Murder in a Scottish Garden is a charming, cozy read that’s got enough pull to keep you turning the pages, but is not so scary to make it hard to read before bed. Traci Hall does a beautiful job of capturing the Scottish accent in her dialogue without it feeling campy or forced, and the small town feel of the characters relationships to each other makes it really easy to get invested in all aspects of the story. I can’t wait for the next title in the series!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Paislee is working as a school chaperon, when a man runs out of the woods and dies almost at her feet. All while she holds the bathroom door to keep a young girl safe. Another good story in the series. Would like to see more with the her and the DI though. Might just be me, but like him more than the guy at the school. I like how the characters of grandfather and her son also continue to grow, and her group of friends of course. Highly recommend this book and series.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this book incredibly interesting the author really kept me hooked until the end. very well written I highly recommend.

While chaperoning a school field trip to a garden maze on a grand estate, Paislee somewhat witnesses a murder. At first she thinks it’s her landlord who recently gave her notice to vacate her business premises. It is soon realized it is her landlord’’s cousin. How did he get there and where did he come from? With a shady background did his past catch up to him or did someone from the staff of the manor house do away with him. Paislee gets entangled in the investigation as her life seems to be spinning away. She is asked to help by the lady of the estate, who is her landlord’s mother, and the local constabulary who recognizes her keen observation skills.

Meet Paislee Shaw, single parent to her ten-year-old son Brody and the proprietor of Cashmere Crush, a specialty sweater and yarn shop in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn, known as “the Brighton of the North,” is a seaside town in the Loch Ness region of Scotland. Paislee inherited her interest in knitting from her dear departed grandmother, someone so important to her that she still calls upon Gran for psychic advice and guidance.

Paislee is a devoted mum who works hard to keep the roof of her son’s head. In addition to Brody, Paislee’s eccentric, formerly estranged, grandfather and Wallace, her black Scottish terrier, make up her household. She has a loyal circle of friends, “devoted local crafters,” who come to her shop each week for a Knit and Sip gathering. Paislee rents her shop from Shawn Marcus, as do the other shopkeepers on her block. Everyone is upset when their landlord serves them with an eviction notice. Piling on the distress, Shawn disappears, making it impossible for Paislee and the other tenants to reason with him. Well, if the Mountain won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the Mountain—Paislee decides to beard Shawn at his family home, the Leery Estate. She feels quite desperate.

Her shop, Cashmere Crush, was Paislee’s sole source of income to keep food in the Shaw family’s mouths. She had five days to appeal to his compassion and stop him from going through with the sale. Paislee was tempted to petition Lady Shannon Leery herself if Shawn kept playing games.

Fortuitously, she is scheduled to chaperon Brody’s class on a field trip to the gardens at the Leery Estate. Paislee is confident that she can make Marcus see reason but that’s not how the day turns out. Paislee is horrified to see a man falling out of the hedges after being shot. No, the dead man isn’t Shawn Marcus but rather Lady Leery’s nephew, Charles Thomson. The police interrogate Paislee, and she never does track down Marcus.

Paislee and the other tenants are very perturbed about their pending eviction. Somehow she needs to get back to the Leery Estate. Paislee’s best friend Lydia, a talented real estate agent, invites her to be her platonic plus-one at a grand dinner at the Leery Estate. It’s a corporate celebration of a very successful real estate season. What a contrast to Paislee the chaperon, shepherding school kids. Lydia makes sure Paislee has dressed appropriately and primed for the festivities. But of course, talk of the murder is inevitable. After pouring each of them a glass of white wine, Lydia says, “Tell me everything while I do your makeup.” Detective Inspector Zeffer, the new guy in law enforcement in Nairn, comes in for some criticism from the locals.

“That was the topic of conversation at the office as well.” Lydia combed out Paislee’s hair. “One of my clients swears he’s ready tae haul Inspector Shinner oot of retirement tae show the new lad how tae run Nairn.”



Paislee groaned, caught by a pang of sympathy for Zeffer that she wouldn’t admit to anybody. “I’d hoped he would’ve caught the killer by now.” No phone calls, no texts. “But I did find out that Charles was a scam artist when he lived in London. Maybe he ripped off the wrong person? This was revenge?”



“Way more reasonable than havin’ your cousin shoot ye while you’re visiting the family estate.”

