Beneath the Abbey Wall

Joanne Ross #3

by A.D. Scott

Now the acclaimed mystery series about a newspaper staff in a 1950s Highland town continues - everything is quiet and quaint until one of their own is murdered. In a small Scottish town, the local newspaper staff doesn't see much excitement. But that all changes when their no-nonsense office manager Mrs. Smart is found murdered one dreary autumn night. For the staff of the Highland Gazette, the investigation becomes personal when the deputy editor, is accused of the crime.

It's the late 1950s, the decade of rock n' roll and television, and change is coming, but slowly. It's up to budding reporter Joanne Ross to step into Mrs. Smart's shoes and keep the newspaper office running, all while raising two girls alone. But newcomer Neil Stewart proves a major distraction for Joanne.

And what does the tragic tale of children stolen from the travelling people more than thirty years previously have to do with this murder? In a mystery with twists and turns and no clear-cut solution, the secrets of the past must be unraveled before justice can be found.

Beneath the Abbey Wall is a finely wrought, atmospheric mystery that ratchets up the thrills, pulling you into the chilling grip of small-town life in Scotland where every corner is haunted by the past.

Genres: Mystery, Scotland, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Adult Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Pen name of Ann Deborah Nolan.

A. D. Scott was born in the Highlands of Scotland and educated at Inverness Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She has worked in theatre, in magazines, and as a knitwear designer and currently lives in Vietnam and north of Sydney, Australia.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is my least favorite book in the series so far. It's set in the late 1950's in the Scottish Highlands so I love that. Joanne Ross has made the startling step of leaving her abusive husband and become a budding reporter for the local weekly newspaper. She is somewhat shunned for her decisions. A woman working? Living away from your husband? Tut, tut, tut.

In this one a newspaper employee is murdered and another one is arrested for the murder. The paper is in chaos and the editor is too upset to work. With just a few employees, a mysterious visitor from America steps in to help out. It turns out he has hidden ties to the area.

The part that irritates me is Ross falls madly for a totally unsuitable man and just goes googled-eyes. She can't see her nose on the front of her face. It is so annoying the harm and danger she gets involved in.

I still like the series. I love the 50's time period and I love the setting in the Scottish Highlands. I just women wouldn't be so gullible.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series very much. It is character driven and atmospheric. The time is 1957 and rock and roll music is in its early development. The location is Scotland and the place of work is the Highland Gazette that puts out a newspaper. The protagonist in this series is Joanne Ross who is mother of two girls, separated from an abusive husband and works as a reporter for the newspaper. This might seem common place enough but not for the times. Women are to stay at home and certainly not to be separated from their husbands. Joanne will go for a drink in the bars or out for coffee with her workmates and this causes tongues to wag. The operation of getting the newspaper out is part of the atmosphere too. I felt as a reader I was right there working towards the deadlines.

One of their workmates is murdered. It made no sense as it would seem that no one would harm the victim as she was a nice woman. There are many secrets and past history that come out in the book. The Highland Staff goal is to find who committed the murder. One of their staff has been arrested for it.

This book could be read without the past books and you wouldn't get lost. However, you would be missing the character development and history from the past books. The characters are wonderful and I want to keep up with them. I will admit that Joanne surprised me in this book. She went head over heels towards obsession with a newcomer from Canada who was only in Scotland for a short time. She had appeared level headed to me in previous books.

It is a very good book that makes the reader care about the characters and become immersed in the time and location. The mystery portion of the book was very good. It was like peeling back a onion. A little bit more past history was given out slowly through out the book. Some people had made a promise and they were going to keep it. I look forward to keeping up with this series.

[Barbara Townsend · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to enjoy this book. I love books where the locale is Scotland. I normally read novels in a series in order, but I bought this novel in a bookstore in Canada. There were references to prior novels that I disregarded. The omniscience and multiple PVs were distracting. I had to re-read the first ten pages because I couldn't figure out who was who and what was what. The long strings of adjectives were annoying. Disjointed, hard to read, sentences seemed almost out of order.

