Death at a Scottish Christmas, the third installment of the Scottish Isle mystery series by Lucy Connelly is a brilliantly crafted cozy mystery made all the more cozy by being set at Christmas in the small town of Sea Isle in the Scottish highlands.
Dr. Emilia McRoy is perhaps the most believable of amateur sleuths I've come across, as she actually has a right to be involved in investigations in her position as town coroner. With her fish-out-of-water portrayal as an American in a foreign land, is heartwarming, as is her relationship with the wide variety of patients and friends she has accumulated around her. The setting comes alive thanks to Connelly's skillful descriptions that not once come over as heavy, and the mystery of who killed the Scottish rock star and native son is complex and keeps you turning the pages.
The inclusion of various seasonal celebrations from different cultures is a nice touch, giving depth to this 'Christmas' mystery.
I am so glad that #NetGalley has introduced me to a new favourite #cozy author by providing me with the ARC of #DeathataScottishChristmas. I will definitely be looking to read more from this author!

Absolutely delightful cozy mystery. The holidays can be deadly when people gather together. Intrepid doctor has her hands full when the bodies start dropping and the temperature plummets. Curl up with a hot chocolate and a warm blanket for a cozy read of murder and music.

I enjoyed this fun Christmas mystery. Christmas books are one of my favorites and this one did not disappoint. It kept me guessing until the end on who did it. My one wish is that it had more Christmas in it. The Christmas portions seemed to bit just thrown in.

Like in the previous book, the Scottish décor really makes for a good piece of escapism. The Christmas atmosphere is sprinkled all over the book, it's quite subtle. I would have loved more Christmas spirit, but the investigation, a good one with much suspense, did take a lot of place. Overall, a good entertaining read. Looking forward to the next one.

theft, musicians, music-idol, cultural-differences, cultural-exploration, coroner, Scotland, local-law-enforcement, medical-doctor, medical-examiner, ex-pat, suspense, investigations, amateur-sleuth, relationships, friends, friendship, series, murder, not-TTS-enabled*****

Dr. Emilia McRoy, burned out working ER in the US but is now the MD and coroner for a small remote Scottish town which is the responsibility of Constable Ewan Campbell who is also a barrister and laird.
The murder is that of a member of a prominent band which happens immediately after their gig at the castle, but there are so many secrets and lies that the investigation gets tangled in knots. All of the characters are so clearly portrayed I could recognize them in the dark.
I requested and received a free temporary advance reader's copy uncorrected e-proof from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. THANK YOU but next time make in TTS enabled so it doesn't hurt to read!
#ScottishIsleMysteryBk3 Pub Date Oct 15, 2024

A great addition to an incredible series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

What a wonderful holiday! The insights into Doc's past are timed helpfully and quickly so as to not bog down the story or have a repeat reader skimming over them. I definitely want more of Sea Isle and hopefully, more of Ewan and Em finding their feelings for each other. A few times I forgot what Doc's name is (Em) because everyone, including, her dear friends addressed her as such.
The way the author writes dialog should be studied by other authors because I can "hear" the Scottish accent of most of the characters. The whole thing was a wonderful holiday who-done-it. I was totally engrossed in the story that I finished it in a day

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an eARC for this book!

Death at a Scottish Christmas is a murder mystery set in a small(?) Scottish village, and only the doctor cum coroner can put the pieces together to solve the whodunit. When a Scottish band comes home to Sea Isle to perform one last concert before heading off on a tour of the States, everyone seems to be excited. But when the lead singer of the band turns up dead the following morning, the whole town is on edge. Is there a killer amongst them?

I really wanted to give this book a higher rating, since I love all things Scottish, and have traveled there extensively. So there were a few things that threw me out of the story in regards to how Connelly writes the Scottish countryside. Especially with the mention of a cathedral in said "small" Scottish village. I can handle a bit of suspension of disbelief, but that was a stretch too far for me, as usually cathedrals are built in larger city centres (think Edinburgh, which has three (for Catholicism, Episopalianism, and Church of Scotland (though that's now referred to as a high kirk).

And it didn't make matters better that we had a thin mystery, with the inclusion of a brash DI who is intent on blaming the local constable of murder based on a never explained history that she has with him. I get having red herrings in mysteries, it's par for the course, but to just let that thread dangle without further explanation of what the beef was got annoying. I also think that I figured out who the killer was too early in the story, thought that it couldn't be that obvious, and then turned out to be correct. *sigh*

Also, another petty point - there are FAR more Scottish musical groups/singers than just the Proclaimers. There's Lewis Capaldi, The Eves, Barbara Dickson, and Texas, to name the few that come right to mind. If you're going to write about Scottish culture, maybe do some of that research that you claim to love and find out more about Scottish music?

