I'm on a cozy mystery kick and also really looking for books at in Scotland recently. This book ticked both of those boxes! This was a locked room, albeit actually a train, mystery that was light and entertaining, but the mystery was also pretty well plotted. I needed that since I read some really poorly plotted mysteries lately in my quest for cozies. If you like cozy mysteries with low stakes, cute sidekick animals, in this case a pug, and British aristocracy (I know, I know...) look no further!

The setting is 1920 and a train. We find Cressida Fawcett and her adorable Pug Ruby are on their way home to London from the highlands Scotland. She is accompanied by her friends Dotty and Alfed. Their hopes for an uneventful but pleasant train trip are dashed when a successful businessman Lewis Warriner, Warriner was travelling with his mistress, but his wife boarded the train and publicly confronted him. A short while later a gunshot was heard and Warriner was found dead with the wife nearby. Our favorite law enforcement is aboard, DCI Andrews and Officer Kirby, and they take charge of the incident. After finding the gun in the scorned wife's compartment they think they have their suspect. Cressida is not sure and before long is deep into investigating with no shortage of suspects. Everyone on the train seems to have a reason to hate our victim.

There are secrets, disguises, and plenty of red herrings. The story does have Christie vibes, but it is a well-crafted mystery with twists and turns. It kept me guessing until the end. This is the 4th installment of this series, and I am so looking forward to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this and give my honest opinion.

If you didn’t guess already but I loved these books! Like honestly I’m in such awe of these characters, the plot and meanings portrayed. It’s exceptional. I will very likely be placing an order for the physical copy when it becomes available and in the meantime hope to read some more of this authors work! I warmed to the characters in this book and it had some interesting twists. I never lost interest and it was a case of 'just one more chapter' every night.

So so exciting with red herrings from beginning to end.Definitely has touches of Agatha Christie well written tense a really enjoyable series.#netgalley #bookouture

Death on the Scotland Express is Book 4 of the Cressida Fawcett mysteries. This Is the only novel by Bliss Chester that I have read, but it is not necessary to have read the previous novels in this series. Death on the Scotland Express does stand alone as an easy, fast read. Chester makes liberal use of the Agatha Christie formula of a cast of suspects who all have reasons to have hated the victim and wanted him dead. Murder on an express train between Glasgow, Edinburgh, and London creates a literary play on the locked room mystery. All the possible suspects are on hand and all are wonderfully described, often with real humor.

Detective Andrews of Scotland Yard is also on the train, Andrews and constable Kirby are on hand to solve the murder, but they cannot do so without the help of Cressida, her friend Dotty, and Dotty's brother Alfred, who also provides some romantic interest. The 3 friends and the 2 law enforcement men all work together quite nicely. There is a lot of good humor to help mellow out any tension caused by the murder of a man who is so evil that readers will soon decide he deserved to be murdered. Almost all of the passengers have reason to have committed the murder, which means that Chester can keep readers guessing for quite a while.

Like every Christie murder, the setting is important, but readers also know the gathering of suspects in the train dining car is where all is revealed. Chester adds some nice complexity to the plot to give this cosy mystery more depth than is often found. While not everyone will enjoy this Golden Age mystery, most readers will find the characters likable. Stick with it and readers will learn that Crissy and her friends are not simply insipid spoiled wealthy characters as the opening chapters might suggest. These characters provided some nice complexity and fun. I do recommend Death on the Scotland Express. Thank you to the author, publisher, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I did enjoy Death on the Scotland Express very much.

"Someone on board has a deadly destination in mind...can Cressida stop them before it's too late?

After an eventful trip to the Scottish Highlands, Cressida Fawcett is looking forward to being back among her society friends in London. Enjoying an ice-cold martini in the lounge car of the express train, loyal pug Ruby on her lap, she's ready to blow off some steam!

But Cressida's hopes for a relaxing journey are dashed when a gunshot resounds through the carriages. Industrial tycoon Lewis Warriner has been shot dead in his cabin. And as this train has been racing through the countryside, the culprit must be among Cressy's fellow passengers...

Teaming up with Detective Andrews of Scotland Yard, also on his way back to London, they work their way through the suspects. Did Warriner's mistress, a famous dancer, see his death as her ticket on to the silver screen? Or was it the mysterious man who can’t take his eyes off Lewis’s close companion?

When the murder weapon is found in the compartment Mr Warriner's wife occupies alone, she becomes the chief suspect. Until there's another gunshot. When Cressida finds out that Andrews is hit, panic sets in, but she must try to stay calm.

But with her friend and co-investigator out of action, can Cressida get the journey, and the investigation, back on track? And will she catch the murderer before they reach their final destination?

Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss will absolutely love this addictive Golden Age cosy mystery."

Agatha Christie knew it, a locked room mystery involving a train will always be a classic, especially if the time period is just right.

Death on the Scotland Express is book 4 of the Cressida Fawcett Mystery series, which is set in the 1920's. Industrial tycoon Lewis Warriner has been shot dead in his cabin. Someone on the train is a murderer and Cressida puts her sleuthing skills to use to find a killer before the train reaches its final destination. The victim had a few enemies on the train so there are a lot of possible suspects and many red herrings. All in all a good solid mystery.