Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lucy Connelly for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Death at a Scottish Christmas coming out October 15, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love this series! Emilia has really grown on me as a character. She was a little standoffish in the first book. I’ve always loved the setting in Scotland. Christmastime mysteries are one of my favorite genres. I think this series is really cozy and fun. I love the Scottish characters. Everyone comes together to help each other out. I would definitely read more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Scottish cozy mysteries!

Dr. Emilia Roy is looking forward to a Scottish Christmas and the activities the town will have going on. Things started out well until the lead singer for a very famous band ends up dead. The band was getting ready to go on a world tour but things are a bit iffy at the moment. Emilia decides to start investigating and learns that some music they were working on has disappeared. Does this have something to do with the murder? She soon learns he had quite a few enemies. Then the local constable becomes the main suspect upsetting everyone along with the holiday festivities. Emilia begins.to.look deeper hoping to solve the murder before the whole holiday is ruined. Will she be able to find the culprit before something bad happens to someone else.

In Death at a Scottish Christmas, we are back in Sea Isle with Emilia and the gang. I love how Emilia as the town doctor/coroner, can't help herself in trying to figure out "whodunit". This is a fun cozy mystery and it takes place at Christmas so that makes it even better! I think this could be read as a stand-alone but it's a little richer if you've read books 1 and 2 first.

I read/listened to the audio version and love Kimberly M. Wetherell as narrator.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 15 October 2024

This is a fun, entertaining read. Emilia is an interesting, complex, complicated, intriguing, relatable, entertaining characters. I enjoyed the mystery and that the amateur sleuth played an active role in solving the crime. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Death at a Scottish Christmas" by Lucy Connelly is a delight and my new favorite series! The vivid descriptions are so immersive that you can almost feel yourself waking up in the heart of Scotland. Connelly’s relatable characters are wonderfully crafted, making you wish you could be friends with them as they navigate this festive mystery. The blend of charm and suspense creates a captivating read that keeps you hooked until the very end. (I reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) I can’t wait to dive into the next adventure in this enchanting series!

Great Series set in Scotland.
In this well written series set in Sea Isle, Scotland we continue to follow former Seattle Emergency Room Doctor Emilia McRoy as she continues to become comfortable with her new position of Town Doctor and Coroner. This 3rd book is set a few months after she’s arrived and is now settling into her position and the home and office provided by the Laird and Town Constable Ewan Campbell in a former church. A complete cast of characters is now present with well created backstories. A tension between Emilia and Ewan is secondary still to the mystery of the death of a Sea Isle born Rock star. This enjoyable series only has gotten better and better with each book written by Lucy Connelly. Wonderful details of the town and its inhabitants combine with the American born Doctor and Scottish Laird who are both trying to do just what the small-town needs. Each book builds upon the previous one, so for the best experience read from the beginning. Death at a Scottish Christmas could be read as a standalone but will give the reader a few What? and How? and Why? if read that way. I’m looking forward to additional books by Ms. Connelly.
I was given an ARC of the book by NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

EXCERPT: I was about to go into the Pig and Whistle when I caught the reflection of something shiny on the glass door. I turned toward the beach and lifted my hand to shade my eyes from the sun. Something stuck out of the sand, but I couldn't tell what it was.
I crossed the coastal road. On the other side, I stopped.
'Bram? Is everything okay?' He sat in the sand with his hand holding his guitar upright. He was so still it was eerie.
'Bram, it's cold. Why don't you come inside?'
He didn't seem to hear me, or he was ignoring me. I shivered in the cold.
Maybe he's meditating. I should leave him alone.
But something wasn't right about the way he sat hunched over, and he didn't have a heavy coat on. The temperature was in the twenties. I made my way down the sand and stood a few feet away.
'Bram, are you okay?'
I moved closer and then took his pulse. His tanned skin had turned a scary shade of white.
This isn't good.
'Doc, what's going on?' Ewan asked. I hadn't heard him walk up. And I might have jumped and, um, yelped a bit.
'He's dead, I said. 'Very, very dead.'

