'A delicious new voice in crime writing... Excellent on the English aristocracy and written in a fine wry style.' Daily Mail

'Absorbing, charming and funny.' Antonia Fraser

Agatha Christie meets Downton Abbey in this delightful new series introducing pet portraitist and amateur super-sleuth, Susie Mahl

In the village of Spire, murder is afoot. Rich landowner Alexander, 9th Earl of Greengrass is caught with his trousers down in the village graveyard before meeting a gruesome end.

Luckily Susie Mahl happens to be on hand. With her artist's eye for detail and her curious nature she is soon on the scent of the murderer...

Miss Marple meets Downton Abbey in this delightful new series introducing pet portraitist and amateur super-sleuth, Susie Mahl

About the Author

Ali Carter was born in Scotland and read art history at St Andrews. There followed an eclectic career in investment management, retail and technology; then in 2011 she had a catastrophic cycling accident. After major brain surgery and a long recovery, Ali set herself a challenge to walk alone from Canterbury to Rome, a three-month pilgrimage she wrote about in her book, An Accidental Jubilee by Alice Warrender. From then she decided to follow her passion and become a fine artist, specialising in oil paintings from life with an emphasis on colour. Ali works from her studio in East Sussex and also draws pet portraits to commission. A Brush with Death is her first novel.

Reviews

'Absorbing, charming and funny, A Brush With Death heralds a fresh and welcome new voice in crime writing. Susie Mahl is also a welcome new detective: witty, warm and very inquisitive.'

* Antonia Fraser *

'A delicious new voice in crime writing... Excellent on the English aristocracy and written in a fine wry style.'

* Daily Mail *

'A riveting, charming and very funny new crime series from the fabulously talented Ali Carter.'

* Piers Morgan *

'An entertaining read, and one that had me up to the wee small hours.'

* Crimesquad *

'A Brush with Death is a perfectly English mystery, with an abundance of all the right jokes, details, and muddy dogs. Author Ali Carter's first book is a lovely romp and shows promise for a wonderful tongue-in-cheek mystery series.'

* Foreword Reviews *

'Brilliantly enjoyable; coolly observed.'

* The Tablet *

'Animal lovers, Anglophiles, and fans of humorous, socially observant whodunits will look forward to the next Susie Mahl mystery.'

* Publishers Weekly *

'Its rich details on the British leisure class may interest fans of Downton Abbey and G.M. Malliet's "Max Tudor" mysteries.'

* Library Journal *

'Fans of country-house cozies will delight in this series debut.'

* Booklist *

'This is a crime novel for mystery fans sick of gore and sexual violence. Just curl up and lose yourself happily in this world of animals and toffs - closely observed by a beady-eyed artist turned amateur sleuth who realises all is not as innocent as it looks and is determined to do something about it.'

* Ruth Dudley Edwards, author of The Robert Amiss Mysteries *

'A Brush with Death is a charming and amusing murder mystery. It contains great character observations and is written with humour. She brings to life the world of the aristocracy and everything that goes with it. A pleasant change from the dark Norwegian Noir genre. It is definitely a book to take on holiday.'

* Country Wives *

'A Brush with Death is the first in a charming new series about pet portraitist and amateur sleuth Susie Mahl.'

* Crime Reads *

'Carter is a fresh and welcome new voice in crime writing and Susie Mahl a very different new detective.'

* Crime Review *

'The first book in a promising new series will remind you of Downton Abbey and Miss Marple, except that this Miss M is a pet portraitist with a penchant for rather expensive underwear, and it's purely for her own pleasure.'

* Bookbag *



Book Information
ISBN 9781786072764
Author Ali Carter
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Point Blank
Publisher Oneworld Publications
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 23mm