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.
Belinda Witzenhausen 