A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

I think this book moved slow at times. Love the setting and the characters were ok. For some reason I just could not connect with the story and characters. The mystery was predictable.

Once e again the four friends get involved in a murder investigation. Meanwhile a local returns as a bestselling author and environmentalist that no one likes. Between running the bookstore and cafe, helping keep the visiting author happy and investigating the murder, they have their hands full.
Goodreads

Book 2 in the Highland Bookshop mysteries. Janet and her partners at Yon Bonnie Books host a book signing for environmental writer Daphne Wood. Murder is afoot however and when Daphne ends up dead there is a killer to find. Nicely drawn characters, an intriguing plot and a real sense of place make this an enjoyable cosy mystery.

"The new mystery in the Highland Bookshop series, bringing together a body outside a pub, a visiting author determined to find the killer, and a murderously good batch of scones...

Inversgail, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands, welcomes home native daughter and best-selling environmental writer Daphne Wood. Known as the icon of ecology, Daphne will spend three months as the author in residence for the Inversgail schools. Janet Marsh and her business partners at Yon Bonnie Books are looking forward to hosting a gala book signing for her. Daphne, who hasn’t set foot in Scotland in thirty years, is . . . eccentric. She lives in the Canadian wilderness, in a cabin she built herself, with only her dog for a companion, and her people skills have developed a few rough-hewn edges. She and the dog (which she insists on bringing with her) cause problems for the school, the library, and the bookshop even before they get to Inversgail. Then, on the misty night they arrive, a young man―an American who’d spent a night in the B&B above Yon Bonnie Books―is found dead outside a pub.

Daphne did her Inversgail homework and knows that Janet and her partners solved a previous murder. She tries to persuade them to join her in uncovering the killer and the truth. To prove she’s capable, she starts poking and prying. But investigating crimes can be murder, and Daphne ends up dead, poisoned by scones from the tearoom at Yon Bonnie Books. Now, to save the reputation of their business―not to mention the reputation of their scones―Janet and her partners must solve both murders. And Daphne’s dog might be able to help them, if only they can get it to stop howling..."

Scotland, books, and murder? Some of my favorite things!

Molly MacRae has done it again! She's provided a delightfully cozy Scottish escape that will appeal to librarians, book store aficianados, and tearoom fans everywhere. Anyone who read the first book in the Highland Bookshop Mysteries series will welcome Janet, Tallie, Christine, and Summer as old friends who're almost family. They'll also welcome other quirky characters who make Glen Sgail a town one wants to visit. Even more impressive is Macrae's ability to keep the reader wondering who killed the off-putting visiting author and other characters. I barely figured out the solution before the SCONES, and I can hardly wait to see what happens next. Thanks to the Pegasus Books Ltd. and NetGalley for providing access to the electronic ARC.

An excellent mystery, set in western Scotland with appealing sleuths, tons of clues, and plenty of suspects.

When a former resident, author, and environmentalist returns to her home town to become the author-in-residence of the local high school her off-putting behavior stirs up plenty of trouble in the town. Beginning with the murder of a visitor outside a bar just before her early arrival to the contradictions in her character, this mystery will keep you turning the pages and guessing while you try to unravel the plot.

This is the second in a new(ish) series and for the most part was quite enjoyable. The characters seem well-fleshed out and it wasn't too difficult to transport myself to the very pretty sounding town of Inversgail, Scotland. There were three murders, the first of which seemed rather random, and it took the majority of the book to for anything to actually get moving. I almost gave up but enjoyed it much more once it reached that point - there was a lot of dithering prior to that, hammering home again and again that Murder Victim No 2 wasn't liked by any and the cause of much upset for all.

Still, I would like to read the first in the series, to see how the Americans wound up there, and will keep an eye out for any more in the series.

I was thrilled by the first book in the series and found it impossible to put down. This second in series is equally wonderful and I enjoyed it in one sitting, cover to cover. The premises is brilliant of four women who all move in the west coast town of Ingersgail in Scotland to purchase a 99-year young bookshop.
Janet, a retired librarian, and her daughter Tallie, a burned-out professor, have spent many summers in Scotland . Christine is from Inversgail and she returns to care for her aging parents. Summer attended Glasgow University and wanted to return to Scotland ever since.
The four run this beautiful bookshop and tea shop together. They are all budding detectives and are quite brilliant at hunting clues and finding suspects when a murder occurs.
I love the fast paced flow of this series, the outstanding location in Scotland and the smart independent women. The sleuth is always very well crafted and surprising at the end.
I look forward to the next in series. Thank you to the publisher for this ATC which did not influence my review.

