Elizabeth Penney

Elizabeth Penney: Dungeons and Danger

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Ravensea Castle #2

Above the village of Monkwell, Yorkshire, sits Ravensea Castle, home of the Asquith family since 1138. The current family includes herbalist Nora, her sister popular TV actress Tamsyn, mead-brewer brother Will, amateur historian and father Arthur, Rolf the English Mastiff, Ruffian the cat, and several ghosts, including the ghost of ancestor Sir Percival. What more could one ask for in a castle-turned-B&B?

It’s almost Halloween and Will is hosting a Viking Fest at the castle to promote his mead. Hundreds of visitors in Viking costumes turn up, along with actual B&B guests: a history professor (with the hilariously appropriate name of Tweedy) and a group of ghost hunters filming an episode of Britain’s Got Ghosts (just in time for ghostly Halloween appearances). Tweedy convinces Arthur to let him search Ravensea for a lost Viking treasure while the ghost hunters hope to capture images of the ghost of Rusla, a Viking shield maiden known to haunt the battlements. read more

Elizabeth Penney: Vows and Villainy

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Cambridge Bookshop #5

In Elizabeth Penny’s fifth addition to her Cambridge Bookshop series, Vows and Villainy, the reader finds Molly Kimball, a librarian who helps her aunt in her bookshop and the local police with their murders in Cambridge, England. Molly uses deductive reasoning and her social prowess to entice others to give her clues and bits of information. She also does not try to solve everything on her own and then turn over the information to the authorities – instead, she keeps the local detectives in the know as she goes, trying her best to be helpful as well as safe. While they might not praise her for her efforts they appreciate and utilize her intel as much as possible, more so now that she has established herself as a credible amateur sleuth. read more

Elizabeth Penney: Bodies and Battlements

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New series

Bodies and Battlements is the first Ravensea Castle mystery by Elizabeth Penney. Readers are taken to the Yorkshire Coast in Robinhood’s Bay, where Ravensea castle stands near the shore. The Asquith family has lived in the castle for generations, and with bills piling up Ravensea Castle is undergoing a dramatic transformation to a B&B location. Nora, full title Eleanor Sibilla Asquith, is spear heading the effort with the blessing of her father and contention from her siblings. She runs her own little apothecary, but the funds just aren’t enough for the upkeep of the castle. Despite the lack of support from her siblings and the push back and protests from some new locals, Nora manages to get Ravensea all up to code, ready to run as an official B&B, and get her first guests registered. She just hopes that their resident ghost, Sir Percival, stays inactive long enough to not scare anyone off. read more

Elizabeth Penney: Madrigals and Mayhem

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Cambridge Bookshop #4

In Madrigals and Mayhem, the fourth Cambridge Bookshop book by Elizabeth Penney, Molly Kimball is an American ex-pat who has made her home on Magpie Lane in Cambridge, England, with her Aunt Violet and her bookshop. Her mother also lives there and helps out at the bookshop as well. Molly has established herself with a bit of a reputation for solving mysteries in town. Friends and family are well aware that if they run into trouble, Molly will be more than willing to jump in to try and help prove their innocence. While the local authorities are not thrilled to have her poke around, they will not turn down a good lead or ignore any clues she offers to them. Madrigals and Mayhem focuses on Molly’s first English Christmas, and meeting her new neighbor and owner of a toy store, Charlotte Pemberly. read more

Cozy round up 2020

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“Cozies certainly provide solace from many of the dark edges of the actual world.” — Edith Maxwell in Mystery Scene

I read a lot, and I read lots of cozies, partly thanks to my column in Mystery Scene.  There I am restricted to reviewing mass market paperback originals, and I am generously showered with advance reading copies.  I sort through them by reading the premise and a bit of the beginning.  If the writing doesn’t hit me quite right, I skip that one, and check out another one.  And while I certainly read many, many cozies, I am in no way claiming to have read even a comprehensive number of the books in this sub genre published this year.  For that kind of scope, I highly recommend checking out Dru’s Book Musings, which is a comprehensive review blog of all things cozy.  In addition, Dru has guest posts from authors and publishes a guide to what’s coming out, sometimes weekly. read more

Elizabeth Penney: Thread and Dead

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There are all kinds of cozies involving small businesses, but this is the first series I’ve read where the small business in question sells vintage aprons and other types of vintage linens – sheets, dishtowels, etc.  As described by Penney, the shop sounds not only mouthwatering but fairly realistic.  Iris and her Grammie, who brought her up, run the apron store in Blueberry Cove, Maine (maybe it’s near the more famous Cabot Cove?) and she’s surrounded with a great mix of friends and a great setting. read more