3.75 stars

A strong entry in the series featuring American E.R. Dr. Emilia McRoy, who relocated to a small isolated town in Scotland to be the town physician. She was fleeing burnout, emergency room stress, a failed marriage and more.

She is a strong personality with take-charge tendencies and she clashed immediately with the local laird, Ewan Campbell. They have come to know and respect each other through the series, but they are both hard-headed and stubborn and still go toe-to-toe frequently.

Dr. McRoy supposedly has a whole month off during Christmas and is looking forward to getting involved in some local holiday events and activities. A fairly famous band with some local roots is coming to town to do a soft unveiling for their upcoming mega tour. But a band member is found dead after their concert. Was it suicide due to increasing health problems? Or was it murder?

Ewan has equipped their tiny town with state of the art medical equipment including MRIs, labs, and all kinds of diagnostic gear. so McRoy and her super competent trainee are able to sift through a lot of information. The surviving band members are less than forthcoming and matters are complicated when an investigator from Edinburgh arrives to take charge.

There is a nice ensemble cast of local friends and business owners and it's interesting to see McRoy and Campbell soften toward each other. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First and foremost, I just want to say that this is the earliest I have ever read a Christmas story. Reading a Christmas story about a blizzard that covers a car in minutes in July when the temps are reaching the 100-degree mark is just so incredibly weird. Anyway, the gangs all back for this third installment: Dr Em and her BF’s Mara and Abigail as well as Constable Ewan and his merry band of men down at the police station.

The books summary just basically introduces the primary storyline of the death of the lead singer and songwriter, Bram, for a famous Scottish band on the cusp of going international. What the book summary doesn’t say is that Bram was harboring some pretty serious secrets from the band as well as the fans and general public. Furthermore, the reason Ewan became a suspect is because there was some bad history between Ewan and Bram; Bram slept with Ewan’s girlfriend back in college. Bram is from Sea Isle too. Also, since Ewan is a suspect, an outside Inspector, Bethany, is brought in and it certainly doesn’t help Ewan’s situation that there are also some bad feelings between Ewan and Bethany.

Most of the story revolves around the investigation of Bram’s death, especially once some of Bram’s secrets come to light. Dr Em (as well as myself) zero in on one particular person. Additionally, while I’m not going to call this a storyline, however, it’s revealed that Dr Em has a stalker, and it leads to some creepy scenes for Dr Em. As I mentioned before, there are the requisite snowstorms and blizzards and freezing temps to add to the complications of the investigation. Deep in the second half, as the dead bodies begin to stack up in Dr Em’s makeshift morgue freezer. The storylines begin to merge and it’s a twisty turn of events to the end that comes pretty quickly after that in a very scary scene for Dr Em.

The continuing character development of the MC’s was well done. The pacing for this short story was steady and the storyline was interesting and engrossing. Once again, found myself staying up way past my bedtime on a work night chanting “one more chapter” because I simply didn’t want to put the story down. The writing was entertaining and the ending was well done, especially the final scene that I’m sure was a lead-in to the next installment. Good endings are a big thing for me. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.1 that I will be rounding down to a 4star rating.

I want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks #DeathataScottishChristmas

I have become a huge Lucy Connelly fan. The Scottish Isle mysteries are certainly a favorite of mine. Death at a Scottish Christmas did not disappoint. This cozy mystery is the third novel in this series, and by now I feel like Em, Ewan, Tommy and Abigail, and Mara and Jasper and Angie and Damion have become old friends. I love the characters and location, and the detailed descriptions. I can easily visualize the small shops and the pub, which remind me of every small village I have visited in Scotland. Sea Isle is lovely location and the descriptions capture small village life so well.

Connelly does a nice job with character development and with structuring her plots. The band members, who have the central guest role in Death at a Scottish Christmas, are well-defined and easy to visualize. Connelly's characters come to life so well that it is easy for readers to care about them and the lives they touch. Even the guilty character is sympathetic and so sad.

Thank you to Connelly, publisher Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. I really enjoyed reading this novel and I am recommending.

This was a tricky puzzle as they got, Em and the constable found a lot of dead ends, but their determination didn’t waver.
No matter how tangled and impossible things looked they were determined to solve the case. Em was sharp in this, her sleuthing skills were well honed, it’s a pity she was so clueless about the constable’s feelings towards her. It was an enjoyable and engaging read.

A famous band arrives in Sea Isle where the murder of 2 of the bands members takes place.

The list of suspects is growing which includes the constable, Ewan so Emilia is working hard to free his name as well as try and discover the murder or murders.

Lots of twists and turns makes this (book 3) a great read and one that will hold your interest until the very end!

