I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it both for settings and story.

A Brush With Death by Malcolm Parnell.

Harry Chase is down in the dumps after a split from his girlfriend Marcia who has suddenly decided to leave the area and Harry without explanation. He is trying hard to make a living through his painting and teaching at a local village hall a local art group. He is hit by the wing mirror of a car and then hit while standing in a field. What is this and why should anyone want to hurt him. Perplexed he takes his group on a painting break to the Dorset coast, but he and members of the group are peppered with life threatening incidents. What does it all mean?

The author does well to give a picture of this quite inoffensive young man and yet leave a little disquiet as to if this is the whole picture. The short prologue shows a boy called Peter out playing in the local stream with a net and jam jar and leaves a question mark as to how this relates to the main character who is Harry Chase. This question is left to the very end which finishes up with a Poirot like scene lead by Harry.
All the characters in the painting group are well structured and believable with the reader left in suspense as to who may be involved in the attacks which become more frequent and increasingly dangerous. The portrait of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast and the rolling hills beyond the small harbours and bays was a delight. Made me want to seek out the Bull Hotel at Lyme Regis!

A very good plot line, with a lot of characters that could have been difficult to bring to a conclusion but was handled well, aided by the overall theme of the art field-work trip. These characters were well balanced by the friends of Harry who made up the numbers and provided some relief from the painting and sketching, with their frequent fishing trips. Overall this was an enjoyable story and a good debut novel.

Thanks to NetGalley.