World War I must have been on my mind lately. It’s odd that I ended up reviewing two books in a row with the shadows of the Great War. Remembering the Dead is Elizabeth J. Duncan’s latest Penny Brannigan mystery, set in Wales.
For the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I, Emyr Gruffydd, owner of Ty Brith Hall in Llanelen, Wales, plans a dinner party. He also wants to have an exhibit from the war years. The highlight of the evening will be the unveiling of the Black Chair. The Black Chair was presented posthumously to the winning poet, Hedd Wyn, at a national competition in 1917. The young man had just died on a battlefield in Belgium.
Emyr asks Penny Brannigan, owner of the local spa, to plan the event. Everything goes smoothly until the Black Chair is uncovered. It was stolen. While the guests wait for the local police to arrive, Penny finds the body of a young waiter. He was struck down outside the hall.
The local police detective appreciates Penny’s inside knowledge of the hall and the people involved. Penny asks questions of a former thief, an art expert, and people of the community. However, her investigation also puts one of her witnesses in jeopardy. She needs to connect the dots in a complicated plan to steal from the Welsh heritage.
Duncan, the award-winning author of Murder on the Hour, focuses on Welsh culture in a cozy mystery that involves a poet’s chair and travelers (Irish gypsies). It’s an atmospheric mystery filled with likable characters.
Elizabeth J. Duncan’s website is www.elizabethjduncan.com
Remembering the Dead by Elizabeth J. Duncan. Crooked Lane Books, 2019. ISBN 9781643851136 (hardcover), 304p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.