I struggled with this book, for me it was not the right book at the right time. I may go back to it and re read again in the future. Fans of the series will enjoy this book.

Maybe it was my current mood when I started to read Scones and Scoundrels but I had a hard time getting into this, the second in the series after Plaid and Plagiarism. It just didn't work, overall. I had enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to this one. Somehow I had a hard time keeping people straight along with their relationships to each other. I love the setting and the concept of a bookstore paired with a bakery and the women involved in those enterprises have a good story to tell. But, when it came to the mystery, it just didn't come together for me, it dragged. For one thing, I really didn't care that Daphne, the second murder victim, was bumped off. I would have helped, she was so unlikeable. Maybe the pace along with my not giving a toss for Daphne was the problem. The jury is still out for me as to whether or not I will read the next in the series.

Inversgail, Scotland is in for a hurricane - in the form of environmental author and native daughter Daphne Wood. The Yon Bonnie Books women are hosting a book signing for Daphne and they fear her ridiculous demands may make it impossible to make her happy. When a stranger is murdered in town, Daphne wants to form the SCONES (with Janet, Christine, Tallie and Summer) to solve the mystery. This only leads to trouble and another murder.

Scones and Scoundrels makes a nice followup to the first Highland Bookshop Mystery. This one again finds Janet and the other Bookshop ladies embroiled in a murder mystery. I enjoyed reading about this team of ladies again and the storyline kept my attention. I thought Daphne was an odd one, but I enjoyed the investigation into the murders, and loved the Highlands setting. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Molly MacRae transports us to the Scottish highlands and a quaint bookshop/ teashop for her second Highland Bookshop mystery, Scones and Scoundrels. Visiting author, Daphne Wood, arrives in Inversgail to do a signing at the bookshop and become author in residence at the local school. While her attitude is less than inviting and she is quite peculiar, the bookshop ladies do their best to accommodate her, until she is found dead. With two other murders in town, they must work to solve the mysteries, all while selling books and eating perhaps far too many scones.

This book was a challenge - there seemed to be a lot of extraneous material that did not add to the plot, character development or really anything. There was very little focus on the mystery until the last 1/3 of the book, in which it became very rushed. It was difficult to take much of an interest in the characters as they were poorly developed and two dimensional, and even the small town setting was under-developed. Much of the novel seemed pointless. I am not normally one to continue with books that I do not like, but I did finish this one (although rather quickly as I just wanted it to be over). It is always difficult to write a poor review, and hopefully other novels in this series will be better.

Thank you to to Netgalley and Pegasus Books for an ARC in exchange for review.

An interesting mix of characters in this bookshop and cafe. I lked the interraction between the locals and the newcomers who had to adapt to life in a small Scottish town. The gentle humour reminded me of Alexander McColl Smith's style , and if a murder mystery can be gentle then this hits the spot.

A wonderfully put together mystery filled with a batch of charming characters and a location that would be on most people's bucket list. I didn't know which way to turn, their were so many suspects to choose from and motives abound. Who could it be and why were the questions I found myself asking over and over. When I thought I had it all figured out something else would pop out of the woodwork and lead me in a different direction. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, the highlands, and puzzle solving this is the series for you. I can't wait to see where the author leads us next.

