Murder on the Hour By Elizabeth J. Duncan: Review/Giveaway

May 14, 2016 | 2016 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sandra Murphy

by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Murder on the Hour, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Antiques Cymru is coming to town. That’s the Welsh version of Antiques Roadshow. Evelyn Lloyd and her friend Florence Semble are taking their treasures to be valued. Penny Brannigan is making sure everything runs smoothly. Since the show has done this kind of thing so many times before, they don’t expect any problems.

Like on the television show, there are disappointments when people thought an item was valuable and it wasn’t. For instance, Catrin Bellis brought in a quilt that had been in her family for years. It had some value but not as much as she’d hoped. On the other hand, Florence brought in some old drawings she’d fished out of the trash bin only to find out they were worth a lot. book

Catrin doesn’t linger at the show. She’s got a prospective tenant coming by to rent a room. It will help keep her afloat. When the woman arrives, the front door is unlatched so she goes in, only to find Catrin’s body. Has she fallen and hit her head or was it murder?

The police determine it was indeed murder since it looks like she was struck with the poker. Now the tough question is, who could have done it? Most of the townspeople were getting their belongings valued. Catrin has long taken care of her parents, had no boyfriend, and almost no friends. She’s just lately started to come into her own with a job at the pharmacy cosmetic counter.

At the antique show, Penny meets Michael, one of the appraisers. He seems like such a nice man. They plan a nice walk so she can do a bit of drawing, but they see the local eccentric woman, Dilys, with Catrin’s quilt. Penny has to catch up with her to find out where she got it. Things do not go smoothly in that regard.

Trying to find out what happened to Catrin puts Penny in contact with Gareth, the local police, and her ex-boyfriend. It’s a bit awkward but not as bad as she thought.

This is the seventh in the Penny Brannigan series. The small town is one readers would love to visit. Penny and her friends would be on hand with a welcome. The mystery is a good one, with lots of clues that had to come together, past and present, for the case to be solved. I look forward to reading more.

To enter to win a copy of Murder on the Hour, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “hour,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 21, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

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Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble and a Kindle. You can find several of Sandra’s short stories at Untreed Reads including her newest, “Arthur,” included in the anthology titled, Flash and Bang, available now. Look for Denali, in the anthology Dogs and Dragons.

17 Comments

  1. I love anything about Wales and would really like to read this book. Thanks so much for the giveaway!

    Reply
  2. What in intriguing read! New author/series. Appreciate the heads up. And am so hoping. Thanks for the chance to get it sooner rather than later

    Reply
  3. I really enjoy the setting being staged in Great Britain. I always seem to find something new about a culture linked to our own. With seven books in the series, this story will not be the only adventure. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Sounds great and I love the cover. Please enter me.
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

    Reply
  5. Sounds good! I think the roadshow is perfect for showcasing jealousies and motives. Thanks for the chance to win!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth Duncan is a “new-to-me” author. Thank you for the chance to win a copy of Murder on the Hour.

    Reply
  7. Wow, this sounds like an awesome book. I didn’t realize I missed this series. I’m adding it to my TBR right now.

    Reply
  8. I have never read any books that take place in Wales. I think I will love this series and this book sounds real interesting. Must add it and the rest of the series to my TBR list.

    Reply
  9. I would be so happy to read book, thanks for the chance to win it.

    Reply
  10. Sounds like another addition to my TBR list. I enjoyed the debut of another series by this author and can’t wait to try this one.

    Reply
  11. I love the Penny Brannigan series, this looks like a fun new addition!

    Reply
  12. Murder by the Hour has definitely piqued my interest; the Wales locale sounds lovely. Thanks for the opportunity to win it.

    Reply
  13. We have a winner!

    Reply

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