3.5 stars
Traci Hall writes with a slower pace than some cozy authors. I like that Murder at a Scottish Social goes into more detail about the characters and their relationships in the town. It creates a comfortable, realistic setting for a series. This one takes on the topic of bullies, both in an adult group of privileged women (think Desperate Housewives) and among Brody and his pre-teen friends. It also brings in the golf scene, very typical for a Scottish town.

The major flaw is the same as it has been for all three books so far: the dialect. It is inconsistent and extremely distracting. Please, Ms. Hall, can we get rid of it in Book 4?

Thank you to Traci Hall, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Paislee Shaw, the owner of Cashmere Crush is participating in a fundraiser for the Nairn Food Bank along with her friends Lydia and Blaise. She is introduced to a group of women who Blaise had previously socialized with. When the head of the group, Kristen Buchanan dies after tasting one of her own cookies, the cause of death is the icing on the cookie that contained peanut dust. Who would want to kill Kristen? When Blaise is considered a suspect, Paislee investigates Kristin and the people around her. There are a number of suspects to choose from - Kristin had a mean streak and enjoyed lording over people.
Third in the series, but the first one I read. Works as a stand alone
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

Murder at a Scottish Social by Traci Hall
Fitting in with the “in” crowd could kill you!!! Be careful who you want as your friends, they could turn on you in an instant.
I love these characters. Paislee Shaw, owner of Cashmere Crush, a local yarn shop, and her group of friends are back at in Nairn. When the community comes together to help the local food bank, trouble quickly raises its ugly head, someone dies and everyone is a suspect.
Come along as Paislee and her friends try to help DI Mack Zeffer fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.
This is a great who-dun-it and will keep you guessing. Great book!!
Thank you to the author, Traci Hall, and Kensington Publishing Corp. for an advance copy at my request in exchange for an honest review.
#MurderataScottishSocial
#TraciHall
#KensingtonPublishingCorp.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Mean girls grow up to be Mean Women and Paislee and Lydia are introduced to a nest of vipers through their friend Blaise. They are all taking part in a charity function to raise money for the Nairn Food Bank but even when doing “good work” this bunch of nasties cannot resist getting in their digs. But retribution is at hand when the Queen Bee is murdered at the cookie contest that she has rigged.

The ladies are wealthy and entitled and very unpleasant but who would kill to get even? The woman’s chef is the prime suspect but Paislee is unconvinced that he committed this particular crime. As more information about him comes to light, it turns out he has been a naughty boy but a murderer? Paislee tries to convince the local DI to look farther afield. She is also trying to figure out how to help her ten year old son who is being bullied at school by his former friend. It seems between trying to deal with two sets of bullies has her challenged to keep her business running smoothly.

When the killer is revealed in a most unusual way, it is a rather sad tale. In the aftermath, Paislee realizes the true treasures in life are what she has and not what can be bought. Four purrs and two paws up.

This book was such an amazing read that I could not get enough of it. IT moves along at a pace which is perfect for the story, being not too fast nor too slow. Just the perfect speed to make a relaxing read. The characters are amazing and you cannot help but love them and the story will grab you and keep you reading till the end and then you are needing more. This book is a must read, there is no doubt about it.

Once you sort out the cast of characters involved in Paislee's third mystery the pace picks up. The "mean girls" are harassing Paislee's friend, Blaise. Blaise is leaving the snooty Inverness group to move to Nairn. The group goes so far as to tell their children not to associate with Blaise's young daughter. Ring leader Kirsten gets her just desserts when she dies of anaphylactic shock after sampling her own entry into the baking contest at the food bank fund raiser. As the police try to sort out the multiple suspects, Paislee runs her own parallel investigation. What she discovers sheds a whole new light on the murder's identity.
This is a fast-paced mystery that finds Paislee not only managing her knit shop but dealing with son Brody's problems at school. Be prepared for lots of Scottish dialect throughout but it's easy to understand within the context of the text.

Murder at a Scottish Social is a terrific third instalment to a cosy mystery series by Traci Hall and I found the book to be an extremely fun read.

I love the setting of Nairn, a delightful sounding Scottish town by the seaside, so imaginatively depicted by the author. Twenty-something single mum, Paislee Shaw has made a great life for herself, her son Brody and their black terrier, Wallace. Paislee's grandad, Angus also lives in her home. She owns Cashmere Crush, a bespoke speciality knitwear shop where the locals can while away their time at her 'Knit and Sips' group. A full cast of interesting characters complements the disorganised, very determined Paislee though not everyone was as they seemed. The plot was strong and comfortably paced, and the puzzling mystery kept me guessing. I enjoyed reading Murder at a Scottish Social and I am already anticipating another trip to Nairn and getting to know all of the characters to a greater degree. If you adore a fantastic cosy mystery with some romance and decent helpings of family angst and community spirit, don't miss out on Murder at a Scottish Social.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

The third in a cozy series, Paislee Shaw, owner of a sweater shop, investigates the death of a mom in a very competitive clique. This is the first I’ve read in the series but you can easily understand it without reading the others.

