Although this book is the second in a series, it was the first one I read. I found the story of Dr. Emilia McRoy, who has left Seattle for Scotland to be engaging and the mystery well written.

I will go back and read the first book in the series, but this story works as a stand alone. Apparently, transplanted Emilia has found some good friends in the delightful Scottish town of Sea Isle, and she is attending the wedding of one of them. As all the guests gather in the Scottish castle for three days of wedding events, a murder occurs of a man who no one recognizes. Adding to that mix, there is a blizzard and everyone is snowed in with the murderer among them. Very Agatha Christie!

The murder mystery is very good, but what I loved about the book were the characterizations and the setting. There is also a slow burn of potential romantic interest between the constable who is also the laird of the castle and Emilia.
Because Emilia also acts as coroner of the small town, the sleuthing does not seem far fetched.

An absolute delight of a novel!

The second in a string series about an American ER doctor who moves to a small town in Scotland. I had thoroughly enjoyed the first book, and this sequel did not disappoint either. Emilia and her new friends are back on the job when friend Angie’s wedding becomes a target for murder and family drama. The whole party is snowed in, so it’s up to Emilia, laird and constable Ewan, and friends to try to figure out who is trying to do away with wedding guests. The plot is compelling and moves along quickly, and there is good character development for characters we met in the first book. The Scottish setting and phrasing is done well, and I like that main characters have very plausible for investigating as they do. You could read this as a stand-alone, but I’d recommend reading the first, partly because it’s very good.

In the second Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly, Emilia feels as if she's made a successful transition in the past three months from her hectic Seattle ER physician position to town doctor and coroner in tiny Sea Isle, Scotland. She is looking forward to attending her new friend Angie's four-day wedding extravaganza in Morrigan Castle, although the snowstorm of the century seems to be closing in. But as it turns out, the weather isn't the most traumatic thing the guests will be facing. The suspicious death in the castle of an unidentified man who was not invited to the festivities causes everyone to speculate whether someone is trying to derail the wedding altogether, and why.

I was happy to see that interesting characters we met in the first book in the series are in attendance: Em's wealthy landlord and town constable Ewan; her housekeeper and medical assistant, Abigail, and her neurodivergent brother, Tommy; and other new friends, Mara and Jasper. But there's also the groom, his brother and disapproving parents, and Angie's multiple stepmothers in the mix. Narrator Emilia details her own involvement as the only doctor available when suspicious injuries to occur to other guests and her attempts to help Ewan sift through the many suspects, sometimes putting herself in dangerous situations.

While the author knows how to ratchet up the suspense successfully, I wanted more balance between the mystery and Em's personal life, as portrayed so well in the last book. I'm hoping the next in the series will take her back to her Sea Isle home for more about the delightful town, its quirky inhabitants, and Emilia's new life and relationships.

My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

#DeathataScottishWedding #NetGalley is the first book I've read in this series, but it won't be my last.
I enjoyed this book very much, and I was drawn to the characters from the beginning.
Dr. Emilia McRoy is a newcomer to Sea Isle, Scotland, and when she attends a friend's wedding, she's thrilled to find out it's at Morrigan's Castle.
Things go wrong quickly and the wedding celebration turns into a murder investigation, setting everyone on edge and wondering just who to trust.
I really liked this book and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.