Thank you to Netgalley, One More Chapter and Fiona Leitch for my arc of A Brush with Death in exchange for an honest review.

Published: 12th February 2021

A Brush with Death is the second book in Fiona Leitch's Nosey Parker Cozy Mystery series and after thoroughly enjoying the first book Murder on the Menu I couldn't resist digging into this one too.

Jodie has just about got over her first catering job turning into a Murder scene so she's determined that things will run smoothly at the town fair. But of course things don't go to plan and a writer turns up dead with the main suspect the world famous painter Duncan Stovall. Jodie must work with Nathan the tasty police DCI to find out the answers before more people end up dead.

I must admit I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first. There were some leaky plot holes such as how Jodie manages to get in on police interviews etc which would definitely get thrown out in court and jeopardise the case in real life, but that's just a really small thing, overall the book is very light, enjoyable reading so I can't complain about that too much it's just a personal niggle. Secondly, the romance in this one kind of spoilt it for me. While the love triangle really worked in book one, turning it into a love square in book two just felt really over the top and made me dislike Jodie's character a little bit to be quite honest. Her rash, impulsive behaviour when it came to the love interest just didn't feel like it rang true or seemed authentic in any way. I also wasn't a fan of the cheating aspect as I know a lot of people aren't so I think this was the biggest turn off for me and what lost the book a star.

I LOVED the first book in this series, Murder on the Menu, so I couldn’t wait to jump into the follow-up. Sequels to really great first books can be hit or miss so I was kind of nervous to read A Brush with Death since I enjoyed Murder on the Menu so much.

At first I was a bit disappointed in the main character Jodie. In the first book we learn that she had moved back home after a disastrous marriage (which began when she got involved with a married man) so I was disappointed when she got involved with another married man, the artist Duncan Stovall (who turns out to be one of the main suspects in the murder).

Not only do I have no patience with anyone who gets involved with married people, but Jodie already had TWO amazing men in her life – her best friend Tony Penhaligon, and hunky DCI Nathan Withers. I wasn’t sure if a third man would add anything to the story.

But the humour and interesting characters that were such a strong point in the first book were just as prominent in this book, which was the reason I kept reading. And I have to admit that Jodie’s relationship with Duncan was a necessary to keep the story moving along and was an integral part of the murder mystery, so I had to grudgingly admit that it was a good storyline. *sigh* Don’t you love/hate it when an author proves you wrong?

All of the characters I loved so much from Book 1 are back in this story and they are all just as charming as ever. I’m falling even more for Tony and Nathan and I do hope that Jodie will end up with one of them (although I still have no idea which one I prefer) and I loved seeing more of Jodie’s mom and daughter.

The mystery itself was interesting – involving the art world, relationship secrets and a possible crime boss. The pacing is solid – the romance and action moves along quickly without lags but is never confusing, even though several more characters were introduced.

One of the things I really enjoy about this series is that Jodie is an ex-cop herself. That, plus the fact that her father was a well-liked DCI, gives her a lot more credence as an amateur detective and I enjoy that she has a good relationship with the local police force (as opposed to so many cozy mysteries where the main character is constantly butting heads with various police).

I’m really looking forward to the third book in the series, A Sprinkle of Sabotage, is coming out next month and I absolutely CANNOT wait to get my hands on it. This is quickly becoming one of my favourite cozy mystery series. If you love a smart protagonist, interesting love interests, unique murder mysteries and a good dose of delicious food, humour and British charm in your cozies, then you’ll fall in love with this series too.

*** Thank you to One More Chapter, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

A Brush With Death takes place shortly after the first book and once again follows our heroine Jodie “Nosey” Parker as she sticks her nose into yet another case. Similar with the last book, I’m still not convinced that Jodie is contributing anything to these cases (other than some much needed humor), but it’s undeniable that the story wouldn’t be the same without her.

While this second installment has the same wonderful style of writing and sense of humor, I definitely preferred Murder on the Menu. The same trope of “Jodie is too attached to the main suspect and wants to prove them innocent” is used in both books and I grew a bit tired of it. As an ex-cop I would think that she would be a bit better at not being completely biased in these investigations. I’m incredibly thankful for DCI Winters (who is by far my favorite character) as he often provides a much needed reality check for Jodie. If Fiona Leitch decided to write a series with DCI Winters as the main character, I’d be all over it.

