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Death on the Dee: A Ballochbrae Book Club mystery
“Everything cozy crime should be. Ideal for fans of Richard Osman and Richard Coles." HELEN FIELDS
On Balmoral Castle's doorstep, Flora, Heather, Chatty and Morag – women of a certain age – have formed a book club. But after a body was dragged from the River Dee, they set out to pursue their own enquiries, uncovering secrets and lies in Ballochbrae, their sleepy Highland village.When incomers, Rupert and Ollie, take over the Ballochbrae Arms Hotel, they are met with a mixed reception. But the two fall victim to malicious messages, and the would-be detectives can't resist getting involved.
Their investigation is dogged by a series of setbacks. Then it emerges one of their new-found friends is in mortal danger. With the clock ticking, can the Ballochbrae Book Group save him before it's too late?
On Balmoral Castle's doorstep, Flora, Heather, Chatty and Morag – women of a certain age – have formed a book club. But after a body was dragged from the River Dee, they set out to pursue their own enquiries, uncovering secrets and lies in Ballochbrae, their sleepy Highland village.When incomers, Rupert and Ollie, take over the Ballochbrae Arms Hotel, they are met with a mixed reception. But the two fall victim to malicious messages, and the would-be detectives can't resist getting involved.
Their investigation is dogged by a series of setbacks. Then it emerges one of their new-found friends is in mortal danger. With the clock ticking, can the Ballochbrae Book Group save him before it's too late?
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2026
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 3, 2026
Welcome back to Ballochbrae!!! This is an excellent continuation of M C's Ballochbrae Book Club series. I absolutely adored the story, and it was wonderful to be in the book club's company once more. What an absolute joy and pleasure to read. I love the cover. The little white croft/cottage with that stunning Scottish landscape background. Beautifully designed. M C's writing was beautiful, and the story flowed perfectly. The book was written in multiple POV. The setting of the wee Highland Village of Ballochbrae was excellent, and I do enjoy a visit here. The characters were excellent as always. Flora, Chatty, Heather and Morag were wonderful. I do enjoy their sleuthing adventures. They interact with each other perfectly. We had a small selection of new characters, and I adored them. I definitely recommend the series, and I am excited about another visit to Ballochbrae with M C and the book club ladies!!
February 4, 2026
What a great read this turned out to be! Death on the Dee is engaging from the very start and absolutely packed with surprises. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on what’s happening, something shifts and you’re off in another direction entirely.
One of the things I appreciated most was the realism of the characters. The main character, Flora, and her group of ‘friends’ feel like actual, believable people — middle-aged, layered, flawed, juggling life alongside murder investigations. The difference of personalities between the book club ladies helps keep the story realistic. It never felt like a reworked version of The Thursday Murder Club, and I really liked that this group had their own distinct voice and dynamic rather than leaning into cosy clichés.
There’s a lot going on in this novel — secrets, motives, shifting alliances — and it genuinely felt like every time one loose end was tied up, another thread unravelled somewhere else. It keeps the pace lively and the tension bubbling without becoming overwhelming.
Cleverly plotted, full of twists, and driven by characters you can invest in, this was such an enjoyable mystery. If you like small-community crime with plenty of moving parts and realistic relationships at its core, this is well worth picking up.
One of the things I appreciated most was the realism of the characters. The main character, Flora, and her group of ‘friends’ feel like actual, believable people — middle-aged, layered, flawed, juggling life alongside murder investigations. The difference of personalities between the book club ladies helps keep the story realistic. It never felt like a reworked version of The Thursday Murder Club, and I really liked that this group had their own distinct voice and dynamic rather than leaning into cosy clichés.
There’s a lot going on in this novel — secrets, motives, shifting alliances — and it genuinely felt like every time one loose end was tied up, another thread unravelled somewhere else. It keeps the pace lively and the tension bubbling without becoming overwhelming.
Cleverly plotted, full of twists, and driven by characters you can invest in, this was such an enjoyable mystery. If you like small-community crime with plenty of moving parts and realistic relationships at its core, this is well worth picking up.
February 9, 2026
Thank you LBT for having me on this book review tour and for my gifted copy of this epub.
Eeek. I was so excited to be able to be on this tour and get to read this book. This is the second book in this series and you really should read the first one first. I mean it’s amazing though so you won’t be disappointed!!!
I was so happy to be back with this book and the characters Flora Chatty Heather and Morag!! I can’t get enough of them all. Like seriously. So so good !! First I have to say I love the cover. It’s just so cute and well done.
I love the writing style it’s done so well and written so just brilliantly.
I love that we have the book being told in multiple POV loved hearing from multiple people!!
The wee Highland Village of Ballochbrae was so so good !!! I want to visit ohhh did I mention we had some new characters too. They were so good !!
