I recently had the opportunity to read an ARC of Murder at a Scottish Christmas by Traci Hall, and I must say, it's a delightful cozy mystery. The novel whisks you away to the charming Scottish Highlands, where a beloved member of the community is found dead during the festive season.

The author skillfully blends heartwarming moments, humorous banter, and suspenseful plot twists. The cozy atmosphere and endearing characters make it a perfect winter read.

If you're a fan of cozy mysteries with a touch of holiday cheer, I highly recommend Murder at a Scottish Christmas.

Rating: ★★★★☆/5

Paislee and her family are so happy to be back in their home that they have extra to be celebrating at Hogmanay. Just as the height of the fireworks, her friend Amelia’s brother is murdered. She is the black sheep in her family of villains and she believes her brother has shed his evil ways and gone straight. She refuses to believe that his largesse when he returned home is not legit that she is determined to find his killer and clear up his name. She is going to be sorely disappointed when she discovers how deeply embedded he is in some very wicked crimes that involve some very innocent victims. It is going to make her rethink her own future but not before she puts herself, Paislee( who has been driving her around the Highlands to be helpful) and one of the detectives on the case in mortal danger.

It is a good story and while Amelia is blinded by loyalty, Paislee is not. But she has promised to help her friend even when she suspects there are some nefarious dealings going on. She does put herself in harm’s way but tries to be careful and clever and her efforts can only be applauded. No Darwin Award nominee at all. I enjoyed the story as I have enjoyed the series. Four purrs and two paws up.

This is a delightful book in a long standing series. Paislee Shaw is one of my favorite protagonists. She's bright, charming and a hard working single mom. And all she wants for Christmas is to move herself and her son and grandfather back into their own home. For Paislee though, nothing is that easy. When a friend's brother is murdered it's a mystery that must be solved! Throw in a forget cover and settle in for a fun Scottish mystery.

This is one of my favorite cozy series, but I was a bit impatient with this one. I love Paislee and Grandpa and Brody and Lydia. But, lord, was I sick and tired of Amelia by the end of this book. And I feel like she's going to become a more integral part of the cast of characters in future books. Sigh.

The plotting was well done, as always. I just didn't enjoy spending that much time with Amelia. And Paislee putting everything else on hold to chauffeur Amelia around just took me out of the usual work of Paislee, her shop, her family, her world. The pacing seemed to drag, because it was so much of driving Amelia around to things. It all felt repetitive, even though Paislee was making progress on solving the murder.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Book Review: Murder at a Scottish Christmas by Traci Hall

Rating: 3.5 Stars

So, I just finished Murder at a Scottish Christmas, the sixth book in Traci Hall’s delightful Scottish Shire Mystery series, and it was quite the cozy and festive treat! This book, set in the picturesque seaside village of Nairn, really captures the essence of the season. It’s got all the festive vibes you could ask for and even more!

Summary

In this installment, we follow Paislee Shaw, a sweater shop owner and knitting enthusiast, as she prepares to ring in the New Year. She’s got her hands full with plans for a holiday feast for her twelve-year-old son Brody, her grandpa, and their adorable black Scottish terrier, Wallace. The vibe is all about warmth and togetherness—until things take a dark turn. During the Hogmanay celebrations, with fireworks lighting up the sky, a shot rings out, leaving everyone in shock. McCormac, Amelia's brother, becomes the target in this deadly game of mystery. As chaos unfolds, Paislee takes it upon herself to help Detective Inspector Zeffer crack the case, even though it might put her own life at risk.

My Thoughts

First off, can we talk about how cute and festive the cover is? It totally sets the mood for a cozy mystery! I really enjoyed how Hall captured the small village charm of Nairn. It made me wish I could just pop over there for a Sip and Stitch event myself! The characters are just wonderful; they embody that Scottish pride and community spirit that makes you want to be part of their lives. I’ve grown quite fond of Paislee, her son Brody, grandpa Angus, and of course, Wallace.

The mystery itself was engaging and well plotted. There were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing right up to the very end. I loved that it wasn’t just about solving a crime; it was also about friendships and community bonds that made it all the more enjoyable. And speaking of enjoyment, I wouldn't mind seeing a little romance blossom between Paislee and Zeffer—just saying!

