A Small Hill to Die On: A Penny Brannigan Mystery (Penny Brannigan Mysteries)
Transplanted American Penny Brannigan’s spa and nail salon in small-town Llanelen, Wales, is about to receive some competition from Mai Grimstead, one of the new owners of Ty Brith Hall, who is opening a tanning salon that will also offer manicures. While Penny is on a painting jaunt, her dog finds the body of Mai’s 19-year-old daughter, Ashlee. Although Penny promises her boyfriend, Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Davies, that she will stay out of the investigation, she is drawn into it as she begins to believe something strange is going on at Ty Brith Hall. To ferret out the Grimsteads’ secrets, Penny’s business partner, Victoria, agrees to go undercover as a cleaning woman at the hall. Meanwhile, small dogs are disappearing from Llanelen, and an eccentric woman and her brother may lead to the resolution of a long-ago murder. When Penny’s snooping almost leads to her death, Davies must rush to save her in this satisfying addition to an entertaining cozy series. --Sue OBrien