[Amber Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I’m just not meant for the genre. It is entirely possible that A.D. Scott’s latest novel is a work of brilliance in the world of mystery titles, but I would never guess.
The story opens with journalist McAllister (does he have a first name?) being called in to the morgue to identify a body – it turns out to be an employee of his, Mrs. Smart. When he delivers the news to his team that she has been murdered, nobody takes it as hard as Don McLeod, who drinks himself into a stupor before being arrested for the murder. All signs point to it being true – a secret relationship, a large inheritance, his filleting knife found as the murder weapon – but Don’s friends know that his silence does not mean guilt, but instead protection of the deceased. McAllister and Rob, fellow reporter and son of the defense attorney, set off on a seemingly-endless search for the true killer. Along the way, they discover secrets of her past, her relationship with Don, and her history with the nomad/gypsy/traveler/tinker Jenny McPhee, to whom Mrs. Smart bequeathed an expensive allotment.
Meanwhile, Neil Stewart, an academic man from Canada has come to the Highlands in search of history to complete his doctorate. Learning of the difficult situation at the Highland Gazette, he offers his services to assist the paper while they are down two employees and the rest are distracted. It takes little time before he charms Joanne Ross, reporter and single mother, into a whirlwind romance. In time, it becomes apparent that he has his own business with the mysterious Jenny McPhee.
I did not start to find this book interesting until the last fifty pages. I found the plotting slow-moving and the ‘surprise twists’ to be obvious to anyone halfway decent at recognizing foreshadowing. What also bothered me was that there was practically no character development whatsoever; I considered this somewhat excusable for several characters, since this is the third book in a series, but some were being introduced for the first time and still merited minimal growth. Some bits of explanation and dialogue left me scrunching my eyebrows and thinking, “Yes, well, duh.”
I did appreciate Scott’s flare for describing inner conflict, especially for Joanne’s romance. I also enjoyed those last few chapters, when everything started coming together and there were some actual revelations instead of obvious ‘twists’. Despite all this, and despite how excited I was that I was enjoying how things came together, the end ruined the entire novel for me. Of course, I won’t spoil the ending for anyone, but personally, it ruined what merit the book had.
If you love mysteries, give this one a shot and prove me wrong. If you are not very familiar with the mystery genre, this should not be your gateway novel. You might never pick one up again.
Literary merit: 2 out of 5
Enjoyment: 1.2 out of 5

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third in MS Scott's series about the northwest of Scotland, at the outflow end of the Great Glen, in the 1950's. American rock has just begun to reach the north so the weekend dances are beginning to have two halves, the old folks and the teenagers. The Highland Gazette is thriving under the new editor, Joanne is becoming accepted as a reporter and Rob's band, the Meltdown Boys has added some Everly Brothers to their play list. It's fine until the Sunday evening when Mrs. Smart's body is discovered by a railway worker coming off shift. Now, we've met Mrs. Smart before, the efficient lady who manages the office and the advertising and who is always present at the Monday morning meeting. Why would anyone kill her? Who could have been there to do it? It is necessary to understand the way closes are set up, how you get in, how much space is shared, to follow the action but it is clearly enough explained. We meet Neil Stewart, Scottish born but Canadian raised, who steps in as sub-editor when Don McLeod is arrested and charged with Joyce's murder. None of our friends believes Don could or would murder the woman who spent every Sunday evening with him instead of with her abusive husband, but the procurator fiscal needs some heavy duty evidence to release Don. This small town, small city really, hides its history, gossips like mad, but hides the past. Boy, do we get the secrets! The past spreads itself out bit by bit, like a scroll being slowly unrolled. The very end is a trifle strange, somewhat upsetting and we can only wonder at how people will pick up and carry on. An excellent read.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say... Ms. Scott did it again! In this third installment of the 'Highland Gazette' series we are transported back to 1957 to the small town in Scotland and a visit with the staff of The Highland Gazette! I've been waiting a year for it and I wasn't disappointed!

Mrs. Smart wasn't really a key player in the last two books, just a background character. This book she gets front and center even though she is dead. We learn a lot about her and her past. Don McLeod the paper's Deputy Editor is arrested for her murder! Unbelievable! What is his connection to her? You will be surprised! And what does the tragic tale of Tinker's children being stolen from them 30 years ago have to do with this? Can Mrs. Smart's invalid husband really get around better than we think and could he have done this dirty deed? Who is this Neil Stewart from Canada and how will he impact Joanne Ross' life? Poor Mac, can he & Rob find evidence to exonerate Don and will he ever tell Joanne how he feels about her? Will the Highland Gazette even survive through all of this?