ABOUT 'DEATH AT A SCOTTISH CHRISTMAS': Merriment, mistletoe, and murder.

Sea Isle, Scotland, is magical during the holiday season, and Dr. Emilia McRoy can’t wait to enjoy everything her village has to offer. But when the lead singer of a famous band is murdered in the village, just as they were about to launch a world tour, her holiday instantly comes to a halt.

As the band’s future hangs in the balance, Emilia discovers that the victim was working on new music that has since disappeared. Were these new lyrics worth killing for? And if so, who is the culprit? It seems more than one person wanted this music star dead. Shockingly, beloved constable Ewan Campbell becomes the prime suspect in the investigation, putting a damper on the town’s festivities.

With an ever-growing list of suspects, Emilia will need all the help she can get to figure out who is framing poor Ewan. Between a secret Santa that wants her dead, stalkers, and killer holiday celebrations, Emilia must see the devil in the details and discover the truth before it’s too late.

MY THOUGHTS: An interesting murder-mystery let down by the ending.

Death at a Scottish Christmas is a classic cosy-mystery in an awesome setting populated by characters I enjoy. At the height of the action the village is cut off by a snowstorm. Christmas events, however, continue as scheduled and Em uses them to observe and sometimes subtly question people.

The attraction between Em and Ewan, the village constable and local laird, becomes more apparent, but still they bounce off one another rather than acknowledging their feelings. Their relationship reminds me of those teenage years when you didn't want someone to know you were attracted to them in case they didn't like you back.

There was a fair bit of repetition in parts of the book which I could have done without; the word count could have been better used in the ending which I felt was a little rushed. I didn't like the way the murderer announced themself, and I was disappointed in who it was. In fact, I yelled out 'No!' at the revelation.

The method of murder was certainly unusual and earned this book an extra half star.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#DeathataScottishChristmas #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Lucy loves traveling the world, but her favorite place is at home with her dogs and family. That said, she's always up for adventure and is constantly on the lookout for killer inspiration--as in who will be the next killer in her books?
She has a master's degree in humanities and enjoys learning all the things. And she's been published by many other names.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Death at a Scottish Chritmas by Lucy Connelly for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Not recommended.

I was interested in the mystery: singer of a popular band dies at the beach after performing in his home town. It turns out he was suffering a debilitating disease. Actually, I was mostly interested in how he managed to dance and flirt with the doctor the night before he died. Because when the doctor gets hold of his medical records, she assess the disease has progressed so far that he had only a month left to live. My grandfather suffered from this disease, years before his death he lost the ability for coherent sentences. Doubt he flirted with the nurses of his care home a month before he passed away.

This mystery is barely addressed and not solved. Very unsatisfactory.

This book hit a lot of my dislikes. Cops that demand answers from witnesses (without telling them why they want to know), claim they follow the facts (and then present an assumption as fact) and overshare with the amateur sleuth. An amateur sleuth, the local doctor, that tells the cops what to investigate.

And then there is my most hated trope: when the sleuth finds out who the killer is, the killer pulls a gun.

I felt antipathy towards doctor Em. She came to the village five months earlier and everyone seems to think she is the greatest. (She’s so mesmerising that everyone just glosses over the fact that there never used to be murders in the town until she came along.) She thinks she knows the towns people better than anyone and knows better than an experienced investigator how she should handle interviewing witnesses.

The author seems to have researched Scottish customs poorly. The police inspector declines a pint because she’s on duty, but orders a cider in stead, which is also an alcoholic drink. And when the inspector makes an arrest she informs the arrestee she has “the right …” British police officers - Scottish too - do not inform people of a right to remain silent. They tell them “You do not have to say anything.”

