Murder at a Scottish Castle by Traci Hall

Item: Murder at a Scottish Castle
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted January 22, 2024 by karenbaron in Mystery, Review, Series / 3 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Murder at a Scottish Castle

by Traci Hall

Series: Scottish Shire Mystery #5
Series Rating:

Published by Kensington Cozies on January 23, 2024
Setting: Nairn, Scotland
Genres: Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery
Pages: 304
Format: Kindle, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Nook

USA Today bestselling author returns with the latest novel in a Scottish seaside cozy knitting mystery series featuring busy single mom Paislee Shaw, owner of a specialty sweater shop, knitting enthusiast, and reluctant sleuth who must untangle another murderous yarn!

With the summer days getting shorter in the seaside village of Nairn, the annual bagpiping competition at Ramsey Castle promises to be quite the end-of-season blowout. Paisley has snagged a special invitation from the dowager countess, who wants to showcase her cashmere goods in the castle gift shop, and she’s brought her son Brody, Grandpa, and their black Scottish terrier Wallace.

There’s a fierce rivalry between Robert Grant, the Earl of Lyon, and last year’s winner Jory Baxter, with Grant loudly vowing to show up the blowhard Baxter and claim clan bragging rights. But the reigning champion has barely put the reed to his lips when he turns red and collapses, soon to take his dying breath. DI Zeffer suspects foul play.

With a possible murderer in their midst, the rest of Nairn won’t breathe easy until Paisley applies her sleuthing skills to make sure justice is served and the killer pays the piper . . .

Murder at a Scottish Castle by Traci Hall has Paislee Shaw solving the mystery of why Jory Baxter collapsed while playing the bagpipes.

Will Paislee get to the bottom of the mystery?

Paislee Shaw

Paislee Shaw is a young mum to a twelve-year-old boy and lives on a budget. She is also the owner of a specialty sweater shop from which one can also buy yarn. Pasilee has made it to the big time if the dowager countess wants to have some of Paislee’s cashmere knitting projects in her gift shop at the castle. Paislee is a good person who has a lot on her plate and two budding romances. I like Paislee, and I think she is doing a great job raising her son and her store and life. However, Paislee would probably beg to differ on that last one.

Jory Baxter, the Victim

Jory Baxter is a new bagpiper that Clan Cunningham found for last year’s competition to beat Clan Grant, who are the owners of the castle where the competition is held. He thought of himself as this gift to the ladies. This was also showcased while playing the bagpipes as he thought he had all the ladies swooning after him. Sadly, that wasn’t the case with most of everyone at the competitions. Jory kept many things about himself a secret, including from his teammates. Jory Baxter, while alive and dead, was not a good person. I feel sad that he died so young, but it was the way he acted alive that got him killed in the end.

Five Stars

I am giving Murder at a Scottish Castle by Traci Hall five stars and a recommendation. Ms. Hall did a fantastic job of writing, making me feel like I was actually in Scotland helping out Paislee. This story had me captivated from the beginning to the end. I adored Wallace, and I loved the idea of Paislee’s shop. Paislee has a great friend who supports her while pushing her out of her comfort zone on a few things. I know that almost everyone deserves a friend like that.

Scottish Shire Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder at a Scottish Castle by Traci Hall.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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About Traci Hall

From cozy mysteries to seaside romance, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall writes stories that captivate her readers. As a hybrid author with over sixty published works, Ms. Hall has a favorite tale for everyone.

Mystery lovers, check out her Scottish Shire series, set in the seaside town of Nairn, or the Salem B&B Mystery series, co-written as Traci Wilton. Her latest project is an Irish Castle cozy as Ellie Brannigan. Whether it’s her ever-popular By the Sea romances, an Appletree Cove sweet romance, or a fun who-done-it, Traci finds her inspiration in sunny South Florida, living right near the ocean.

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