This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author.

Love the Welsh setting in this mystery series featuring Penny Brannigan. The agricultural fair and ensuing contests sound a lot like our local county and state fairs, featuring local recipes. While I haven't read all of the books in the series, it's easy to slip right back into town with these characters, while Penny searches for a murderer and enjoy all the local color and descriptions of this wonderful place.

The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J. Duncan I had read a Penny Brannigan mystery before and enjoyed everything about it--the setting (a small hamlet in Wales), the protagonist (Penny, a middle-aged salon owner who is effortlessly elegant), and the plot, so was eager to visit the series again. Penny was a little more irritating this time in her perfection (geez, it must be the heat, or maybe authors think readers don't want to sympathize with a main character whose hair is sometimes a mess and who runs out without makeup on because she overslept?). A couple of the supporting characters were also a bit more irritating (Mrs. Lloyd is one), but the overall tone had remained the same. This brief glimpse into a Welsh agricultural show will be familiar to anyone who has been to a county fair, and the jealousies surrounding who wins and who doesn't are all too familiar. Kudos to the author for inserting a twist in the form of the return of a former resident whose not quite the person who left. I would have enjoyed that plot twist a little more if there had been at least one negative response to the circumstances surrounding the return of the native, as everything was a little too utopian and politically correct, but that's a pretty minor quibble. All in all, another easy summer read with pleasant characters and, yes, a black labrador retriever.

How About a Cup of Tea, Pet?
This is my first encounter with Penny and her friend Victoria despite it being their (Penny's?) ninth adventure, but I never felt lost in the wilds of Wales as friends from previous novels were clearly explained and introduced. In the midst of an agricultural competition (what would be considered a County Fair in my neck of the woods), the cooking competition turns deadly and observant Penny helps unlock the mysteries behind the murder as we learn about Tudor architecture. Not all the characters, but the story itself is gentle and well-mannered as clues are unearthed--a perfect "cosy" tale.

Elizabeth Duncan drops Penny Brannigan into the middle of the Marmalade murders at the annual agricultural fair. A friend's baking disappears before the judging and a rival both wins the first prize and is found murdered. Whodunit? As usual Penny has lots of suspects, dark village and family secrets emerge and the police can't solve the murder. Enjoy a British cozy.

The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J. Duncan is a well-written, utterly satisfying cozy mystery, book #9 in one of my favorite series. The author has a gift for conveying the beautiful Welsh scenery and making you feel the setting with your senses. The main characters could be someone you’d meet in your neighborhood, and the mystery is well crafted as backstories are slowly revealed. Although part of a series, this story stands alone.

As a lead character, Penny Brannigan is someone I’m very comfortable with. Penny, co-owner of a Spa in Llanelen, Wales, is an expatriate Canadian who feels she still needs to prove she belongs to the community after 30 years of residence. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Penny and Florence, who has a similar need. The framework of Llanelen’s agricultural show provides some great scenes, such as Penny’s judging of the children’s animal contest. Some fascinating historical detail is revealed on a coach trip to Speke Hall in England.

The Marmalade Murders has all the elements I enjoy in a cozy mystery. The mystery itself is easy to follow as layers of information are peeled back. Penny’s friendship with a police detective provides a vehicle for the sharing of information, which seems logical for this small rural community. I had no idea as to the killer’s identity and enjoyed the way everything unfolded.

The Marmalade Murders is a great addition to the award-winning Penny Brannigan series and I hope there will be many more stories. Highly recommended to cozy mystery fans.

I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Penny Brannigan and her business partner Victoria agree to check-in entries for the local farm show. When entries go missing and a body is found under the display table, Penny decides to help the police by finding out information she can pass on to them.
I love this series because it's set in Wales and Penny is a great character - both a successful business woman and an artist. She knows that she is nosy and that her efforts are not always appreciated by the local police. That does not stop her snooping! I recommend this series for both the characters and setting.

3.5

As cozy mysteries go, I found this to be pretty entertaining. The main character, Penny, is quite the sleuth when trying to discover who murdered a competitor at the local agriculture show. Slowly but surely she connects the dots by asking simple questions of the townspeople involved in the show.

Penny is smart and the characters in this book are very likeable. This was a light, easy read. I've jumped in at book #9 of the series and thought it worked well as a stand alone. It was such a quick read, I do think I will go back and read some of the earlier books. I'm also looking forward to future books to see what Penny gets involved with next.

I received this from St. Martin's Press, via Netgalley.

