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Joanne Ross #6
A Kind of Grief
One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2015
Set against the grandeur of the Northern Scottish Highlands in the 1950s, here is the sixth evocative, fast-paced, suspenseful mystery in A.D. Scott’s highly acclaimed series featuring beloved heroine Joanne Ross.
Now, in Scott’s latest, Joanne Ross returns for a spellbinding case involving a woman accused of witchcraft in small-town Scotland.
When Alice Ramsay, artist and alleged witch, is found dead in her home in a remote Scottish glen, the verdict is suicide.
But Joanne Ross of the Highland Gazette refuses to believe it. As she investigates Alice’s past, Joanne uncovers layer upon layer of intrigue. With the appearance of officials from a secretive government agency and an ambitious art critic from a national newspaper, Joanne is increasingly convinced that something—and someone—from Alice’s past was involved in her death.
As in her previous mysteries North Sea Requiem, Beneath the Abbey Wall, and A Double Death on the Black Isle, among others, A. D. Scott brings to life compelling characters and vividly portrays the charms and intrigues of a small town in 1950s Scotland. With surprising twists and a shocking dénouement that poses moral questions as relevant now as six decades ago, A Kind of Grief is another unforgettable entry in an atmospheric series that will draw you in and linger in your mind like mist over the Scottish glens.
Set against the grandeur of the Northern Scottish Highlands in the 1950s, here is the sixth evocative, fast-paced, suspenseful mystery in A.D. Scott’s highly acclaimed series featuring beloved heroine Joanne Ross.
Now, in Scott’s latest, Joanne Ross returns for a spellbinding case involving a woman accused of witchcraft in small-town Scotland.
When Alice Ramsay, artist and alleged witch, is found dead in her home in a remote Scottish glen, the verdict is suicide.
But Joanne Ross of the Highland Gazette refuses to believe it. As she investigates Alice’s past, Joanne uncovers layer upon layer of intrigue. With the appearance of officials from a secretive government agency and an ambitious art critic from a national newspaper, Joanne is increasingly convinced that something—and someone—from Alice’s past was involved in her death.
As in her previous mysteries North Sea Requiem, Beneath the Abbey Wall, and A Double Death on the Black Isle, among others, A. D. Scott brings to life compelling characters and vividly portrays the charms and intrigues of a small town in 1950s Scotland. With surprising twists and a shocking dénouement that poses moral questions as relevant now as six decades ago, A Kind of Grief is another unforgettable entry in an atmospheric series that will draw you in and linger in your mind like mist over the Scottish glens.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
17 people are currently reading
1156 people want to read
About the author
A.D. Scott
14 books171 followersPen 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
November 30, 2015
For some reasons, I just couldn't get into this story or even care that much for the characters. It wasn't that I had any problems getting into this book because I hadn't read any previous book in the Joanne Ross series, it was just that the mystery suicide of the alleged witch Alice Ramsay just never really got that interesting to read about. I mean it was quite weird that a woman in the late 1950s could be accused of witchcraft and even that it would go to trial. That should be interesting to read about, and it was in the beginning, but at the same time a bit slow to really get into.
And, around half way through the book the story just started to really drag on, I felt that not much happened and I had to force myself to read, taking a break now and then do something else and force myself to continue. The worse part of the book was Calum and his mother. He's a young journalist and a mamma's boy and in the beginning was it kind of funny reading about his problems with her always calling, checking up on him and being a pain in the ass. But towards the end was it just too much and every mention of her was just plain annoying.
On the plus side, I never felt lost when it came to the characters and their past history, the ending was good and I found the mentions of the Cambridge spies in the book interesting. Would I read more in this series, I'm not sure. I didn't find Joanne Ross and the rest of the character interesting enough that I would want to read more about them. Unless someone could guaranty that any other book in this series is better than this one.
Thanks to Atria and Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
And, around half way through the book the story just started to really drag on, I felt that not much happened and I had to force myself to read, taking a break now and then do something else and force myself to continue. The worse part of the book was Calum and his mother. He's a young journalist and a mamma's boy and in the beginning was it kind of funny reading about his problems with her always calling, checking up on him and being a pain in the ass. But towards the end was it just too much and every mention of her was just plain annoying.
On the plus side, I never felt lost when it came to the characters and their past history, the ending was good and I found the mentions of the Cambridge spies in the book interesting. Would I read more in this series, I'm not sure. I didn't find Joanne Ross and the rest of the character interesting enough that I would want to read more about them. Unless someone could guaranty that any other book in this series is better than this one.
Thanks to Atria and Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
October 8, 2015
“A Kind of Grief” is a quiet and cozy mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. The story doesn’t serve up any chases, shoot-em-ups, or pyrotechnics, but rather a complex puzzle, to be pondered over a cup of tea, or a nightcap of whisky.
