Traci Hall has a wonderful third installment in the Scottish Shire Mysteries with Murder at a Scottish Social!

We are reunited with Paislee Shaw and friends during a fundraiser for the local Nairn food bank. But it seems some people can't let grade school go, and we're soon in the middle of a Mean Girls-esque group of women. When one of these women die, Paislee has to swim through their bickering and lies to try and discover the truth before it's too late.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one. The women in the clique were written so well (frighteningly so) that I had flashbacks to individuals from my own past I could associate with them. I found myself laughing at many points, and was happy to see that Grandpa and Brody were still a large part of the story. I enjoy their family dynamic. We get to see a bit more of Lydia and a new friend, Blaise, that I look forward to seeing more of in the future.

If you haven't read books 1 and 2, you could still read this and not have any problems following along. The only thing you might be missing a large chunk of is the background with Grandpa and Craigh that's a secondary storyline and her past with Hamish. I encourage you to read the entire series, though! I've enjoyed each one and look forward to more!

This has been a five star series from the first book, a series I gave a spot on my must be read list from the first book. The setting of Nairn, a small town in Scotland, is the perfect reading escape. Paislee Shaw balances a full life as a single mom while running her knitting shop, Cashmere crush. Her Grandfather rounds out the family. In this, the third mystery she confronts, she has to deal with a group of adult mean girls and a baking competition that turns deadly for the Queen Bee, Kristin Buchanan. The weapon turns out to be a nut laced shortbread cookie. As for the list of possible suspects...well let's say the list of people who liked her would just about fit on an index card. Paislee wouldn't be involved if it weren't for the fact that her friend, Blaise is at the top of the list of suspects.
If I lived in Nairn, even being unable to knit more than a very basic and very long scarf, I would love to spend time in Cashmere Crush. Paislee knits custom sweaters and I love hand knitted sweaters. In this case she has one of her cashmere creations put up for auction to raise money for the local food bank. I'd be happy to place the winning bid.
Each mystery adds a bit more to the sub story about her Grandfather and to Paislee's life, too. The characters are well developed and the puzzle is full of twists, turns and lots of wrong guesses. Just the way I like my cozies.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Kensington Books and Traci Hall for the e arc of this book.

Paislee is happy being in Nairn, she has her shop, her son, her grand father and her friends. She agrees to provide a cashmere jumper for the auction, at the local sale of work, to raise money for the town food bank.
At the auction she meets a clique of women who think they are so perfect and above others. These ladies used to be friends of Paislee’s friend Blaise. Blaise is in competition with them for the baking contest. When something happens to the queen bee of the clique and Blaise is accused Paislee must put her sleuthing skills to the fore.
A good cosy mystery with well written characters. The clique was so well written that you detest them from the beginning. I liked Paislee and her family, the interplay between her and her son was well written and her Grandfather was a lovely character.
The only thing that annoyed me in the book was the overuse of colloquial Scots. As a Scot, I and all my friends only use Scots words here and there, never in every second sentence. But this should not put you off reading a good cosy.

🌅Great little town with a deadly invasion of Society's mean girls😲

This is a really good addition to Traci Hall's cozy mystery series set in the small Scottish town of Nairn, just on the outskirts of Inverness. The lead character, Paislee Shaw, lives with her son Brody, grandfather Angus and their Scottie Wallace. Apart from the murder mystery plot, her little family and their interactions are strong elements of the story. They're whimsical and put the real cozy in this cozy mystery.

Somehow Paislee, a knitting shop owner, is once again right in the middle of the action and investigation when a local society diva makes one too many enemies and ends up killed by her own cookies at a charity fundraiser. There's a big crowd attending and a good number of them have suffered from the victim's barbed tongue, mean-girl spirit and infidelity. Paislee and her close friends Lydia and Blaise choose to look into things as Paislee believes the police are targeting the wrong suspect.

It's a good mix of amateur sleuthing and domestic dramas, with adults and kids alike suffering from bullying and fickle friends. I did not guess the culprit until late in the story; I was enjoying the tale too much to worry about beating Paislee to the killer's big reveal.

Three books in to the series and I still wonder how Paislee gets her work done with all of her sleuthing taking her away from the business. But, regardless, it's an entertaining plot and I love the Scottish setting and the community of recurring characters, especially Brody and Angus.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This is such a great cozy mystery series. Traci Hall has made me fall in love with Paislee Shaw, her family, and the town of Nairn. She just wants to run her shop, raise Brody, and live the best life she can. Her loyalty as a good friend throws her in the middle of this new mystery, and she won't stop until Blaise's name is cleared. Traci Hall brings Scotland right off the pages so brilliantly. She draws you in and keeps you guessing until the end.

