Fans of historical whodunnits will love Death in a Scottish Castle, the latest installment in Lydia Travers’ terrific Edwardian mystery series featuring Maud McIntyre and her assistant, Daisy.

Scotland, 1912 and Maud and Daisy are on the move again. Travelling to the Isle of Mull and to Clachan Castle, the two detectives have been tasked with investigating the theft of a precious statuette. Maud and Daisy immediately think that they might have cracked the case – until their prime suspect Mr Tremain is found murdered in his bed and the duo realise that the castle is under attack! But with the doors and windows to his room having been securely locked, how could the murderer have possibly killed Mr Tremain when there was no room for escape?

As the sleuths begin investigating, they discover a secret panel with the stolen statuette behind it. As they edge ever closer to the truth, the case takes another chilling turn when the sergeant investigating Mr Tremain’s murder is found dead. With a castle full of suspects and time not on their side, Maud and Daisy need to work hard to unmask the killer. But who could it be? Magnus Carmichael, the castle’s owner? Mr Tremain’s daughter, Jane? Or someone hiding in plain sight?

Maud and Daisy have certainly got their work cut out for them. Will they be able to solve this case in time? Or will a dangerous killer end up getting away with murder?

Lydia Travers’ Death in a Scottish Castle is a fun historical mystery, with two clever, intuitive and redoubtable sleuths, that readers will find themselves devouring in a matter of hours. Full of atmosphere, red herrings and nail-biting intrigue that will keep crime fiction fans on the edge of their seats, Death in a Scottish Castle is a gripping historical cosy mystery from Lydia Travers perfect for Verity Bright and Helena Dixon fans.

“ When Maud McIntyre and her assistant Daisy travel to a remote Scottish castle, the last thing they expect to find is a locked room murder mystery. Can they prise open this case and catch a killer?”
The tales of this pair make me smile. Another high quality mystery with a hint of romance and some great detecting and Scottish countryside. Great

I just love the duo of Maude and Daisy. I didnt enjoy this one as much as the others. For me, it lacked a bit of the heart and comedic banter that I have enjoyed in the past but it is a wonderful clean read, a bit reminiscent of Murder She Wrote.


Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it in exchange for my thoughts

Are we really on book four already!? Time (and books) do fly when you're having fun. And that is exactly what this delightful series is - fun. Cosy crime is rather popular these days and there are countless to choose from and it may not be for everyone but if you are looking for some pure escapism without too much trauma then a cosy crime novel may just be to way to go. So what is different about The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency series? Well it takes us back to pre First World War England. The world is changing both home and away, and women are becoming more and more vocal about their place in it. We can see these changes beginning to emerge as Maud and Daisy battle against prejudice and sexism. These ladies are an unlikely partnership for the time (Daisy was initially Maud's ladies maid) but the things they have in common: courage, an innate sense of right and wrong, ambition and compassion, make them a formidable pairing. I like them very much and very much enjoy the bond they have.

In this final instalment, Maud must use all her skills to get to the bottom of a locked room murder (or two) as quickly as possible. Daisy is herself under suspicion and therefore in danger of being arrested for murder if Maud can't find the real culprit. It is a head scratcher and I love looking out for clues as I go along, as I approach the end I think I know who the culprit is but as is often the case with this type of fiction a red herring or two can deftly be thrown in without me noticing. :) Do you think you could work out who the murderer is (and their motive)?

If you love a light-hearted novel with a puzzle to solve then it might be worth giving cosy crime a try and The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency could be a very good place to start. These books are also perfect for young readers. There is no bad language or graphic descriptions and they are intriguing enough to hold their interest. Murder mystery is also a very popular genre and so this could also be great for fans of A Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens.

Thank you NetGalley, Lydia Travers and Bookoutoure for the ARC!


Maud and Daisy take on an adventure, which begins as an undercover detective role to help solve a case of theft. In an era where women were rarely spotted as independent and career-driven, these two women were making a mark in their chosen career-paths.

In order to solve the case of possible theft, Maud and Daisy are brought to Castle Clauchan on the Isle of Mull. They go undercover as a novelist and assistant to gather details to solve this mystery. Alongside the main characters, we are introduced to a panel of characters who reside at the castle, who are of various social standings. A world of aristocracy who are present as guests at the castle, meet the working class of the staff who are catering to them. In the midst of Maud attempting to uncover the thief, a murder of one of the guests take place, throwing suspicion on everyone in the Castle.

Lydia Travers weaves a cozy tale of “whodunit”, where the two female lead characters use their wit, charm, intelligence and with some inspiration from works of Jane Austen and Sherlock Holmes attempt to solve the murder mystery. Can they stop the murderer and capture him/her before it’s too late? Will they be able to overcome hurdles that present in their investigation? In an era of overt misogyny, will they find sufficient space to carry on their work and receive the deserved recognition and respect?

