Enjoyable and entertaining romp and the first of a new series featuring protagonist, pet portraitist and sometime amateur sleuth, Susie Mahl. Amidst eccentric upper classes and madcap gentry Susie is on the trail of a murderer. All good fun, cleverly written with big dollops of humour and a wry eye.

Susie Mahl paints portraits of peoples pets. Her latest commission is of a Deerhound called Situp…I love this as a name for a dog. During a weekend stay at pet owners home in the village of Spire, one of Sophie’s friends is murdered.

This is a cosy mystery and the first in the Susie Mahl Mystery series. From the very outset, was quickly engaged as I discovered the main characters. It was found numerous mentions and references to art, painting and the processes and while I did find them interesting I felt it slowed the telling of the main story down a bit. Once the painting sections started to diminish the story itself started to come to the forefront again and the pace quickened. Susie was able to embark on her own truth-finding mission.

While reading I found myself surprised when mentions of mobile phones, internet etc were mentioned. I think this is due to having comparisons with Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie who I associate with 1920’s/30’s. I think this is my own assumption, but as there were only the occasional technology mentions it didn’t really matter that much.

Susie paints for those who have money and status, they are Lords, Ladies, Earls and Countesses. She stays for weekends to get to know the pet she is going to paint, it gives her a chance to explore and try to discover various truths. The plot itself is nicely laid out as Susie’s investigations are being delved into. It has a gentle pace rather than a full pelt race to the end.

If you like cosy mysteries then I think this is one readers of the genre will enjoy. I am looking forward to reading more about Susie in this series and will be buying more as they are available. This is one I would recommend.

I’m not sure this really achieved what it was trying to. The mystery isn’t great, I couldn’t work out of the lead character was meant to be whimsically eccentric or if she was just annoying. Never mind. You win some, you lose some.

Really nice book, the blurb described the style of book perfectly.
Would recommend you pick this put if you think you may like it.

A Brush with Death is a nice cosy mystery with an attractive backdrop and an interesting choice of career for the protagonist.

A very enjoyable and entertaining book. It kept hooked till the end. It's well written and with very intersting characters.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications

I found this to be an enjoyable and very readable book. Kept me entertained right up to the end. Definitely recommended.

Excellent ! I really enjoy these mysteries
Edit: Review scheduled for release date.

This is a disappointing book as murder mysteries go. More effort has been spent on defining a rather self-satisfied and snobbish protagonist than on organising information about the murder and the suspects. It is finally wrapped up with the discovery of an essential fact and a bit of amateur sleuthing. Not a book I could recommend.