Today I am delighted to take part in the Bookouture blog tour for Murder on the Scottish Hills by Lydia Travers.
Synopsis
When Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid Daisy travel into the Scottish Highlands, the last thing they expect to find is a body on the train… Will these keen amateur sleuths stop a murderer in his tracks?
Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre receives a letter from a maid called Rose, sharing her suspicions that something strange is happening in the house where she works, she and her assistant Daisy immediately travel to the Highlands to investigate.
But as they are changing trains, the body of a man falls from the carriage right in front of them, a bullet in his head. Maud and Daisy can’t believe it – they’ve waited ages for a new case, and now one has literally landed in front of them! And when the local police rule the death as a tragic accident, the pair have no choice but to investigate what they believe is a murder…
Arriving in the Scottish village, Maud and Daisy go undercover to begin their hunt for the murderer, while also investigating the strange behaviour of Rose’s employer, a local art dealer. As they begin to piece together the chain of events, Maud and Daisy wonder whether the cases might be linked. Is it possible the man on the train was killed to cover up something in the village? And, if so, who would do such a thing?
When a local artist is found murdered, Maud and Daisy become convinced the two cases are connected. Searching for the link between the deaths, will Maud and Daisy solve the case before another mysterious murder takes place?
A page-turning historical whodunnit, perfect for fans of the mysteries of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright, T.E. Kinsey and Catherine Coles.
My thoughts
I did enjoy reading this so. It is shaping up to be a fun, lighthearted series and a wonderful opportunity for some delightful escapism. Murder in the Scottish Hills is book two in the series. These can most definitely be classed as ‘cosy crime’. They are gentle and engaging but also filled with historical titbits. Both Maud and Daisy are young ladies breaking free from the conventions that trapped women into a particular way of life and are paving a way for themselves. It isn’t easy and at times very dangerous but the determined duo are very good at what they do. Team work and friendship seem to be the order of the day and they, so far, always get there man (or woman) in the end.
I very much enjoyed travelling to 1911 and a small village in the Highlands with Maud and Daisy. Maud’s walks were particularly enjoyable and who knows who one might bump into when out and about near Balmoral.
The mystery itself was intriguing to watch unfold and I did enjoy following the ladies as they brought the killer to justice. A delightful series and I look forward to book three when it comes later this year.
Thank you so much to the lovely team at Bookouture for inviting me to take part in the blog tour. It was a pleasure as always.
About the author
Lydia Travers was born in London. She moved progressively north until settling with her husband in a village on the edge of the Scottish Highlands. She has raised children, bred dogs and kept chickens; and for as long as she can remember has written for pleasure. A former legal academic and practitioner with a PhD in criminology, she now runs self-catering holiday accommodation, sings in a local choir and is walked daily by the family dog.
Lydia also writes as Linda Tyler and her first novel under that name, Revenge of the Spanish Princess, won a 2018 Romance Writers of America competition for the beginning of an historical romance. Her second novel The Laird’s Secret was Commended in the 2021 Scottish Association of Writers’ Pitlochry Quaich competition for the beginning of a romantic novel. Mischief in Midlothian won the 2022 Scottish Association of Writers’ Constable Silver Stag trophy. She has had a number of short stories published in magazines, journals and anthologies in the UK, the USA and Australia.
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Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BWNHR79Nsocial
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