Visiting Sea Isle Scotland at Christmas times sounds like a fun place to be, except this holiday season a well know Scottish singer is going to die.
I enjoyed following Doc Em as she tries to help Constable Ewan solve the murder. I like all the main characters Em, Abigail, Tommy, Ewan, Mara and Jasper.
There are a number of cool Christmas events that take place over the course of the weeks leading up to Christmas.
I was saddened by who the killer turned out to be.
I really like the Scottish Isle mystery series. Give it a try if you like mysteries or arm chair travel.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for the opportunity to read Death at a Scottish Christmas.

Christmas in Scotland – what a wonderful setting for a novel, especially at this time of year, when the air is getting cooler, even here in the hot and humid South. I loved the description of the various traditions and how the lead singer, and murder victim, was such an important figure for Scottish culture and tradition. The setting really carries this series, which is a good thing because there’s just so much repetition in this one, be it from the constant interviewing of the same suspects over and over, or the repeated fawning over each other and reiterating that Emilia just loves her new situation so much; it gets a little cloying after a while. Otherwise, the mystery was good and kept me interested so I will be continuing with the series.

Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly is the third in her Scottish Isle series. I must say, I love this series. It is clever and intriguing as well as interesting and different. It is about an American doctor who wanted to run away from her life and so ended up on Sea Isle, Scotland. Isolated as it was, the “laird” had made sure that the doctor had everything a small hospital would have. It was not Seattle; exactly what she had wanted. She had found a home here and made good friends. She was not only the GP but also the coroner. Her assistant is Abigail, who has a neuro-divergent brother named Tommy who was a generally good sport and loved gardening. He spent a lot of time at the office working in the greenhouse. Ewan was the man in charge of most things on the isle, including being the constable. Mara runs the pub and Jason, the bakery (patisserie). It is a good life. The relationships are touching and real. This particular day the pub was expecting a band, but their bus had broken down so she called Em for help and thus the doctor became a transport driver. The lead singer, Bram, of Bram and the Stokers, rode in the passenger seat and she found him to be a very personable man. She attended the concert that night and found she loved their music. She danced with Bram and found she like him very much. But, by morning, he was dead.

It was tough to tell if it was suicide or murder; it was certainly no accident. When Em received his medical records she was shocked to see had had Alzheimer’s which had progressed to a dangerous level. She wondered who else knew. Destinee, who was Mara’s friend and one of the singers, was not taking Bram’s death well. She was in need of a doctor several times. It got to the point that the only one that could speak to the band without a lawyer was the doctor. Good thing she was curious. Then, there was another death; it took place in a manner similar to Bram’s. Clues started piling up. This was an excellent book, full of intriguing characters and interesting situations. It is Christmas time but for years the residents have been celebrating winter holidays from many culture. Mara had gotten Em involved in all of it. Except for the murders, it was a joyous time. What a good book, the best so far.

I was invited to read Death at a Scottish Christmas by Crooked Lane Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #CrookedLaneBooks #LucyConnelly # DeathAtAScottishChristmas

Death at a Scottish Christmas is book #3 in the Scottish Isle Mystery series by Lucy Connelly.

I really enjoy this series. Dr. Emilia McRoy is a doctor and coroner in Sea Isle, Scotland. The lead singer of a famous band is murdered in the village so it is the end of holiday festivities as she has work to do. Constable Ewan Campbell becomes the prime suspect so a new DI is brought in to lead the investigation. The descriptions in the book makes you feel like you’re there. I like the characters and how they have developed through the series. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to the next book!

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

I have enjoyed reading all the three books  published so far in the series, the first one being 'An American in Scotland.'

I simply love the setting of Sea Isle. The writing is entertaining, the mysteries are well crafted, and there is a healthy cast of interesting characters led by Dr. Emilia McRoy and Ewan Campbell who is not only the laird, constable and a lawyer of Sea Isle but also insanely wealthy. He could easily be wealthier than even Bruce Wayne! He equips Dr. Emilia's practice with all the latest, state of the art medical equipment and supplies that one might find only in a big city hospital. Abigail, Emilia's assistant is clever and capable while her 19 year old brother Tommy, who is neuro-divergant, has an immense talent for growing plants and flowers that can baffle any seasoned gardner. I liked how everyone is so protective of Tommy that they are ready to draw blood if anyone tries to harm him.