I love everything about Traci Hall's A Scottish Shire Mystery Series, and 'Murder at a Scottish Social' in no way disappoints. All of the characters are well drawn and the locale of Nairn is delightful. This mystery had me guessing until the end, which is always enjoyable as a reader. The exciting thing is that there is so much more to learn. There are by no means cliff hangers, but there is the wonderful promise of revealed mysteries and new relationships. I can't wait for it!!

I rfeceived a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I so enjoy reading Traci Hall books and this is another winner. The Who dunnit cozy mystery will keep you guessing till the end. The characters are all back in Nairn, Scotland and are volunteering at a fundraiser for the Nairn Food Bank (which will have you thinking of your own communities). The event is sponsored by some of the nearby rich, society that everyone loves to hate. So when Kirsten nearly dies at the event and even though Paislee tries helping by doing CPR till help comes, it wasn’t enough. Heartbroken husband, lover, Chef, Driver, friends and the list goes on. Once again Paislee has a mystery to solved and this time it hits her hard. Even though she just met Kirsten and though she was a “Mean Girl”, that she died practically in her arms has given Paislee nightmares. A page turner that you will have you guessing till the end. Yes it’s a series, can be read as a standalone.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #MurderataScottishSocial #TraciHall

There are mean moms everywhere- even in Nairn, Scotland but who would murder Kristin, the meanest of the all using peanuts in shortbread? Well, it wasn't Paislee's friend Blaise, who is unfortunately a prime suspect. Paisley, who owns a yarn shop with her grandfather and is raising her little son (and sweet dog), must investigate, despite the annoyance of DI Mack Zeffer. This is classic cozy territory but it's special because of the setting and frankly the characters. Although it the third in the series, it should be fine as a standalone. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I've been and continue to be a fan.

"Murder at a Scottish Social” the 3rd instalment in the Scottish Shire Mystery series by Traci Hall. This has become one of my favourite Scottish cozy mysteries! I absolutely loved this instalment and can’t wait for book 4

When a tainted Scottish shortbread cookie kills the Queen Bee of a competitive mom clique, Paislee Shaw, owner of Cashmere Crush sweater shop and knitting sleuth, must unravel the clues

I loved meeting the newest addition to Paislee’s circle Blaise who unfortunately had dealings with mean girls…. Lydia and Paislee had Blaise’s back throughout the story which I admire. I would love to have more friends like that. I find the characters to be wonderful, full of Scottish pride and small village life.

Now I’m glad that Paisley, her son Brody and grandpa Angus are still together but I have a feeling something is up with Craigh… maybe we will learn more in book 4.

The mystery is interesting, well plotted, full of lots of twists and kept me guessing on whodunnit right to the reveal.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the continuation of The Scottish Shire mysteries. The setting by the Scottish seaside was fantastic, and the imagery was well-written. The characters are wonderful, and I love the sense of community in this book. The mystery was well-paced.

The plot of the book was such a great page turner. The plot of the book was very well written. I truly cannot wait to read another wonderful book from this great author.

Murder at a Scottish Social is the third book in this fun series! Paislee Shaw, along with her friends, Lydia Barron and Blaise O'Connor are meeting up to donate to a fundraiser. Along with an auction, there is a cookie competition where Blaise is one of the final contestants. Two other contestants are moms of a clique that Blaise used to be a part of. The Queen Bee of the moms clique, Kirsten Buchanan, has a reputation for being nasty and Blaise is her current target. The cookie contest comes to an abrupt end when Kirsten takes a bite of a cookie laced with peanuts which she is allergic to. One of the moms in the clique point a finger at Blaise.

In the aftermath, where everyone had to remain and give a statement some interesting facts emerge to shed light on a number of other people. Paislee has doubts as to the primary culprit's guilt and seeks out to question them. Are Paislee's instincts on track or steering her in the wrong direction?

Meanwhile, at Cashmere Crush, Paislee's grandfather, Angus, is holding down the fort a little too much, which has him grumbling. Paislee has a dilemma involving Brody and whether or not she should step in.

I love the way this book is written and while reading it, I get to have a little bit of a Scottish brogue myself. There were quite a few that I had pegged as being guilty, but was surprised in the end.

I requested and received an ARC from NetGalley via Kensington Books and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

This cozy series features a spunky single mom, Paislee, who runs her own knitting business while raising her son Brody in a small Scottish village. Paislee's estranged grandfather has also appeared and they are slowly forging a family relationship.

This time out, Paislee gets sucked into frenemy drama when a group of local snooty rich women gather for a charity event and one is murdered. These women are over the top nasty and unpleasant and it is difficult to figure out why anybody pays attention to them.

