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Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries #23
Scots on the Rocks: A Bed and Breakfast Mystery
When Judith and her cousin Renie go on vacation in a remote and possibly haunted Scottish castle owned by a rich whiskey distillery baron strange things start occurring. They meet Harry Gibbs, a dissolute young man who is estranged from his wife and is found smothered to death shortly after Judith and Renie arrive. His widow, Moira, is suspect No. 1, of course, but there are plenty to go around since Harry was a real jerk and wanted to run the petrol company Moira inherited from dear old dad. Suspects include Moira’s bastard half-brother, Blackwell Petroleum’s sleazy CEO, the wily comptroller, an even wilier corporate attorney, the whisky baron, Moira’s former mother-in-law who mixes delicious jams along with her not-so-delicious poisons, Moira’s apparent lover, and, last but not least, Chuckie, the dwarfish epileptic who runs around castle. There’s a ghost, some goofy villagers, and enough suspects to overwhelm any police force, but no challenge is too daunting for the cousins.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2007
41 people are currently reading
646 people want to read
About the author
Mary Daheim
94 books438 followersMary Rene Richardson Daheim was an American writer of romance and mystery novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
October 31, 2016
The husband's plan a vacation and Judith and Renie find themselves staying in a castle in a small Scottish village. While the husband's take off fishing, the ladies are left to their own devices. When there is an explosion on the beach by the castle, and the grandson of the caretakers is found dead, Judith can't help but investigate. Everyone knows everyone in a small village, but who do people not know is a killer?
This was a good addition to the Bed and Breakfast series. I think it is book #23. I think Renie is just so funny. I know she is kind of rude, but her antics are hilarious. Judith is her normal social, nosy self and drags Renie along. It is nice to see them away from home again. It brings a new flavor to the books. I definitely recommend this book and this series if you haven't read it.
This was a good addition to the Bed and Breakfast series. I think it is book #23. I think Renie is just so funny. I know she is kind of rude, but her antics are hilarious. Judith is her normal social, nosy self and drags Renie along. It is nice to see them away from home again. It brings a new flavor to the books. I definitely recommend this book and this series if you haven't read it.
November 6, 2008
What happens when you give your husband a criteria for your long-awaited vacation and let him pick the location? Well, that is what happens when Judith and her irascible cousin Renie dream of a vacation by a beach where they can get some much needed rest, and their husbands can go fishing. It is February in the Pacific Northwest and they have warmth and sun in their minds. Where do they end up, but on an island with a beach, good fishing, and in a castle in Northern Scotland!
The girls are literally dumped at the island & left on their own as their husbands go off for a day of fishing that turns into a week or more. Fortunately for them, the water between the island and the mainland is very shallow and twice a day at low tide the sand can be driven or walked on. That turns out to be a blessing because Judith’s husband has kept the destination a secret from her and she has arrived with only lightweight clothing. Of course, wherever Judith McGonigle Flynn goes trouble follows and soon this B&B owner finds herself wrapped up in murder and mayhem. In this book, a large cast of well-fleshed characters are involved in greed, conspiracy, jealousy, misplaced anger and more. Family bloodlines contribute to the mix.
This is number 23 in Mary Daheim’s Hillside Manor Bed & Breakfast series . The characters remain true and age appropriately. Her series is light and fun, even with Judith’s statement to Renie “You get worse as you get older. You age, but you don’t act it.” The opposite personalities play well off each other and the series has a large following. I recommend any of her books for a light entertaining read. Daheim also has a second series based in the town of Alpine in the Pacific Northwest featuring Emma Lord - Editor/Publisher of the The Alpine Advocate.
The girls are literally dumped at the island & left on their own as their husbands go off for a day of fishing that turns into a week or more. Fortunately for them, the water between the island and the mainland is very shallow and twice a day at low tide the sand can be driven or walked on. That turns out to be a blessing because Judith’s husband has kept the destination a secret from her and she has arrived with only lightweight clothing. Of course, wherever Judith McGonigle Flynn goes trouble follows and soon this B&B owner finds herself wrapped up in murder and mayhem. In this book, a large cast of well-fleshed characters are involved in greed, conspiracy, jealousy, misplaced anger and more. Family bloodlines contribute to the mix.
