A Brush with Death

By: J.M. Hall

Narrated by: Julie Hesmondhalgh

‘An immersive and really satisfying mystery’ Faith Martin

‘As an iced drink in a heatwave … These characters and their families feel like old friends. A fantastic addition to the series.’ Fiona Leitch

Retired schoolteachers and amateur sleuths Liz, Pat and Thelma have a brand-new mystery to solve in this wonderfully witty cosy mystery.

Retired schoolteachers Pat, Liz and Thelma don’t know what to think. The death of Neville Hilton is not a crime. Just your standard, if tragic, heart attack. At least that’s what the autopsy shows.

But his ex-wife isn’t convinced. She’s sure the current Mrs Hilton is involved – maybe she wasn’t at some horse event, as she told police.

And so the three friends step away from their slices of cake to investigate.

As the trio delve into the village’s secrets, they uncover more than they bargained for – angry residents with old grudges and the echoes of a damning report that ruined lives all those years ago…

Can these unlikely sleuths untangle the web of lies and uncover the truth before anybody else dies?

The brand-new totally addictive, cosy mystery featuring these very unlikely sleuths. Fans of Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders will be hooked from the very first page.

©2025 J.M. Hall (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

‘Warm characters and wonderful writing… It’s steeped in Yorkshire like a mug of hot, strong tea… I loved it.’ SJ Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot

‘As delightful as it is deadly, A Pen Dipped in Poison is a feel-good, fun and fabulous cosy mystery that had me utterly gripped from page one. J.M. Hall proves once again he's one of our very best cosy mystery writers. I absolutely loved it’ Jonathan Whitelaw, author of The Bingo Hall Detectives

‘Malice and mayhem spur a school reunion of three modern Marples – and some of their Thirsk community learn a lesson they’ll never forget!’ Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, author of A Murder of Crows

‘The perfect page turning, guess-who cosy crime.’ Northern Life Magazine

‘This promises to be delightfully cosy crime.’ Daily Mail

‘This fun crime novel will have you hooked from the very first page.’ Woman’s Own

Lovely story of characters we’ve come to know & love.

The continuing adventures of these wonderful amateur sleuths doesn’t disappoint. A depth to the main characters is developing.

Magnificent narration once again