Returning back to the story, I should mention that I can’t stand cheating. In fact, books with cheating as a many plot device tend to trigger me pretty badly. If I had known that the main (non-crime) plot of this book was going to revolve around Jodie wanting to get romantically involved with a married man, I would have chosen to skip it. I’m also not a fan of love triangles and this series seems to be headed in a very love-triangley direction. Jodie kind of comes across as the type of person who would fall for any attractive man she meets, and I’m really hoping she’ll grow past that as the series progresses .

Personal gripes aside, A Brush with Death not only has an amazing pun in the title but it is also an extremely solid installment in The Nosey Parker Mysteries. It has all of the elements you would want in a cozy mystery and even more. Murder? Nosey main character? Hot dudes? Cute dog? Food? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes! Plus, with all of the food talk, you are sure to feel hungry as you read this. But don’t worry! Fiona Leitch has your back with recipes at the end of both installments for you to try at home.

This was a fun read. I’ve not read the first book in the series yet, but that didn’t impact on this at all as there’s enough background explanation of the characters.

Although Jodie is involved in catering parts of the town’s gala day (don’t call it a fete!) she spends much if the story trying to investigate a suspicious death, trying not to annoy the local DCI and deciding how she feels about the famous painter that the gala day has brought in.

I really liked Jodie as a character. She’s trying to adjust to what seems to be a recent change in circumstances. She’s also really realistic which perhaps sounds odd, but I liked her being unsure about what she wanted to do, having takeaways when she didn’t feel like cooking and basically being a normal person which made it easy to relate to her. The suspicious death and investigation of it kept me guessing. It unfolded as the story progressed and I really liked the way the layers to it were revealed.

As I’ve said this is a fun read and being only the second in the series I feel it’s got the series off to a good start and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes next.

Another cosy drama set in North Cornwall. This one had giggles, romance, murder,lies, and lots of drama all mixed up into a great story.
Any book then writes about 'Bandy Ron' and a 'geriatric ninja' is a winner in my book 🤣🤣
These books are so very easy to read and quickly 2 hours has passed as you follow Jodie's escapades.
Highly recommended for an anytime book.

ABrush With Death interesting sequel to Murder on the Menu. It revolved around Jodie’s life and her being Nosey but this time with approval of DCI as a civilian sidekick in solving the murder case of writer from the Penstowan festival. It was about lies, illegal shady business, complicated life and relationship, friendship, and family.

Writing was entertaining, beautiful, and steady paced, first person narrative from Jodie’s POV. Her voice, like first book, was refreshing and witty. Setting of Penstowan in the festival season added its own charm to story. There were enough details to read this book as standalone but I recommend to read this in order as first book gave good introduction to characters and even the Cornish town.

It started a bit slow with Jodie preparing for opening party of town festival and crossing her fingers this didn’t turn out with dead body to be found like her previous catering job. And her prayers were heard murder didn’t happen within first few chapters but she found herself attracted to one of the guests of honour- esteemed and very handsome painter, Duncan Stovall. When dead writer came for festival events found dead near the cliff of her attractive guest of honour’s cottage, she had to find out what exactly happened and who killed the writer, mostly to clear the name of her handsome painter.

It was interesting to read how this new love interest was going to turn out, how many complications it was going to get in Jodie’s life, who pushed the author down to cliff and why. Though the starting was slow, first few chapter was great built up for story. The person I guessed would be dead wasn’t the one found dead which picked my interest and I was hooked to story from that point.

All old characters were fantastic. I loved Shirley (Jodie’s mom) more. She was fun more than her daughter this time and I loved her advice. I definitely think Jodie should have listened to it and should not have gone for tingles. I’m still laughing at that cabbage reference. Debbie was breath of fresh air and I enjoyed her enthusiasm and hunger for gossip and those looks she gave to Jodie whenever her many love interests showed their affection, but mostly I loved her for being loyal and supportive friend. Tony was utterly charming and lovely and he won my heart when he bid for painting but I don’t know why he too was among love interests!! If I’m not wrong didn’t Jodie thought he was like cousin to her when she was playing Fu with her daughter and mother in last book?? I hope he stays best friend in future books but whatever Jodie and author decide I sure love him.

