The Lost Daughter

Jean Brash Mystery #2

by David Ashton

After Mistress of the Just Land, the second adventure in David Ashton's Jean Brash series...

It's Spring and Jean Brash, Mistress of the Just Land (best bawdy-hoose in Edinburgh) is raring to go. But past, present and future collide to undermine that desire.

A theatre company arrives in Leith to perform King Lear. A ruthless robbery is planned, a gruesome murder committed, both of which set Inspector James McLevy on the prowl, and Jean's past returns in the form of bad seed from a vicious killer.

Even more lethally, her own lost family life explodes in the present, as a wild young actress who trails violence and death behind her, involves Jean in a dangerous complex game that threatens to destroy the very root of her identity.

When you look death in the face, it's best not to blink - otherwise the play is over.

352 pages, Paperback

Published September 7, 2017

About the author

David Ashton (born 10 November 1941 in Greenock) is a Scottish actor and writer. Trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, 1964–67, he has acted in a wide variety of film, television, theatre and radio roles. He has also developed a parallel career as a writer of fiction, film and television screenplays and plays for theatre and radio. His radio play The Old Ladies at the Zoo, which starred Peggy Mount and Liz Smith, won the Radio Times Drama Award in 1985.

Reviews

[Gary and Sandra Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book very enjoyable.

As before Mr. Ashton takes you back in time to Edinburgh Scotland in the 1870's to witness the coming and going around the bawdy house of Jean Brash. This story focuses on murder, robbery and revenge and somehow Jean winds up in the middle of the mess, with James McLevy breathing down her neck. How Jean extradite herself from this mess makes for very satisfying story. Along the way we encounter new characters and their secrets and one that involves Jean. Wonderful series hope there are more books coming.

[Katie McQuillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stick with it

Good mystery with a hint of humour now again. Took a while to get into it. I do miss the radio dramatisation of McLevy.....

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is the back story to Jean Brash here!

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read, the first I've read with the focus shifted to Mistress Brash, as I was waiting on the first one to arrive at my closed library before tackling this, but during lockdown needs must...
Inspector McLevy of course is still very much part of the story, and the events of the previous skipped book were given a brief outline thankfully. To that were added a travelling theatre company, and a necklace display, as part of an early attempt at an Edinburgh Festival, throw in some murder, revenge, and gang rivalry and it all pootles along nicely.

[Christina Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

received free from Goodreads. would definitely read further books by this author

[John McCaskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to “ The Just Land”.

[Carla Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book by David Ashton.

[Daniel Smith]

Won in the Goodreads Giveaways - not read, passed to another reader.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received 'The Lost Daughter' as a good reads give away - I was really looking forward to reading it as I love a bit of historic mystery. I wasn't disappointed with the plot, but I found the language hard to keep up with. Set in Edinburgh it's obviously got some Scottish words that made it harder for me to understand. This is a critism about me and not the book.

The plot, setting and characters are well thought out and I had read 'mistress of the just land' first