Reviews

A Brush with Death by Fiona Leitch brings death, an end of summer art festival and some humor to the second book in the Nosey Parker cozy mystery series set in the Cornish town of Penstowan. Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker has moved back to her home town after leaving the London police force. Her 12 year-old daughter Daisy wanted her to do something less dangerous so Jodie retrained as a caterer and started Banquets and Bakes, her own catering company. She has volunteered to cater the opening night party, provide a cake for the end of festival auction, and help out in the refreshment tent from time to time during the week-long celebration. The guests of honor are famous painter, Duncan Stovall, and his wife, manager, and biographer, Genevieve Lorre. When the body of a writer is found at the bottom of a cliff, Duncan becomes the prime suspect. With Jodie’s background in the Met police, she can’t stay away from the case.

Jodie’s sense of humor and warmth was a delight. She was a likeable and friendly character that I connected with quickly. Her interactions with DCI Withers varied from witty to serious and a little bit of everything in between. Is there a romance in Jodie’s future? What about her friendship with Tony Penhaligon? The secondary characters were developed more fully. Instead of only quaint characters, there were also realistic characters that added to the realism of the story. How much have your high school friends and neighbors changed?

The writing style was imaginative and flowed well. The author did a good job of transporting me to the Cornish countryside and its small towns. She did a great job of ‘showing’ versus ‘telling’ which made the novel more enjoyable. The story had several twists and there were a couple of surprises at the end. Additionally, having a sleuth that was not an amateur brought a depth to the novel that is often lacking in cozy mysteries.

Overall, this was a story that quickly drew me into Jodie’s world. It was a fun, appealing and entertaining read with a solid mystery to unravel and a fresh take on the protagonist. All of the major plot points were resolved satisfactorily, the atmosphere was just right, and there are some threads to be explored in future books. Themes include the friendship, family, complicated relationships, small town attitudes, the art world, murder, romance, and much more.

I recommend it to those that enjoy the genre. It was a fun and relaxing read and I can’t wait for the next book featuring Jodie and her family and friends. It even includes a recipe at the end of the book.

I purchased a digital copy of this novel. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way.