If you haven't read the first two books in this series, 'A Small Death in the Great Glen' and 'Double Death on the Black Isle' you can still enjoy this one as a stand alone mystery. But, believe me you'll want to get both of these other books and start at the beginning to get to know the characters and become involved in their lives. And just like the first two books at the very end a shocking surprise that leaves you stunned!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure what I expected from this mystery novel, and I'm still left hanging as to whether that helped my rating for this.

"Beneath the Abbey Wall" contained all of my favorite elements for the perfect gothic mystery: historically placed, set in Scotland, small community, a mysterious death that throws everything off-balance. The characters were nothing spectacular, which is excellent: no one wants to read about the most perfect person on the planet. We have the traditional commanding McAllister, lead editor of the newspaper, who is great at divvying tasks but poor at expressing his emotions; the battered Joanne, fresh out of a violent marriage and devoted mother of two daughters; the charming Rob and aloof Hector; and the near-constant sobbing Betsy. Watching these employees interact, racing to share the stories with their town even when it's a negative case about one of their own, was very entertaining and warming.

The downfall can be pointed to the characters the whole murder centers on: Mrs Smart, Mr Smart, and Don McLeod, the one blamed for Mrs Smart's murder. Scott surely meant for the readers to care about Mrs Smart's death -- but not once did I feel any sadness towards her character. All that was ever said about her was that she was a good woman. What made her good? Her personal story when she was young woman is revealed, and I was sympathetic to her for that situation, but I lacked sympathy for her older character. What was it about her that people liked? This question was never fully explained. I was also supposed to resent Mr Smart, but instead I found him to be the annoying character who would pop up only once in a while to remind you of his existence, and then disappear again. And Don lacked personality. He was a drunkard, and it was all people could describe him as. How am I supposed to root for his freedom from prison if that's the only thing the characters can say about him?

Joanne was a character that I could easily relate to It was quite eerie. I would feel bothered by her sudden fantasies over Canadian newcomer Neil Stewart -- dreaming up romantic get-aways and wishing he'd say he loved her -- but before I could go and judge her, I realized I'm quite similar. In fact, most women are, especially if they've undergone neglect. She wanted someone else to validate her existence, to make her feel wanted and cherished. When no one -- apart from McAllister, which is apparent to everyone else except for Joanne -- offers this and a new man arrives on the scene, of course she'll jump on the opportunity.

As far as the plotting for the mystery, I felt it dragged. At some moments, I forgot this was a mystery novel instead of a love story. Another aspect is the lack of empathy I felt for the murdered and the accused. The writing was beautiful, the relationships between the characters entertaining and exquisite, the descriptions of life in the office and life out in the Highlands lovely. But the mystery itself was left wanting.

[Read for a graduate course. Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC.]

[Hana Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story revolves around characters involved in unrequited love, seeking love, and disregarding love. The mystery seems to be a background for these people to learn from their mistakes of the past and get things right going forward.

The setting is the Highlands in the year 1957 in a small Scottish town. When Mrs. Joyce Eileen Smart the office manager of the local newspaper is found murdered, the staff of the paper find themselves at the center of news. For the staff of the "Highland Gazette," the investigation becomes personal especially when the deputy editor, is accused of the crime. The investigation reveals dark secrets kept by the respectable and not so respectable people of this quiet and quaint town.

Mrs. Smart’s will hints at deeply rooted past actions. The unusually large strange bequests to the deputy editor of the paper and to Jimmy McPhee and Jenny his mother, both Travelers or tinker people, suggests that the proper Mrs. Smart had an unconventional past, that might have caught up with her.

On this heels of this tragedy a stranger appears, a Canadian scholar of Highland history, working on his doctoral thesis. Neil Stewart claims he is interested in the folk tales of the Traveling people and seeks out Jenny. His true goal is to seek information about his birth mother.

Ms. Scott cleverly weaves the tragic tale of children stolen from the Traveling people in years past into the story, revealing the governments sinful actions. She also describes the penal attitudes of society and its repression of women during these times.

The characters are drawn true to the times set in the book. There is the traditional male McAllister, lead editor of the newspaper. He is great at commanding his staff but poor at expressing his emotions. The interesting women include the battered Joanne, seeking release from a violent marriage and Betsy a drone, the elusive Jenny McPhee, pretending, and Joyce Smart, a good hearted woman who gave up.

