Death at a Scottish Halloween

Scottish Isle Mystery #5

by Lucy Connelly

When Dr. Emilia McRoy stumbles upon a dead body in a haunted house, she resolves to find the killer before another body can fall.

Halloween isn’t the only cause for fright in the fifth Scottish Isle mystery, perfect for fans of Paige Shelton and Connie Berry.

It’s the week of Halloween—or as they say in Scotland, All Hallows' Eve—and the town of Sea Isle is full of spooky celebrations. Dr. Emilia McRoy loves being part of her new community and is eager to help out in any way she can. But the festivities are interrupted when she and her assistant, Abigail, find a dead body in a haunted house. A real one. They’re too late to save the victim, but they’ll do whatever it takes to find his killer. 

There’s just one There are too many suspects. 

Constable Ewan would prefer the good doctor and her friends stay out of the investigations, but that isn’t how Dr. Em rolls. As she and her gang investigate, they realize the killer is searching for something—and has no problem murdering anyone who gets in the way of finding it. 

Dr. Em must stay one step ahead if she’s to survive this Halloween season alive—either that or she might just end up the next victim.

Genres: Mystery, Adult, Cozy Mystery

Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 11, 2026

Reviews

[Aimée · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ Werbung, weil NetGalley Rezensionsexemplar. Alle Meinungen meine eigenen. Danke an den Verlag für die Bereitstellung. ~



Dr. Em arbeitet als örtliche Ärztin und Gerichtsmedizinerin im beschaulichen schottischen Sea Isle. Das tut sie auch schon seit 4 Bänden, die ich aber (noch) nicht gelesen habe. Diesmal geht es um Duncan Craig, der bei einer Halloween-Haunted-House-Ausstellung mit Ems Messer getötet wurde. Seine Schwester und sein bester Freund sind am Boden zerstört - doch dann taucht eine Frau auf und behauptet, er sei verheiratet mit Kind. Der Twist: Es gab zwei Duncan Craigs und kurz darauf ist der zweite auch tot...



Ah, so viele gute Codewörter für mich: Cozy Crime, Schottland, Halloween - da musste ich doch auf "Jetzt lesen" klicken, oder?! Wie gesagt, habe ich die ersten vier nicht gelesen. Natürlich gibt es da schon leichte Andeutungen auf vorherige Ereignisse, aber das Gute an Cozy Crime ist ja, dass man alle Bände unabhängig lesen kann.

Etwas anders als in anderen Cozy Mysteries war, dass Em als Gerichtsmedizinerin selbst Untersuchungen anstellen kann und nicht an ihren Polizisten gefesselt ist (auch wenn sie das durchaus gern wäre) - dadurch entsteht mit ihren Freunden aus dem Dorf eine Scooby Gang, sehr witzig. Außerdem gibt es einen autistischen Nebencharakter, der sehr putzig ist.



Das schottische Halloween kommt dabei nicht zu kurz - immer wieder gehen die Freunde zu Veranstaltungen, wie einem Kostümball oder einem Grusellabyrinth. Ebenso wird ein Ritual des örtlichen Covens beschrieben, das ich sehr schön gelungen fand. Allerdings waren noch ein, zwei Fehler im Buch, die gezeigt haben, dass Autorin bzw Lektorat (noch) nicht genug gegooglet haben ("Scotts" / "Bothie").



Achtung: Nicht verwechseln mit "Murder at a Scottish Halloween" - das ich vermutlich als nächstes lesen werde^^



"I have this theory that when many gather with truly good intentions all involved can feel the results."

~ 03.05.2026

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5th book in the Scottish Isle Mystery series, finds Dr. Emilia McRoy and her trusty assistant Abigail volunteering as actors in a haunted house raising money for charity. Dr. Em eventually finds one of her new friends, Duncan, from across the hall dead at the end of the night. As she and Constable Ewan start to investigate, a woman with a daughter shows up demanding to identify the body of her missing husband Duncan.. It turns out that the body is not her husband, but a man who shares his name. One day later, a man is sitting on Dr. Em's doorstep dead, who turns out to be the missing husband. Constable Ewan and Dr. Emilia now have to solve both cases of the two dead Duncans and have to determine if there is a link between the two, or if it is just a massive coincidence.
I am a huge Lucy Connelly fan and was so excited to get this eARC. I absolutely enjoy every one of the Scottish Isle Mysteries! As a medical professional myself, I love reading Dr. Em's perspective on the cases as opposed to just law enforcement. I like the small town cozy feel of Sea Isle and the close knit group of friends that Em has in her "Scooby gang". The slow burn between Ewan and Emilia is so sweet and lovely to watch blossom between to good people who have been hurt before. These are some of my absolute favorite reads, and I cannot wait for the next installment,
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 5th installment in the Scottish Isle mystery series. Dr. Emilla (Em) McRoy is once again involved in discovering the cause of death of not one but two suspicious deaths. Em and her assistant and friend Abigal have volunteered (her friend Mara has organized the event) for the local haunted house for charity. Em and Abigal make friends with the artists across the hall and after the first night, they are shocked when they find their new friend Duncan murdered with the knife from one of their dead dummies. Constable Ewan and Abigal begin to investigate and things get complicated when the next day a woman shows up with her daughter demanding to see her husband, Duncan. The body is not that of her husband and a day later, a dead body is found outside Dr. Em’s house and practice and it is the other Duncan. Now Ewan and Em need to find out do they have 2 murderer’s or is it a coincidence that two men with the same name have been murdered days apart. How are the murders related. I really enjoyed this story and I like how Em works with Ewan and all their friends to find justice for the victims and their families. I really enjoy the relationship Em shares with all her friends and how they all support her and protect her. I also liked that the relationship with Ewan is getting firmed up. This installment did not disappoint and I look forward to the next in this series. This series is an automatic for me. Highly recommend.

[Margie Bunting · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Lucy Connelly's fifth Scottish Isle cozy mystery, Death at a Scottish Halloween, American Dr. Emilia McRoy is thriving as the town doctor and medical examiner in Sea Isle, a quaint Scottish village, which is a relief after her frenetic ER doctor career in Seattle. She continues to live and work in a lovely house owned by local constable Ewan Campbell and is forging a relationship with Ewan that may be moving to a new level beyond colleagues and friends. It's the week culminating with All Hallows Eve, beginning with a haunted house with each room created by a different team to be as scary as possible. Em's team features killer doctors and a bloody butcher knife she brought from home. It's all in good fun until the knife is found skewering a dead man in one of the other rooms.

Dr. Em and her group of close friends--the Scooby Gang--start to sift through a group of suspects to help the police find the murderer, but soon there is another suspicious death. Is it murder, or a series of unfortunate events and conditions? More importantly, is it a coincidence that the deceased have one strange thing in common?

Dr. Emilia is a character who is easy to root for, as are the supporting cast and the charming venue. I'd like to see more development from Ewan in future series entries.

My review is based on a complimentary -pre-release copy of this book.

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book courtesy of Netgalley for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

Overview: Emilia McRoy has been in Sea Isle for nearly a year now. As part of the little town's Halloween celebration, Emilia, known as Em to her friends, and Abigail find a dead body at the local haunted house. The only problem is the body isn't part of the decor. Who would want Duncan Craig dead? What is going on with the local rowing team? And who is snooping around the doctor's office, and why? Let's find out.

Dislikes: Robert McClendon was a bully. He would threaten to fire people just for disagreeing with him. That's someone who has serious control issues.

Likes: Em does have a good group of friends. There's always someone to back her up when she needs it. Even if it means an unexplained road trip to track the victim's last few days.

Ewan, and the town, takes good care of Tommy and Abigail. It can't be an easy thing to accommodate someone on the spectrum, and the town pulled it off with style.

The results of the corn maze was fun. Most of the town came together to find Dracula Mask.

Conclusion: This was a great book. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries with a foreign setting, or just a fan of the Scottish Isle Mysteries, then this book is for you. Enjoy the read.

[Pk · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reading copy.
#DeathataScottishHalloween #NetGalley

This is the fifth installment in the Scottish Isle Mysteries and another enjoyable visit to this charming small Scottish town. Dr. Emilia McRoy is the coroner therefore has plausible reason to be involved in helping to solve the whodunnits, which I appreciate. The plot was intriguing with two murders to solve with a strange coincidence between the two victims, which kept the mystery moving at a steady pace, trying to determine connections and motives. I also appreciated that the Halloween setting wasn’t overdone. Sea Isle’s tradition of celebrating many holidays and over the course of several days was festive without feeling gimmicky.

This series is the original foundation of Lucy Connelly’s three UK-set mystery series (Scotland, Ireland, and Wales), and her writing skills feels smooth, comfortable, and effortlessly readable. Her books are easy to immerse oneself.

The slow-burn relationship continues, and I’m still very much here for it. And as always, the found-family/friend and community dynamic remains one of the best parts of the series—it’s always a pleasure to spend time with these characters.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Death at a Scottish Halloween” is a fun cozy style mystery just in time for, well, Halloween. This is my first jaunt with Dr. Emilia McRoy and crew and it definitely won’t be my last.

What could be scarier than a haunted house? Well, for one, a haunted house with a real-life, um, real-dead dead person in it. Oh, and that is not the only dead body they are going to come across. As I said, this is a fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery. The interaction between the characters was well written.

One thing that I do want to address. As a person of faith, I appreciated that overall, the reference to those that attend church was positive. Many of the novels I have read lately have taken jabs or lazily written all people of faith as the “bad guys”. So thank you for that, Lucy Connelly.

My only slight complaint was the ending just fell flat to me. The rest of the book was spot on so the slightly disappointing ending could be forgiven. It’s still worth the reading experience.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

[K McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this series, and this latest entry is no exception. This one sees Emilia and friends investigating the intriguing mystery around the deaths of two men with the same name while their little Scottish town celebrates Halloween. I like that Emilia’s role as the town’s doctor and medical examiner provides a clear and compelling reason for her to continue to be drawn into cases; I find with some amateur sleuth series the character’s motivation in getting involved can be murky and detract from the story. The setting is fantastic, with the Halloween events adding a nice touch, and the recurring characters are really compelling. This one in particular has some developments in key relationships. The resolution of the case fell a little flat for me in a couple of places, but still a really enjoyable story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All views are entirely my own and offered voluntarily.

[Suzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Connelly has created a lovely series set in a fictional town, Sea Isle, Scotland. I love this series and all the characters in it. This is book five in the series, and I love how the characters have grown to know each other and come together to solve the different cases. The time setting of this book is around Halloween, which is much celebrated in Scotland. The different events that take place in the town in the days leading up to Halloween are a nice touch to this mystery and give the story added interest. I also love how the different characters have some romantic interests, but it is not the main interest in the story, and it is moving slowly through the series, yet progressing, so we, as the reader, don't lose interest. Even though Halloween is my personal least favorite holiday, I would have enjoyed being in Sea Isle for these events.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. This is my honest and personal review.

[M Steinbrink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death at a Scottish Halloween by Lucy Connelly

Death at a Scottish Halloween by Lucy Connelly is the fifth in the Scottish Isle mystery series. This has become one of my favorite series. I really enjoy the characters, the small town Scottish setting and the fact that they celebrate every holiday ever invented. This book was just as good as the rest in the series. There was a case of mistaken identity, a lot of unsavory characters and a haunted house. The mystery was confusing and tricky to solve which is my favorite type of mystery and I enjoyed solving it along with Dr. Em and Constable Ewan. I definitely recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers and those who enjoy a good Scottish mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Em, the ex-pat doctor now a resident of Sea Isle, and her friends are having a great time participating in the Halloween haunted house. After the festivities end, they find one of the other participants has been murdered. The next day there is confusion, when it turns out there is another man on the island with the same name! Was the wrong man killed? When the second body turns up on Em’s doorstep, the case keeps getting more complicated.
I love this series and the characters. The small town sounds like a fun place to live and it’s good to see Em settling in and developing a closer relationship with Ewan, the mayor and constable of Sea Isle. Once again, the Scottish Isle mystery gives a satisfying mystery with warmth and fun included.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flat out, I’m a Lucy Connelly stalker. She could write a thesis on why watching paint dry is a great hobby & I would one click it so fast.