This is number 23 in Mary Daheim’s Hillside Manor Bed & Breakfast series . The characters remain true and age appropriately. Her series is light and fun, even with Judith’s statement to Renie “You get worse as you get older. You age, but you don’t act it.” The opposite personalities play well off each other and the series has a large following. I recommend any of her books for a light entertaining read. Daheim also has a second series based in the town of Alpine in the Pacific Northwest featuring Emma Lord - Editor/Publisher of the The Alpine Advocate.
July 20, 2008
I thoroughly enjoy the antics of the cousins featured in the Bed and Breakfast Mystery series. This story takes them to a castle in Scotland where the local police think they are CIA and willing draw them into the investigation of several gruesome deaths. With Judith's curiosity urging them on they fins themselves in the thick of things...not just highland mist!
November 28, 2009
I picked this up because I like what are often called "tea cosies" mysteries, I liked the play of words in the title (and others in the series), and I read lots of great reviews about this series from Amazon readers. I was quite disappointed, however. I found the main characters Judith and her cousin Renie quite irritating, especially Renie. The story also didn't hold much interest for me, and I found the writing style frustrating as well - I am not a fan of writers who overuse exclamation points, and who use too many active verbs for describing how their characters "jump" into something or "race" down the hall, etc.
I finished the book only because I wanted to see what happened in the end (and it was all a twisted mess, really), and because I have an unwritten vow with myself to always finish a book I've started.
The experience with this book will likely not lead me to check out any of the others in the series.
I finished the book only because I wanted to see what happened in the end (and it was all a twisted mess, really), and because I have an unwritten vow with myself to always finish a book I've started.
The experience with this book will likely not lead me to check out any of the others in the series.
August 17, 2008
Judith adn Renie are at it again, once again abandoning their aging mothers, jobs and husbands to go on a murder mystery weekend on the emerald isle. The characters are hard to keep track of, but as with the rest of the series you can't help but to root for the cousins in crime solving.
June 5, 2008
Probably the dork in me that enjoys these mysteries. I just find them amusing in a "Murder She Wrote" sort of way.
March 27, 2024
I enjoyed Judith’s trip to Scotland. This case was interesting although there were a lot of characters to keep track of, not to mention all the crimes.
July 24, 2016
I have an affinity for cozy mysteries. They generally aren't written in pursuit of a spot on the bestseller list; rather, cozies are written to give the reader a sense of comfort and calm (ironically, by way of murder).
My mom read cozies to escape her three eccentric young daughters and grumpy husband: one daughter, the artist, painted five-foot tall green flowers on the side of the freshly painted rental when she was four; the adventurous daughter asked which way north was, and was found by neighbors five hours later walking up the beach, wearing a backpack, in pursuit of Santa in the North Pole (we lived on an island--she wasn't the brightest of the three of us); and the oldest daughter (that would be I) caused her first-year kindergarten teacher to quit by demanding that all classroom toy soldiers and toy weapons be removed from the classroom so that her classmates would not become violent adults, and that the teacher immediately stop smoking on her breaks because she would surely die of lung cancer. As to my mother's husband, he had some strange notion that feeding 40 stray cats, a stray goat, a duck, and 4 turtles (not stray) out of a 2-bedroom apartment was odd. He also became irrationally upset when the cat gave birth in his shoe. So you see, for my mother, it was either read a cozy or drink (or possibly dispose of the children and husband).
Years later, when my grandmother came to live with us (bigger house, different country, revolving pet door, dad retired and usually lost in Best Buy, girls now goth, theater geek, and raver) we slowly replaced her true crime books with cozies in order to keep her from roaming the house at night after taking her pain pills, looking for the Son of Sam whilst armed with a shoe horn.
And all this is how I came to read cozies myself, because they were always there to help me escape my crazy family, you could carry on a screaming match with a sibling and not miss much in the book, and thanks to grandma's Dahmer intervention, there were always a shitload in the house. (Serious reading was done away from the insane people.)I have an affinity for cozy mysteries. They generally aren't written in pursuit of a spot on the bestseller list; rather, cozies are written to give the reader a sense of comfort and calm (ironically, by way of murder).