There are twists and turns as the secrets of the past are unraveled and some justice is found. The writing is good, the relationships between the characters interesting,
The too many descriptions of life in the office and life out in the Highlands got in the way of the mystery.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

BENEATH THE ABBEY WALL (The Highland Gazette: #3)
Written by A.D. Scott
2012, Atria Books (352 Pages)
Genre: historical, mystery, fiction, Scotland

RATING: ★★★1/2

In Book one and two Mrs. Smart - the newspaper's office manager - is a background character. We do not find out much about her but she is reliable and holds the Highland Gazette together. The lack of detail of her life and her no nonsense attitude intrigued me and I was hoping in this book we would learn more.

It has been a few months since the last novel and in this book the Highland Gazette is thoroughly rocked. First there is the death of Mrs. Smart and then Don McLeod is charged for her murder. The members of the Gazette are not sure how Don and Mrs. Smart are connected and why her murder has wrecked him so much.

The reading of Mrs. Smart's will bring up more questions than helping the Gazette figure out who is Mrs. Smart's killer. As they dig deeper into the case the newspaper is falling apart. The new Canadian stranger in town working as a subeditor has Joanne in a lovestruck tizzy and MacAllister is too distraught over Don and Mrs. Smart to notice. Joanne also might have a way to get rid of Bill and save her new life. Time is of the essence but secrets are hard to shake loose and more than Don has everything to lose.

I am in for book four and have book five on hold at the library. As I said I think I will continue with the series until the books get dense or dull. I am going straight into book four an am about 35% into the novel.


My Novelesque Life

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

After my professor handed me my first advanced copy of a book ever, I quickly began reading it. Because she covered the back, I knew virtually nothing about the book or its author. I think going into it so blind led to some disappointment on my end.
The prologue suggests an otherworldly presence the night an unnamed man finds the Highland Gazette’s office manager, Mrs. Smart, dead. Though not partial to murder mysteries, I love paranormal stories. Thus, the prologue really peaked my interest. Several chapters later, I accepted this was not the case and tried my best to push on. Honestly, had this read not been for a class, I probably would have put the book down much sooner than I did for more reasons than simply my misunderstanding.
I think what really hindered my enjoyment of this book was the pacing. I understand mysteries tend to plod in order to build suspense, but I just grew bored. The teeny bits of information McAllister dug up just led to more questions that I imagine were all answered at the end, but I lost interest well before that. Perhaps if he made better progress, he would have maintained my attention.
I gave this book a fair chance, but it failed to impress me. My inability to identify with either of the main characters really dimmed my interest. If I were more familiar with the elements of mystery novels as well as the backstory of this specific one, I may have gotten more out of it. As is, I doubt I would recommend it to any friends, unless one expressed curiosity about mysteries.

[Janet DeCastro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder Mystery
1957, Inverness,Scotland. The 3rd book in a series of the "Highland Gazette."

Murder, Mayhem and Melancholy find their way among the staff of the "Highland Gazette", this time. One is viciously killed (Mrs. Smart) - found dead beneath the Abbey Wall. Another has been arrested (Don McLeod) for the murder and remains in the gaol (jail) - broken down and without hope. The Police have their man. A seemingly open and shut case. It is up to McAllister and the rest to find the guilty party.

To complicate matters a tall,dark,handsome stranger from across the pond (Canada) has come to Inverness for purposes of working on his PhD. which also involves tracing his family roots - he was adopted and wants to find his birth mother. The stranger (Neil) is brought on-board to help out at the "Gazette" in Don's absence but manages to sway married-with-children-but-separated Joanne into having a fling.

Matriarch of the "Traveling People" (Tinkers), Jenny McPhee holds the key to old skeletons in closets and unhealed wounds. Can McAllister convince her to help without betraying a confidence?