Paislee soaks up impressions of the Leery Estate, memorizing the discrepancies between the impression the Leery family strives to make and the reality of an estate suffering financially. She goes behind the scenes to poke around and ask questions of the servants. Paislee has much to consider when she goes over the evening’s events in her mind.

What should I do, Gran? I feel caught between a rock and a hard place.



The front door opened. Paislee wasn’t the least surprised, given how her day had been, to see the broad shoulders and russet hair of Detective Inspector Zeffer.



“Hello,” she said.



The detective strode toward her, unsmiling. “How was the party?”



Paislee knew that it galled the DI to even ask. “Interesting. The meal was a million courses long, and they use real crystal and porcelain china.”

Paislee knows perfectly well that Zeffer isn’t the slightest bit interested in her artless commentary. She’s pulling his chain.

“You know I dinnae care aboot the fish course, right?”



She held his gaze. He wanted information. So did she. “Aye. I noticed all the guns in the cabinet were gone.”



He half-smiled at that. “They’re at the station.”



“The butler told me. Malcolm.” Paislee picked up her yarn and needles. “He seemed certain that none of them were the rifle that shot Charles.”



Zeffer stroked his clean-shaven chin. “Perhaps. In any event, I willnae release them until the case is closed.”

It seems Zeffer realizes he won’t be closing the case without Paislee Shaw’s help. As a mother of a young boy, Paislee understands Lady Leery’s sorrow over Shawn, a rather troubled gentleman. Paislee uses empathy, doggedness, and the power of observation to solve a Murder in a Scottish Garden. She’s a very likable and relatable heroine—making good decisions with the help of other-worldly advice from her Gran. Traci Hall keeps it real in the second Scottish Shire Mystery—and the gorgeous seaside setting and delectable descriptions of Scottish treats add to the enjoyment.

Traci Halls second book in the Scottish Shire Series is just as charming as her first! Paislee Shaw is searching for her absent landlord, Shawn Marcus, who has served her and other shop owners with an eviction notice. Paislee discovers Shawn is an heir to the Leery Estate, which is exactly the place her son Brody, is going on a field trip with his class. Paislee signs up to be a chaperone hoping to catch up to Shawn and demand some answers. While at the estate, Paislee is witness to a murder, watching as a body falls out of a hedge. Now, she must help find the killer to get the answers she needs.

I have completely embraced this series. Paislee is a strong woman, who’s loyal to her family and friends. This cozy mystery combines all the elements of a cozy. A charming small town, a relatable amateur sleuth, devoted friends and a plethora of suspects. Not to mention an arrogant detective and an uncertain headmaster. This is a series you will want to follow.

Another sweet cozy mystery that I loved better than the first book in the series. I tend to find with cozy series the second book is always better than the first. Because you have the setting built and the characters developed.

I am completely enamored with this series. Scotland is on my bucket list so I find the setting fabulous and I adore Paislee, the protagonist. Paislee is a single mom and nothing ever seems to go right for her. The storyline is incredibly well written and I loved trying to figure out the clues.

Really enjoyed this book, not that I was surprised. I haven't read a book by Traci Hall that I did not like.

In this book you meet Paislee who reminds me a lot of myself, it seems like things always happen to her. She takes her son Brody to school and is always late. She is trying to juggle a house, a business of her own selling yarn, and a ten year old son. Her son is going to get detention if she continues to get him to school late. Also one morning a new Police Detective shows up to the shop with an older man beside him. Turns out it is her Grandpa Angus Shaw. He can't locate his son and he is homeless and sleeping on a park bench.

Maybe having Grandpa come live with her and Brody may be the best thing to happen to her since she lost her Grandmother. She also finds out that the girl who used to work with her, that she was going to rehire, has been murdered.

If you want a very good book that will keep you guessing what's going to happen next, and who could have done it, then this is the book for you. Really enjoyed it from start to finish I think you will too.

As the mother of Brody, a ten-year-old boy, caretaker of Wallace, a Scottish terrier, and owner of Cashmere Crush, a custom-made sweater and yarn shop, Paislee Shaw’s schedule was constantly disrupted, causing her to be late for everything. Now that Grandpa is living with them, things should be a lot easier—except it’s not. After a stressful start with Grandpa, things at home are smoothing out for the most part. It’s not family life that’s causing so much stress now—it’s the dead bodies that keep turning up.