My mom read cozies to escape her three eccentric young daughters and grumpy husband: one daughter, the artist, painted five-foot tall green flowers on the side of the freshly painted rental when she was four; the adventurous daughter asked which way north was, and was found by neighbors five hours later walking up the beach, wearing a backpack, in pursuit of Santa in the North Pole (we lived on an island--she wasn't the brightest of the three of us); and the oldest daughter (that would be I) caused her first-year kindergarten teacher to quit by demanding that all classroom toy soldiers and toy weapons be removed from the classroom so that her classmates would not become violent adults, and that the teacher immediately stop smoking on her breaks because she would surely die of lung cancer. As to my mother's husband, he had some strange notion that feeding 40 stray cats, a stray goat, a duck, and 4 turtles (not stray) out of a 2-bedroom apartment was odd. He also became irrationally upset when the cat gave birth in his shoe. So you see, for my mother, it was either read a cozy or drink (or possibly dispose of the children and husband).
Years later, when my grandmother came to live with us (bigger house, different country, revolving pet door, dad retired and usually lost in Best Buy, girls now goth, theater geek, and raver) we slowly replaced her true crime books with cozies in order to keep her from roaming the house at night after taking her pain pills, looking for the Son of Sam whilst armed with a shoe horn.
And all this is how I came to read cozies myself, because they were always there to help me escape my crazy family, you could carry on a screaming match with a sibling and not miss much in the book, and thanks to grandma's Dahmer intervention, there were always a shitload in the house. (Serious reading was done away from the insane people.)
My mom read cozies to escape her three eccentric young daughters and grumpy husband: one daughter, the artist, painted five-foot tall green flowers on the side of the freshly painted rental when she was four; the adventurous daughter asked which way north was, and was found by neighbors five hours later walking up the beach, wearing a backpack, in pursuit of Santa in the North Pole (we lived on an island--she wasn't the brightest of the three of us); and the oldest daughter (that would be I) caused her first-year kindergarten teacher to quit by demanding that all classroom toy soldiers and toy weapons be removed from the classroom so that her classmates would not become violent adults, and that the teacher immediately stop smoking on her breaks because she would surely die of lung cancer. As to my mother's husband, he had some strange notion that feeding 40 stray cats, a stray goat, a duck, and 4 turtles (not stray) out of a 2-bedroom apartment was odd. He also became irrationally upset when the cat gave birth in his shoe. So you see, for my mother, it was either read a cozy or drink (or possibly dispose of the children and husband).
Years later, when my grandmother came to live with us (bigger house, different country, revolving pet door, dad retired and usually lost in Best Buy, girls now goth, theater geek, and raver) we slowly replaced her true crime books with cozies in order to keep her from roaming the house at night after taking her pain pills, looking for the Son of Sam whilst armed with a shoe horn.
And all this is how I came to read cozies myself, because they were always there to help me escape my crazy family, you could carry on a screaming match with a sibling and not miss much in the book, and thanks to grandma's Dahmer intervention, there were always a shitload in the house. (Serious reading was done away from the insane people.)I have an affinity for cozy mysteries. They generally aren't written in pursuit of a spot on the bestseller list; rather, cozies are written to give the reader a sense of comfort and calm (ironically, by way of murder).
My mom read cozies to escape her three eccentric young daughters and grumpy husband: one daughter, the artist, painted five-foot tall green flowers on the side of the freshly painted rental when she was four; the adventurous daughter asked which way north was, and was found by neighbors five hours later walking up the beach, wearing a backpack, in pursuit of Santa in the North Pole (we lived on an island--she wasn't the brightest of the three of us); and the oldest daughter (that would be I) caused her first-year kindergarten teacher to quit by demanding that all classroom toy soldiers and toy weapons be removed from the classroom so that her classmates would not become violent adults, and that the teacher immediately stop smoking on her breaks because she would surely die of lung cancer. As to my mother's husband, he had some strange notion that feeding 40 stray cats, a stray goat, a duck, and 4 turtles (not stray) out of a 2-bedroom apartment was odd. He also became irrationally upset when the cat gave birth in his shoe. So you see, for my mother, it was either read a cozy or drink (or possibly dispose of the children and husband).
