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'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.

The third book in this series. I have previously read book 2.

An interesting mystery featuring Dr.Emilia McCroy who works in a Scottish village with a very unusual local surgery equipped with an operating theatre and recovery rooms, apparently in case the village is cut off in a storm. She also acts as the Coroner which provides the author with a natural link between her main characters and the local police.

There are two murders, both using unusual weapons, and plenty of suspects. A snow storm ensures everyone has to remain in the village and the operating theatre is required. All very gripping. For me though the ending arrived too suddenly and was not very exciting. I did enjoy all the characters and would happily read another book in the series.

Death at a Scottish Christmas: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly is the third read in this highly entertaining cozy mystery series that began with An American in Scotland. A lot has happened since Doctor Emilia McRoy arrived in Sea Isle, Scotland, back in August. As we roll into December here in this new book, it is best to have read the preceding books in the series.

The doctor is supposed to be off for the month of December until January 3rd. She is a tad bored on this December 10th as she is ready with her gifts, reorganized a closet, and caught up with her medical journals. Mara, manager of the Pig & Whistle Pub well as being a good friend, has recruited her to help out with various things as holiday parties and celebrating various events are a big deal in Sea Isle as are the tourists. But, she is still at loose ends.

That is until Mara calls with a request to help transport some members of the rock brand, Bram and the Strokers. Highly popular in the United Kingdom, they are to play in town to kick off the holidays. Their bus broke down shortly after leaving Edinburgh. Mara needs help getting the members and their equipment to town and the doctor has a SUV. She agrees helps ferry band members to town, and is there at the party/concert that evening. It was a great night. Though things got awkward several times between various people.

It was also the last time folks heard Bram sing. It was the doctor herself who found him sitting on a chair on the beach in very cold weather. The sun was up, but it was a cold morning, and he wasn’t dressed for it. As if he sat down to look at the sea and just went to permanent sleep.

Doctor Emilia McRoy also serves as the coroner and that means she has a joint investigation with Ewan Campbell, the town constable and much more. It also means that there is huge media publicity regarding Bram’s death. That publicity brings in Evan’s bosses, the media, and a lot more complications.

What follows is another twisty mystery that further solidifies many of the existing characters and brings in a couple of other new characters who might be around in subsequent books. Author Lucy Connelly continues to bring a very special place alive for readers while providing a lot of entertainment and mystery. This book, and the series as a whole, are well worth your time.

My reading copy came by way of the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

This is such a great series! I love the Scottish village setting of Sea Isle, wonderful characters, and always an interesting, multilayered mystery to unravel. Dr. Emilia McRoy is enjoying living in the village after working the ER in a Seattle hospital where she has a new family, consisting of her new friends, and hopes to find out about her ancestors, As the village doctor and coroner, she treats patients and feels that she needs to help solve the crimes committed. This time Bram Stoker, a local musician and Scottish rockstar, was murdered in an unusual way and handsome Constable Ewan Campbell is a suspect because of bad history with Bram so a detective inspector is brought in to work the case. But Ewan is not off the case and as he and the DI work it, Em does her own research, all in the name of medical investigation. This is a great addition to the series. It is Christmas and lots of festive activities add to the story and the closeness of the Em and friends celebrating. I also sense that there is something going on between Em and Ewan and I hope that is in a future book.
I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review. These are my thoughts.

Death at a Scottish Christmas is #3 in Lucy Connelly's Scottish Isle series. I enjoyed this every bit as much as the previous two.

It has of course the Scottish setting with the small town coming up to Christmas. Emilia's friends have her involved in all the preparations. She is meant to be on holiday, but there always seems to be times when she is needed. Abigail and Tommy her brother are around a good bit and that's an added pleasure (for me the reader). There seems to be a bit of romance going on for Abigail but Em's not sure she is aware of it.

Of course a murder happens and it is an interesting one. Emilia is involved as well as being the doctor she is the local coroner. The gruesome things she has to do, but she seems quite at home with it. And she has Abigail to help. It was all very mystifying and when an outside detective turns up there seems to have been something going on between Ewan and herself way back. And at the moment she arrives she is pointing the finger at Ewan. Well Emilia is having none of that.

I felt riveted the whole time and in fact had to really get reading this right through to the end. Eventually as it became clearer who the murderer is (thanks to Em's putting it all together) I was sad it was the way it was.

An excellent addition to the series and I am really looking forward to another in this series. There is still lots more that can happen. Hmm I think Ewan seems to think so

Death at a Scottish Christmas is the third book in a series that just keeps getting better and better. By Lucy Connelly I have learned to love the Sea Isle of Scotland by seeing the setting and community through the eyes of Dr. Emilia McRoy. Who knew that you could celebrate with an event every night in December? The descriptions are vibrant with you swearing that you can feel the cold too.

Not long into the story there is a suspicious death. Plenty of suspects but no proof so the investigation takes a toll on all involve. I enjoyed how the focus of this book was on solving the murder and arresting the guilty party. Before it is over another death has taken place. There are several twists, conflicting stories and a group of messed up singers. The conclusion is wonderful especially Em’s last visitor. Hope that is a clue to the next book in the series.

This is a wonderful, engaging cozy mystery. I loved the Scotland setting and the cozy holiday events. The characters and mystery were interesting, though the murder in this one was a little creepy. I haven't read the first two books in the series, but I definitely will now, to get more background for the characters. This one is fine as a standalone, but I think everything will be more clear if reading it as part of the series. Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance digital copy!

Christmas in Sea Isle sounds like the perfect place to spend the holidays, if only it weren't for the pesky dead body that has come up to spoil the festivities! Seriously if this were a real place, I would want to visit this town. The town is charming and the characters are people that I would love to be able to include as friends. The author weaves such a realistic setting with unique characters that she absolutely brings to life on the pages of her books that you can't help but be enthralled, but then she weaves a realistic mystery into the lives of her characters that has you turning pages way past your bedtime to see what happens next. I love that her main character, Em, is the town doctor and since it is a small, isolated town she is also the coroner. Em works closely with the local constable and his staff as well as getting her friends in on the sleuthing to make sure their small-town returns to a safe and lovable location as quickly as possible. The only complaint I have about this book and the series as a whole is that it draws me in and I finish the book to quickly which puts me back to waiting for the author to create another story for me to devour!!!

Lucy Connelly is quickly becoming one of my favorite mystery authors. This is #3 in the Scottish Isle Mystery series and it's a wonderful read. Can be read as a stand alone. 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.

Death at a Scottish Christmas

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“ 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. ”

This one was a great edition to the series. Scotland holds a special place in my heart so to read about times like Christmas there I just love! The mystery was a really good one in this book. I am loving seeing the characters develop more and more each book. I can’t wait for the next one. Highly recommend this book and this series.

Dr Em, an American living in Scotland finds herself once again investigating a murder in this latest in a very entertaining cross cultural cozy series that will be fine as a standalone. She's certain Ewan, the constable and laird, did not kill Bram but who did? Turns out the singer had a lot of people who did not like him and she's got to sort through them. And it's Christmas. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's classic cozy with a great atmospheric setting and good characters. No spoilers.