Paisley was room mother for a school outing to the fabulous Leery Estate. While the children waited to go into the maze, one had to make an emergency trip to the restroom. As Paisley waited outside the door, she heard a gunshot, and saw a body fall through the hedge. It looked like Shawn Marcus, her landlord at the store, and heir to the Leery Estate.

Despite her lease, Shawn delivered a letter saying the building had been sold and tenants had thirty days to relocate. Then he disappeared, leaving them in limbo. Now the thirty days are nearly up, no other locations are suitable, and where is Shawn? Unless, that’s him on the lawn.

A closer look proves the body is not Shawn but his cousin, Charles. Is his death due to his own shaky past or was it a case of mistaken identity? Shawn claims there were other attempts on his life, but he’s a drunk and could have imagined the threats. Shannon, his mother, is an eccentric older woman, surrounded by men who are in love with her. Also on hand, her daughter who no one knew about, the maid, the butler, her current lover, and her accountant, a frequent visitor. Motives are there, means, too, opportunity, probably. Paislee is involved because her business is in jeopardy and the little girl who needed the restroom claims Paislee locked her in, causing her emotional distress. Her parents want to sue. Paislee feels letting the kid out when there was an active shooter would have been more stressful.

This is book two in the series. Grandpa has lost a lot of his grumpiness, Brody is a delightful kid, and Wallace—who can resist a Scottish terrier? I enjoy this series a lot. My only problem was this time characters had similar names—Shannon, Shayla, Shawn (sometimes referred to by his last name, Marcus), Malcolm, Midge, Aila, Alexa, Arran, Graham, Grant, Gavin. Some are minor characters but most show up regularly and caused a pause as I remembered who was who. I’m looking forward to Murder at a Scottish Social, coming in January 2022.

Paislee Shaw owns Cashmere Crush, a specialty sweater shop in Nairn, Scotland. She’s working hard as a single Mom to make a living to support her family--son Brody, Gramps and Scottish Terrier Wallace. Unfortunately, landlord Shawn Marcus, who owns the building where Cashmere Crush is located, may not renew her lease and that puts everything at risk. When Shawn disappears and Paislee can’t get any answers, she has to think outside the box to get in touch with him.

Shawn’s family owns Leery Estate and when Brody’s school is scheduled to visit on a field trip, Paislee volunteers as a chaperone. Maybe she can find a way to meet with Shawn or get a family member to give a message to him. All is going well until a gunshot rings out and Paislee witnesses the victim falling through a hedge. It’s Lady Leery's nephew, Charles Thomson. Paislee is soon sorting through the suspects with DI Mack Zeffer, all while still trying to track down Shawn and get the scoop on what he plans to do with the building she leases.

Author Traci Hall has built a lovely community of interesting characters and created a cozy mystery you’ll enjoy figuring out.

Book 2 in this series was even better if that's possible! I love the authors details to everything Scottish, so much so you feel you are there! A surprise ending I'm left wishing for more books in this series and I'm not patient! Loved this book!

This is the second book in this series and it is even better then the first. This series has great characters and is set in a wonderful location. I cannot wait for the next book.

Paislee is looking forward to chaperoning a field trip for her son's class. She is taking the opportunity to also speak with her landlord while at his estate. When someone is murdered right in front of Paislee, she is determined to help the police find out what happened.

I adore Paislee and her family. I just love seeing her run her store and deal with being a single mom. I love seeing so much of her life, too. There's the mystery but she also has a life outside of that. I really don't like how the headmaster of the school treated her, especially since they were friendly. He seemed awfully petty about the issues. I'm excited to read more from this series and I hope that Paislee finds someone to be with too!

A fun cozy mystery, set in Scotland. Paislee Shaw has the most charming family; the characters are all nicely developed. I simple ADORE Wallace, that cute Scottish terrier you see on the front cover. I didn't even realize this was book #2, but I didn't feel like I missed anything while reading book #2 (but of course, book #1 is now calling my name!).

I was completely intrigued with the murder mystery that Paislee sets out to solve. I was quite fascinated with the Leery Estate, its heirs, and all the inter-workings of a big house like that.

Also, I just loved hearing about Nairn, Scotland, in general. What a marvelous place it sounds like! Would like to visit there myself one day.

