A Brush with Death

Susie Mahl Mystery #1

by Ali Carter

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… A BRUSH WITH DEATH combines a country house murder with a fascinating insight into the life of a working artist.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Crime, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

311 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2018

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 bicycling 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.
(Previously written under the name Alice Warrender)

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became interested in this book after reading a negative review. I had read this author and I wondered about some of the comments made. I decided to read it. I am happy, I did as I enjoyed this book very much. The one complaint I wished that the Deerhound, Situp had a bigger part in the story. There is a good description of the way royalty lives their lives and of entail estate.
Susie Mahil is an artist and she is noted for her drawings of the various pets. She is a good friend of Lord and Lady Greengrass through them she meets the Cordringtons do want a drawing of their Deerhound, Situp. Susie is staying with Cordringtons when Situp brings a bone back home. It turns out to be a bone from a grave. Returning the bone back to the grave, the group comes upon the body of the Earl of Greengrass relieving himself. Lady Greengrass asked Susie to stay with her for a few days. Susie becomes interested in the murder. As the tale continues there are a number of people who had problems with the Earl. Whose problem was important enough to kill the Earl? It will be a long wait for the next book.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

[Madeleine (Top Shelf Text) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been picking up cozy mysteries more often this year and this one was a stand-out for me. I love British mysteries in particular, and this one took place among the upper classes, with the added perspective of a protagonist who is an outsider. The amateur sleuth, Susie Mahl, was relatable and refreshing. A thirty-something, single woman working as a pet portraitist, Susie gets involved in the mystery out of concern for close friends, but winds up being quite the detective. Highly recommended for fans of cozy mysteries, Agatha Christie, and for those looking for a detective story without gruesome details.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Painter Susie Mahl, who makes her living painting pet portraits for wealthy people, is hired by, and goes to stay with, a young couple who live near the Earl of Greengrass. He and his wife are friends of Susie's, which is why it's so shocking when she's among the small group that finds his dead body in the churchyard. The countess asks Susie to stay with her for a few days and help out--she finds her daughter-in-law sympathetic--and Susie thinks what would help the most is to find out how the earl died. Luckily, she's able to enlist a pulse-stirring doctor to help her. First in a series.

[Marcia Killingsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need some mystery, some laughs, some witty wordplay, some clever plotting, some captivating characters, and some unexpected - but insightful - loo comparisons. PLUS PETS! (A dog here; a cameo by a wee black cat, for cat-lovers.).
I thoroughly enjoyed this debut Susie (Vicky?) Mahl mystery. My only caveat is that we could've used more Situp and the wee black cat.
'A Brush with Death' is a fun, lively mystery, and I enthusiastically recommend it.
I cannot wait for the next Susie Mahl/Ali Carter mystery!

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars for a bit of a mixed bag of a light-hearted cozy mystery. The best parts are the English countryside settings, some of the ridiculous (ironic?) character names (hello, Asquintha, Lady Cornfield) and Susie's observations regarding her fellow human beings and the animals that surround them. On the other hand, you can rather tell this is a debut fiction effort, as the writing is a bit uneven, at least one important character and a few of the plot points were sort of introduced as backhanded afterthoughts, there were several go-nowhere scenes, and the denouement was almost anti-climactic. I do think there is some promise in the possible future of the series, and if Carter can develop Susie and her detecting abilities, I'd like to re-visit.

[Liz V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susie Mahl is an artist whose bread and butter trade is drawing dogs. Susie had drawn a picture for the Earl and Countess Greenglass and become a family friend. Through the Countess, Susie is commissioned by neighbors and, while staying with them, discovers the Earl's body.

To everyone's consternation, the Earl has been murdered, and the widow asks Susie to stay on. As Susie's curiosity is rampant, she agrees and, with the help of the local pathologist, seeks the murderer.

The book is slow paced, which some reviewers have found off-putting, but it satisfies should one be looking for a cozy mystery set in contemporary times but harking back to the Golden Age mysteries.

[Audra Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://audrasbookblabbing.wordpress....

Cleanliness: Yuck (10+ curse words. Other content: smoking, drinking, mention of sex, descriptions of privates, religion, murder, and death.)

3.5 stars

This book was simply odd. I think I expected too much of it. There was mystery, a tiny bit of romance, and humor; but none of it was overly exciting or thrilling. I found the beginning very slow with too many details.

I couldn't figure out the time period of this tale for a while. I assumed it was 1800s because of the servants and titles (such as lord, lady, etc.), but then they got into their fancy cars and drove off. It was very modern with a twist -- which I enjoyed.

The mystery part of A Brush With Death was pretty good! It definitely wasn't Agatha Christie worthy (as it claimed on the back), but the author did a good job with keeping the mystery going. I did think it ended a little abruptly.

