★★★★★ 4
Enjoyable Scottish-Flavored Cozy Mystery, Although Not a Hard Solve
Format: Kindle
Ally is a 60-something-year-old woman who upends her life in Edinburgh to move to tiny Locharran in the Scottish Highlands and open a B&B in the old malthouse located on the estate (like the rest of the town) of the Earl of Locharran, Hamish Sinclair. She has her first paying guests in an older, English couple, and an American, Wilbur Carrington, who is investigating his Scottish roots -- and possibly his being the rightful Earl of Locharran? Ally's cleaning lady finds Wilbur with a knife in his back outside the B&B.
This is sure gonna' affect Ally's brand-new business! Of course, her kids back in Edinburgh are concerned for her safety as well. Along with the lecherous earl's attention to Ally, the murder at the local B&B makes Ally the intense focus of local gossip, so this spurs her into attempting to solve the murder herself, as the local gendarmes don't seem to be having much luck.
So...whodunnit? As soon as more folks showed up on the scene, renting rooms for Ally, the identity of the murderer(s?) became more clear. I still enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery; the new lab puppy; and the townfolk, even though this "Scottish" mystery was obviously written for an American audience w/ many stereotypes thrown in. 4 stars.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2025