Paislee is a well-grounded and appealing character but there is a bit of confusing romantic angst which always feels a bit murky and the mystery resolution is odd. But for cozy fans or lovers or all things Scottish this would be a good choice. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third installment of the Scottish Shire Mystery series, and like the previous books, very enjoyable! Paislee is settled into a temporary peace- her shop isn't in danger of being forced from it's location, the relationship with her gramps and her son is good, and live seems grand, until its's not. What seems like a boon to her business, soon turns evil, with an unexpected death. With her friend in danger of being accused, she jumps in to try to solve the riddle. As the series has grown, so has Paislee's confidence, and this is a charming entry to the series and a fun holiday read!

Murder at a Scottish Social by Traci Hall is the third book in the Scottish Shire Mystery Series.

The book tells the story of knitting enthusiast Paislee Shaw who is owner of the knitting shop Cashmere Crush who lives in Scotland .Paislee being a delight decides to donate a cashmere knit sweater set to a charity auction where a cookie contest is also occurring .However the cookie contest is always won by one lady but this time someone bites the wrong cookie that results in the death of the 'Queen Bee' . Paislee like an amateur sleuth tasks herself with finding what happened. I did enjoy meeting this delightful lady who is a great mom, friend and granddaughter. I do look forward to reading more books in the series.

A huge thanks to Kensington books for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Enjoyable Scottish cozy mystery.
Paislee, owner of the yarn and sweater shop, is at an event to raise money for the local food bank. While there, one of the "rich, mean moms" of the group is found murdered. Of course Paislee can't resist snooping around and trying to help the police determine what happened. Had a nice, surprise ending.
I enjoy this series, although at times the Scottish brogue gets a little cumbersome.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Paisley Shaw meets the Mean Girls who became the Ladies Who Lunch, lunch and gossip, and backstab, and get murdered. All Paisley wants to do is be a successful shop owner, a good Mum, take care of her Grandpa, and enjoy the company of friends at the weekly Knit and Sip get together. Yet here she goes again, being in the wrong place at the right time to help the well dressed detective Zeffer. This series makes me want to visit Scotland and visit not only Paisley's town of Nairn, but also her shop even though I don't know the first thing about knitting or yarn.. An engaging tale where is seems that one keeps their friends close and maybe their enemies closer. Plenty of of suspects because the victim was plenty awful, and what a horrible way to be done in, by food. Speaking of which, I think I will be pairing this book with a nice piece of salmon and some rosemary potatoes for a cozy dinner

Murder at a Scottish Social is the third book in the Scottish Shire Mystery series by Traci Hall. This is a wonderful cozy mystery series.
Paislee lives in the small town of Nairn, Scotland. She owns a yarn shop.
Paislee is at a fundraiser to help the food bank when one of the rich, mean women is murdered.
Paislee has been known to get involved in the past, so why would this be any different.
So many suspects, will Paislee be able to help the police find the killer? I was surprised by the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity. read this book.

Though this is the 3rd book in this series, it is the first one that I’ve read. I get the feeling you need to read the first two to really understand what is going on and how everyone relates into each other. These books are not easy stand alone stories.

The story and plot and well thought out but a bit of a challenge to read if you’re not used to reading Scottish brogue. I really like Paislee, Brody, Grandpa, Wallace the dog and Lydia, Paislee’s best friend. The story starts with everyone setting up booths to sell their wears to help the local food bank. The woman responsible for setting up the fundraiser, Kirsten, local socialite, suddenly dies of a peanut allergy after tasting one of her own entries for the cookie bake off. No way she’d be anywhere near a peanut. As time goes by, you see all the in fighting with the social elite and how mean they are to anyone and everyone, including each other. So many suspects, can Paislee help the police figure out before she becomes a victim too.

As I said before, the story. Is well thought out but a bit of a challenge to read as a standalone and with the Scottish brogue it may be a bit of a turn off for a few. I overall liked the story. I love cozy mysteries but this was not one of my favorites.

Thank you #netgalley and #kensingtonpublishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This is book three in the delightful "Scottish Shire Mystery Series" by cozy author Traci Hall. I have read this series from the beginning and always enjoy returning to Scotland and the Knitting shop with the outstanding charcters. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.. The cover art of this series is amazing and always a good lead into the mystery with clues .

Paislee Shaw lives in the small town of Nairn in Scotland, along with her son Brody and grandfather. She owns , a yarn shop that is popular and does well. Paislee with her best friend Lydia are creating knitted items to donate to the local food bank auction to raise funds. They are also involved in a cookie contest.

Kristin has been the winner of a cookie contest for the last few years and is disliked by many. When she drops dead at the contest Paislee tries to save her but she dies. The police soon find out Kristin was murdered.

Paislee is a smart savvy likable protagnist. I like that she supports her family and has a business she loves. The sleuth was well crafted and had many surprises along the way. The location of Scotland is perfection and all the supporting charcters are likable and add to the series. A enjoyable addition to this fun series that i always look forward to returning to .