Set in the 1950s, the book (the sixth in a series) features protagonist Joanne Ross, her husband, McAllister, and their colleagues at the Highland Gazette. The book starts with Joanne following up on a story of a local woman accused at a trial of being a witch. (With any mystery or suspense book, I prefer not to reveal many plot points lest it be an unintentional spoiler.)
“A Kind of Grief” is full of Scottish vernacular, and author A.D. Scott keenly depicts life in a small-town Scotland with her descriptions of place and characters. I particularly liked the interactions between Joanne and McAllister as well as a mother/son duo who play a large role in the book.
While the book is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Having now been introduced to the series, I’m inclined to read the earlier books.
3.5 stars.
Thank to you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the 1950s, the book (the sixth in a series) features protagonist Joanne Ross, her husband, McAllister, and their colleagues at the Highland Gazette. The book starts with Joanne following up on a story of a local woman accused at a trial of being a witch. (With any mystery or suspense book, I prefer not to reveal many plot points lest it be an unintentional spoiler.)
“A Kind of Grief” is full of Scottish vernacular, and author A.D. Scott keenly depicts life in a small-town Scotland with her descriptions of place and characters. I particularly liked the interactions between Joanne and McAllister as well as a mother/son duo who play a large role in the book.
While the book is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Having now been introduced to the series, I’m inclined to read the earlier books.
3.5 stars.
Thank to you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 26, 2019
There are six books in the series and this appears to be the last one as no new book has come out since 2015. It is an excellent series. It takes place in a small town in Scotland in the 1950's. Joanne Ross is finding her way as women were restricted by the mores of the time. Joanne now a divorced woman has gone to work at a local newspaper which are both scandals at the time.
In this book, she has married the editor/owner of the paper and has settled into married life with her daughters from the previous marriage. She desires to become a writer so now works at home on her writing.
A story about a woman who went on trial as a witch in another area in Scotland, catches her interest. She goes to interview the woman and is quite intrigued by the her. News later reaches her that the woman died probably by suicide. Joanne does not believe this. She starts to investigate much to her husband's concern. She is still healing or recovering from an incident in the previous book where she could have died.
If this indeed is the last book in the series, I will miss reading about Joanne's life. This is a very good series that always includes a mystery.
In this book, she has married the editor/owner of the paper and has settled into married life with her daughters from the previous marriage. She desires to become a writer so now works at home on her writing.
A story about a woman who went on trial as a witch in another area in Scotland, catches her interest. She goes to interview the woman and is quite intrigued by the her. News later reaches her that the woman died probably by suicide. Joanne does not believe this. She starts to investigate much to her husband's concern. She is still healing or recovering from an incident in the previous book where she could have died.
If this indeed is the last book in the series, I will miss reading about Joanne's life. This is a very good series that always includes a mystery.
June 2, 2015
3.5 stars I received this book from NetGalley
I read the first book in the series and liked it. Time as really gotten away from me because this is Number 6 already. This is very readable as a stand alone but I would recommend reading Number 5 first as there are a lot of references to it. Still there was a lot of background to the story so I was able to keep up.
Joanne Ross is a former reporter for the Highland Gazette newspaper in the late 1950's and now married to the man who used to be her editor, McAllister. She has two young daughters. One day she discovers a woman, Alice Ramsey, in the northern Scottish Highlands town of Sutherland being tried as a witch. This naturally piques her interest and she decides to investigate.
She makes a trip to Sutherland and meets Ramsay and a host of other characters. They all have great personalities. The description of the area and the idiosyncrasies of the locals are the best part of the book for me. The author really brings it alive. These people have several minor plots but the main ones involve Ramsey and her association with the notorious British traitors, Burgess and McLean, who fled to Russia.
The ending was a minor disappointment. It was really muddled and when things didn't add up, the author puts it down to State Secrets. I thought that was a bit of a cop out. Still the depiction of the Scotland Highlands made the book enjoyable. It's a nice, light read.
I read the first book in the series and liked it. Time as really gotten away from me because this is Number 6 already. This is very readable as a stand alone but I would recommend reading Number 5 first as there are a lot of references to it. Still there was a lot of background to the story so I was able to keep up.
Joanne Ross is a former reporter for the Highland Gazette newspaper in the late 1950's and now married to the man who used to be her editor, McAllister. She has two young daughters. One day she discovers a woman, Alice Ramsey, in the northern Scottish Highlands town of Sutherland being tried as a witch. This naturally piques her interest and she decides to investigate.
She makes a trip to Sutherland and meets Ramsay and a host of other characters. They all have great personalities. The description of the area and the idiosyncrasies of the locals are the best part of the book for me. The author really brings it alive. These people have several minor plots but the main ones involve Ramsey and her association with the notorious British traitors, Burgess and McLean, who fled to Russia.
The ending was a minor disappointment. It was really muddled and when things didn't add up, the author puts it down to State Secrets. I thought that was a bit of a cop out. Still the depiction of the Scotland Highlands made the book enjoyable. It's a nice, light read.