Dr Em & “the gang”, add in a delicious Halloween story where they’re volunteering as actors in a HAUNTED HOUSE…yes, please.

I was a bit nervous cause I’m a huge Halloween groupie but this lived up to every expectation. I eagerly flipped page to page & devoured every word like one of the delicious pub entrees.

Once again, the killer wasn’t an easy discovery but made all the sense in the world.

And can we just talk about Dr Em & Ewan? SWOON.

I adore this series & cannot wait for the next - this is one of my fave cozy mysteries.

Thank you so much to Lucy Connelly, Crooked Lane Books, & NetGalley for the early copy - I adored every second .

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 5th book in this series is all about Halloween events in the little Scottish town. Emelia and her friends are helping out by having a room in a haunted house and discover a dead body. What creates confusion is that there end up being 2 dead bodies with the same name! Emelia must try to figure out who was the target and if the other person was a case of mistaken identity. We see some progress in her relationship with Ewan as he keeps guarding her from possible dangers by sleeping on her couch. This was a fun, quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy.

[Jess Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun Scottish mystery. I enjoy the main characters in this series. Emilia’s role as a doctor and coroner makes for a clever storyline, and I really enjoy her romance with Ewan.

This mystery had a lot of twists and turns with two bodies which they needed to figure out how they were related. I loved the setting amidst the backdrop of spooky festivities in Sea Isle, Scotland.

A quick and fun read with great characters. These books are best read in order as you get to follow the character development.

Thanks to #NetGalley And #CrookedLaneBooks for the ARC.

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Em is an American expat doctor who has relocated to a small highland village in Scotland. The village is preparing a scary All Hallows Eve house to raise money for local charities. However, there is a real murder among all of the fake blood and creepy costumes. While the constable and Em's friends are discreetly investigating, there is another unexplained death. Can they solve these mysteries before anything else bad happens? Scottish village ambiance and likable characters make this an enjoyable mystery. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[LittleRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Halloween and when Emilia and Abigail find a dead body in a haunted house, spooky season takes on a who new meaning for them. Not one to sit back, Emilia is going to do her best to find the killer, hoping that she won’t end up in a real coffin of her own this Halloween.

I really enjoy this series. Emilia brings her spunk to Scotland and the town of Sea Isle. You can’t help but love her and the heat between her and Ewan is also a nice draw each entry. But it’s the solid mystery and the setting that keeps me coming back for each entry. It’s fantastic!

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Dr. Em finds herself wrapped up in a murder case but this time it's two different murders and both men had the same name. Is this a case of mistaken identity or is there something else going on?
This series has quickly become one of my favorites. I love how Lucy Connelly describes Sea Isle and the surrounding areas. I would love to be a member of Dr. Em's Scooby gang and am excited to see how things progess with Em and Ewan. While I guessed who the murderer was and why, the way it happened was a surprise to me.
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC

[Cozybooklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

#DeathataScottishHalloween #NetGalley

What could be more fun than decorating a scary room in a haunted house.
Things go well until two deaths bring questions and confusion to their small town.
Em is not going to let things slide and she immediately begins to investigate because she knows something is just not right.

The characters are well done in this story and I'm always excited to read a new book in this series.
This is exactly what a cozy mystery should be.

[Brenda Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emilia and Angela find a body at the end of the haunted house event for charity. As usual when a death occurs Emilia gets more involved than a normal coroner. Was the murder personal or work related? Ewan tells Emilia to let the police do the investigating, but she has questions and he invites her along to find the answers. On a personal note, what is going on between Ewan and Emilia. Great series.

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick read. This novel includes long-running characters from the series, but the standalone plot means newcomers to the series can follow the action. I enjoyed the developing relationships and the clever plot although the ending left some murky points. Somewhere in the 3-4 star range so rounding up. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Death at a Scottish Halloween, by Lucy Connelly, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book five in the Scottish Isle Mystery series. Dr. Emilia McRoy has a murder to solve, and its Halloween. spooky times, especially with a murder to solve. This was a nice read, not o spooky or scary at all.