I have very mixed feelings on this book. I didn't mind reading it, but I would definitely not read it again.

~I was sent a free copy of this book from LibraryThing for an honest review~

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susie Mahl is an artist who specializes in pet portraits. While staying with friends, the Earl and Countess of Greengrass at their beautiful house in the village of Spire, the Earl is found dead and Susie with her witty and inquisitive nature quickly starts her own investigation into the murder.

I really enjoyed this light-hearted cozy mystery. Susie Mahl is a great detective. She is funny and witty and I loved how Carter combined a little bit of a country house murder as well as giving us some insight into the life of an artist. This is a great read for fans of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple with a dash of Downton Abbey.

This is Ali Carter’s first novel and the first book in the new series about pet portraitist and super-sleuth Susie Mahl.

I would like to thank the author and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Rebecca Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author spends more time describing the painting methods than the murder solving.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glittering, funny and sharply observed cosy murder mystery in a quintessential English country setting. Wonderful details, great characters and a welcome new talent.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. Some of the things I struggled with may be due to the fact I'm not as familiar with UK culture. I'll get back to that.

Susie Mahl is an artist who makes her living drawing portraits of pets for rich aristocrats in England. When she's hired she stays with the family for the weekend to observe the dog. (I find this incredibly strange, but maybe this is a thing). About five years ago, she met Earl Greengrass and his wife Diane. Since then they invite her to stay with them once a year. Because they are friends, sorta. (I really don't understand her relationship with this family. For an older couple who are very socially conscious, so much so that they don't like their daughter-in-law because she was lower class, I just don't get how Susie is ok for them socially. But moving on.)

Diane introduced Susie to the Codringtons, Ben and Antonia. They have an infant daughter and a dog named Situp. They hire Susie to come for a weekend to draw Situp. When Susie arrives she is introduced to another man, a friend of the family named Henry. They all spend the weekend together, Susie takes lots of sketches of the dog, and on the last morning (Sunday) Situp brings back a human bone. They happen to live next to a cemetary and Henry (who happens to be a doctor) volunteers to return the bone to the graveyard. After a minute Ben follows, and then Susie does as well. They all meet by the cemetary gate, Henry had already got rid of the bone, when they heard a strange sound. They go in the graveyard and by the church they see Earl Greengrass, dead.

Before the murder had even happened I knew Henry would be the guilty one. I'm not sure if Carter intended to have Henry be so obviously the killer, but it was pretty obvious. Alex (the Earl) had stepped out of service to relieve himself. Diane was the organist and was playing throughout the service. Their son Arthur had taken their children to a more kid friendly church down the road. And the daughter-in-law (Asquintha) was chillin at home. When Diane finds out Alex is dead, she asks Susie to come stay with her.

Susie of course says yes, accompanies her back to the house. (big huge house by the way). And then Diane suggests she stays with the Nanny in the Nanny's cottage. (HUH? so every time Susie visits she stays in the house, but now that the Earl has died, Diane wants her close but not too close? I just did not understand why she would be in the cottage not the house. And I really didn't see it add anything to the story. This was one of those UK culture things that maybe I'm ignorant of. And the British may think this makes perfect sense). And Susie is thrilled with this suggestion. Ok....?

Police are saying murder but not why. Susie decides to find out. Which I'm totally on board with (I mean, that's why I'm reading this book!) but Susie would find a clue and not bother to pass it on to the police, or in fact would hide it. She found a picture that she hid from the police. The potential murder weapon (it ended up not being one). A post-it with cryptic information. Most of these things lead to a dead end. But it did get her interacting with Toby, the coroner. The kicker was when she found a diary (that the police happened to overlook) and in the diary it talked of Alex having an affair with Princess Violet, and her son finding them. Princess Violet is Henry's mother and he was her only son.

So Henry is bitter that he was never acknowledged by his potential father. So he killed him. The motive was a little weak in my opinion. The murder was a little wishy washy as well. Overall, I can see potential with Susie. I'd give a sequel a read, but I really hope Carter (and her editors) smooth out some of the unnecessary inconsistencies.

The other suspects in the murder were obviously not the murderers. So as a reader, I wasn't struggling to figure this out at all. So that was a little disappointing.

Oh, and random side note. Susie is obsessed with expensive lingerie. I mean, I'm cool with characters having their own THING, you know? But this just came off weird to me. I'm not reading a romance, and while we hope there develops a romance with Susie and Toby, there wasn't any in this book. So it just came across as a single woman obsessing over her underwear. Didn't really relate to the story and it didn't add anything and it didn't really help me understand her character more.

[Christa Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super-sweet book. Light on suspense and intrigue, but pleasant with well-developed characters and great artistic metaphors. And cute dogs. He main character is an every-woman, and I liked her.