Eeek I just loved this book so much like all the characters are so real and believable that you just want to be friends with them. Want them to be on your side. Like this book was written so well. Like once you thought you had it and it was all wrapped up then bang something else just happens and it’s not at all overwhelming!!! So so good
Overall yall need to get this series it’s so good. Can’t wait to be back for more !!!
Eeek. I was so excited to be able to be on this tour and get to read this book. This is the second book in this series and you really should read the first one first. I mean it’s amazing though so you won’t be disappointed!!!
I was so happy to be back with this book and the characters Flora Chatty Heather and Morag!! I can’t get enough of them all. Like seriously. So so good !! First I have to say I love the cover. It’s just so cute and well done.
I love the writing style it’s done so well and written so just brilliantly.
I love that we have the book being told in multiple POV loved hearing from multiple people!!
The wee Highland Village of Ballochbrae was so so good !!! I want to visit ohhh did I mention we had some new characters too. They were so good !!
Eeek I just loved this book so much like all the characters are so real and believable that you just want to be friends with them. Want them to be on your side. Like this book was written so well. Like once you thought you had it and it was all wrapped up then bang something else just happens and it’s not at all overwhelming!!! So so good
Overall yall need to get this series it’s so good. Can’t wait to be back for more !!!
February 10, 2026
Death on the Dee was an absolute joy to return to and for me, it builds beautifully on everything I loved about The Ballochbrae Book Club.
With the groundwork already laid in book one, this second instalment really lets the characters shine. Flora, Chatty, Morag and Heather feel even more settled as friends, business partners, and amateur sleuths, and it’s such a pleasure to spend more time in their company. Their backstories are already established, which allows their personalities, relationships, and wonderfully sharp banter to take centre stage.
I especially love that these are women 'of a certain age'. It adds so much charm, warmth, and authenticity to their dynamic, and their friendship feels lived-in and genuine, the kind you instantly want to be part of.
The mystery itself is a gentle, cosy whodunit, as the ladies investigate who is trying to sabotage newcomers Rupert and Ollie’s efforts to reopen the Ballochbrae Arms and why. It’s engaging without being dark, perfectly pitched for the genre.
Vibe-wise, this book felt like coming home to my four besties, all set against the stunning backdrop of the Scottish Highlands. A true comfy, cosy escape in book form. The kind you savour with a cup of tea (or a glass of wine).
I’m already counting down to book three!
With the groundwork already laid in book one, this second instalment really lets the characters shine. Flora, Chatty, Morag and Heather feel even more settled as friends, business partners, and amateur sleuths, and it’s such a pleasure to spend more time in their company. Their backstories are already established, which allows their personalities, relationships, and wonderfully sharp banter to take centre stage.
I especially love that these are women 'of a certain age'. It adds so much charm, warmth, and authenticity to their dynamic, and their friendship feels lived-in and genuine, the kind you instantly want to be part of.
The mystery itself is a gentle, cosy whodunit, as the ladies investigate who is trying to sabotage newcomers Rupert and Ollie’s efforts to reopen the Ballochbrae Arms and why. It’s engaging without being dark, perfectly pitched for the genre.
Vibe-wise, this book felt like coming home to my four besties, all set against the stunning backdrop of the Scottish Highlands. A true comfy, cosy escape in book form. The kind you savour with a cup of tea (or a glass of wine).
I’m already counting down to book three!
January 31, 2026
Back in the heart of Royal Deeside we can see what the Ballochbrae Book Club ladies are currently reading, and of course what crimes they will find themselves tangled up in.
As well as the book club ladies we get to meet newcomers to the village Rupert and Ollie. They quickly become targets of investigation for the amateur detectives as the hotel they have recently bought over is subject to minor vandalism. As things escalate we struggle to know who to trust and the ladies are once again in the crosshairs of the local Bobby MacDuff for their interfering.
As a resident if Aberdeenshire - abeit the opposite side to Deeside, I love hearing about all of the real local places and news being mentioned. It gives such a sense of reality to the tale for me.
It's cosy crime with a mature group of ladies who have such interesting stories still being teased out and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next!
As well as the book club ladies we get to meet newcomers to the village Rupert and Ollie. They quickly become targets of investigation for the amateur detectives as the hotel they have recently bought over is subject to minor vandalism. As things escalate we struggle to know who to trust and the ladies are once again in the crosshairs of the local Bobby MacDuff for their interfering.
As a resident if Aberdeenshire - abeit the opposite side to Deeside, I love hearing about all of the real local places and news being mentioned. It gives such a sense of reality to the tale for me.
It's cosy crime with a mature group of ladies who have such interesting stories still being teased out and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next!