October 30, 2015
This is the sixth book in a somewhat cozy murder mystery series set in the late 1950’s in the Scottish Highlands. The recurring characters operate a small newspaper, the Highland Gazette. Sometimes, in order to get the bottom of a story, they end up investigating and solving a crime as well.
In this book, former reporter Joanne Ross has married her Highland Gazette editor John McAllister. Joanne, now 32, is mostly fully recovered from the brain injury incurred at the hands of a psychopath who, in a previous book, sought to take her life. But things are going well now, and Joanne is thinking about writing a book. McAllister still worries excessively about Joanne though, as do her two daughters Annie and Jean.
Joanne reads an article about a woman accused of witchcraft, and thinks it might provide just the subject matter she was seeking upon which to base a book, so she contacts the newspaper reporter who covered the story. Calum Mackenzie proves to be not such a great reporter, relying on his gossipy mother for most of his information, but he does direct Joanne to the woman about whom the story was written, Alice Ramsay.
Alice turns out not only to be a very intriguing woman who is an accomplished artist as well as an herbalist, but she soon turns up dead as well, apparently having committed suicide. Joanne can’t believe it was a suicide, and decides to investigate. Before long, all the members of the Highland Gazette are involved in what turns out to be a much bigger story than they originally thought.
Discussion: Several themes run through the stories in Scott’s books; one is the position of women in the 1950’s, combined with a consistent presentation of their competence and courage. Another is “the splendor of the lochs and glens and mountains” of the Scottish Highlands. Even when the days are “dreich” (defined as a combination of dull, overcast, drizzly, cold, misty and miserable weather), as they often are, Joanne feels a deep love for her atmospheric land. A third theme is McAllister’s metamorphosis, from a dissatisfied small-town newspaper editor to a deeply happy family man. But it is the story of Joanne - curious, bright, brave, and constantly evolving from a battered wife with sorely lacking self-esteem to a woman growing every day in confidence and skill, that dominates the books.
Evaluation: I value this series more for the portrayal of life in the 1950’s Scottish Highlands than for the crime stories per se. In fact, to me, this series is much more of an unfolding character study than a mystery series. I have come to care about the characters, and look forward to seeing what befalls them. These books stand out as well-made portraits of a fascinating time and place, in which an endearing and very human group of people struggle to achieve self-fulfillment and happiness.
Rating: 3.5/5
In this book, former reporter Joanne Ross has married her Highland Gazette editor John McAllister. Joanne, now 32, is mostly fully recovered from the brain injury incurred at the hands of a psychopath who, in a previous book, sought to take her life. But things are going well now, and Joanne is thinking about writing a book. McAllister still worries excessively about Joanne though, as do her two daughters Annie and Jean.
Joanne reads an article about a woman accused of witchcraft, and thinks it might provide just the subject matter she was seeking upon which to base a book, so she contacts the newspaper reporter who covered the story. Calum Mackenzie proves to be not such a great reporter, relying on his gossipy mother for most of his information, but he does direct Joanne to the woman about whom the story was written, Alice Ramsay.
Alice turns out not only to be a very intriguing woman who is an accomplished artist as well as an herbalist, but she soon turns up dead as well, apparently having committed suicide. Joanne can’t believe it was a suicide, and decides to investigate. Before long, all the members of the Highland Gazette are involved in what turns out to be a much bigger story than they originally thought.
Discussion: Several themes run through the stories in Scott’s books; one is the position of women in the 1950’s, combined with a consistent presentation of their competence and courage. Another is “the splendor of the lochs and glens and mountains” of the Scottish Highlands. Even when the days are “dreich” (defined as a combination of dull, overcast, drizzly, cold, misty and miserable weather), as they often are, Joanne feels a deep love for her atmospheric land. A third theme is McAllister’s metamorphosis, from a dissatisfied small-town newspaper editor to a deeply happy family man. But it is the story of Joanne - curious, bright, brave, and constantly evolving from a battered wife with sorely lacking self-esteem to a woman growing every day in confidence and skill, that dominates the books.
Evaluation: I value this series more for the portrayal of life in the 1950’s Scottish Highlands than for the crime stories per se. In fact, to me, this series is much more of an unfolding character study than a mystery series. I have come to care about the characters, and look forward to seeing what befalls them. These books stand out as well-made portraits of a fascinating time and place, in which an endearing and very human group of people struggle to achieve self-fulfillment and happiness.
Rating: 3.5/5
December 28, 2019
We remember the traitors and wondered if you could be executed for treason and it was so long before the other shoe dropped. This time the story is told from almost outside the magic circle in the Scottish Highlands - where even a Glaswegian is an outsider so that inside and outside become confused. Those of us on another continent where accent may betray geographical origin but not often class are brought up short in books where the words don't show the accent, but the characters react to it. The Scottish clan leaders went to London with James VI and I and sent their sons to English schools and became proud of a "civilized" way of speaking which became an unwelcome signal in some parts of the world and a constant abrasion in parts of their home territories. Those aristocrats married each other, raised their children together and created a culture separate from the general one of the people on the ground. Someone in this book comments on Boys and their Games in reference to spy craft and there is always a certain element of that in even the most serious of the spy novels. Just like the school playground it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt - or killed.
We don't learn very much about the Man from the Ministry or his henchmen or the department he works for and even by the end we know very little indeed. I agree with the idea that one would be better off and safer knowing nothing. It's a dangerous game and you don't want to have children to throw into the balance. Le Carre's spies don't have children, remember. Bacon warned men in public life against creating hostages to fortune and it's good advice.
Thought about a lot of things while reading this.
We don't learn very much about the Man from the Ministry or his henchmen or the department he works for and even by the end we know very little indeed. I agree with the idea that one would be better off and safer knowing nothing. It's a dangerous game and you don't want to have children to throw into the balance. Le Carre's spies don't have children, remember. Bacon warned men in public life against creating hostages to fortune and it's good advice.
Thought about a lot of things while reading this.
October 17, 2017
Above average mystery of its type set in 1959 Highland Scotland. Part of a series with protagonist and fledgling writer Joanne Ross, newly remarried divorcee with two daughters. Her husband is the editor of the local paper and much of the story centers around the life of the paper, where Joanne used to work. Joanne, by chance, becomes involved in the story of Alice Ramsay, a woman who was recently, in effect, tried as a witch. Needless to say, there is more to Alice than meets the eye, and Joanne and her husband become more and more involved to trying to work out the mystery of who Alice was.
The descriptions of the Highlands are lovely, and the stories of life on a local paper interesting. Some of the events and characters are a bit far-fetched, but, on the whole, a nice example of the heroine in jeopardy school of mystery, on the mild side. Good vacation, travel, or comfort reading.
The descriptions of the Highlands are lovely, and the stories of life on a local paper interesting. Some of the events and characters are a bit far-fetched, but, on the whole, a nice example of the heroine in jeopardy school of mystery, on the mild side. Good vacation, travel, or comfort reading.
October 17, 2015
This mystery is sent in the Highlands of Scotland in the late 1950s at the height of the Cold War. Former reporter, Joanne Ross becomes involved in the mysterious death of woman she had met briefly. Since the woman was involved in secret government work, her death could be a result of this work. Meanwhile, she and her newspaper editor husband have been warned against investigating.
September 20, 2022
Joanne Ross MacAllister has almost entirely recovered from her brain injury and becomes embroiled in a mystery involving a artist who may have been living a double life and whose suicide is highly suspect. The plot gets quite complicated and while I guessed at the twist at the end, by the time it was revealed, I was too annoyed trying to keep all the details straight.
February 7, 2017
A. D. Scott presents a mystery that slowly unfolds, taking the reader into the mind of the main characters as they unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Alice Ramsey. Joanne Ross stumbles upon an article that leads her to meet Alice Ramsey. In a small community in the Highlands of Scotland, Alice is accused of witchcraft. Joanne meets Alice in the aftermath of this trial. Shortly after, Joanne hears that Alice is dead. Joanne's investigative background as a 1950's newspaper reporter leads her to question the unusual circumstances surrounding this death. Her search leads her to meet an eclectic group of people; such as, the locals of this small community, the town gossip, reporters, local law enforcement, government officials and possible spies.
Not having read the previous books in this series, I found enough background information to help me fully appreciate the story. Not only is this a journey to solve the death of Alice Ramsey, it is also a journey of healing for Joanne as well. She has the loving support of McAllister and the loyalty of the staff of the Highland Gazette helping her find her way.
A.D. Scott has painted a beautiful picture of the Scottish Highlands, created a realistic and memorable cast of characters, and spins a mystery that leaves one unsure of the outcome until the very end. I will be reading the earlier books in this series as I wait patiently for the next to be published.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author or publisher in a giveaway. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Not having read the previous books in this series, I found enough background information to help me fully appreciate the story. Not only is this a journey to solve the death of Alice Ramsey, it is also a journey of healing for Joanne as well. She has the loving support of McAllister and the loyalty of the staff of the Highland Gazette helping her find her way.
A.D. Scott has painted a beautiful picture of the Scottish Highlands, created a realistic and memorable cast of characters, and spins a mystery that leaves one unsure of the outcome until the very end. I will be reading the earlier books in this series as I wait patiently for the next to be published.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author or publisher in a giveaway. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
June 9, 2015
The greatest compliment that I, as a reader, can make about an author’s work is to say that I was totally immersed in the story. That I WAS THERE!
A D Scott’s work is so seamless and her wording so beautiful that, in truth, I was in the Scottish Highlands right along with Joanne and McAlister. Details from previous stories in this series are woven easily into the current information. I could smell the cigarette smoke. I could feel the newsprint. I shivered in the chill. I heard the unfamiliar Scottish terms, and they became familiar. I agonized with Joanne as she becomes more and more convinced that Alice Ramsey could not have killed herself, and as she, Joanne, is pulled tighter and tighter into a web not of her own making.
This book is great! It just ended too soon -- I wanted to keep reading and reading, so I went back to the other books in the series in order to fully immerse myself in small town Scotland.
A D Scott’s work is so seamless and her wording so beautiful that, in truth, I was in the Scottish Highlands right along with Joanne and McAlister. Details from previous stories in this series are woven easily into the current information. I could smell the cigarette smoke. I could feel the newsprint. I shivered in the chill. I heard the unfamiliar Scottish terms, and they became familiar. I agonized with Joanne as she becomes more and more convinced that Alice Ramsey could not have killed herself, and as she, Joanne, is pulled tighter and tighter into a web not of her own making.
This book is great! It just ended too soon -- I wanted to keep reading and reading, so I went back to the other books in the series in order to fully immerse myself in small town Scotland.
March 3, 2021
In looking for some new authors to read, I stumbled upon A.D. Scott's series featuring writer Joanne Ross. This outing was a nice, twisty introduction to the series, and can be read as a standalone, despite hints at past plots.
Joanne Ross was recently married to her former editor at the Highland Gazette, McAllister (as everyone calls him, including Joanne). She and her two daughters from her first marriage have settled in as a family, and Joanne, recovering from a recent trauma, is just beginning to resume writing. She sees a story from a newspaper in Sutherland to the north--a woman has been tried for witchcraft! In 1960!
Intrigued and thinking she might get a story out of the tale, Joanne drives north and contrives to meet the woman, a reclusive artist named Anne Ramsay. Joanne likes her instinctively, but later, in speaking with an art "expert" brought in to testify at Anne's trial, Joanne is unguarded enough to share some thoughts about Ms. Ramsay and her charming home and studio. She is dismayed when the man writes an article about Anne for national syndication, naming Anne and detailing that ridiculous trial. Anne is upset enough to shun Joanne when next they meet. Then word arrives that Anne was found dead, an apparent suicide.
Was Anne hounded by malicious local gossip, responsible for that ridiculous accusation of witchcraft? Or was it Joanne's unintended betrayal of confidences that exposed some unknown trauma driving Anne to kill herself?
Unable to let the case rest, and certain in her own instinct that Anne would not commit suicide, Joanne begins to delve into Anne's past history. She and McAllister acquire a box of books and a writing desk belonging to Anne at the estate auction, and discover a manuscript and watercolors intended for a book of Scottish fauna. Shortly thereafter, strangers begin to turn up, and McAllister is called on the carpet by the local detective inspector... and a mysterious individual from London invoking the War Secrets Act! Who was Anne Ramsay, and why are so many people suddenly interested in her manuscript and art? And is it possible that Anne's death was not suicide at all, but murder?
This series is set in the late 1950s in Scotland, not long after the post-war revelations about Burgess, and MacLean, the first of the eventual five Cambridge intelligence officers who betrayed England to Moscow. The Cold War is at its peak, and many of the characters in Ms. Scott's story served in World War II. Aside from the history, I really enjoyed the characters. McAllister and his staff at the Gazette, as well as Joanne and her two lively daughters, are people I look forward to visiting again.
Joanne Ross was recently married to her former editor at the Highland Gazette, McAllister (as everyone calls him, including Joanne). She and her two daughters from her first marriage have settled in as a family, and Joanne, recovering from a recent trauma, is just beginning to resume writing. She sees a story from a newspaper in Sutherland to the north--a woman has been tried for witchcraft! In 1960!
Intrigued and thinking she might get a story out of the tale, Joanne drives north and contrives to meet the woman, a reclusive artist named Anne Ramsay. Joanne likes her instinctively, but later, in speaking with an art "expert" brought in to testify at Anne's trial, Joanne is unguarded enough to share some thoughts about Ms. Ramsay and her charming home and studio. She is dismayed when the man writes an article about Anne for national syndication, naming Anne and detailing that ridiculous trial. Anne is upset enough to shun Joanne when next they meet. Then word arrives that Anne was found dead, an apparent suicide.
Was Anne hounded by malicious local gossip, responsible for that ridiculous accusation of witchcraft? Or was it Joanne's unintended betrayal of confidences that exposed some unknown trauma driving Anne to kill herself?
Unable to let the case rest, and certain in her own instinct that Anne would not commit suicide, Joanne begins to delve into Anne's past history. She and McAllister acquire a box of books and a writing desk belonging to Anne at the estate auction, and discover a manuscript and watercolors intended for a book of Scottish fauna. Shortly thereafter, strangers begin to turn up, and McAllister is called on the carpet by the local detective inspector... and a mysterious individual from London invoking the War Secrets Act! Who was Anne Ramsay, and why are so many people suddenly interested in her manuscript and art? And is it possible that Anne's death was not suicide at all, but murder?
This series is set in the late 1950s in Scotland, not long after the post-war revelations about Burgess, and MacLean, the first of the eventual five Cambridge intelligence officers who betrayed England to Moscow. The Cold War is at its peak, and many of the characters in Ms. Scott's story served in World War II. Aside from the history, I really enjoyed the characters. McAllister and his staff at the Gazette, as well as Joanne and her two lively daughters, are people I look forward to visiting again.
May 30, 2024
"Set against the grandeur of the Northern Scottish Highlands in the 1950s, A.D. Scott's mysteries never fail to enthrall and entertain. Now, in the latest, Joanne Ross returns for a spellbinding case involving a woman accused of witchcraft.
"When Alice Ramsay, artist and alleged witch, is found dead in her home in a remote Scottish glen, the verdict is suicide.
"But Joanne refuses to believe it. As she investigates Alice's past. Joanne uncovers a growing number of questions. Why did Alice live in such isolation? What would have made her take her own life? Who are the men who arrive on Joanne's doorstep after Alice's death, claiming to be from a classified government agency -- and what are they looking for? As the weeks pass, Joanne is increasingly convinced that something from Alice's past was responsible for her death -- and that Alice herself may not have been who she seemed.
"With the intrigue of a spy thriller, surprising twist, and a shocking denouement that poses moral questions as relevant now as d=six decades ago, A Kind of Grief is an unforgettable entry in an atmospheric series.
~~back cover
The last book in beloved series is always read with a mixture of joy and tinged with sorrow. The plot of this one is truly Machiavellian -- made more so by the character of Mrs. Mackenzie, a manipulating, guilt tripping, self-centered, selfish, malicious gossip. Who had a death grip on her son. It was worth reading the book just to follow the chaos started by this woman, with fingers crossed she would get her just desserts in the end, except that people like her never seem to.
Joanne is healing from her injuries, and wants to write an article about Alice Ramsay and her trail for witchcraft. She meets the woman once, likes her immensely, and then the disintegration starts up, until Alice commits suicide. Joanne can't believe she committed suicide, and doggedly follows clue in an effort to understand. the trail becomes complicated quickly, with strange nameless men from the government muddying the water.
It's a lovely ending, a nice neat one to wrap up a very engaging series
"When Alice Ramsay, artist and alleged witch, is found dead in her home in a remote Scottish glen, the verdict is suicide.
"But Joanne refuses to believe it. As she investigates Alice's past. Joanne uncovers a growing number of questions. Why did Alice live in such isolation? What would have made her take her own life? Who are the men who arrive on Joanne's doorstep after Alice's death, claiming to be from a classified government agency -- and what are they looking for? As the weeks pass, Joanne is increasingly convinced that something from Alice's past was responsible for her death -- and that Alice herself may not have been who she seemed.
"With the intrigue of a spy thriller, surprising twist, and a shocking denouement that poses moral questions as relevant now as d=six decades ago, A Kind of Grief is an unforgettable entry in an atmospheric series.
~~back cover
The last book in beloved series is always read with a mixture of joy and tinged with sorrow. The plot of this one is truly Machiavellian -- made more so by the character of Mrs. Mackenzie, a manipulating, guilt tripping, self-centered, selfish, malicious gossip. Who had a death grip on her son. It was worth reading the book just to follow the chaos started by this woman, with fingers crossed she would get her just desserts in the end, except that people like her never seem to.
Joanne is healing from her injuries, and wants to write an article about Alice Ramsay and her trail for witchcraft. She meets the woman once, likes her immensely, and then the disintegration starts up, until Alice commits suicide. Joanne can't believe she committed suicide, and doggedly follows clue in an effort to understand. the trail becomes complicated quickly, with strange nameless men from the government muddying the water.
It's a lovely ending, a nice neat one to wrap up a very engaging series
October 26, 2017
I have read and cherished each and every book in the A.D. Scott's Joanne Ross series. The only problem is that the series ends with book 6 and there doesn't appear to be any more on the horizon. I look for books I can get lost in. Books that have characters so distinctive and exquisitely drawn that they become old friends. You can't help but get involved in their lives and care about what happens to them, long after you have stopped reading about them. I would love to have met Joanne, McAllister and all the staff of the Highland Gazette....I think we would have become fast friends!
This last book in the series was the most involved of all with many threads tugging in different directions yet coming together into a delicately crafted Celtic knot. Joanne and McAllister are settling into married life and all the complications and joys that come. Joanne is groping her way to becoming the writer she has always wanted to be yet still filled with doubts. When a news story of a "witch trial" in a remote Highland town catches her eye, Joanne feels compelled to look into it and dig for the story beneath, as she always does. However, just as with the witch trials of old, reasons are not simple or straight forward and as Joanne meets accused witch and artist Alice Ramsay in hopes of eliciting her story all falls apart as Alice wants nothing to do with a story or any more publicity. Shaken and disappointed, Joanne can't help feel there is more to it and when word arrives that Alice Ramsay has committed suicide in her Highland cabin Joanne feels some responsibility yet knows there is more to learn! As she gradually takes McAllister into her confidence (somewhat....she keeps her cards close even from him!) they both begin to dig never imagining what they will eventually uncover! A truly masterful story of WWII legacies of spies, deceit, lies and coverups that have never truly ended. A magnificent end to a spectacular series that one can only wish would continue.
This last book in the series was the most involved of all with many threads tugging in different directions yet coming together into a delicately crafted Celtic knot. Joanne and McAllister are settling into married life and all the complications and joys that come. Joanne is groping her way to becoming the writer she has always wanted to be yet still filled with doubts. When a news story of a "witch trial" in a remote Highland town catches her eye, Joanne feels compelled to look into it and dig for the story beneath, as she always does. However, just as with the witch trials of old, reasons are not simple or straight forward and as Joanne meets accused witch and artist Alice Ramsay in hopes of eliciting her story all falls apart as Alice wants nothing to do with a story or any more publicity. Shaken and disappointed, Joanne can't help feel there is more to it and when word arrives that Alice Ramsay has committed suicide in her Highland cabin Joanne feels some responsibility yet knows there is more to learn! As she gradually takes McAllister into her confidence (somewhat....she keeps her cards close even from him!) they both begin to dig never imagining what they will eventually uncover! A truly masterful story of WWII legacies of spies, deceit, lies and coverups that have never truly ended. A magnificent end to a spectacular series that one can only wish would continue.
December 25, 2017
God, I really wanted to love this book. A murder mystery set in 1950s Scotland? Witches? Right up my alley. However, by around 35% of the book, I had stopped caring about the characters. Everything moved so slowly, there were odd perspective switches between the characters that didn't make sense, nor did they serve the plot. Also, Mrs. Mackenzie was beyond the point of redemption by that point, and I didn't give a flying rat's ass when she was hit by the car.
The writing was amateurish, the characters shallow and lacking any kind of development, the mystery convoluted and even misleading, and I just got tired of reading all of those things combined. Joanne reads far too much like the stereotypical 1950s housewife who just wants to please her husband, and their marriage just has no chemistry. ALSO, the fact that this is a period novel had me think that there was significance to the time period, but there was literally no reason why it was set then instead of in the present. There were maybe two references to things that actually happened in the 50s, and that was it.
Overall, hard pass. I absolutely hate giving negative reviews on books and not having anything positive to say, but this book and I just did not click at all, I'm sorry to say.
The writing was amateurish, the characters shallow and lacking any kind of development, the mystery convoluted and even misleading, and I just got tired of reading all of those things combined. Joanne reads far too much like the stereotypical 1950s housewife who just wants to please her husband, and their marriage just has no chemistry. ALSO, the fact that this is a period novel had me think that there was significance to the time period, but there was literally no reason why it was set then instead of in the present. There were maybe two references to things that actually happened in the 50s, and that was it.
Overall, hard pass. I absolutely hate giving negative reviews on books and not having anything positive to say, but this book and I just did not click at all, I'm sorry to say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2019
FICTION, SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, MURDER MYSTERY (Joanne Ross/ Highland Gazette #6)
Joanne Ross a/k/a newly wed Mrs. John McAlister is intrigued by a discarded page of newspaper (used to wrap a head of cabbage), about a modern day witch trial (in now 1959), in the Sutherland county of the Scottish Highlands. The accused, Alice Ramsay, an eccentric artist of aristocratic bearing, lives in a remote farm house...painting and brewing herbal teas - is acussed of causing the miscarriage of a local woman via her "witchie brew." Joanne sees a story in this and pursues the mysterious Alice Ramsay for an interview. Not long after their meeting, Alice has apparently committed suicide and an auction of her belongings commences, throwing Joanne and her husband John into a foreign world of post WW II spies and traitors and an art world with it's own deceptions. Joanne is not convinced that Alice killed herself. But will her investigation put her family's life in jeapordy?? Another hard-to-put-down read by A.D. Scott!!
Joanne Ross a/k/a newly wed Mrs. John McAlister is intrigued by a discarded page of newspaper (used to wrap a head of cabbage), about a modern day witch trial (in now 1959), in the Sutherland county of the Scottish Highlands. The accused, Alice Ramsay, an eccentric artist of aristocratic bearing, lives in a remote farm house...painting and brewing herbal teas - is acussed of causing the miscarriage of a local woman via her "witchie brew." Joanne sees a story in this and pursues the mysterious Alice Ramsay for an interview. Not long after their meeting, Alice has apparently committed suicide and an auction of her belongings commences, throwing Joanne and her husband John into a foreign world of post WW II spies and traitors and an art world with it's own deceptions. Joanne is not convinced that Alice killed herself. But will her investigation put her family's life in jeapordy?? Another hard-to-put-down read by A.D. Scott!!
October 26, 2018
I won this book, for free, from Good Reads First Reads. This book is a part of a series set in the 1950s in Scotland, but can be read as a stand-alone with only a few questions as to what happened to Joanne to make her "fragile" in her husband's eyes. I really enjoyed this book and am thinking about buying the others in the series. All of the main characters are well-rounded and the minor characters help fill in the story line nicely. This book is a mystery with twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but then again, I usually take a book like this as it comes and don't try to figure out the "whodunit" part. I really enjoyed this book and I, now, wonder why I didn't read it when I first won it instead waiting until now.
December 30, 2020
I love these sweet little mysteries by A D Scott. They’re set in Scotland in the 1950’s, a time when women with gumption, like the main character, can start to take on formerly “male” occupations. Yet close enough to the war that you can include war stories, as in this book. Joanne doesn’t accept the death by suicide of an artist that she’s met. The artist, we soon learn, forged false documents during the war. Joanne starts tracking evidence for her theory and mysterious “government men” show up also looking for evidence. The ending wasn’t a complete surprise, but I wasn’t expecting it. Always enjoy the peripheral characters and Joanne’s happy marriage.
May 16, 2017
I enjoyed this book but not as much as the rest of the series. It doesn't have quite the grit and meaty -ness of the rest of the series. I jut don't buy into Joanna as a stand alone character. And she did feel to be alone in this book. What I liked about the previous books in the series was the way the author developed each individual player in the mystery and yet showed then all to be a part of a whole. This one feels less substantial somehow and not as engaging either as a mystery or as the person of Joanna.
May 31, 2020
In this final instalment, a lengthy reference to the Cold War in 1959 with spies and traitors erupts when a reclusive artist is found hanged in the barn adjacent to her house, and it did not set well with Joanne Ross, who’d interviewed her for a piece about a trial and the accusation of witchcraft. While there are many “bad guys” in the story, the worst character of all is a woman whose gossip and lies touched many of the characters in the Highland Gazette offices. This series has been a fun diversion from a time of politics and virus isolation.
January 31, 2022
This is the last book in the Joanne Ross series and I think it is my favorite in the series. Joanne has really come into her own self and her relationship with McAllister has matured.
I loved the setting, both time and place, in this book. Northern Scotland in the late 1950's. The intriguing mystery did not include any of the primary characters, so did not feel repetitive.
I think the work of AD Scott was recommended by
another mystery written that I enjoy, but I can't remember which one.
Thanks to this series, I hope to spend time in Scotland during retirement!
I loved the setting, both time and place, in this book. Northern Scotland in the late 1950's. The intriguing mystery did not include any of the primary characters, so did not feel repetitive.
I think the work of AD Scott was recommended by
another mystery written that I enjoy, but I can't remember which one.
Thanks to this series, I hope to spend time in Scotland during retirement!
April 12, 2019
The other day I heard a political commentator say that she only reads fiction now because real life is so frightening and depressing. So, of course, I pick up a mystery about spying!
This was an antidote to the brutality of a previous book's emphasis on bare knuckle fighting and characters being pounded past the point of death.
Alice Ramsay was an intriguing character. I continue to enjoy the interaction of the main characters and, if this is the last of the series, I will miss it.
This was an antidote to the brutality of a previous book's emphasis on bare knuckle fighting and characters being pounded past the point of death.
Alice Ramsay was an intriguing character. I continue to enjoy the interaction of the main characters and, if this is the last of the series, I will miss it.
September 6, 2020
Don't want to give anything away. This is the 6th in a series,takes place in the Northern Highlands of Scotland in the late 1950's. . Wish I had discovered the author and series sooner!. I may go back and read a few previous books! terrific writing
A solid 4
A solid 4
November 3, 2021
This book is the 6th in the series and I enjoyed all of them. This one included a story within a story, which was different than the others. Lots of interesting characters, some of the regulars not as prominent as previous books, but hopefully there will be more in this series.
October 28, 2022
Another great continuation of these characters - so sad that this may have been the last in A.D. Scott's series (written in 2015). Plot was captivating while keeping the reader up to date with the continuing characters.
March 1, 2023
I waited and waited to read this, so sad to think it is the last of the wonderful A.D. Scott series set in the Scottish Highlands just after WW2. I have fallen in love with all the characters through the series, and am really sad to bid them farewell. Maybe the best book of them all.
Read
February 21, 2017Last in the series for awhile which I liked, though think I noticed some of Scott's details used in the most recent Hamish Macbeth - both authors write Scotland mysteries, must be a club.
March 7, 2017
Bk. 6 of Highland Gazette mixes art and spies, a jealous, gossipy ol' besom spewing vitriol and smothering her loyal son into the northeastern most Scottish highlands of 1959.
November 9, 2017
Loved it!
December 2, 2018
So disappointed this is the last book in the series.
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