Death in a Scottish Castle is the perfect next pick for all the cozy mystery lovers out there. If “cozy reads” is your genre, this is a definite “Do not miss” and gets a solid 4 star review.

Five HUGE FREAKING I LOVED IT AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S OVER Stars!!!

Maud and Daisy are off to solve another murder, well they don't know that yet but they are. Clachan Castle is missing a statue so Maud and Daisy go undercover as a writer and her assistant to see if they can discover the thief. As they do, they're getting more than they bargained for. Now there are a couple murders and about a dozen suspects keeping Maud and Daisy on their toes.

I am so freaking sad that this is the end of my adventures with Maud and Daisy but the conclusion could not have been more perfect! Lord Hamish Urquhart and his mystery are revealed. The murders are solved. The future is projected. There is room for continuation but also enough detail to satisfy yourself knowing what their future will hold.

I've been rooting for Hamish from the start, as a romance girly. I was hoping we would get here in the end and when I say my heart SWELLED I am not lying. OMG I loved it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for letting me read and review an advanced copy of this book, ‘Death In A Scottish Castle’ by Lydia Travers.

In Scotland in 1912 women are not expected to be private detectives, but that is exactly what Maud and her assistant Daisy are. When they are asked to come to a remote castle on an offshore island to find a missing statue, they never expected to end up leading a murder investigation and even becoming a suspect.

I found this to be a nice read, with a few unexpected twists. The characters were well thought out, and the plot moved along nicely. As the investigation progressed, the tension level increased, as they raced to find the killer.

1912, Maud and Daisy are invited to a Scottish castle to investigate the disappearance of a valuable statuette. The chief suspect is Lord Urquhart who the pair of detectives have met several times before. But while they are at the castle, a murder takes place...
Death in a Scottish Castle is the 4th and possibly final (I hope not!) book in the Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency series.
Maud and Daisy disguise themselves as a writer and her assistant to go undercover at the castle. They are focussed on their investigation into a theft when another guest is found murdered in his locked bedroom. Now they have two cases to work on and are keen to rise to the challenge. Together they face and combat the class and gender stereotypes of the era and I felt this added an air of authenticity to their activities.
The remote Scottish location and violent weather reflect the turmoil and isolation of the characters. I enjoyed the Scottish dialect indicated by the dialogue and felt this brought the characters to life effectively. I did actually guess the who and how of the murder so was feeling very smug. The crime has a very classical feel to it (think Agatha Christie) with a locked room mystery. I loved the romantic tension between Maud and Lord Urquhart (no spoilers!)
Death in a Scottish Castle is a very enjoyable cosy historical murder mystery.

This has been a fun series and unfortunately this is the last one to wrap it up.

Maud and Daisy travel to a Scottish castle to investigate a theft, they find much more is afoot than that! Murder and mayhem with a couple of mysteries to be solved!-

Entertaining until the last page, you do not want to miss this one!!

When Maud and Daisy received a distress call from their friend Lord Urquhart, summoning them to Clachlan Castle on the Isle of Mull amidst the wintry storms of 1912 Scotland, they abandoned their Edinburgh-based M. McIntyre Detective Agency to investigate. As they navigated through the castle's enigmatic owner Magnus Carmichael and his eclectic guests, they found themselves unraveling a chilling sequence of murders: first among the guests in a locked room, then the investigating police officer under impossible circumstances. Determined to uncover the truth before authorities arrived on the isolated island, Maud and Daisy faced their most perplexing case yet. As a devoted fan of Lydia Travers' Scottish Ladies Detective Agency series, I found "Death in a Scottish Castle" to be the pinnacle of their adventures, showcasing the dynamic duo's finely crafted personalities and their seamless collaboration amidst the atmospheric backdrop of historical Scotland. Daisy's delightful Scottish brogue added an authentic charm to their deduction process, making this installment a standout in a superb series that I wholeheartedly recommend to historical cozy mystery enthusiasts.

Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC. I really enjoyed the past three books in this series, they have been written well but the beginning of this one seemed very fragmented. Characters not introduced suddenly appear in scenes with lines and i've had to go back to see if i missed something and conversations about previous scenes which are not in the book. The first quarter was quite confusing but then read ok. Hopefully this will be corrected in final proof read. The ending seemed very rushed too.

This is the fourth book in the series however could be read as a standalone as they refer to the previous cases and characters.

It is a fun, Cosy murder mysteries and I've really enjoyed the series.

Thanks for the arc

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Death In A Scottish Castle' by Lydia Travers.

ANOTHER HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO LYDIA ON A PAGE TURNING SUCCESSFUL ADDITION TO WHAT AN ADDICTIVE SERIES!!