Overall, it's a fun series to read!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and the author Lucy Connelly for the e-Arc of the book.

Death At A Scottish Christmas publishes today.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Death at a Scottish Christmas (A Scottish Isle Mystery #3) by Lucy Connelly from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.

… well-written, cleverly plotted, well paced, with unique and dynamic characters …”

In this third installment of the “A Scottish Isle Mystery” series we are introduced to Bram the lead singer of Bram and the Stokers a famous Scottish band who hailed from Sea Isle, bringing pride to the little seaside village. The band is doing a warm up show for their US tour in the snowy festive village to friends and fans alike. When Bram’s body is found and foul play is evident, transplanted practitioner and coroner Dr. Emilia McRoy and Deputy Chief Constable Ewan Campbell set out to solve the case.

It is well-known in the village that Ewan had a history with the victim and when he becomes a suspect and word comes that an officer from outside is tasked with taking over the investigation and Emilia becomes more determined to solve the case and uncovers hidden secrets about the victim and his bandmates.

As the investigation progresses, tensions rise between Ewan and visiting Detective Inspector Bethany Thomson, another person who has a history with Ethan and does not approve of his methods. When Emilia continues investigating she notices that someone is watching her every move which noy only puts her in peril but also those she cares about. The story twists and turns as another bandmate is murdered, and more pasts are revealed culminating in a satisfying ending.

I really enjoy this author and this latest entry did not disappoint. As always, I found Death at a Scottish Christmas well-written, cleverly plotted, well paced, with unique and dynamic characters who have become Emilia’s found family. In general, I love protagonists who are intelligent, strong, down to earth, yet vulnerable and Emilia is the complete package. A definite fan, I really look forward to reading more about Emilia and her friends’ experiences in Sea Isle. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an amazing cozy mystery.

I've very much enjoyed this Christmas-y murdery read! Em is getting used to her life on Sea Isle and is excited to experience her first Christmas. Of course there's a murder and since Em is the coroner as well as the local doctor she's pulled into the mvestigation.

I loved revisiting the community of Sea Isle. I love Abigail and Tommy and the group of friends that Em has created. I think even if there wasn't an intriguing mystery at a fast pace I would still want to read it as I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them interact and watching their lives slowly evolve. I also really liked that Ewan wasn't as in charge as he normally is. He's not a person used to having things outside of his control so added a bit to his character.

The mystery was a good one and kept me guessing. I enjoyed following Em as she investigated and ran tests. I also really like how a lot of the investigating is done in sounding board style with characters discussing theories.

This is a good cozy mystery with the amateur-ish sleuth and the small town community feel but it never slid into quirky territory which I think would make it a great series for all mystery fans even if they're not a fan of cozies.

"Death at a Scottish Christmas (A Scottish Isle Mystery #3)" by Lucy Connelly has lots of Winter Holiday mentions in addition to Christmas as the town it's set in tries to include an almost daily winter event tied one culture or another's winter holiday. Amongst all of that, there's a very popular indi rock band returned to their little town for the first time and of course they bring chaos with them.

So, I wouldn't call this series a cozy mystery in the traditional sense. Emilia is a medical doctor and the area's coroner. She is officially involved in the case. However, it is a cozy mystery otherwise. Emilia focuses most on the medical side of questioning and it's interesting to see how that ties into the investigation. It may not totally seem like it does, but it really does boil down to how it affected the victim medically.

The story did seem to drag on at some points. There were a couple of spots I felt like it was about to wrap up, but then it didn't. With all of that dragging on it did end quite suddenly. I almost didn't think it was who it was and thinking a slightly different direction most of the time.