Overall, I’d definitely recommend Murder at a Scottish Christmas to all my cozy mystery-loving friends. It’s a lovely mix of festive cheer, intriguing mystery, and charming characters that make it worth picking up this holiday season. I’d give it a solid 3.5 stars! 🎄🧶✨

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Paislee wants her new house ready for occupancy, but instead she gets involved with a murder and the heist of designer puppies in Murder at a Scottish Christmas, Scottish Shire mystery. A puppy that is precious to a friend also goes missing. How can she solve the mystery and get back the puppy? Competent cozy.

This was my favorite so far in the Scottish Shire Mystery series, it had that overall feel that I was looking for and enjoyed the mystery of this story. I was invested in what happened with the characters and was glad I was able to read this. Traci Hall wrote this well and left me wanting to read more.

A different twist in Paislee Shaw mystery solving ability. She takes a back seat this time by helping her friend Amelia Henry solve not one but two mysteries. One being who murdered her brother? What was he into that he had so much cash to flash and giving expensive Christmas gifts. Amelia fell in love with the cute puppy her brother’s last gift to her, but Snowball is sick and the Vet she was advised to use seems a little shady. Then Snowball goes missing and the Vet was the last person to have her. Is somehow the Vet her brother recommended involved with her brother and the sudden influx of cash? Thankfully Paislee is able to drive her around and help figure out what is going on.
Once again a page turning cozy with a great ending. Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are mine own. #MurderataScottishChristmas

"Murder at a Scottish Christmas (Scottish Shire Mystery #6)" by Traci Hall falls in December/January over the Christmas season. However, the murder really happens on New Year's Eve/Day. Right as the fireworks go off. The victim is the brother of Paislee's friend Amelia.

Paislee really doesn't get too involved in the murder investigation because Amelia's next problem is that her new puppy is sick and the vet that was taking care of it disappeared. The puppy was one of the last gifts the her brother had given to her and she was getting really attached to it. So, Paislee is helping Amelia figure out what happened to the puppy. Maybe it's tied to what happened to Amelia's brother?

🎀Relaxing holidays in Nairn? Not really!😕

This entertaining murder mystery has the series female lead Paislee Shaw spending what should be a relaxing break between Christmas and New Year's running around helping her friend Amelia whose "reformed" favorite brother has left a trail of romances and questions about his finances behind along with a bevy of adorable puppies. The more they investigate his shocking murder, the more Amelia realizes her brother was not the man she thought he'd become!

I've followed this Scottish Shire series through from its inception and always wondered how amateur detective Paislee could run a successful knitting shop with all the time she takes working on murder investigations. In this story, Paislee has closed her shop for the holidays expecting time to relax, spend quality time with her little family and knit more inventory. Great plan but time after time helping friend Amelia takes precedence.

I liked best the cozier scenes of Paislee with her rapidly growing son, grandfather and her BFF Lydia. Some events, like the Hogmanay and fireworks gatherings, included too many characters for me to keep track of.

The plot was good, with a wide range of characters, and a definite holiday feel. And, not to be ignored, some poor, adorable pups so deserving of a happy ending!🐕

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Its Christmas in Nairn and Paislee Shaw still has a million things to do, including buying her son Brody’s gifts. Amelia, a friend from her knitting group suggests a puppy and says she can get a good deal from her brother McCormac. McCormac comes back home to Nairn for the holidays, flashing a lot of cash from his job selling high end cars in Ireland, and giving purebred puppies to all of his friends and family for Christmas. Is this legit or has he gone back to his criminal ways? Then, under the cover of fireworks at midnight on Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve). Paislee doesn’t mean at get involved but Amelia is her friend. Who shot McCormac? There is a lot of action as more suspects turn up. Was it about the high end cars or the designer dogs or something else? I absolutely loved this book and this author. I was hooked from the first page, and although it is part of a series, it was easy to read as a stand-alone. Now I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series.

