#NetGalley #BookReview An American in Scotland (A Scottish Isle Mystery #1) by Lucy Connelly #Cozy #Mystery

Review 

An American in Scotland

(A Scottish Isle Mystery #1) 

by  

Lucy Connelly  

Release date: March 29th, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐

I received a complimentary ARC copy of An American in Scotland (A Scottish Isle Mystery #1) by Lucy Connelly from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review. 

… I really enjoyed Emelia’s character, I love protagonists who are intelligent, strong, down to earth, yet vulnerable… 

In this debut novel from Lucy Connelly, we are introduced to Dr. Emilia McRoy, who after a few traumatic years of struggling with her husband’s death and burnout from working in a high stressed busy Seattle ER department decides to chuck it all in to move to her ancestorial home of Sea Isle, Scotland. Upon her arrival she is overwhelmed, everything is perfect, her home and office are in a converted old church with all the medical equipment she could dream of. Her helper and gardener are amazing, and everyone is thrilled to have a doctor in town and treat her like royalty…. well, almost everyone.

When the local curmudgeonly con artist Smithy zeros in on the fact that Emilia is related to the McRoy’s, who he feels ruined his family he has a lot to say her first night at the local pub. Smithy’s behavior aside, Emilia is growing fond of Sea Isle but was not prepared for the sudden changes in the weather. While out on a walk she seeks shelter from a sudden storm only to stumble into a structure that contains Smithy’s dead body. Emilia, convinced it is foul play, becomes suspicious when the Deputy Chief Constable/Laird/Mayor Ewan Campbell arrives and quickly dismisses the idea. She also realizes that she should have checked the fine print on her contract much sooner as Ewan informs her that she is also now the town’s coroner. The story takes off from there moving at an extremely fast pace. Filled with science, mystery, missing bodies, mayhem, a blossoming love triangle and plenty of red herrings to keep one guessing to the end.

I really enjoyed Emelia’s character, I love protagonists who are intelligent, strong, down to earth, yet vulnerable. I was also impressed by her supporting characters, the friendships they form felt genuine. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Connelly’s writing and I really look forward to reading more about Emilie and her experiences in Sea Isle. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an amazing cozy mystery.

#NetGalley #BookReview Fateful Words (Scottish Bookshop Mystery #8) by Paige Shelton #Cozy #Mystery

Fateful Words

(Scottish Bookshop Mystery #8)

by Paige Shelton

Release date: April 4th, 2023  

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Fateful Words (Scottish Bookshop Mystery #8) by Paige Shelton from Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press /Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.  

…Seamlessly weaving history and nods to Scottish literature into the story in a way that does not feel like an info dump, but it becomes another layer of the story....

Life has returned to normal for Delaney Nichols and her husband Tom after the events of the previous book in the series, The Burning Pages. When the owner of the Cracked Spine and Delaney’s employer, Edwin MacAlister is mysteriously called out of town with co-worker Hamlet, Delaney is asked to guide his yearly literary tour around Edinburgh and her co-worker Rosie, and her dog Hector will mind the shop. Edwin’s tours are infamous, and readers clamor to be able to fill one of the four spaces Edwin reserves for his special pen pals. Delaney, a recent transplant from Kansas herself, feels out of her depth, unsure whether she could live up to Edwin’s one-of-a-kind tours.

Delaney meets the four tourists Luka, Meera, Kevin, and Gunter at the local inn across from the bookshop after locking up. While waiting Delaney senses a strange atmosphere among the staff and is then informed by the Inn manager Geoff, that Edwin’s credit card had been declined. Edwin, who is financially well off, never has had issues with his finances, so Delaney uses her card knowing she will get it back.

When in the evening Delaney spots one of the young hotel clerks barely able to stagger out the door, her and her husband Tom decide to call an ambulance, but seconds later there is a commotion around the other side of the building. When it appears, someone has jumped or was pushed off the Inn’s roof Delaney fears that she will have to call the tour off but when the other members wish to continue Delaney decides to press on, but something does not feel right. Then one of the tour members disappears while on a lunch excursion. It is beginning to become clear that the death, missing member, and Edwin’s unexplained absence are all connected, and she feels it is her responsibility to get to the bottom of things before anyone goes missing or gets hurt.