February 5, 2026
Death on the Dee is the second book in the Ballochbrae Book Club series, and I loved it! I’m a sucker for a good cozy mystery, especially when the main characters are women of a certain age in a book club and tend to bicker. In real life, I’m sure the bickering would get old, but it cracks me up to read it. And not only do they bicker and read books, and bicker about reading books, they are starting joint business ventures, solving mysteries, and working to keep the new owners of the hotel alive! I wish I had taken the time to read the first book first, but there is enough backstory on each of the ladies to where it can function as a standalone book. Now, I just want to read it to get more of the Ballochbrae Book Club! 5 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommend!
February 6, 2026
This truly does live up to the genre of cozy crime, I loved the second instalment of this book!
Set in picturesque Scotland, you can really imagine the scenes as you read each short chapter.
I loved that there were little bits of relevant news inserted throughout, and also near the beginning of the book a little nod to Hessle Road, which I know well as it’s not too far from me!
The book is an easy to follow and fun book, with little twists throughout it. I found the characters likeable and each different in their own way, with more of their own lives coming out in this, the second instalment the series.
I feel like there is more to come from this group of ladies in the Book Club!
Set in picturesque Scotland, you can really imagine the scenes as you read each short chapter.
I loved that there were little bits of relevant news inserted throughout, and also near the beginning of the book a little nod to Hessle Road, which I know well as it’s not too far from me!
The book is an easy to follow and fun book, with little twists throughout it. I found the characters likeable and each different in their own way, with more of their own lives coming out in this, the second instalment the series.
I feel like there is more to come from this group of ladies in the Book Club!
February 8, 2026
It was brilliant visiting the ladies of the Ballochbrae Book Club again as they find themselves in the midst of another mystery. These ladies are always sticking their noses where they don’t belong which inevitably gets them into trouble. I like these characters in the bickering just for the sake of it. I really enjoy the setting of the story in the glorious Scottish Highlands. We visit that part of the country frequently and I love it. The book has a great storyline, that is very well written and enjoyable. I can’t wait for the ladies next adventure.
February 4, 2026
cozy mystery
I loved this one more than the first book,it's less about the royals and more about the book club amateur sleuths love them it's also funny, qwerky it's like a group of marples and Thursday murder club, so more in this one about the women's and there lives and they did read a book, I would love to be in a physical book club in person likes this, they are also coming together more in this one, I like seeing more about them as they are outside of the book club.
I loved this one more than the first book,it's less about the royals and more about the book club amateur sleuths love them it's also funny, qwerky it's like a group of marples and Thursday murder club, so more in this one about the women's and there lives and they did read a book, I would love to be in a physical book club in person likes this, they are also coming together more in this one, I like seeing more about them as they are outside of the book club.
February 3, 2026
I loved the characters and storyline.!
Mystery at its best.
MC Mackay has a flowing writing style.
Mystery at its best.
MC Mackay has a flowing writing style.
February 4, 2026
Yes, book two is here and the characters are developing. While the first part was a slow introduction, this one plunges straight into the mystery!
A new couple moves to Ballochbrae to take over a crumbling B&B – imagine a Scottish castle! However, all is not as it seems. I thought I had worked it out but the twists!
Again the characters don’t like each other which does bring a new dimension and makes me smile!
It’s a cosy Scottish mystery with great descriptions and twisty story lines.
A new couple moves to Ballochbrae to take over a crumbling B&B – imagine a Scottish castle! However, all is not as it seems. I thought I had worked it out but the twists!
Again the characters don’t like each other which does bring a new dimension and makes me smile!
It’s a cosy Scottish mystery with great descriptions and twisty story lines.
February 2, 2026
I enjoyed this read. It was nice to be back with the Ballochbrae book club ladies. And it was nice to see that they were still poking their noses into the goings on and ‘investigating’ things.
I’m really growing to like the characters, I do feel for Flora as I do think she’s a little bit lonely and even though Chatty pushed her into it - I do think her having paying guests will do her good. Chatty is still outgoing and I’m never quite sure what she’ll do next!
I love how when they get together for book club, Heather always seems to get frustrated with them for diverting away from book talk but then she always gets very involved in the case at hand.
I enjoyed the storyline and was intrigued to see who was behind the things happening at the hotel, I was thinking the same as Morag at one point and did consider her father but had to keep reading to see if I was right!
I’m really growing to like the characters, I do feel for Flora as I do think she’s a little bit lonely and even though Chatty pushed her into it - I do think her having paying guests will do her good. Chatty is still outgoing and I’m never quite sure what she’ll do next!
I love how when they get together for book club, Heather always seems to get frustrated with them for diverting away from book talk but then she always gets very involved in the case at hand.
I enjoyed the storyline and was intrigued to see who was behind the things happening at the hotel, I was thinking the same as Morag at one point and did consider her father but had to keep reading to see if I was right!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews