A Bloody Words Light Mystery 2014 Finalist
Spa owner and habitual amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan finds herself at a clerical conference at Gladstone's Library in North Wales. Also attending as a guest speaker is her boyfriend, DCI Gareth Davies, there to give a talk on theft prevention. But behind the ornate red sandstone facade of this most respectable of Victorian buildings, Penny encounters deception, blackmail, and murder.

When the bishop's secretary dies of a suspicious case of food poisoning, Davies leads the investigation. At Penny's suggestion, Florence Semble, a friend from Penny's adopted hometown, is invited to the Library to decode the secretary's shorthand notebook in the search for clues. As the conference continues, another body is found in the beautiful Library itself, and Penny must once again search for a killer.

Elizabeth J. Duncan's Never Laugh as a Hearse Goes By is a fine entry in a series celebrated for its small-town charm, Welsh flavor, and lovable characters.

ELIZABETH J. DUNCAN teaches writing and communication planning in the Public Relations program at Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. She lives in Toronto.

Elizabeth J. Duncan's profile page

“This fifth entry in a winning series...is a pleasing update of the 'body in the library' standard. In the time-honored tradition of village cozies, Duncan provides structure, subtle clues, rampant gossip, and a satisfying conclusion.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Multiple plotlines, a sympathetic main character, and its lovingly described Welsh setting add to the appeal of this satisfying cozy.” —Booklist

“Clever and chilling, 'Never Laugh as a Hearse Goes By' includes a storied plot device--a body in the library--as well as well-fashioned characters and interesting settings. Duncan, who teaches at a Toronto college, spends several weeks each year in Wales, and those trips pay off handsomely in her latest novel.” —Richmond-Times Dispatch

“Like the earlier books, this one fits somewhere between traditional and cozy. Or is that redundant? Whatever style Duncan's books fall into, she seems to have it pretty much nailed.” —The Toronto Star