DCI Withers (Nathan) was amazing detective. I felt bit sad for him but like Jodie said apart from chemistry during the investigation of previous case, there wasn’t much signal from his part. I hope that changes in next books. You must know I’m team Withers. Anyway, he was great throughout the book. I liked how he let her on the case as unofficial civilian consultant. He and Jodie definitely made great team. They both were becoming great friends.

Duncan was good person but I couldn’t see him with Jodie from the beginning, not just because he was married but I could feel something was off, he was hiding something and I wasn’t wrong there. It was easy to guess after Jodie and Withers’ road trip but I didn’t know full story of him until climax.

Jodie was her usual self, fun, entertaining and witty but this time she was a bit lost in her complicated many relationships. I liked her monologues. They made me root for her and even though I didn’t approve her choice I still wanted to support her like her friends. It definitely can be hard and lonely life at her age without companion and I could see her dilemma looking at those three very charming and lovely men in her life. She was great when it came to trying to solve case. She didn’t hesitate confronting Duncan more than once and didn’t rule him out until she could prove it. I admired her for keeping open mind with both case and her relationship.

Twist and turns were good. The case was complex like first book. I couldn’t see many turns coming but as I said I was right about Duncan hiding something and I could guess who might be murderer at the same time but couldn’t figure out why and yet author surprised me with twist and making me partially wrong in guessing game. Climax was tense with Duncan’s story and everything making clear picture but still not enough evidence made it even more interesting to see how they were going to get that evidence and warrant and then came surprising twist. End was lovely, sad and perfect all at same time. I loved recipe at the end.

Why 4 stars-

I didn’t like all the complicated relationships and there was not just two but three potential love interest. All these complications made it less humorous than first book and it wasn’t as gripping in the start and at few points.

Overall, A Brush With Death was delightful, enjoyable, and delicious cozy mystery with lovely characters and beautiful setting.

I was impatient to read the second book in The Nosey Parker series because Fiona Leitch cought my interest with her witty writing and I grew attached to our main charater Jodie Parker and all her family and friends.

It's time for Penstowan to start its Summer Festival, ops my bad, the Art Gala.
Jodie, our ex cop now catering company owner, is busy organising the catering but when a body appears at the bottom of the cliff she is ready to help the police with the investigation. Is it a tragic accident or is there a murderer among the vacationers?

Jodie is a great heroine, she is smart and funny and her love life is such a chaos you cannot not to be curious what she will finally choose to do.

I've enjoyed this story even if the mystery was a bit easy to unveil and the amorous intrigues took most of my attention.

A Brush With Death is a standalone story and it could be read as it is but I suggest you to not miss out on the first book because Murder On The Menu is a very good and enterteining mystery.

The second in the Nosey Parker series sees Jodie once again inserted herself into a murder investigation when the a visiting writer from the festival Jodie is working at who’s body is discovered at the bottom of a cliff.

I really enjoyed Murder on the Menu but this is a personal preference of mine, but I really didn’t like the cheating aspect of this story. I believe that part really turned me off from the rest of the story as it kept playing a big part of the book. Also, I was hoping there was a bit more of an indication which way Jodie was going to go regarding her heart between Nick and Tom. Again, just a personal preference to what I was looking for.

Fiona does incorporate her sass and wit within the story that made it funny just like the first, but I really like Jodie’s mother and wished she helped Jodie more in solving the crime like she did in the first one. It’s hard to not compare the two books.

Overall, I did like this story and I look forward to reading the third book.

A Brush with Death (The Nosey Parker Mysteries #2) by Fiona Leitch
Publisher: HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers | Women's Fiction
Release Date: February 12, 2021

A Brush with Death is the second book in The Nosey Parker Mysteries series by Fiona Leitch. This can definitely be read as a standalone novel (but the first book is so good, that you should read it too!)

Where to start? I read the previous book in the series yesterday and immediately started reading this one when I finished because this series is incredible!!! I really could not put it down!