This book is yet another successful unputdownable cosy mystery in this fantastic series by the very talented Lydia Travers. I'm always a bit dubious with books based historically as I worry about not being able to 'deal' with the language used but I absolutely love how Lydia has written her books. The language used is perfectly suited to the era whilst being easy to read and making it quite humorous on several occasions. The atmosphere and descriptions were perfect. The synopsis and cover also suit the storyline.

Lydia takes us on another adventure with Maud and Daisy which is just as action packed, funny and addictive as the first three books in this series 'The Scottish Ladies Detective Agency', 'Murder In The Scottish Hills' and 'Mystery In The Highlands', if not even better!!! This is a fantastic addition to what has quickly become an addictive series and I cannot wait to get stuck in to the next book in this series which can't come quickly enough!! One of the things I love the most about this fantastic series is how Lydia incorporates the Scottish dialect into her storyline which ensured every thing I read mentally came out in a Scottish accent making it all the more realistic for me. I even had lots of fun learning new words and sayings in Scottish Gaelic which will come on handy when I do head back to Scotland on holiday!!! This series is set in a time when it is uncommon and practically unknown for a female to participate in detective work and is also set during the suffragette movement. The fact that Lydia has done her research shines through the storyline. It is one of my pet hates when an author does not do enough research on the topic they are writing about as it can lead to unnecessary mistakes which can spoil the storyline for me so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS LYDIA on researching your history well!! I thoroughly enjoyed disappearing into the past and it felt like I was on a beautiful holiday to Scotland and the stunning Highlands, losing myself in the fresh air and the Scottish dialect. One of the best things about this particular book and the mystery within is that it is not only set in a Castle but it is also a true locked room mystery which I find builds up even more suspense than your typical mystery. I became completely hooked and every time I would tell myself one more chapter and then I will get on with something else each chapter ended in a way I just had to carry on reading and in the end I completely devoured it in several hours! Lydia's evocative writing skills ensures the reader is completely captivated throughout. is ram packed with friendship, lies, murder, crime, mystery, history , tension, suspense and everything you could ask for in a cosy mystery. Lydia had me laughing, shocked, angry at the lack of respect for women and absolutely hooked throughout!! This is definitely one of those books that can be read in front of a fire, on a beach or relaxing in the garden and it sweeps you away to the beautiful Scotland in times gone by. The storyline had me hooked immediately and I love the way that Maud and Daisy go about their detective work. There was so much going on that it kept me entertained thoroughly throughout with mystery after mystery and clue after clue. It was filled with suspense, mystery, laughter, murder, clues, deceit. tension, suspense and so much more!! The atmosphere was perfectly suited to the mystery. One of the things that I loved the most was that although this is predominantly a crime book is that it has plenty of moments of humour throughout which lightens up the atmosphere and had me giggling away one moment and shocked the next! An absolutely perfect start to what promises to be a fantastic and addictive cosy mystery series and I cannot wait to get stuck into the next book especially after reading the teaser chapters at the end of this one!!

Although this is the fourth book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.


I absolutely loved meeting these larger than life and fun characters again which are all realistic, well rounded, have a mix of personalities and each work their part perfectly in the book! Thanks to Lydia's evocative writing skills they all jump out of the pages and come to life before the readers eyes. They are all larger than life, realistic and a complete breathe of fresh air. Maud is an amazing and very likeable character, strong willed and made me laugh on several occasions, she is absolutely unique as well as a very strong female lead which is a great bonus for myself being female. She is keen to follow in the footsteps of fictional detectives that include Sherlock Holmes and uses his techniques in her own discovery work which included sleuthing and disguising herself! It would not have been easy trying to make a name for herself in a time where the main roles were predominately filled by men and there was the Suffragette movement ongoing but Maud and Daisy held strong and made themselves known. She is determined and when she does make mistakes she ensures that she learns from them. I absolutely love her calm determination and strong personality and I really cannot wait to see what she gets up to next!! Daisy is another loveable lead character who I adored. She made me laugh on several occasions also and is cheeky, loveable and funny. She is definitely a woman that I would love to be around when I'm doing my work!! They are both young women and in a "mans world" where woman are taking a stand and these are two fantastic women to have around at the time! They both take their investigations seriously but also have some fun ways to get the information they need which included several lots of fancy dress items!! I loves the fantastic dynamic between them and enjoyed watching their characters and friendship develop. They both complimented each other and worked perfectly together sometimes not even having to talk to know what the other needs/wants making them a great, strong female duo! I would absolutely love for these to be real women as they would make absolutely amazing women!! I loved meeting them along with several other characters that we come across in this fascinating funny page turner and cannot wait to meet them all again and see what they get up to in their next adventure!!!!