A story thread of improper women and bastard children runs through the book reminding us of the strict moral and religious norms expected of the Highlands people for the era. Author A.D. Scott also noted in end notes that it was practiced at this time that bairns (children) were taken from undesirable families such as the poor and "Traveling People" (gypsies) by social welfare agencies and handed over to orphanages, institutionalized or sent to the colonies.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

John McAllister leads a small newspaper staff determined to move the weekly Highland Gazette into the mid-20th century. However, when the business manager, an older lady who holds the paper’s production together, is murdered things threaten to fall apart. It doesn’t help that the deputy editor is in prison charged with the killing. The setting and most of the characters show a lot of promise for an interesting series. However I found, Joanne Ross, the central figure, quite repulsive. In this installment she graduates from being an abused wife to an infatuation with a possibly homicidal stranger. Can’t think of any reason to continue on to future installments in the series as long as she is in it.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This is the third book in this series, set in Scotland in a 1950's newsroom. I love how each of her book covers have a different color tartan plaid. This is a solid who done it, not alot of blood and gore, no gruesome serial killer, just a character centered mystery and old fashioned follow the clues. Along the way we are treated to some of the Scottish countryside and some very relateable characters. I enjoy these. ARC from publisher.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing mystery--atmospheric, character-driven, surprising (and I won't say more). I expect it will make an excellent discussion book. My favorite quote from the book: "Hector had spent the past weeks scuttling around like a demented guinea pig." How's that for description? Hilarious.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragedy strikes the Gazette's office when one of their own is found dead, and before long nothing is as it seemed. Even Joanne's life is no longer simple - she's falling for the handsome foreigner - and McAllister fears he might lose her.

[Priscilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written and edited. Don't bother.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

awful.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a plod along saga of trivial revelations
The ending sealed the deal
Obviously not about to tackle the previous two

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

"AS A DECADE OF CHANGE COMES TO A CLOSE, MURDER HITS CLOSE TO HOME IN A SMALL SCOTTISH TOWN . . . .
"On a dark, damp Sunday evening, a man taking a shortcut home sees a hand reaching out in supplication from a bundle of sacks. In an instant he knows something terrifying has happened.

"In the Highlands in the late 1950s, much of the local newspaper's success was due to Mrs. Smart, the no-nonsense office manager who kept everything and everyone in line. Her murder leaves her colleagues in shock and the Highland Gazette office in chaos. Joanne Ross, a budding reporter and shamefully separated mother, assumes Mrs. Smart's duties, but an intriguing stranger provides a distraction not only from the job and the investigation but from everything Joanne believes in.

"Beneath the Abbey Wall brilliantly evokes a place still torn between the safety of the past and the uncertainty of the future, when rock 'n' roll and television invaded homes, and a change in attitudes still came slowly for many. As the staff of the Highland Gazette probes the crime, they uncover secrets deeply rooted in the past, and their friend's murder becomes the perfect fodder for strife and division in the town and between her colleagues."

Do you remember getting the first television set in the 1950s? I certainly do! It came in the late 50s in our house, because I remember going down the road to my friend's house to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. It was considered such an important historic event that we were let off from school to see it. And to you remember how borderline scandalous the Ed Sullivan Show was, with those rock 'n' rollers? Was that music?!

The other theme that struck me about this book was the Travelers, or tinkers. The Tannahill Weavers did a grand song about the prejudice and treatment of the Travelers -- Terror Time (https://tannahillweavers.bandcamp.com...). In this book, the plot included the history of Traveler children being snatched by social workers -- for their own good -- and being incarcerated in orphanages or adopted or sent to Australia. Echoes of the Native American children being forced into boarding schools here in America -- ripped away from their families and forbidden to speak their own language. I thought it was interesting that this happened in Scotland also.

As always, the plot is complicated and it takes the Gazette staff a lot of digging to finally peel away the layers to arrive at the reason for the murder. A sub-motif is Joanne's tumble in love/lust with the charming Canadian stranger, who comes to work temporarily on the Gazette while Don MacLean is jailed for Mrs. Smart's death. The ending is a total blindsider!