This was a delightful cozy mystery. I loved the language and phrasing...especially since I'm an American. It was fun to "hear" them speak with unique words and phrases.

The characters were quirky and well developed. I loved the relationships between the various individuals. There were friendly interactions as well as some catty, ugly ones. But they were all interesting and helped lay the foundation for who committed murder.

I would definitely read another book by this author. It was a light and interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J Duncan is the ninth book in the Penny Brannigan Mystery series. Penny is asked to help out with the annual agricultural show by checking in cakes, jams, marmalades, flowers, vegetables, etc for the contest judging. Things seem suspicious when two items she checked in are no where to be found and one item she did not check in wins first place. When the first place winner is found dead, Penny puts herself in the middle of the mystery which includes investigating the Women's Guild. This book has several things going on at once, but they all come together in the end.

I found this book a little clichéd. Bumbling police while an amateur solves the mystery. The actual plot was a good one but I just really didn't get into the characters. Sorry1

This is such a fun series ! . I highly recommend the entire series. This next in series can be read as a stand alone. I received a ARC from the publisher and Net Galley for a honest opinion. I am pleased to read this 9th in the series.
This is a delightful British cozy mystery set in the lovely Welsh country with murders and suspects abound with a great protagonist is on the case.
Llanelen is the sort of town where the villagers are friendly and everyone knows your business. The village is picturesque and the author brings it to life for her readers. I adore the village, the inhabitants and the story .
In The Marmalade Murders we follow the protagonist Penny Brannigan as she is asked to help at the annual agricultural show by judging the childrens' pets. The show is a village tradition and she cannot say no.. She loves the show and is looking forward to helping out. The show invites food entries, animals, crafts and involves the entire village. As the show begins a series of thefts and mischief occurs then she finds a dead body underneath one of the judging tables!
The victim was not well liked. Penny is on the case and soon delving into a host of suspects and clues. She has a knack for finding suspects and soon may be in danger herself. She must find the killer before the town is in any further danger. This book has a well crafted sleuth, a wonderful group of characters and I love the small town. Its is the perfect cozy for a lovely afternoon.
This is the 9th installment in this fabulous series. I enjoy the series and look forward to the next in series. Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.

Penny is a spa owner who has solved quite a few mysteries, and has now been asked to help out at her town's agricultural show. But when something fishy happens with the entries, and a dead body is found, Penny finds herself drawn into the mystery.

The setting really is an integral part of the story. It/s a place where they hold agricultural shows that the whole town attends, where marmalade competes with jam, and every child who enters the pet contest gets their own special ribbon. Duncan really makes the town come alive, which makes it even more of a shock when a corpse is found.

There were so many characters with so many connections that I did have a hard time keeping track of who was who.

While this isn't my favorite entry in the cozy mystery genre, it was still a fun read.

While this is the ninth in the Penny Brannigan series, I had no trouble keeping up with the characters despite this being the first book in the series I’ve read. The location in North Wales seemed like almost a character within the Marmalade Murders. It was pleasant to visit somewhere I haven’t book (or physically) traveled to before. I also enjoyed the setting of a small town agriculture show that included food, floral, and animal competitions. A easy reading cosy mystery.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Ex-pat Penny Brannigan is back in her bucolic village in Wales where she and her partner run the local spa. The two of them are enlisted to help out during the local fair where animals and edibles are the stars. Little does Penny realize how competitive and cutthroat it is until one of the local entrants is murdered and Penny’s friend’s cake and marmalade disappear entirely.
Florence, the friend, had been told by a mysterious caller to bring her wares to the grounds after the submissions could be entered. Thankfully, Penny realized that her contributions were absent and called Florence.
Things just get curiouser and curiouser. As the mystery is unravelled jealousies and rivalries are found at the core and it is not until another murder takes place that Penny and her friends get to the motive and the killer. It turns out to be, as much as possible, an understandable reason behind the killings.
I like the series and find that I am becoming quite fond of Penny and the other villagers, especially Mrs. Lloyd, the local gossip, and Florence. There is a handsome grey cat named Harrison who is under-used, several dogs and a newly introduced kitten who has all the makings of a great new character.
I give the book four purrs and two paws up.

If you love a gentle British cozy mystery set in the stunning Welsh country with puzzles and murders and suspects aplenty then this is just the kind of riddle you'll love! Llanelen is the sort of town where, if you've lived there for almost thirty years (as Penny has) you're still considered a newcomer.....though the villagers are mainly a friendly lot.