Paislee Shaw, owner of Cashmere Crush, is happy to be back in her home. While attending the village's Hogmanay
celebration, the black sheep brother of her part-time employee Amelia is murdered. It turns out the brother was still
invovlved with criminal activities despite his time spent in prison. Amelia has been placed on leave from her job
at the police station and is determined who is responsible for her brother's death. As Paislee and Amelia look
into her brother's recent activities, it becomes evident that the puppies her brother was selling are somehow
involved. Well plotted cozy with twist and interesting list of suspects.
#MurderataScottishChristmas #Kensington #NetGalley

An interesting premise- a bad seed brother supposedly reformed returns at the holidays, bringing puppies and being flash, but someone isn't happy he has returned, and using the holiday fireworks to hide their crime, they think they've gotten away with it. Paislee unknowingly gets caught up in investigating the murder, when all she is trying to do is to help her coworker and friend, who happens to be the deceased's brother out, as her car is out of commission. One ride leads to another, and Paislee steps in to help as her natural curiosity comes into play. Gotta admit, this wasn't my fav of the series, probably because Amelia just flat out annoyed me with her mispeaks and lies to Paislee...but it's great to see the changes in Paislee's life and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Murder at a Scottish Christmas is the 6th novel in Traci Hall's A Scottish Shire Mystery series. I have read most of the novels in this cozy mystery series and have enjoyed them. This is small town Scotland and our heroine is Paislee, who although she owns a yarn shop, is happy to solve murders during her winter break. Murder at a Scottish Christmas can function as a stand alone novel, although reading all the novels in order will add to the reader's enjoyment.

In Murder at a Scottish Christmas the characters are interesting and can hold the reader's attention. The topic is puppy smuggling, which certainly held my attention, since in my home the terriers seem to be in charge. As with the previous novels in this series, there is liberal use of Scottish dialect, but after the first few pages, it is easy to get back into using the dialect. I did enjoy Murder at a Scottish Christmas and do recommend it.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for home honest review.

I received a free copy of, Murder at a Scottish Christmas, by Traci Hall, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 6 in A Scottish Shire Mystery book series. Paislee thought it would be a fairly quiet, Christmas. Paislee is waiting for her home to be finally finished, and is ready to host a party, when someone is murdered. Now Paislee has a murder to solve. This was a nice cozy mystery set in beautiful Scotland.

I am so happy to visit Scotland again--and my favorite yarn knitter, Paislee Shaw, in this latest installment of the Scottish Shire Mystery series. Murder at a Scottish Christmas, book #6, is a warm cozy glimpse into life in a small seaside town during the holiday season. The characters are life-like, the town of Nairn is scenic and cozy. The hunt for is on when Paislee's best friend's brother is shot during the fireworks--making for a twisty mystery.
I have loved every book in the series.

Thank you #NetGalley, #KensingtonCozies #TraciHall for granting my request for an ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Recommended for all mystery lovers!

I was looking forward to spending time with Paislee at Christmas, and the parts that had Paislee enjoying Christmas, her family and remodeled home were the best part of this book.
The middle with all the unanswered questions about McCormac’s death and the missing or sick puppies dragged a bit. I wasn’t convinced that Amelia wasn’t using Paislee.
My feelings about it softened at the end. Paislee gets to be a hero.
The tale was good but didn’t hit high marks for me. It may be entirely your cup of tea. The book could be read as a stand-alone because there is good introduction to main characters and of course full introduction to the new people introduced for the story.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5/5 ⭐️
Paislee is back in her next mystery investigating the murder of a man at a New Year’s party.

I really like the characters and setting in this series. Normally, I feel like there is more sleuthing about the murder but this one was more about the dogs, which led to the murder. I found puppy smuggling a weird take but maybe that is more of a thing overseas! I felt like the last one was similar - a lot more searching for a tangential thing rather than sleuthing about the murder. Hopefully, the next one will see Paislee doing more detecting! It was still an easy to read enjoyable cozy mystery.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was another wonderful installment in the Scottish Shire series. Amelia Henry works as a receptionist at the police station and part time at Paislee's yarn shop. Amelia's brother McCormac comes home for a visit, driving an expensive car, flashing money, and gifting expensive pedigree puppies. When McCormac is shot and killed under cover of the New Years Eve fireworks, Amelia begs Paislee to help find his killer. There are plenty of suspects. including McCormac's many girlfriends and a few of his unsavory friends/associates. When Amelia disappears, Paislee enlists the help of handsome DI Zeffer and sparks fly - which might prove interesting in the next book!

It might be Christmas time, but that doesn't stop crime from happening. Paislee is in the thick of things when her friend asks for help in solving her brothers murder. Plus there is something going on with the puppies that were gifted as Christmas presents. Is everything connected? Or is it all a coincidence?

Murder At A Scottish Christmas is an excellent addition to Hall's A Scottish Shire Mystery series. I enjoyed the mysteries, the danger and suspense, the characters, the setting, and the possibilty of DI Zeffer.
Highly recommend this book and series.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.