It is a solid cozy with the expected elements. The main recurring characters are fun and engaging. But what really colored my enjoyment of the book was just how nasty these moms were. They reminded me of the bullies from high school. Because of that I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I could have. It wasn’t a good fit with me. There was nothing wrong with the story I just really didn’t like the murder victim and the possible suspects.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

Murder At A Scottish Social is the third book in the A Scottish Shire Mystery series by Traci Hall.

Blaise O’Connor, a member of the knitting group at Paislee Shaw’s Cashmere Crush sweater and yarn shop, asked Paislee and Lydia to attend a function that would be raising money for the Nairn Food Bank fund-raiser. The fund-raiser is headed by a group of women whom Blaise calls “ladies who lunch”. The group is made up of women who feel they are better than anyone else and will go out of their way to outdo each other. The group leader is Kirsten Buchanan and is known as the Queen Bee. Paislee and Lydia arrive at the Social Club and meet up with Blaise. They soon see examples of the back-biting and sniping that Blaise has been talking about recently. Soon it is time for the judging cookie baking competition, and the cookies are brought out and placed before the judges. As the Queen Bee takes a bite of a cookie, she soon experiences breathing problems. Other group members know Kirsten is allergic to peanuts and set out to find her EpiPen. Kirsten is transported to the hospital, where she soon dies. Christina will find her pen, and she will quickly become a person of interest.

Once again, Paislee and Lydia will find themselves looking for a murderer. They soon discover that many would like to see Kirsten no longer in the hive. Their investigation will point them to Buchanan’s cook, who was recently fired and naturally to the other members of the “ladies who lunch”, possible infidelity, or possibly someone who just wanted to gain revenge for Kirsten’s meanness.

The book is well-written and plotted, and there were plenty of red herrings that kept me guessing until the end as to the killer’s identity. Also, the characters are well developed and believable. I liked that Angus and Brody get along so well and are there for Paislee when she’s off investigating.

I will be watching for the next book in this exciting series.

Murder at a Scottish Social is book #3 in A Scottish Shire Mystery series by Traci Hall.

Paislee has her shop to run and her hands full with her son and grandpa. While selling goods at a charity event, an unpleasant woman dies. Paislee and her friends look into it a bit as they are pulled into the orbit of the “mean girls.”

This is the first book I’ve read in this series and I really enjoyed it. Paislee, her family, and friends are enjoyable characters and the mystery and setting are interesting. There was no shortage of suspects. The way the mystery wrapped up was very unexpected!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Murder at a Scottish Social (A Scottish Shire Mystery Book 3) by Traci Hall is just as good as the first two books in the series. Paislee Shaw who owns the knitting shop, Cashmere Crush is again on the case as her new friend, Blaise is suspected of murder. There are plenty of suspects to go around since the dead women was a mean girl all grown up to be a mean woman. Really, small towns no matter where have people who can still have the high school mentality.

Like real police work this is not a fast who-dun-it solve but one that takes place one step at a time. There are so many people who could have done it but the question for DI Mack Zeffer with Paislee’s help is which one actually did.

With a touch of romance and a family dilemma this is one entertaining mystery. I enjoyed the setting, the characters and the mystery recommending it to others who also enjoy Christie’s Miss Marple stories.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this cozy series. The characters and setting are charming. I adore Paislee Shaw, her son Brody and Gramps. This is a wonderful, well written mystery that will keep you guessing to the end. I look forward to my next trip to Nairn, Scotland.

I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this series is turning out to not be not really for me. I realize I am an outlier here, but after a very strong first book, the 2nd book was a bit of a disappointment and this one was just a chore to read. It took me forever to get through and I dreaded each time I had to pick it up to try and read some more of it and by the time I got to the <spoiler>VERY anticlimactic</spoiler> end, I was more than done [and the way it ends is also one of my least favorite ways to have a book end]. I can only hope the writing gets better - there are really good characters here, and even though I despised both the subject matters in this book, the whole murder mystery was decent and I didn't see the killer coming. It is all the middle part that is problematic - too much blather and not enough of the yarn shop and Paislee with her family [and you can see that in how she interacts with Brody in this one] and too much of her running around and not concentrating on her work and son [and grandfather]. The best part of the book was how the author highlighted hunger within the community and children specifically, when they are away from school and the meals they get there. While I doubt Paislee was really that clueless [she has been poor and I believe she would have known more than is said here], it was a good reminder that there are many that have way less than I do and that I too need to step up and do my part with food drives, and helping the food bank. No one should ever go hungry.

In the end, I am just not sure I can read another one of these, but we shall see how I feel by the time the next one comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Traci Hall, and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I really enjoyed the setting, the Scottish brogue leaping off the page to really enhance the atmosphere, and Paisley's character, I could not finish this book. Almost everyone involved is not only unlikable, but came off as flat and one sided (ie snobby rich drama queens). I recommend starting this series from the start to really get the feel of the wool shop and MC before jumping into this one, because it takes place elsewhere and we don't see any of the shop or main elements of this series.