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The staff at the newly modernized Highland Gazette were just hitting their stride when they became the news. Their office manager, Mrs. Smart, was found murdered--knifed in a dark stairway across from a church cemetery. The least likely of murder victims deserves an equally unlikely chief suspect--the Gazette's old-time newspaperman, Don McLeod, editor and standard bearer.
Stunned by this double blow, editor-in-chief McAllister, and young reporters Joanne Ross and Rob McLean struggle with turning out a newspaper without their two mainstays. The arrival of a Canadian academic on a research mission, Neil Stewart, seems a timely bit of good fortune; he pitches in to help with editing and op-ed, so McAllister can work to help McLeod's lawyers find some way to defend him. Soon, Joanne falls for the visitor, and McAllister begins to lose sleep over Joanne's affair.
But the murder, rooted in a history none of these colleagues is aware of, soon spills out secrets exposing a dark history that draws in the Traveler family, the McPhees, and the interconnected families of the Highlands.
This fine series highlights the well-drawn characters as they evolve: Joanne, young mother separated from her brutal ex-husband and daring to reach out for a new lover; Rob, eager reporter and fearless challenger of the staid and bureaucratic; McAllister, stoical newspaperman faced with the loss of the woman he loves as well as his best friend. The return of Jenny McPhee and her dangerous son Jimmy adds more depth, and the tale tips in a surprising direction as Don McLeod's unknown story is revealed.
Even as the murder is resolved, we're left with questions that make the reader wonder if the wrong person has been charged! The ambiguity comes late, after a satisfyingly happy ending... for now.

[Spuddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little less enamored of this book than the first two in the series. I can't really put my finger on exactly why, but it just didn't seem to come together as well as the first two, and there was a lot of repetitiveness to it, with characters doing the same things over and over again. I pretty much had the plot and 'hidden' stories sorted out by mid-book so the "surprises" really weren't, and I just wanted someone to ask the right questions that would have led to the solution weeks before they did--they all seemed to have slurped on the stupid juice or something!

That said, the time and setting (1950's Scottish Highlands) remains interesting and unique and enjoyable and I definitely will continue to read on. I hope the next one gels a little better, though.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the Gazette's staff members is killed, which sets them off to trying to figure out the culprit while also putting out a paper and grieving the loss of one of their own.

Secrets are uncovered. There's a romantic stranger in town.

There is also some about the social services' removal of Romany children (in this book, "Tinker," or "Traveler"), akin to Native American children's removal in the US.

I like learning a bit more about Scotland's history, geography, and vocabulary (dreich).

[Marsha Valance · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a dark, damp Sunday evening, a man taking a shortcut home sees a hand reaching out in supplication from a bundle of sacks. In an instant he knows something terrifying has happened. In the Highlands in the late 1950s, much of the local newspaper's success was due to Mrs. Smart, the no-nonsense office manager who kept everything and everyone in line. Her murder leaves her colleagues in shock and the Highland Gazette office in chaos. Joanne Ross, a budding reporter and shamefully separated mother, assumes Mrs. Smart's duties.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this third of the series, the author has created an extraordinary plot with so many twists, that it feels overdone. Nonetheless, it is quite a breathless story full of lies and deceptions on many levels. One may assume that Joanne Ross and McAlister will have a future together, but it required three volumes to settle that. Rob McLean has proven himself a gifted inquirer. And Jenny McPhee has an answer to a question that has haunted her for decades.

[Karen W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not know when I picked this up that it was the middle of a series.

It started so slow I was not sure I wanted to bother. Eventually picked up and got better. Good character development consider it was #3 of the series.

The end portion of the book I found confusing, and I am not sure what some pieces were meant to mean. Almost like I am unsure of the "whodunnit" in the end.

Would recommend reading them in order. Maybe that would help?

[Terry Steinborn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be very misleading. I wanted to read it because it was listed as a mystery, and set in Scotland, but the farther I read I discovered that it is really a romance novel thinly disguised as a mystery. It is also extremely slow moving, with the only real movement toward solving the "mystery" taking place in the last few chapters, and then not really as a result of actions taken by the main characters. Very disappointing!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many years ago, and have been rediscovering the wonderful writings of this Scottish author as I read them again. A wonderful eye for the beauties of the Scottish Highlands, small town life, and mordant yet humorous descriptions of a wide cast of characters, whose personal evolution and growth are the best part of these books.

[Mary Ellen Barringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Highland mystery that kept me guessing until the ever end. Scott's creates fallible, human characters. This novel includes a plethora of secrets hidden for decades.

Scott well describes the Scottish Highland topography and it's people. I am truly enjoying this six book mystery series.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A slow starter which definitely grew on me. Wonderful characters in a small rural town, which I’m a sucker for. Several very involved plots, which kept me thinking to avoid mixing them up. This is the third book in the series; I hope I run across the first two.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good mystery. Not my usual cozy mystery(by a long shot) but once I got into it I found it really interesting. I liked the characters and especially the story itself. It kept me thinking all the way through and I'm really glad I stuck with it.