The Merlon Murders II

by Victoria Benchley

The Merlon Murders II (part two of a two part mystery):

Tracking down a killer could be deadly for hot shot insurance investigator Duncan Dewar. Someone or something just tried to push him from the battlement of Castle Taye. As Duncan falls deeper for Caroline, he discovers evidence that points to something sinister. Hoping to learn what really happened at the castle, Duncan travels from beautiful Scotland to London and back again, sampling local cuisine along the way. Will the evidence lead to an accident, conspiracy, or crime of passion? Can Duncan unravel the case and protect Caroline in the process? Who will be the next victim of the merlon murders?

Books by Victoria Benchley include:
The Merlon Murders I at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VGU2PTM
The Merlon Murders II
The Crime at the Bakery (A short story) - Coming Soon
The Snail Man at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O97FE9W

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Genres: Mystery, Scotland, Cozy Mystery

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2015

About the author

Victoria Benchley lives with her husband of over twenty years and their two children on the West Coast of the United States. She grew up reading the classics and counts Dickens and the Bronte Sisters as her favorite authors. After a career in corporate America, spanning public accounting, cash management, and real estate investments, at national and international firms, she chose to become a stay-at-home mom and full time taxi cab driver for her children. She is a Christian and enjoys quilting, cooking, and traveling (road trips included!), as well as reading and writing.

Her books are available on Amazon.

Reviews

[Victoria Simcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The question is, who’s the target to be murdered next? Laird of a castle, Stuart Menzies has died and evidence of the circumstances points to homicide. Protagonist, Duncan Dewar, insurance appraiser is a pleasant, gentleman but somebody attempted to shove him off the battlement of Castle Taye. You’d think that being busy on a murder case should be enough for him to take on but top it off with he must keep a close watch on Caroline; a beautiful young widow he becomes sidetracked with during the investigation. Woven into this tale are threads of wit, humor and insight into the beautiful culture and cuisine. Author Benchley is intricately involved in her characters, and when you read her stories, you will feel like you know them personally. I totally enjoyed traveling if only in my mind to Scotland and London; two places I would love to see one day. Reading this cozy mystery was a joyful romp through the countryside. This could be a stand-alone read, but I encourage you to get; The Merlon Murders, book 1 first, which this one ties nicely into.

[Amy Reade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing mystery

In this second book of The Merlon Murders, readers are treated to some exciting twists following the harrowing ending of Book One. Duncan becomes more deeply involved with the beautiful widow Menzies, he enlists the help of a Swedish expert in game theory, and he begins to form some alarming hunches about the identity of the person who killed Stuart Menzies. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery, and especially one set in Scotland.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're currently reading Part I, let me save you the trouble and recommend you skip the rest. The author buries you in over-description for page after page, with little progress towards the final reveal. Once you get to the end, you'll find it predictable, and wonder why there needed to be a second installment at all. Also, the main character becomes less and less likable with every page. Seriously, find something else to read.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars (3 on Goodreads, 4 on Amazon) This is the second part of a good mystery. This volume had some places with a lot of description or detail that didn't advance the plot and dragged a bit for me, so I skimmed those areas. Still, someone who likes a good old-fashioned who-dun-it that takes place in contemporary times should enjoy this story. The setting at a Scottish castle added to my vocabulary, and the protagonist, Duncan Dewar, is a hoot!

[Gerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two doesn't disappoint. The mystery of 'who dun it' is eventually solved, much to everyone's surprise. Or maybe not, if you'd paid close attention to the clues that the author left throughout both books.
I liked this mystery very much, but the people Duncan worked with in London, plus his family and their dynamics were very welcome, enlightening as well as very enjoyable.
I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Sandy Shin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continues from part 1, and delivers an unexpected and depressing solution. If you have Amazon Prime, you can read the book for free. I don't recommend buying it.
An unenjoyable read, I won't go on to the next part of the "peril's of Pauline" melodrama

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

I am extremely impressed with the Duncan Dewar Mystery. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I thought adding bits of Doyle's work was genius! I'm really looking forward to reading more!

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of amateurly plotted since I guessed who done it before the end of book 1

[Irene Sauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review of Volume One.

[Melinda Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun mystery this was and I really enjoyed the UK flavor. I read both books I & II back to back so I'm reviewing them as one work here. Almost as soon as I finished reading, I had to book my boss on a trip which includes a train from Manchester to London and back. I kept thinking of this story! I visited London and Edinburg in the mid-80s, too, so the locations kept me flashing back to that time in my life. Wish I'd been able to attend a ceilidh! Great, rich storytelling with characters that'll stick with you. Looking forward to getting to know Duncan a little better in the next in the series!

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited...that was a mystery? a comedy? romantic?

Books to avoid:
A Duncan Dewar Mystery of Murder and Romantic Suspense 1/2 {2 parts, Merlon Murders} 3 4 5 6 7 and any after and any more by writer

[Kay (Brigidsmomma) Compton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part 2 of a two book set that finishes the story begun in book one. This one makes a bit more sense, but we still have the issue of a not very sensical protagonist who cannot really understand human interpersonal relationships very well. This leads him to make some assumptions that really begin to grate as they become blatantly obvious that they are wrong. It's too bad, but handled differently, this plot and story might have been better. As it now stands i regret getting the second volume to finish a rather uncomfortable story.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read mysteries for the mystery, not for the romance. The romance in this book really irritated me and took up way too much of the book. In fact, the book could have easily been finished in one volume if the author had stuck to the mystery. I DO understand why she included the romance, but it was not necessary, for the most part, and only made the story longer. I am going to read one more book by this author to give her another chance so I do hope volume 3 is an improvement because I did like the lead character except for his stupidity in the romance department.

[Marie Shirley Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So worth reading two books to get it to the end

Marie's Read

I have to admit that I was nine to happy when I discovered that I had to read a second book (this one) to get to the bottom of things.

I am so glad, nay, grateful that the author divided the story in to two books. They are both well done, but this is the best of the two.

I will continue read "Duncan Dewar Mysteries" as long as Ms. Victoria Benchley continues too write them!

[eileen sautner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first.book had me hooked

I always read during flights and had downloaded the first in the series. I got to the end and wasn't able to download the second one for five days. The suspense was terrible! It's wonderful to read a book that keeps you in suspense and learn about the Scottish culture at the same time. the development of the characters was enjoyable it's refreshing reading something wholesome, educational and entertaining.

[Gerri Figg-Hoblyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weak on story

Rich on details of people,places and things, but a weak illogical story line. The characters seem almost childlike in composition

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad at all. Pretty predictable, but I grew to really like Duncan and the other characters in the books, and I enjoyed the Scottish setting.
I'll read more Duncan Dewar books.

[Linda Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

Easy to read Duncan and his family were realistic characters and I enjoyed the way he figured out the way the murder was done.

[Mitzi Hutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story!

I enjoyed both books. What happen to his career after that? And what to Carolyn? I hope they got hear.

[Sandy Voegtlen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope Duncan gets smarter as the series progresses. I like the character, but I don't think he should be quite so clueless.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion

A difficult ending to this two part ebook of the 1st story in this series. Life happens no matter what.