended.

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

Wales, amateur-sleuth, cosy-mystery, women-s-fiction, murder, contemporary, artist*****

Think Jenny Colgan in Wales with an unusual murder weaving throughout. There are the wonderful Welsh of the village and the island retreat, two peripatetic artistic Canadians, and a probably murdered New Zealand journalist. The author writes in a way that made me feel like I knew everyone, especially the main characters. The mystery and sleuthing are very well done and not the clinical or procedural sort. I really enjoyed it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )