Publication Day Review: Death on a Scottish Train: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly

 

Death on a Scottish Train: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly is the fourth book in this solidly good cozy mystery series that began with An American in Scotland. It has been about a year since Dr. Emilia McRoy left it all behind in Seattle and moved to Sea Isle, Scotland. The past year has been a lot, but she is happy. Other than the cold, she loves the place and the people and has made a number of friends. Life is pretty good and she feels more and more at home.

 

As the book begins, tourist season is almost over and the good doctor is worn out. So many tourists has meant an increased workload for her and that has made for long days. But, she promised to attend the Friday night train party and to help out a little bit. So, she is dressed up in her 1930’s outfit and is pushing through for her friends.

 

Her good friend, Mara, and a number of other folks have refurbished a train that has not run in the last fifty years. Now named the “Scottish Story Tellers Train,” it will run twice daily between Sea Isle and Edinburgh. On board will be a rotating group of storytellers that will share tales for tourists and locals. Tonight is the launch of the train from the local station (also refurbished) and will feature a rolling party of numerous people, food, storytellers, and more.

 

A fun evening goes a little wrong when one of the storytellers goes missing after he checked in and the train is well underway. The man had been heavily involved up to this point. He was clearly a bit nervous at check in, but the idea he just walked away before doing his storytelling part on the train seems a bit much.

 

It is only after the train returns to the station and the guests have left that a search party is organized to check the station and the surrounding area. It is the good doctor that finds him wedged into a broom closet at the back of the office. He vomited before death and has a yellow haze in the whites of his eyes and a blueish tint to his lips. He has been dead for some time as rigor is setting in. The good doctor is very sure it is murder. In her secondary role as corner, she will be in charge of the body for sometime as she assists local constable Ewan McGregor and his team in investigating the murder.

 

What follows is another strong read in this excellent cozy mystery series. Numerous relationships between characters continue to develop and evolve here so it is best to have read the previous books in the series. The mystery is complicated, much like the weather in Scotland, which continues to play its own role in this book and the series. The result is a highly entertaining read in Death on a Scottish Train: A Scottish Isle Mystery and one well worth your time.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44gpvF9

 

My digital ARC came from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

Review: Death at a Scottish Christmas: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly

Death at a Scottish Christmas: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly is the third read in this highly entertaining cozy mystery series that began with An American in Scotland. A lot has happened since Doctor Emilia McRoy arrived in Sea Isle, Scotland, back in August. As we roll into December here in this new book, it is best to have read the preceding books in the series.

 

The doctor is supposed to be off for the month of December until January 3rd. She is a tad bored on this December 10th as she is ready with her gifts, reorganized a closet, and caught up with her medical journals. Mara, manager of the Pig & Whistle Pub well as being a good friend, has recruited her to help out with various things as holiday parties and celebrating various events are a big deal in Sea Isle as are the tourists. But, she is still at loose ends.

 

That is until Mara calls with a request to help transport some members of the rock brand, Bram and the Strokers. Highly popular in the United Kingdom, they are to play in town to kick off the holidays. Their bus broke down shortly after leaving Edinburgh. Mara needs help getting the members and their equipment to town and the doctor has a SUV. She agrees helps ferry band members to town, and is there at the party/concert that evening. It was a great night. Though things got awkward several times between various people.

 

It was also the last time folks heard Bram sing. It was the doctor herself who found him sitting on a chair on the beach in very cold weather. The sun was up, but it was a cold morning, and he wasn’t dressed for it. As if he sat down to look at the sea and just went to permanent sleep.

 

Doctor Emilia McRoy also serves as the coroner and that means she has a joint investigation with Ewan Campbell, the town constable and much more. It also means that there is huge media publicity regarding Bram’s death. That publicity brings in Evan’s bosses, the media, and a lot more complications.