In The Marmalade Murders we follow Penny Brannigan as she is asked to help out at the annual agricultural show by judging the childrens' pets but she certainly wasn't expecting to find a dead body underneath one of the judging tables!

The victim was not well liked in the town, even her own family didn't get on with her. So, there are no shortage of suspects but the motives are not so clear.

There's a lot to enjoy in this mystery set among the rolling hills of a sleepy Welsh village, with colourful characters, days out that end in murder, marmalades and yummy cakes, the Welsh Womens Guild, family disagreements and unfriendly rivalries (particularly in the marmalade competition!).

The storytelling is just at the right pace with just the right amount of surprises and intrigue to keep turning the pages.

This time Penny solves not one murder but two and even figure out how they are connected.. But she's up to the challenge as always. Check it out...

There were things about this book that I really like. There were
things that I had to say 'Hmm'.
I loved and enjoyed the location. I loved the down home feel of the agriculture show. Brought back memories for this Texan. Give me a story with a horse or animal and I am usually drawn in.
I loved the plot surrounding the show.
Our main character and her friends are left with no shortage of suspects as they try to figure out who was behind the chaos and
villainy.
The story/plot is solid. The characters all of them are well developed.
Elizabeth Duncan does a great job of setting a scene and giving this
Texas girl a view of the English country side and it's values, traditions and culture.
Although The Marmalade Murders is #9 in the series the characters are introduced with enough back story so I was not
left 'in the dark' or confused.
If you enjoy cozy mysteries this is one to check out.
Read the complete synopsis and read more reviews at the Great Escapes tour or on the retail sites.

I received a complimentary copy.

The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J. Duncan is the ninth book in A Penny Brannigan Mystery series. Mrs. Lloyd has wrangled Penny Brannigan into assisting with the annual Llanelen agriculture show. Penny and Victoria Hopkirk co-own Llanelen Spa in Llanelen, North Wales. They are accepting the domestic arts entries and get their instructions from Joyce Devlin, president of the show committee. A half an hour before the deadline, they notice that Florence Semble has yet to drop off her entries and give her a call. It seems that someone had telephoned and told her she could drop off her entries the next morning (odd). Penny is judging the children’s pet competition the next day when a little girl gets upset because her grandmother, Gaynor Lewis failed to show up. Gaynor is not the only thing missing at the agriculture show. Florence’s carrot cake and her marmalade entries have disappeared as well. Joyce’s dog soon finds Florence’s cake under a table in the judging tent along with Gaynor Lewis. Was someone trying to eliminate the competition? Penny looks into the victim’s life to see who could have wished her harm and soon discovers that these competitions are taken seriously by the competitors. One women has something to important to tell Penny, but she ends up dead before she can speak with her. Penny needs to work quickly to expose the killer or she could be next.

The Marmalade Murders can be read alone. The information a reader needs is included in the book. I thought The Marmalade Murders was well-written and had a nice pace which made the story easy to read and enjoy. The characters are established and relatable (especially to those who live in small towns). Mrs. Lloyd and Florence are delightful. They provide levity to the story. I especially appreciate that the main character is in her 50s. It is a refreshing change from other cozy mysteries where the characters are in their late 20s and early 30s. Penny is smart, friendly, caring and level-headed. The village of Llanelen is charming and the author’s descriptions of the Welsh countryside brought it alive for me. Llanelen is a small village where the people grew up together, everyone knows each other’s business, and the rumor mill is alive and well. I think it is funny that after living in Llanelen for thirty years, Penny is still considered an outsider. The mystery has several suspects who each have a good motive for doing in the victim. I liked the misdirection that could easily lead readers down the wrong path. The investigation consists of Penny asking questions of the various townspeople. I felt that the story could have used some action. Inspector Bethan Morgan is a friendly detective who values Penny’s input into the case. She realizes that Penny has access to information that she does not. I did enjoy the historical information on Speke Hall (there really is a Speke Hall outside Liverpool). The Speke Hall in the book has a priest hole and an eavesdropper (just like the real Speke Hall). The Marmalade Murders has a sweet, heartwarming moment at the end. I am giving The Marmalade Murders 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). It was lovely to visit Llanelen again and spend time with Penny, Mrs. Lloyd and the other villagers. I look forward to returning to Wales in the next A Penny Brannigan Mystery.

Enjoyed this cozy mystery with its likable characters. Did not guess murderer. Author Elizabeth J Duncan has written a nice series. Thank you St Martin's Press