Years later, when my grandmother came to live with us (bigger house, different country, revolving pet door, dad retired and usually lost in Best Buy, girls now goth, theater geek, and raver) we slowly replaced her true crime books with cozies in order to keep her from roaming the house at night after taking her pain pills, looking for the Son of Sam whilst armed with a shoe horn.
And all this is how I came to read cozies myself, because they were always there to help me escape my crazy family, you could carry on a screaming match with a sibling and not miss much in the book, and thanks to grandma's Dahmer intervention, there were always a shitload in the house. (Serious reading was done away from the insane people.)
August 15, 2011
I must agree with Cousin Rennie, Judith really needs to mind her own business some of the time, although then we wouldn't have a book, but she really began to irritate me in this book.
November 9, 2019
"Hoping to dispel the late-winter gloom, innkeeper Judith McMonigle Flynn flies off for a much-needed vacation to Scotland. But soon she and prickly Cousin Renie find themselves marooned in an ancient castle perched high above the North Sea while their husbands go off on a fishing trip with the local police inspector. But when an explosion rocks Grimlock Castle, leaving a dead body in its fiery wake, an ever-curious Judith is once again up to her neck in a murder investigation. And the situation grows even murkier when the husbands and their Scotland Yard buddy go missing ...
"The hunt is on for a killer through the bonnie braes and sea-green glens of Scotland. And if Judith and Renie aren't careful, this could turn out to be their most dangerous -- and last -- Highland fling."
~~back cover
I was beguiled by the title, but I'm just not into this genre of cozy mysteries.
"The hunt is on for a killer through the bonnie braes and sea-green glens of Scotland. And if Judith and Renie aren't careful, this could turn out to be their most dangerous -- and last -- Highland fling."
~~back cover
I was beguiled by the title, but I'm just not into this genre of cozy mysteries.
January 13, 2021
What a whacky, implausible story! Now, most stories with amateur detective are implausible, but this one stretches credibility even more. The protagonist's personality isn't bad, but her snap decisions about where to go and who to talk with next and leaps of logic... And her "coz" Renie--what adult woman goes around insulin and assaulting people abroad and gets away with it? Too many characters and suspects. Too much hopping rides here and there. Too much spouting nonsense to strangers to get them to talk and barging in on strangers under the pretense of consoling them. And even Nancy Drew and chums take some time to sight see, but Judith and Renie don't. While I got basically enjoyed this light reading, I'm not trying any others in this series.
February 5, 2024
My regrets to the author, who has more talent than I do, but this was a disappointment. First, almost the entire novel takes place in Scotland and, aside from a few names and a little bit of eye dialect, it could have happened almost anywhere. Second, the plot was confusing and not in a good way. Here is an actual sentence near the end (spoiler may be coming!):
Patrick knew Jimmy didn't trust Harry, and if arrested, would point the finger at the culprit who egged him on to kill Davey.
Got that? There is some nice humor, especially from the protagonist's sidekick, but I had the feeling this was the author's first book. Turns out it's her 23rd in this series.
My next whodunit will be a classic. Giving ten or more hours to mediocre literature is not wise at my age.
Patrick knew Jimmy didn't trust Harry, and if arrested, would point the finger at the culprit who egged him on to kill Davey.
Got that? There is some nice humor, especially from the protagonist's sidekick, but I had the feeling this was the author's first book. Turns out it's her 23rd in this series.
My next whodunit will be a classic. Giving ten or more hours to mediocre literature is not wise at my age.
September 16, 2020
I enjoyed the change of scenery in this particular book.
On the other hand, I have noted before how odd I find it that Daheim introduced a romantic partner for Judith and then goes to such extremes to make him play a minimal role in the mysteries. In many cases I find these exertions to also make him appear incredibly undesirable - his character is inconsistent, and there really isn't a lot of chemistry in the duo. In this book I can cheerfully say that his behavior on vacations makes me view him as something of a villian, which i'm pretty sure isn't what Daheim was going for.