I love the author's writing style. She has created wonderful characters, who are funny, snarky, relatable, and so likeable. The storyline was incredible. The mystery was filled with so many twists and turns, I wasn't sure what would happen next.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait to read the next one!!! If you love cozy mysteries, you must read these books!

I'm so grateful to Fiona Leitch, HarperCollins UK, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Jodie 'Nosey' Parker is back this time investigating a suspicious death which involves a famous painter whom Jodie has fallen for.

I did enjoy this story very much but what I most enjoy about this series are the characters and the setting. This really is a lovely cosy crime series and I look forward to the next book.

A Brush with Death is the fun next installment in the Nosey Parker series. This time around, Jodie (aka Nosey) helps DCI Nathan Withers discover who murdered a speaker at the village Art Festival, and the results are full of thrills, spills, and a love diamond that will blow your mind.

Jodie "Nosey" Parker always finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation, and the men in her life seem to become suspects. As an ex-cop, Jodie is in her comfort zone, asking the hard questions and unearthing clues that will lead to the bad guy's arrest. She is fun, incorrigible, stubborn, and has a whole lot of sass, just the kind of main character I adore. I missed her daughter, Daisy, her mother, Shirley, and her friend Debbie, in this story, as they only appear briefly, but it enabled Jodie to shine as the main character. With these characters being sidelined, a lot of the humor found in the first book, unfortunately, is sidelined with them, though I still found myself chuckling here and there.

What I'm calling a love diamond (or square, though diamond seemed more apropos) is between Jodie, Tony (the best friend who appears to want more than friendship), Nathan (the uptight DCI who flirts with her), and the new guy in the village who is only there for the Art Festival, Duncan Stovall -the guest of honor. The rivalry between the men dominated the first half of the book, which provided some fun and lightness but took away from the murder mystery. I would have liked to see more of the murder investigation during the first half interspersed more liberally with the romance. It still is an intriguing development in the story, and I will be curious to see how it continues to play out.

I enjoyed the inclusion of the intricacies of the art world in the story. The artworld is just ripe for corruption, which may lead to murder in the right situation. It adds a wealth and beauty component to the story that seems unapproachable and brings it down to a more human level. The mystery has plenty of red herrings and misdirects for the puzzle lover. I was on the right train of thought but guessed the wrong murderer.

If you are looking for a fun, more contemporary version of a British cozy, look no further than the Nosey Parker series.

I'm so glad to be back with the second in the Nosey Parker cozy mystery! Don't worry if you haven't read the first, it can easily read as a standalone.

While she's catering the opening party of Pentowan gala, Jodie comes to the attention of artist Duncan Stovall. Unfortunately, there are a few problems standing in their way, a) he's married and b) he gets accused of the murder of author Robert Holmes. Using her nosey ways she digs into the murder, much to the annoyance of the handsome DCI Withers, to find the culprit.

Like with the first book, Murder on the menu, A brush with death is a fantastic mystery with a great cast of characters, picturesque setting and plenty of fun along the way.

The second book features some great characters from the first, like DCI Nathan Withers and of course my favourite Germaine the dog. I really enjoy the banter between Jodie and Nathan, it made me laugh out loud throughout the novel. I love seeing their relationship grow and I wonder if there's going to be a bit of romance on the cards for these two in future novels!

I would say I didn't feel the mystery wasn't quite as strong as the first, but still very enjoyable to read.

A Brush With Death is a charming and fun packed mystery that I couldn't get enough of. I'm very much looking forward to the next book!

I am absolutely loving this series, the books are incredibly cosy to read. They have plenty of mystery mixed with humour and love. There is something for everyone.