Love, love, love this fantastic and explosive addition to this fantastic series that I cannot wait to get stuck back into!!

An absolutely explosive addition to an amazing series! This is exactly why you are one of my favourite cosy mystery authors! A page turning and unputdownable success! Here's to looking forward to your next book 🥂

Overall a fun and easy to read page turning cosy murder mystery with the perfect amount of crime and humour that will keep you turning the pages.

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Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “Death in a Scottish Castle” by Lydia Travers. This is the fourth book in the Scottish Ladies’s Detectives Agency series. I have read the series from the beginning and I love the camaraderie between Maud and Daisy. Book four can be read as a stand alone, but the series is good that you will want to read them all!
Maud and Daisy are investigating a stolen statue but then tied up in a murder mystery. If you like Agatha Christie, then this book is for you!
I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#DeathInAScottishCastle #LydiaTravers #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #BooksSetInScotland

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery series set in Scotland during the early 1910s. Each book has been a delight to dive into and unravel the mystery put forth. Maud and Daisy are thoroughly modern women, much to the consternation of the many men they encounter along the way, and the way the author writes them for the most part is great! However, I have issues with the insertion of a romantic interest for Maud with Lord U; she’s supposed to be this strong and independent woman, but she practically falls in a puddle whenever he is around. The romance is minor, to be sure, but I find that aspect of the books takes away from my overall enjoyment of the solving of a mystery by two capable women (who don’t need a man to make their lives complete!) That’s the only thing I can find to complain about with this mystery series.

As usual, Lydia Travers lays down the mystery in expert form, laying out clues and red herrings into the death of Mr. Tremain and the subsequent death of the police sergeant. There’s even one point where one of the women makes a point of saying it is quite literally a locked room mystery.

I’m a big fan of dialogue in stories rather than long expositions of scene settings and the like, and this mystery does that in spades. Much is revealed in the conversations amongst the characters, so one must pay attention; that offhand comment could be a vital clue! I did have the murderer narrowed down by the time of the big reveal by following the little breadcrumbs the author left. Brilliant writing!

This is a series that improved with each new installment and this is the best so far. I was a bit sad it was the last as Maud and Daisy grew on me and I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and tightly knitted mystery.
There's a theft but someone dies and our ladies are involved and investigate as they want to know who did it.
There's a lot of humour, the ladies are fleshed out and I appreciated how they were able to collaborate and use their brain to solve the mystery. I was kept guessing and turning pages.
I hope there will be more Maud&Daisy as I thoroughly enjoyed this one and the author did a good job in developing characters and plot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The fourth and final instalment of the dynamic duo Maud and Daisy aka the Scottish Ladies Detectives,

Maud and Daisy are wonderful characters strong, determined, forthright, resilient not afraid to push the boundaries to get to the truth.

I've followed this series since the beginning and have enjoyed joining Maud and Daisy on their sleuthing adventures and although I shall be sad to see them move on I feel it's the right time for them.

This is the first book by this author that I have read and was very disappointed that it was the last in the series. I really enjoy lady detectives and their maids turned partners. This was a well written mystery that had you guessing till the end. I did work out the murderer but not how it was done. The characters were well written. It was full of humor, mystery and a little romance and sadness. It was a very enjoyable read that had me turning the page wanting to know what was going to happen next. I will be going back now to read the books before. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.

Maud McIntyre and her friend Daisy are becoming more known as the two ladies who solve various crimes. Some of the crimes may be smaller, but they are not afraid to work on a murder case, and are determined to gain the respect of others around them, even if their lives continue to take them in different directions. .

There have been some mysterious deaths that definitely seem like murder, but as they are determined to figure out the why and who, Maud and Daisy are positive the deaths are not coincidences. In fact, as they are currently undercover at a castle, the ladies definitely have more than one suspect to consider.

Both Maud and Daisy have been delightful characters in this cozy mystery series. As a readier drawn to these well-written stories by Lydia Travers, I did feel a strong sense of sadness to see the series coming to the end. I look forward to following Ms. Travers’ next series as she has shown herself to be a skilled writer with intriguing stories.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Plot

Maud and her assistant Daisy are undercover once again… this time at a Scottish castle on the Isle of Mull. An investigation into the theft of a statue soon turns into a locked room murder mystery.
I really enjoyed the locked room murder scenario, and it got me thinking along with Maud and Daisy how the murder could have been committed. I did guess part of how it was done. The suspects were few, but I liked the fact that there was more than one character with motive. Although perhaps this could have been further developed. The narrative structure maintained pace, with most of the action being all in the one location this time.

Daisy and Maud are brilliant characters with a lovely friendship between the pair. I do hope there are more of these books, especially with the war looming in the book. There could also be a spin off series involving Daisy. Happy publication day, Lydia Travers!