I really love the atmosphere in this series. I can just imagine living in a 400 year old church in a small Scottish town by the sea. Now add the Christmas holidays, and you have an amazing picture! After almost six months in Scotland, Em has definitely started to settle in. She has made friends, met her patients, and has a caring support system. With time off, she is planning on learning all she can about what the holidays in Scotland are all about, and Mara has set her up to help with everything. The first night of celebration is highlighted by a big name Scottish band that has local ties and agrees to appear at the pub. Em meets the members early when their tour bus breaks down, and she and her SUV are pressed into service to help get everyone into town and their B & B safety. Like everyone else, she enjoys the performance and has a good time, even dancing with the lead singer. When she finds his body sitting frozen on the beach the next morning, she and the Constable will have their hands full, trying to figure out what is going on. This is quite a winding tale with lots of back history, a creative murder method, and suspects that keep our investigators going around in circles. Add in the holidays flowing around the investigation, and this is a book that's hard to put down. Thanks to #Netgally, #CrookedLaneBooks, and the author for an opportunity to read. #DeathataScottishChristmas #LucyConnelly #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

This was a good story that had a great plot twist. Kept me reading to find out what happened next. Looking forward to what’s in store next for these characters.

This is my first book in the series, but I didn’t feel I missed much since the author seems to like to reintroduce everyone all over again. All her friends and especially the Baker and the Pub owner Molly. I can’t imagine how many times that was done in the first book it seemed very repetitive and not needed. I guess maybe so you don’t have to read all the books in order to pick up a book in the series. I did love the concept of restarting over in this cute Scottish town where everyone knows and loves each other. Well except for the murderer. I liked all the different Scottish traditions the whole town seemed to attend. I barely got the romantic tension between the Inspector and Doctor. I wanted more to progress on that front it seems to be a very slower burner on that romantic front. Overall it’s a good solid cozy mystery read. I would be happy to pick up the next book for sure.

This is book 3 in this series but Lucy Connelly is a new author to me and so this is the first book I have read of hers. I loved it and had no problem with reading the book out of order. I will say it sparked an interest to learn more as to why Dr. Emilia (Em) McRoy finds herself in Sea Isle Scottland. I will be reading books 1 and 2 soon.
Death at a Scottish Christmas has Em attending many holiday festivals. One of the first has a famous band with a local boy as the lead singer Bram. Bram is found dead on the beach early on in the book and it becomes known that Constable Ewan Campbell has a history with Bram and becomes a suspect. So an inspector is sent to oversee the case DI Bethany Thomson. The book has many twists and turns and the outcome is not shown right away. I really enjoyed the series and look forward to more by Lucy Connelly.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. This review is my own opinion.

In the third Scottish Isle Mystery, Death at a Scottish Christmas, author Lucy Connelly has renewed the promise of the series debut by setting it back in Sea Isle, a lovely Scottish town with quirky, relatable characters.

Dr. Emilia, formerly an ER doctor in the United States, is enjoying her new life as the town physician and coroner, living in an old, renovated church and lucky to have the latest in medical equipment and the support of the local constable (and her landlord). Bram and the Stokers, a popular rock band, comes to Sea Isle--hometown of two of the members-- for a last concert before they embark on their next big tour, and their concert for the locals is a smashing success. But it isn't long before the charismatic lead singer is found dead, and the other band members are reeling. Was it a murder, or a suicide? Can they tour without him? And where is his notebook with the songs he has been writing for their new recording and tour? Dr. Em gets involved in her role as coroner, but also fears that one of the band's other members is responsible for Bram's death when she learns how he was killed and what was going on in his life that may have led to his death.

It's an intriguing story, but I was more interested in spending time with Em, her trusty assistant and her neurodivergent brother, the aforementioned (hot) constable, and her supportive friends, and in the surrounding holiday events. I hope future series entries will allow Em to stay in town and build on the regular characters, their developing relationships, and the small-town ambience.

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

Death at a Scottish Christmas is the first book I have read by Lucy Connelly. One of my favorite bands is Scottish, so I really enjoyed this book. The death happens early on. The characters are all interesting and keeps you guessing who the murderer might be. This seems to be the 3rd book written and I would guess there will be more. I feel like there are a couple of topics that will find their way into the next book... I will look forward to learning more about the American ex-pat doctor in Scotland.

The lead singer of a famous band is found dead after playing a gig in the small town of Sea Isle, Scotland. Expat Dr. Emilia McRoy, recruited from Seattle to be the town doctor and coroner, puts her Christmas vacation aside to find the cause of death and the killer. Unlike other cozies where civilians investigate, Em's job as coroner validates her right to meddle. If you want a pleasant cozy and no heavy duty forensics, this is right up your alley. Thank you Net galley for the ARC.