This cozy mystery has everything; a young woman sleuth, a curmudgeon/caring grandfather with a missing son, great friends, mean girls, a ten year old son who is being bullied at school, a hunky detective or two, a whole lot of suspects, and knitting

Paislee owns and works at the local yarn shop and has donated a beautiful sweater set to a fundraising auction for the local food bank. She is also selling hand knit merchandise with a percentage going to the food bank. Her friends Lydia and Blaire have also donated and are selling at the booth with Paislee. When one of the attendees is murdered Paisley and her friends work to solve the crime before more people die.

Good characters and relationships lead in this cozy mystery toward success. The mystery was tight and I couldn't figure it out (always a point giver). The characters were real to life with a ten year old who talks and reacts like a ten year old. This is not the first in the series and while it is not necessary to read the first one, I will admit to being curious enough to go check it out.

Enjoy the book. I did.

#NetGalley #cozymystery #TraciHall #MurderAtAScottishSocial #KensingtonPublishingCorp #KensingtonBooks #series #family

When the queen of the mean girls dies during a charity function, Paislee, Lydia, and their new friend Blaise decide to put on their sleuthing caps and help the police find the culprit. Despite the possible danger, Paislee feels this is the only way to put Kirsten's spirit to rest.

I enjoyed this book so much! With it's interesting characters, intriguing storyline, and lots of red herrings, it had me swiping pages as fast as I could just to read what happens next. This is the second book in the series, and is much faster-paced than the first book (in my opinion). You do not need to have read the first to enjoy this one.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing/Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

This is the third book in the Scottish Shire series. It was a pleasure to get reacquainted with Paislee an her friends and family. Paislee is helping raise money for the Nairn Food Bank. A cookie competition brings out the worst in some of the contestants and the fundraiser chair is murdered.

I had a bit more trouble getting into this book than the previous ones. The "mean girls" that were the center of the fundraiser made it extremely hard to have sympathy for the murder victim. It's hard to believe that thirty year old women would still act like teens in school.

Of course, Paislee gets involved in the investigation much to the chagrin of Detective Inspector Mack Zeffer. Paislee's loyalty to her friends certainly outweighs his wish for her to remain a bystander.

As for Zeffer, I am firmly on his side as a love interest for Paislee. The Headmaster of Brody's school irritates me as a potential suitor.

I enjoy the interaction between Paislee, her grandfather and her son. She is presented as a hardworking single mother with reasonable expectations.

The characters are well done. Even the "mean girls" that I didn't like. The plot is good with just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

I love the description of Cashmere Crush. As a wool junky, I would spend all my time (and money) there.

This is a well done series that I enjoy reading. I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing me a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the third in a Scottish Shire mystery series. I’ve read each book. I liked the second book quite a bit. This book’s focus on mean girls and bullies didn’t hit the best note with me. I struggled a bit to make it through. It didn’t sit well with me that Paisley kept getting dragged into mean girl territory in the name of supporting a new friend.
I didn’t like any of the mean girls and one of them dying only mildly sparked interest in figuring out who killed her.
The book takes quite a while to work through the mystery. I enjoyed the time in Paisley’s life separate from the murder, although the nightmares were something different for this book. Paisley didn’t really investigate much either just kept putting herself in range of potshots from the mean girl faction.
The focus on one particular character as main suspect tried to hide the motives of other characters for killing Kirsten. It took until the last moments to change direction in dangerous fashion. The terribleness of the women in the mean girl group overshadows the story to the point of repelling this reader.
The ending after the murderer is revealed is rather abrupt and highlights Lydia’s immaturity. Paisley to the rescue again…to be continued next book I suppose.
The book does try to highlight the need in communities large and small for food bank support, which is a good aim.
The story is good but it wouldn’t be first in my thoughts to recommend to someone being introduced to cozy mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I wish I could knit as fast as Paislee Shaw. Of course, my quality of life doesn't depend on how fast my own needles can fly. I've enjoyed Traci Hall's Scottish Shire cozy series for its depiction of life in small-town Nairn, Scotland, for its knitting, and for its characters, especially the core group of Paislee, her grandfather Angus, and her ten-year-old son Brodie. My enjoyment of Murder at a Scottish Social was diminished, undoubtedly due to the presence of the group of acid-tongued divas at the charity event. I dislike people like this so much that I don't want to spend even a second of my time with fictional ones, let alone real ones.

I was more interested in the newest developments in Paislee's family life. How Grandpa Angus' search for his missing son was progressing and how Brodie was dealing with problems at school. I would much rather have spent time knitting and chatting with Paislee and letting those divas take care of themselves. Ah well.

If you're in the mood for a puzzling mystery that's steeped in small-town Scottish life and focused on a charming mother, son, grandfather, and pup, you should pick up one of Traci Hall's Scottish Shire mysteries. And if you find divas amusing, Murder at a Scottish Social will definitely be your cup of tea.

This is the first book I have read in the Scottish Shire Mystery series. I enjoyed the setting complete with a dose of Scottish dialect. The characters are realistic and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. There is still an unsolved mystery and possible romance that makes me want to keep reading the series to see how those pan out.

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.