[Kate Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, easy to read novel which I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susie is an artist who paints pets, usually for the well-heeled in and around Sussex. Staying with her friends, the Greengrasses, while painting a neighbor’s dog, Susie becomes embroiled in the murder of Lord Greengrass. A pleasant whodunit, with a large cast of unique characters, a good debut for this author.

[Chazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Susie Mahl is an artist who does commission work, portraits of pets. She travels in the world of the aristocracy, as they are her best clients. And has learned the ways and manners of this British social class.

While visiting the Greengrasses at Beckenstale Manor, the family estate, she is introduced to the Codringtons who have just moved into Glebe House. The Codringtons commission Susie to do a portrait of their dog, at a later date.

During her stay with the Codringtons, Susie finds Lord Greengrass dead on the ground in the church cemetery. True, he is 75, but still active. Why should he suddenly be dead? The police suspect murder. Tops on the list of suspects are Arthur and Asquintha, the son and his wife of Lord Greengrass. Diana, Lady Greengrass, also has suspicions about Asquintha.

Diana asks Susie to stay on with her, while the investigation goes on and till after the funeral. With Susie's eye for detail and her drive for knowing if it truly is murder and who the killer is, she is out to solve the mystery.

When she meets up with mortuary clerk, Dr. Toby Cropper, she finds a helpmate of sorts in finding clues.

A fun, quick moving British cozy, I am looking forward to reading following books in this new series.

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first of this appealing new British country cozy mystery series, the spunky heroine applies her considerable skills of observation as an artist to solving murder most foul.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I hope it’s only the first of many to come!

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes! Susie is a professional artist who turns amateur detective after a friend is murdered. We spend less time worrying about the villain afoot and more digesting Susie's relationships with the country's lords and ladies, her eye for color and detail, and her appetite for expensive underwear and handsome men. The road to our conclusion leads down lanes of pedigreed pets, delicious foods, ultra posh etiquette and vocabulary choices, and [somewhat unexpectedly] Catholic duty.

It's not a thriller but it's not meant to be - it's cozy and I enjoyed it very much.

[Library Queen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm so darn bored.

It took about 2 hours to get halfway through the book, but it felt like more like 6 hours. I didn't care about anything or anyone in the book, and I skipped to the end, and yeah, the person I guessed was the killer.

I'm more than a bit bummed, as I love Agatha Christie, and was hoping this was gonna be like her.

If you like painting and the artistic process, you may like it more than I did. But to be honest, it felt somewhat pretentious.

[Verity W · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

********copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review ********

[Volare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Summer and beach read at best. Don't think I will continue on with this series. I figured out the murderer way too early and kept hoping it was a different character who would have made a more intriguing culprit. Susie's penchant for fancy underwear seemed like the author's desperate attempt to make her main character more interesting, when she is just silly.

[Laura Butcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

don’t bother

The only reason I give it 2 stars is that I did finish it. The plot is beyond implausible and our protagonist is annoying. The relationships between the characters do not ring true and we are given early observations and then asked to ignore them until the end of the book when the obvious murderer is revealed

[Nicole Grimm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh look, another wanna-be cozy British mystery series about a bright-eyed amateur sleuth (here, a pet painter? why??) who decides they have detective skills that surpass those of the professional police, without any objective basis for such belief. Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers could write those amateurs successfully. This author does not.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The British countryside, an artist, portraits of dogs, and murder. Perfect ingredients for a new cozy mystery series...at least new to me. Ali Carter spent much of this book digging into her main character, Suzy Mahl. And while I appreciate the character development, I hope Carter spends more time developing the mystery in the following books in this series. Overall, an easy and enjoyable read.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is very formally written and isn’t flowing well in my opinion. I’m bored. I know the topic/characters being upper class English gives it some formality, but even the descriptions about painting, color theory, the house, the people are so dry and dull. There’s no humor or really even warmth. I’m a painter myself and thought I’d really love this.

DNF

[Maryellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the descriptions of Susie's paintings and her interaction with the pets she makes portraits of. However, as a cozy English mystery it certainly wasn't a la Agatha Christie as stated on the back of the book. The mystery was too easy to solve. It's a good book to read on the beach or plane.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clunky writing but an interesting premise for the protagonist. An observant artist who travels to posh houses to paint dogs. but the mystery itself was obvious (despite crucial clues sprung at the end). And the characters cartoonish. DPL book

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some sweet moments but was very drawn out. Had elements of Agatha Christie but not nearly as good. It did not entertain me enough to want to read any more Susie Mahl mysteries but others may not see it the same way.

[WHPL Reference]

Find it at the West Hempstead Public Library http://encore.alisweb.org/iii/encore/...