Such a good cozy mystery! Has all the essential elements to keep you guessing till the end. This is the third in the series and one really should at least read the first book to get the background of Dr. Emilia McRoy. All of her Scooby Do gang is back helping her solve another death in the village. When a national Scottish treasure comes to Sea Isle for a concert all the town’s residents are thrilled that their hometown young men had reached the big times in the music world. And when Bram the leader is founded dead on the beach, then the manager a few days later. The town is overrun by fans and media. With all the extra visitors and the Christmas season just starting Dr.Em and constable Ewan Campbell have their hands full!
#DeathataScottishChristmas

I was enticed to read this book from the promise “perfect for fans of Sheila Connolly and Joanne Fluke” as I am a big fan of those authors’ works. The story was reminiscent of a Christa Nardi book also set around Christmas.

I liked this book. It is the first book by the author that I have read. The premise of the story is the death of the lead singer and songwriter, Bram. His Scottish band is on the cusp of going international. We find out that Bram was harboring some pretty serious secrets from his fans and the band.

Dr. Emilia (Em) McCroy works in a small Scottish village and acts as their coroner. Em helps out her friend Mara by picking up the band & gets them to their hotel.

I liked the story, the characters, and the mis-directions.
I was given an advanced copy by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

Dr. Emilia McRoy thinks she is going to have a long Christmas break from her job as doctor in the community of Scottish Isle - in this book, a cozy Hallmark Christmas town. She mostly thinks that she will be volunteering to help the locals with the wide variety of holiday events that this festive community hosts each year. As part of the celebration the internationally famous Scottish band with local roots has come to perform at the local pub; Emilia’s plans change abruptly when the band’s leader Bram is murdered. As the coroner she joins forces with the local constable Ewan - who is considered a suspect - to solve the mystery.
While the book is part of a series, I was able to hop right in and understand this book from start to finish. While Connelly does a great job of situating book 3 for new readers, she also plants the seeds to lure readers into reading the first two. The mystery here is very unique in terms of the murder method. As McRoy interviews suspects and pieces together the scattered clues, the reader is engaged. I love the twist and turns this sleuthing took. The murder method was unique and the variety of suspects excellently developed. The detective work is punctuated by a series of Christmas events - the holiday must go on. The community works hard to honor a variety of traditions from a variety of cultures and seems like a place I’d love to visit in December. I have long wanted to explore my Scottish roots. The town and its residents are nicely represented as well. The reader can easily understand why Emilia is so at home there. I imagine that what we learn of each of the townspeople grows over the course of the series. I intend to find out.
Lovers of a cozy mystery and/or a heartwarming Christmas read, need to pick this up. You won’t regret it.

Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly is so engrossing. I was utterly enthralled.

Will Emily and her gang figure out who killed the rock star?

Emily has the month off for the holidays, but Mara has volunteered Emily for numerous holiday events in their town of Sea Isle. One of them comes unexpectedly: They have to save the popular Scottish band from the roadside, as their bus has broken down. The band has returned home to play at Mara's Pub. Em gets to know the band a bit on the drive back.

The band puts on a fantastic show, playing their hit songs and some new songs they are working on for their upcoming tour in the USA. However, the following day, Emily finds the lead singer dead on the beach at least a mile from the B and B that he is staying at. After a short time, the band manager winds up dead. After all of this, Emily and the gang are working to find the culprit, but their business is swamped with fans of the dead rock star. Not that being busy is a bad thing, especially for the business owners.

Emily and the Gang
I adore Emily. She had such a challenging life, but now she seems to have found her spot in the world. Emily has made great friends, and the community has entirely accepted her. However, I think she is blind to the feelings of one town mayor/constable.

The rest of her gang is back from their respective lives and willing to assist Emily when possible. Abigail and Tommy stay with Emily for a few days to help out until their boiler gets fixed.

I love this group of friends who have brought Emily into their fold. Each of them is extraordinary, but stick them together, and anything is possible.

Five Stars
My rating for Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly is five stars. I love the setting, the mysteries, and, of course, the characters. If you haven't started the series, there are two out right now that will be perfect.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.