Review - Death at a Scottish Wedding

I started with the first book in this new series:

1) An American in Scotland (click here)

The second book is released featuring a deadly wedding held in a Scottish castle.  Talk about a great setup for murder!

Author: Lucy Connelly

Copyright: January 2024 (Crooked Lane Books) 265 pgs

Series: 2nd in A Scottish Isle mystery series

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Emilia McRoy, American ER Doctor, now all purpose country physician and coroner

Setting: Modern day-- Sea Isle, Scotland

Obtained Through: Publisher for an honest review, Netgalley

 Book Blurb:  "Finally feeling like Sea Isle, Scotland is becoming her new home, American doctor Emilia McRoy is delighted when she is invited to a wedding at Morrigan's Castle. Her friends have warned her that it's a three-day party and it's bound to get wild, not to mention the impending snowstorm. Constable Ewan Campbell, owner of the castle, ensures their safety with the blizzard. What he didn’t ensure, is that all of his guests would survive the night alive. When Emilia explores the impressive castle, she finds a dead man [ex-boyfriend of the bride who wasn't invited] in one of the turrets.

 The snowstorm hits and the local police can’t reach the castle until it lets up. With no one able to leave, the family insists they carry on with the wedding, which makes Emilia's job as the coroner a bit easier—the suspects are in one place­––and complicated because the killer has Emilia in his sights. The fact no one claims to know the victim isn't helping. Why would someone no one knows be murdered at a castle in the middle of nowhere?

It’s up to Emilia to uncover the mystery who the victim is, so the killer doesn’t get away Scot free."

MY Thoughts:  Emelia is still recovering from the death of her husband and is finding Scotland healing her grief.  Best friends Mara, Angie, and Abigail are the besties we all wish we had.  Constable Ewan, the wealthy laird and constable is the potential romantic interest.  This is an extreme slow burn of a romance with some head-butting between them with obvious chemistry, I hope the author will give us a bit more in the next installment because the few hints that Ewan may like her are few and stiff.  I can see Ewan waiting to see if she is going to stick around before becoming invested in her, but throw us readers something to hang onto.

The castle is a great setting, but I wish it's atmosphere had been punched up a wee bit because I love a creepy gothic atmosphere.  All the Scottish wedding traditions are a great touch and added so much to the sense of place.  

The plot is a classic stranded with a murderer premise with the investigation trying to answer why the victim snuck into the wedding, who helped him to get into the castle, and who killed him... and is attempting to kill the bride and stop Emelia in her gathering of evidence.  All these questions have many possible answers that seem all over the place and thus confusing the investigation.

The pacing did seem a little off at times. The second in a series is always tough and the stranded setting is challenging to keep enough movement and sense of urgency.  I was still interested and kept turning the pages, though.  For me some of the wedding guests' personalities started to grate on me--as if I were stuck there with them!

Rating:  Excellent - A fun read! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.