Blog Stop for Bookouture 9-21-2025
Come along to the small, Highland village of Locharran where a writers’ retreat turns deadly.
This is the third in the Ally McKinley cozy mystery series. Ally, owner of the Auld Malthouse B&B, is providing guest accommodations for some of the women attending, including the guest of honor, famous novelist Jodi Jones. Unfortunately, the author is found dead the first night. When Detective Inspector Rigby arrives at the scene, he suffers a heart attack and a replacement is sent to do the investigation. Of course Ally will assist in any way she can. The mystery deepens as she does some sleuthing and discovers accusations of infidelity and plagiarism leveled against the murdered Jodi Jones. One of the women attendees is indeed the killer, but which one. Then another woman is found dead.
This was generally as predictable as expected with the red herrings and the suspects being eliminated one by one. A few surprises might catch one off guard, but the conclusion is satisfying even if foreseeable. Ally is a decent character but maybe just a little too much sometimes with how she ends up everywhere doing everything around the whole town. I mean nobody is so all that all the time. Not a fan of the Ross relationship as it’s just, again, formulaic and a convenient trope. I like reading these cozy mysteries after a run of hard core thrillers just for a reset.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I’ve read both previous books in this series and recommend that anyone looking for a modern cozy set in the Scottish Highlands start at the beginning.
This is the third book in the series.
Genre and tags - cozy mystery, contemporary, murder, amateur sleuth, Scottish Highlands
No comments:
Post a Comment