Another charming entry in the Highland Bookshop Mystery series! Scones and Scoundrels by Molly MacRae has everything that I look for in a cozy mystery. The female leads aren’t too obnoxious, and there is also a picturesque setting of a small town in Scotland.
One of the issues I had with the first book in the series, Plaid and Plagiarism, was that I couldn’t figure out the personalities of the main characters. This issue still exists here in Scones and Scoundrels. The main four ladies of Janet, Tallie, Summer, and Christine are all sweet and kind, but I couldn’t come up with any personality trait for any of these ladies after I finished the book. The one character that stands out a bit is Summer, as she is not quite as perky as the other three, but this felt more like a setup for potential drama between the four in a future book.
The mystery was cute. It focuses on Daphne, an author returning to her hometown. Daphne behaves oddly, treating people rudely, and just doing different things that rile up the townspeople; some of the things she does are quite funny, others are just obnoxious. I thought Daphne was too over-the-top, so wasn’t surprised when she ended up dead! (Plus, it’s also in the blurb.) But, while the mystery of who killed Daphne was interesting, and I didn’t figure out the murderer until it was revealed in the book, it wasn’t exactly memorable. But that’s quite alright with me! I don’t read cozy mysteries for exciting, unforgettable plotting. I read them for the setting and characters, and Scones and Scoundrels definitely hit the mark in terms of setting!
There was a bit more of Scottish dialect that I noticed in this entry, and I really loved it! There’s also a hint of a secret whisky society, and that sounded like a lot of fun as well. So while the mystery and characters weren’t all that memorable, I did adore the setting of a small village in Scotland. I’ll definitely be reading more of this series when it’s published!
Bottom Line: Sweet and fun. Not terribly memorable, but that’s quite okay.

This is the first book I have read by Molly MacRae. It is also the second book in this series. I felt a little lost as far as the many characters in this book and I feel that had I read the first book in the series, I might have understood who was who and why they were in the story.

After getting through that bit of a hump, I enjoyed the story. There are references to the last book but not so much that it gives away the plot line of it.

In this story, a prodigal daughter returns home again to the small town in Scotland where she was raised. She is a famous author who has been living in the wilds of Canada. Literally, the wilds. She lives in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. While she is not an appealing individual, as the story evolves, one discovers why she acts as unpleasant as she does.


Janet, one of the American owners of Yon Bonnie Books (likewise in the same town) is almost dragged into solving the murder of a young American man. The road to finding the whodunnit is perilous and dangerous to others as well as Janet and her three co-owners. I didn’t see the solution until close to the end but there were clues left to follow.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

This book was my first step into Yon Bonnie Books/The Highland Bookshop Mysteries. Even with out reading book one I was enthralled. Getting used to the cast of characters was a bit jarring, but easy to follow. Once the "main character Janet" started leading the conversations it was easier to follow. I did figure out the language of Scottish Gaelic pretty easy. I thought this book could go on and on with story. I do want to see more of the tea room and B and B featured in the story. The character of Daphne is great fun. Her peculiarities and her eccentric life were fascinating. I was a little bummed and shocked when more bad or dangerous things would happen to the SCONES. The mother daughter relationship between Tallie and Janet is very strong, and I enjoyed their bonding moments. I could only imagine how the SCONES will go on from here. At the end of the book I was surprised by those break-ins and deaths. I was really on track to figure out with who did all the nasty things. I didn't suspect the person in the end. It was a great twist to the ending. I certainly want more from this author, and this series needs to continue. Until next time I will be dreaming of Scotland and Pekingese dogs.

3 stars - released 1-2-18

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series. I haven't read the first book, but didn't feel like I missed too many things because of that. There were enough references to the last book to fill in the missing pieces. This was a fun, easy, quick "cozy" mystery read. I've only read a couple of these kinds of books so don't have a large frame of reference, but this book was pretty good.

The story is set in Inversgail, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. Four friends from the U.S., Janet Marsh and her partners, moved there and opened up a bakery and book store in the small town. When they first moved there, they helped the local police solve a murder, so they think of themselves as amateur sleuths. In this book, the town welcomes back a former resident, Daphne Wood, that is now a famous environmental author. She is going to stay for 3 months as their resident author and teach classes.

Much to their surprise, Daphne is an abrasive women with very little social skills. She quickly becomes a problem for the school, the library and the book store where she is supposed to do her book signing. The night she arrives, a young American tourist is killed. Daphne tries to get the ladies to help her solve the murder and starts poking around town. As the mystery deepens and the crimes increase, the ladies have no choice but to get involved to help the local police solve the crimes again.

The main person, Daphne, was very unlikeable and I didn't like reading about her. Janet and her partners were pretty one-dimensional characters and didn't have much to add to the story. The book is very G - the murders are mentioned in passing, the characters (other than Daphne) are genteel and pretty generic and there is very little action in the book. Maybe this is pretty typical of a "cozy" mystery, I don't know. The identity of the killer and the reasons for the crimes seemed a bit rushed and didn't make a lot of sense. It almost seemed like an after-thought.

Overall, this was an ok, fun read. I may check out more of these books if I need a quick, easy read to pass the time.