Recommended for: Adults & Teens
Suitable for: Ages 13 & up

This is the second book in the series and as great as the first book, Murder in a Scottish Shire. Once again the protagonist is Paislee Shaw, a resident of Nairn, single mother as well as sole support of her son Brody, Wallace the Scottish Terrier, and her grandfather, the rather eccentric but likeable Wallace.

Paislee is the owner of Cashmere Crush, a yarn and custom sweater shop.
She is shocked when she receives news from her shop’s landlord Shawn that she is being evicted. Shawn then disappears shortly after serving her with the eviction notice. Desperate to save her shop, Paislee begins a quest to find Shawn in order to try to reason with him to change his mind.

Paislee tracks down Shawn at the Leery Estate of which Shawn is the heir while on a school class trip with Brody. There she comes across Shawn’s cousin Charles who stumbles out of a bush and dies in front of her.

Naturally, Paislee launches an investigation of Charles’s death. Despite being told by the detective in charge of the case to stay out of it, Paislee perseveres. What she finds is the completely dysfunctional Leery family, all of whom except for Shawn have strong motives to have committed the crime and questionable alibis.

The plot is creative and the characters well-developed. The characters tend to speak in a Scottish dialect which I found annoying but other readers may find charming as it does add to the setting and pull you into the story. If you like cozy mysteries with a dysfunctional family full of likely suspects, a great setting, and an intelligent and determined amateur detective, you will, as I did, enjoy this book

I did enjoy the characters in book with it being well written and the characters and setting being well described.
With the descriptions you will feel as though you are in Scotland and going through the struggles our main character is as she is served an eviction notice on her yarn shop having to evacuate in thirty days.
When presented with the golden opportunity of chaperoning her son's class filed trip to the landlord's mother's mansion she expects to run into him there as he's a bit elusive.
When a murder occurs almost under her nose the sleuthing begins.
Attention keeping book.


Pub Date: 25 May 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I mentioned in my review of the first that this series that it was a promising premise. This promise was extended with this next one. It did not feel like a whole other book, but an additional section to the last. It seamlessly continues from the situations in the last visit to the town, and I would not recommend picking this up without having read the previous one.
The story begins with Paislee on a field trip with her son's class. She has been given a few kids to handle as they visit the gardens of the local bigwigs. She has a small agenda of her own once within the gates, but before she can act on them, a shot is heard, and chaos ensues. We have a small cast that carries the entire story on their shoulders, reducing the number of guesses that we have for the criminal(s). This essentially means that even before the final scenes, I knew who was responsible.
The characters, their personal issues and the cooling-off of any romantic entanglements in Paislee's life all added drama to the background, sharing focus with the central plot. In addition, the language used has the accent built-in, which makes for some adventurous reading. Although this series does not answer as many questions about the past as I hoped or built up too many new plotlines, I would pick up the next one if I get the chance!
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

The latest installment in the “A Scottish Shire Mystery” series, Murder in a Scottish Garden is a great addition. The main characters in this series keep getting better, and even though this is book two, readers will feel as if these characters are long-time friends. Paislee’s sweater and yarn shop are in danger when the landlord sends an eviction notice and then disappears, leaving everything up in the air and the future uncertain. Paislee has to find a way to talk to him but wasn’t expecting to have a murder involved when she did.

A man is killed while Paislee is chaperoning a school outing for her son at the estate owned by her landlord, Shawn. After watching the man stumble out of the bushes and die practically at her feet, she has no choice but to help find the killer. Her sweater and yarn store are everything to her family; if she loses it, her son, grandfather, and her dog will be out on their ears with nothing. Even though the DI on the case doesn’t want her help or interference, Paislee gets herself smack dab in the middle of the investigation and on a killer’s radar.

The suspects in this story all have good motives and flimsy alibi’s; the tension runs high as Paislee works through the clues to find the killer’s identity. There are plenty of twists and turns, with just enough hints to lead readers down the garden path of truth. The locations, Paislee’s sweater and yarn shop, as well as the estate and gardens, are described well and give you a sense of having been there. The action is good but not over the top. The main characters have wonderful personality quarks and have grown since book one; even Gramps becomes more understood, and dare I say, loved? I enjoyed Murder in a Scottish Garden and look forward to the next addition.