One thing I love about the author is the way she almost makes the city of Edinburgh a character in itself. Seamlessly weaving history and nods to Scottish literature into the story in a way that does not feel like an info dump, but it becomes another layer of the story. Like her previous books in the series Fateful Words is filled with intrigue, red herrings and unique quirky characters making this another classic cozy that will keep you guessing to the very end. Although not my favorite in the series this was a wonderfully enjoyable installment, and I cannot wait to read more of Delaney’s adventures. I highly recommend it.

#NetGalley #BookReview ~ The Raven Thief (Secret Staircase Mystery #2) by Gigi Pandian #Mystery #Cozy #LockedRoom

The Raven Thief

(Secret Staircase Mystery #2)

by Gigi Pandian

Release date: March 21st, 2023

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Raven Thief (Secret Staircase Mystery #2) by Gigi Pandian from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press /Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.  

…is an utterly unique and extremely fun cozy mystery blended with a slight touch of magic….…

Being a fan of Gigi Pandian, I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to read and review The Raven Thief, the second book of her locked room Secret Staircase Mystery Series.

Picking up after the events of book one, Tempest is living at Fiddler’s Folly with her grandparents and is now working at the Secret Staircase Construction, her family’s company. Busy recreating a new life for herself after moving from Vegas, she is slowly adapting.  

Currently, the family business is focused on their client Lavinia who is going through a tumultuous divorce from her philandering ex-husband the infamous has-been mystery author Corbin Colt. Lavinia has gone to great lengths to reinvent her life, including completely renovating her house, using the Secret Staircase Construction Company to create a magical mystery themed place for her Mystery book club members to meet at. When Lavinia decides to conduct a purging ceremony including the burning of Corbin’s left behind belongings, Tempest’s dear friend Sanjay agrees to perform a fake séance for the divorcee hoping to banish the last bad memories of Corbin. In the middle of the séance the room goes dark and when the lights reappear so does Corbin’s dead body, splayed on top of the séance table surrounded by all the attendees. In a locked room, how did the killer get in or was the killer there all along?  

When family secrets come back to haunt her and suspicion is cast towards Tempest’s grandfather Ash, the clock is ticking for her to get to the bottom of it and save her family.  

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian is an utterly unique and extremely fun cozy mystery blended with a slight touch of magic. One of my favorite things about all her books is Padian creates diverse, quirky, multi-faceted characters who all feel well-formed and really add to the story. My only complaint would be the series through plot with her mother feels a bit slow and repetitive at times.  

This entry really has it all, a complex, interesting mystery with thrill, chills, and intrigue. I really enjoyed this entry and look forward to hearing more of Tempest Raj’s adventures.

#NetGalley #BookReview Death Comes to the Costa del Sol (Astrid Swift #3) by M.H. Eccleston #Mystery

Review

Death Comes to the Costa del Sol

Astrid Swift #3

by M.H. Eccleston

Release date: March 2nd, 2023

🌟🌟🌟🌟

(3.5 rounded up)

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I received a complimentary ARC copy of Death Comes to the Costa del Sol (Astrid Swift #3) by M.H. Eccleston from Net Galley and Head of Zeus Publishing in order to read and give an honest review.

…characters are incredibly quirky and entertaining as is finding out the identity of the troll…

Desperate for some R & R after the events of book two Death on the Isle Astrid decides to visit her estranged father and stepmother Jennifer in Estipona on the coast of Spain. One of her main reasons for visiting Costa del Sol is to mend fences with her father and get to the bottom of a family feud. When her stepmother Jennifer asks for help with an online troll whose been terrorizing both Jennifer and her tight-knit group of ex-pat friends, Astrid feels obligated to help. On twitter, a troll keeps posting the victims’ deepest secrets with threats of more to come. The eclectic group begs Astrid to get to the bottom of it before everyone becomes aware of their deepest darkest and potentially damaging secrets. When it seems that her father is keeping secrets of his own, Astrid needs to solve more than one puzzle. 

Having absolutely loved the previous books, I was looking forward to reading this entry into the series but for me although it still had its usually brilliant and quirky characters, the plot fell somewhat flat for me in comparison. The murder which occurs after the halfway point is answered in the end but more in passing and the ending felt rushed. I would recommend this alone for trolling storyline, the characters are incredibly quirky and entertaining as is finding out the identity of the troll, but the murder mystery was lackluster and felt like an afterthought in my opinion.