 

What follows is another twisty mystery that further solidifies many of the existing characters and brings in a couple of other new characters who might be around in subsequent books. Author Lucy Connelly continues to bring a very special place alive for readers while providing a lot of entertainment and mystery. This book, and the series as a whole, are well worth your time.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YmkDLe

 

My reading copy came by way of the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024 

Review: Death at a Scottish Wedding: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly

Death at a Scottish Wedding by Lucky Connelly is the second book in the Scottish Isle Mysteries that began with An American in Scotland. It is October in Scotland and the good doctor is finding life in Sea Isle, Scotland, quite a bit colder and a lot snowier than her old Seattle neighborhood. It has been three months since she arrived and took over the medical practice. She loves the place and the people. The weather- not so much.

Not only is she the doctor, she is also the coroner. That means she works with the local constable of Sea Isle, Ewan Campbell. He is also the mayor, laird, and her host the next few days at his castle known as Morrigan Castle. It is one of his many family homes. It has at 94 rooms. It has a support staff and generators for power and should be a beautiful place for a wedding.

It was until folks started dying during a major snowstorm.

Cutoff from the world, what-follows is a locked room style cozy mystery read where while the wedding moves forward, it does take a backseat to the deaths. Deaths that are clearly murders. The question is who is killing and why?

Death at a Scottish Wedding is a fun mystery that is a good read, but could have been better. Nearly every chapter has a hook at the end to encourage the reader to move forward and continue reading. Numerous times the hook is having a character or characters hear a noise and then our heroine, or somebody else, screams from the fright. It is done so much, it become laughable. Amazingly, none of the screamers ever need a throat lozenge.

We are also told again and again that Ewan and good doctor don’t mix well with each other. We already very much know that from the first book. Clearly the ongoing annoyance will lead to romance. The only question is when. But, in the meantime, the fact that they clash is pounded ad nauseum in the first half of this book as is other repetitive information.

While the above issues are strong in the first half of the book, they eventually stop in the second half of the book as the pressure of the situation ramps up considerably. The reader is left with a good cozy mystery that easily could have been way better, but is pretty good overall.

As always, one should read the first book in a series. That fact is very true here. If one chooses to start here, understand the previous events are well detailed in the begging chapters of Death at the Scottish Wedding.

The Amazon Associate image purchase box is not working so please pick up your copy here. 

 

My reading copy came by way of the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley with no promise of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND

Review: An American in Scotland: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly

Dr. Emilia McRoy has left it all behind to move to Sea Isle, Scotland. The small town and the countryside are beautiful and the local citizenry (for the most part), is thrilled to have her as they have been without a local doctor for quite some time. Moving here from Seattle, and an active ER full of violent trauma cases and other issues, to this quiet and peaceful place where the worst that might happen is some sort of fall or a newborn in distress is going to be a wonderful and very much needed change. At least, that was her plan.

 

She did not count on finding a body. She also did not realize she is the coroner as well.

 

That is her situation as, within hours of arriving, she has found the body of a local known to all as “Smithy.” The deceased apparently hated her family and very publicly threatened her just two hours ago. Now she has to deal with the annoying local constable, Laird Ewan Campbell, who is not quite treating her as a suspect, but that may chnage as rumors blaming her for his death have already begun to circulate among some of the locals. The good doctor and the local constable have not gotten off to a good start and she does not see any signs of that improving.

 

She also does not see what is coming as the threats increase and other folks become endangered. Much is going in An American in Scotland: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly and the good doctor is in the middle of it.

 

This reader very much enjoyed this complicated and highly entertaining mystery. I’m not much of a cozy mystery reader, but this one worked really well in all aspects. The characters are complicated, the scenery and the weather is a character in to itself, and the story is one that moves forward at a steady pace with lots of twists and turns. There is also some humor and I found myself laughing out loud at points.

 

I would not have known about it at all except for Lesa Holstine’s recent review which convinced me to take a chance on it tough my local library. Glad I did as the read happens to be one of my favorite books of the year so far.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4lYffI1 

 

My reading copy came by way of the Prairie Creek Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS & GIVE ME A “C” GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS & GIVE ME A “C” GIVEAWAY

Lesa's Book Critiques: AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND BY LUCY CONNELLY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND BY LUCY CONNELLY