When a body turned up at her last catering gig it certainly put people off the hors d'oeuvres. So with a reputation to salvage, Jodie’s determined that her next job for the village’s festival will go without a hitch. But when chaos breaks out, Jodie Parker somehow always finds herself in the picture.
The body of a writer from the festival is discovered at the bottom of a cliff, and the prime suspect is the guest of honour, the esteemed painter Duncan Stovall. With her background in the Met police, Jodie has got solving cases down to a fine art and she knows things are rarely as they seem.
This is the second book in the series & is easily read on its own. We again meet up with Jodie's family & friends from the Cornish village of Penstowan. DCI Nathan Withers is also on hand to lead the investigation & is more amenable to Jodie lending a hand. I love the humour throughout the book & adore Shirley who always makes me smile. The chemistry between Jodie & Nathan is simmering as is the chemistry between Jodie & Tony, then there’s Duncan – Jodie’s certainly popular! A well written, charming cosy mystery. There are twists & turns plus red herrings until all is revealed. I look forward to many more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Another entertaining and engaging trip to Cornwall. The verbiage keeps me challenged and amused. The murder mystery kept me guessing. Delightful series with a hint of romance.

This is another good addition to the mystery series, though I don't think it was quite as strong as the first one. The book started off a bit slow and took quite a bit for me to get into it. I still really enjoyed the characters, including the mother and daughter, and Jodie herself was very likeable. The tension was still there between Jodie and Withers, which I enjoyed from the first book. Besides the dragging of the story in this one I also had the same issues as the last one where I felt like Jodie should have been more careful and thoughtful having been a police officer. This one also wasn't as funny as the first one.

I really enjoyed Murder On The Menu, so I was glad to be back with Jodie Parker in such quick succession. Jodie's narration is brilliant and it feels as though I am with an old friend when I'm reading about her escapades. I love the humour, that at times made me laugh out loud and we often read Jodie's thoughts that she can't say out loud and this gives the reader lots of insight into what is really happening. But this is not just a novel about Jodie: the supporting characters, DCI Nathan Withers, Jodie's mum and daughter, Tony, Callum and Debbie and those involved in the investigation are also brilliant and I love the way they come together to create a bright and lively community.

The investigation itself is also intriguing and I was hooked as we learnt more about what had happened. There are several twists and red herrings to keep the reader on their toes and I enjoyed following all of them.

Some of the food that Jodie makes sounds absolutely divine and my version of the book has recipes in the back that I would love to try one day!

There are still a few issues to be resolved in Jodie's personal life so I can't wait to see how the series continues!

I love this series. I’ve already pre-ordered the 3rd in the series and I HOPE TO GOD there is more. Firstly, you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy the second. That is a major thing for me as sometimes I buy a book and then realize it is like the 4th or 5th book in a series of books and I’m totally lost. Fiona Leitch’s Nosey Parker series isn’t one of those. The reader is able to dive right into the story and engage. Also, can we just talk about how hilarious this series is? FUNNY! Yes, there is a dead body, and amateur sleuthing, which I love, but underneath it all is a very interesting story about Jodie and her family, her love life, wants and needs and hopes, and I really felt connected. Did I mention how funny she is? Highly recommend!

A Brush with Death is a great cozy mystery. It has all of the elements required for a great story. The story line is believable and the characters are well-crafted.

The story is easy to read and it keeps you entertained until the very end. Highly recommend.

Book 2 in the Nosy Parker cozy mystery series and I couldn’t wait to see what Jodie and her family and friends would be up to in this book!

There is a festival in town with a famous painter as the special guest. After someone falls off a cliff, Jodie has to balance her need to cater the festival with her need to get to the bottom of whether it was accidental or if they were pushed and if they were pushed, why?

In this book, as with the first, I really enjoyed the humour and the realness I felt from the characters. I love Jodie’s mom and I actually think I would read a book starring her and her friends! I liked that I’m getting to know the people in her immediate circle and dont need to be filled in with character traits and background to expect behaviours and actions from them. They are true to their personas and I really like all of them!

The first novel was a 5 star for me and this one could have been if I had more humour, more murder and less romantic variety. Jodie had a literal revolving door of suitors in this one and I wasn’t as keen on the main one and it’s circumstances. The plot concept was a bit tougher for me to wrap my mind around, even Jodie kept saying the details were too complicated for her to understand. That being said, it was still a wonderful read and I will be back for book 3 as soon as it releases!

I would highly recommend if you need a nice cozy mystery, that you join Jodie and see who may have had a brush with death 🖌 🎨

**This book publishes on February 12th and I thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the Advanced Reader Copy, I was so excited to be able to read about Jodie and her gang again!**