On the other hand, I have noted before how odd I find it that Daheim introduced a romantic partner for Judith and then goes to such extremes to make him play a minimal role in the mysteries. In many cases I find these exertions to also make him appear incredibly undesirable - his character is inconsistent, and there really isn't a lot of chemistry in the duo. In this book I can cheerfully say that his behavior on vacations makes me view him as something of a villian, which i'm pretty sure isn't what Daheim was going for.
June 14, 2025
What. The. Heck. The only reason I finished this book was for a summer reading bingo square.
Two cousins Judith and Renie are taken on a vacation by their husbands who sit several seats away from them, and then are left at the castle while the husbands go on an extended fishing trip.
Judith and Renie (both who I found highly annoying) could do some pretty amazing things for all their hip and shoulder complaints.
There's too many characters and name switching (first name and back and forth with Mr./Mrs. So and So).
No idea what even really happened.
Two cousins Judith and Renie are taken on a vacation by their husbands who sit several seats away from them, and then are left at the castle while the husbands go on an extended fishing trip.
Judith and Renie (both who I found highly annoying) could do some pretty amazing things for all their hip and shoulder complaints.
There's too many characters and name switching (first name and back and forth with Mr./Mrs. So and So).
No idea what even really happened.
October 22, 2020
This series and the Meg Langslow series by Donna Andrews are usually good for me as relaxation when I don't want anything challenging or heavy. This particular book was the weakest I have encountered in the bed & breakfast mystery series. I can suspend a lot of disbelief but this one stretched my powers of disbelief to the limit and then some. I did finish it and it did provide some measure of relaxing entertainment but overall not a favorite by Daheim.
June 17, 2018
Like a visit back with old friends. I love this series. This time, Judith, the Seattle B&B owner is on holiday in Scotland with scatty cousin Renie, stuck in a castle while their husbands go fishing. Of course they find a body, and the usual mayhem ensues. While the accents have changed, the weather remains like home, and for once the police want their help.
September 28, 2019
This was my first book by this author. I picked up this book from the library. I’m glad I didn’t pay any money for it. It got to the point that I didn’t care who the murderer was. All of the characters were annoying.
This will definitely be my last bed and breakfast mystery.
This will definitely be my last bed and breakfast mystery.
December 27, 2020
Christmas time with the Covid 19 stay safe, isolate gave me the chance to finally read those older books on my shelves.
This was a cozy mystery but not up to par for some of author Daheim's previous ones. Too many characters flitting through to get to a strong plot.
This was a cozy mystery but not up to par for some of author Daheim's previous ones. Too many characters flitting through to get to a strong plot.
December 16, 2021
Judith and her cousin Renie are in Scotland while their husbands are off fishing. While staying in the gloomy castle and not much to do they start looking into the death of a "playboy". Lots of twists and turns, a good read.
April 20, 2025
I will get right to the point - the only real mystery here is how this book got published. The plot is convoluted and the characters are ridiculous. I kept reading to see if got any better figuring it couldn’t get worse. I was wrong.
April 30, 2025
If you’re wanting a quick and comical murder mystery, this is a good one to choose! It follows 2 old ladies who go to Scotland and accidentally involve themselves in a murder case, but their relationship is so cute and funny that you find yourself smiling at the things they’ll say.
March 31, 2019
I felt this book was not easy to read. There were way too many characters to keep track of! And the story line wasn’t easy to follow.
July 31, 2019
A great read that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing to the very end of the Book.
October 17, 2019
The use of "off of" drove me crazy. Also, Britain changed to the decimal system in 1971. Shillings were no longer used.
October 29, 2019
I didn't really enjoy the characters and frankly didn't find the plot believable. Will give a pass to this series
December 2, 2020
Hard Too Finish
Too many characters, hard to keep up with each one. Very difficult book to finish. I found it boring not like her usual books.
Too many characters, hard to keep up with each one. Very difficult book to finish. I found it boring not like her usual books.
December 10, 2022
lively book and great addition to the series.
June 27, 2025
Julia and her cousin, Renie get invited to Scottish Castle. They find more bodies and their husbands are missing also. Read this crazy mystery and enjoy the craziness.
September 12, 2025
A fun series.
April 25, 2018
A fun cozy mystery, and I love the setting, but the many characters were difficult to keep track of in the (overly?) complicated plot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews