Death in Shetland Waters

Shetland Sailing Mysteries #6

by Marsali Taylor

Cass Lynch has achieved the post of third officer aboard her beloved Norwegian sail-training ship, Sorlandet. They're sailing from Norway to Ireland as part of the Tall Ship's race. An unnerving early-morning encounter leads to suspicions that there's a stowaway aboard - yet a police search finds nobody. Then one of the trainees goes missing ... Cass and her lover DI Gavin Macrae find themselves up against a ruthless killer. Cass also needs to confront her personal dilemma: if she wants a settled life with Gavin, she'll have to leave the sea, but could she bear to do that?

Genres: Crime, Scotland, Mystery, Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published November 23, 2017

About the author

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland’s scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland’s distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always know when I pick up one of Marsali Taylor's Cass Lynch books that I am in for a good read. This time Cass is on board a tall ship as third mate. Sailing from Norway to Belfast the crew settle down in their 'watches'. But all is not well. The suspicion that there is a stowaway on board & the Cass's cousin might not be all he seems are disturbing enough, but when deaths occur it is time for Cass's lover, DI Gavin Macrae to come on board to try & solve the mystery.

I loved reading all about life on the Tall Ship. It was so well desribed I felt like I was sailing with them! The story was fast paced & held the interest throughout. For once I did guess 'whodunnit' but that doesn't worry me (happens so rarely anyway!)

This is a great addition to the series. I love seeing Cass & Gavin's realtionship develop. If you haven't read the others on the series yet you are in for a treat! Thia was another five star read for me!

[Judy Sheluk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4.5 - This is the first book I've read by Marsali Taylor and I have to say I loved it. Good pacing, lots of twists and turns, a bit of an intro into the Shetlands and the Shetlan language quirks, and a compelling cast of characters let by Cass and her cat named Cat (I could have done without Anders pet rat named Rat, which to me was just creepy, rodent-y, weird).
The start of this book was a wee bit slow for me, maybe because there was a lot of ship detail (necessary, no doubt, but I tend to be a reader who glosses over lots of description). However, the last 25% of the book just moved along at such a rapid pace it made up for it in spades (though I did pretty much figure out the murderer about the same time, I was never 100% certain until almost near the end).
Highly recommended! Set sail with this one and enjoy the journey on the Shetland waters.

[ghostly_bookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in the mood for something dark and a murder mystery on a tall ship sounded perfect.
This is the 6th book in a series but I read reviews that had been left saying you could read this as a standalone so I did.
I loved all the nautical references, the different watches, the book being split into 'bells' and it was incredibly atmospheric but it did drag for me and the ending didn't really deliver for me to give this more than a 3 star.

CAWPILE 5.71
3 STARS

[Kathleen Bicat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have a great affection for northern Scotland especially the Hebrides and Northern Isles. I found the author’s descriptions of the scenery and indeed the sailing quite enchanting. Knowing very little about tall ships the novel was very informative. However I didn’t find the murder plot(s) quite so convincing but nevertheless a good read.

[Hilary G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried really hard to like this book but there were just too many things in it that irritated the hell out of me. I was glad when I had finished it. Firstly, I hate cats! I realise this makes me subhuman in some people’s opinions, but cats make my skin crawl and the way some people fawn over them makes me feel like puking. I can’t say I’m a big fan of rats either. Being marooned on a ship with cat(s) and/or rat(s) would be my idea of hell, so every time one or both of these characters appeared I was cringing. Apart from anything else, they added zero value to the actual plot. In 2010 I was in Hartlepool when the Tall Ships race ended there. I had a great time, went on board a few and enjoyed the parade, but you can have too much of a good thing and I didn’t enjoy all the details of the bells and watches, ropes, masts, sails, knots etc. If I never see the word banjer again I won’t miss it. The book was also determinedly Scottish, at least when it wasn’t being Irish. Granny whatever her name was (was it Bridget?) was another irritation, with her dreary cliches. Nothing wrong with Scottishness (if that’s a word), the Scottish have loads to be proud of, including their beautiful country with all the fascinating islands, and its clever, resourceful people. But, politically correct or not, I couldn’t take seriously the idea of a senior Scottish police officer descending onto a ship from a helicopter wearing a kilt. That seemed to introduce an element of pantomine into what should have been a serious situation (a nasty murder). In fact, every time Gavin appeared the kilt got a mention. He didn’t have much of a personality, but he had pleats! And do even Scottish people say bonny quite so often? Everything was bonny, even Cass’s bruises. All that apart, there was quite a good story there. I guessed long before Cass who the murderer on board was, simply because they were there. I can’t say more or I’ll have to tick the spoilers box
I’m afraid I didn’t like this much and I won’t be looking to go on any more adventures with Cass Lynch and that creepy Cat.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this very much. The latest instalment in the story of Cass Lynch, who has got a position as 3rd Officer on a Norwegian tall ship, to sail from Norway round the top of Scotland down to Belfast and then to race back. Needless to say there are complications! This is pretty tense, with a situation involving a sinister possible stowaway, several deaths, an attempt to harm Cass, a sad personal situation for her and for a fellow female officer, the questionable activities of her Irish cousin who is also on the ship, and the unexpected presence on board of Cass's very delightful Scottish policeman lover. Despite all the dangers, somehow she manages to keep her cat with her all the time. Although I have almost no knowledge of sailing (= one week on a much smaller boat going round the Hebrides) this really brings the tall ship to life for the reader. There's also an exciting chase round the Titanic Museum in Belfast. The issues around abortion and unwanted pregnancy are touched on, unusually in modern fiction from the Catholic point of view. The sinister stowaway is dealt with but not quite in the way planned - and the unlikely murderer of one of the crew, and the attacker of Cass, is unveiled and taken off the ship in Scottish waters on the way home. This almost makes me want to be part of the crew on a tall ship. Now to track down the books in the series which have eluded me!

[Rowena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should preface this by saying, this is not my kind of book anyway but it was the book of the month in our library and so I felt like I should give it a try.
I found the writing style to be a bit unpredictable, with lots of details given to certain parts, and other parts merely eluded to. Whether this was intentional to mislead the reader or not in the 'murder mystery', it came across as clumsy.
My biggest problem was the Scottish detective being lowered from a helicopter in a kilt. I can suspend my disbelief with the best of them, but this was a step too far for me.
Its definitely still not my kind of book.

[Groucho42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cass is finally on the tall ship Sorlandet. People die, such a shock…

Sadly, this one's fairly implausible. Then there's the nonsense with pregnancy. Women get pregnant at the drop of a hat to fit plot nonsense in mass market book. Then, to keep the mass market happy, they never have an abortion. It's far too cliché. Without that annoying, abused, trope, I'd have given it four stars.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cass Lynch gibt ihr einsames Leben auf, um auf einem norwegischen Schulschiff als dritter Offizier anzuheuern. Die Sørlandet nimmt am Tall Ships Race von Norwegen nach Irland teil. Aber Cass' Vorfreude wird getrübt, denn ein Cousin von ihr heuert auf dem gleichen Schiff an. Von ihm und seinem Teil der Familie gab es immer Schwierigkeiten. Nichts Schlimmes, aber genug um Cass die Wiedersehensfreude nicht allzu groß werden zu lassen. Als die Sørlandet auf See ist, wird der Mannschaft klar, dass sich ein Passagier zu viel an Bord aufhält. Dann verschwindet ein Mitglied der Crew...

Die Reise ist für Cass aus vielen Gründen nicht so angenehm, wie sie gehofft hatte. Zum einen macht ihr zu schaffen, dass sie die Rolle ihres Cousins auf dem Schiff nicht einschätzen kann und er so lange zu ihren Verdächtigen gehört. Sie muss erkennen, dass die Mitglieder der Crew, mit denen sie befreundet ist, vielleicht doch nicht so gute Freunde sind wie sie dachte. Außerdem muss sie in ihrem Privatleben eine schwierige Entscheidung treffen.

Der Fall selbst ist spannend. Wo kann sich jemand auf einem Schiff verstecken, wenn man jeden Winkel durchsucht hat? Wie kann der Mann unter der Crew und den Passagieren leben und sogar einen Mord, ohne wirklich bemerkt zu werden? Auf einem Schiff auf hoher See gemeinsam mit einem Mörder zu sein, ist keine schöne Vorstellung. Der Kreis der Verdächtigen ist überschaubar und auch Freunde gehören dazu. Das bringt nicht nur Spannung in die Geschichte, sondern auch Spannungen in die Crew.

Ein solider Krimi, bei dem mich nur das dramatische Ende nicht ganz zum eher ruhigen Rest gepasst hat.

[Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright murder mystery, reasonably well written. I suppose the main reason I didn't gel with it in a major way is because I am not a sailor and have no interest in sailing either. And this is set on a Norwegian tall ship. There's a bit on land in Norway, more on land in Northern Ireland, but they just sail past Shetland. I suppose the connection is Shetland characters.

I have not read this series before. It is about Cass, a sailor girl, through and through who is an item with a mainland Scottish detective, who is helicoptered to the tall ship when there has been a murder... (Well, there are two, but first victim Olav is forgotten by the author and never resolved, poor lad). Detective Gavin does everything in his kilt, even being sent down from a helicopter... really? It feels like something popped in for the tourists.

Now I get she has Catholic characters in this book, and books portray different opinions, but... the moment anything to do with pregnancy is mentioned she immediately has them all thinking about abortion (that is not what everyone immediately thinks of), and what a bad thing it is, it is life from the moment of conception. There is a feeling of moralising that anyone who ever considers an abortion doesn't want kids, thinks of their career only, and the rather creepy conversation when boyfriend Gavin wants to check that Cass isn't one of "those women" who talks about it being her body. That made me feel like taking a step back from the book. And I am unsure if I would read more of her books.

[Simone Frost · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for my book club and initially thought it was my sort of book.

Cass is third mate on a ship sailing from Norway to the UK. Unexpectedly, her cousin Sean is also on board but she questions his motives. There are sightings of a well built man who isn’t part of the crew but a police search doesn’t find him. When one of the crew mysteriously disappears, the mystery man is the prime suspect.

I didn’t mind the characters in this story too much, but I found the plot a bit ridiculous for my liking. It felt like the author kept adding things and instead of a well executed plot, it was just silly.

I didn’t see the point of “Cat” and “Rat” and found the whole thing bizarre. I’m not sure if it was meant to be amusing.

Despite the attempts to have a lot of “action” going on, I found the story dragged and was very heavy on the ship jargon.

It was rather predictable and I didn’t find there was any suspense in the story.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this and felt it missed the mark. It had potential to be a good murder mystery thriller but sadly didn’t deliver.

Maybe if I had read the other books in the series I would have enjoyed it more but I’m not encouraged to read more from this author.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think you might need to be a sailor to fully enjoy this one. While a sailing ship, like a village, an island or a county house, is a good, closed community Dor solving a crime, there is rather too much detail about rigging, watches and routines for this average reader. I could, nevertheless, skim much of this and follow the story.

It is also not ideal to enter a series at no6, which is what I did here. It was easy to gather enough background to relationships - and to treat them with interest rather than engagement.

To me the most interesting element was the minor theme of ethics - the conflict for the women, between their careers at sea and having children, resulting in the issue of abortion as a tool in managing this. These are raised, but not resolved here. The other ethical theme running throughout is the one of fealty - loyalty to the ship’s command versus a wider community - partially resolved.

Overall, I’d give it about 3.7 stars and maybe read another that has more action on dry land.

[Lexie Conyngham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adventure for Cass and Gavin, this time much more by sea than by land. There is little of Shetland here but there is an excellent ‘locked door’ mystery of murders on board a tall ship, conspiracy and corruption and, for Cass, some serious questions to be faced about her future. I’m not sure how well this would do as a stand-alone – perhaps fine, but the background to the relationship between Cass and Gavin, and Cass and Anders, should really be enjoyed from the beginning of this series.

[Stephanie McAffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series, but...

I love this series. It never ceases to amaze me how much interesting information you can learn from reading books. I so enjoy the detail in Ms Taylor's descriptions, whether it be of the land, sea, sky or tall ships. She paints such perfect pictures l can really see what she's describing. That said, l did think 'Death in Shetland Waters' got off to a very slow start & left me with some questions, I'm going to have to read it again. I recommend this series.

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't realize this book fell in the middle of a series until I was a fair way through it. I have no background in Nautical/maritime matters and therefore I found much of the discussion, and particularly the descriptions of the scenes of crime, totally incomprehensible. I kept slogging through until the end, but never found a redeeming aspect as much of the "love story" aspect and other interpersonal reactions felt rather contrived. Very sorry I wasted my time with this. Hopefully, more nautically inclined readers would find this a good read.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder Mystery Onboard the Sorlandet

Cass Lynch is third mate onboard the training tall ship, Sorlandet. She soon becomes embroiled in murder, stowaways, and intrigue.

The author, Marshall Taylor, describes the contradiction of the wide open seas with the claustrophobia and closeness of life on board a working vessel. Taylor does seem to have a liking for over dramatising some events, but this doesn't put you off the fast-paced narrative.

An enjoyable murder mystery tale with likeable characters and pets with very easy to remember names!

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read and enjoyed several of Marsali's Shetland sailing mysteries, but this one was longer and full of tension, so that I read on far into the night, and finished the whole book in two or three days. There were a lot of characters, as it was set on a tall ship being used as a training ship, with a variety of nationalities, most young but with a sprinkling of older trainees, and the crew members, some of whom I've encountered before in other stories. However each of her books stands alone and it does not really matter what order you read them in. Well worth a read.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book which I have read in this charming series. I like the main character Cass Lynch and I like the author's writing style. Most of the story is set on the Norwegian tall ship, Sorlandet, on which Cass is the third mate but part of the story is set in Belfast where the Sorlandet has docked. it is a slow moving almost cosy mystery featuring a suspected stowaway, a missing trainee then a murder. I plan to read the other books in this series.

[Jason Monaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sense of place doesn't come much stronger than this. Sharply observed detail of the waters around Shetland, the multitude of inlets and islands, and an affectionate portrait of local people. Those who are not killers, of course. The plot lies deep in the story, so the reader must follow Cass on her voyage into mystery and danger. If Swallows and Amazons contained murders, this would be a fine addition to the canon.

[Elena K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn’t treat a book as a serious after the scene, where the main heroine is having miscarriage and the author describes that as like a banal coughing. Without any problems at all. Like “she was pregnant and after few seconds she wasn’t and let’s go for a dance party”. Are he serious?!

Unbelievable!

[Kathryn Malkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel started off well, it’s well written and set on board a tall ship so that was a little different. I enjoyed all the sailing descriptions but sadly the ending was a disappointment. Absolutely no way could anyone believe that a murder on a tall ship could be hushed up when you’ve a load of trainees on board with mobile phones. 3.5 stars from me just because I like boats.

[Carolien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cass has joined the Sorlander as third mate as the large traditional sailing ship sets sail for Belfast from Norway. However everything is not fine onboard with a mysterious stowaway appearing in the distance and a cousin of Cass making an unexpected appearance. I enjoyed it, but need a list of terminology to fully understand the intricacies of these ships.

[Theresa S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think in order to enjoy this book you have to really like or know boats. For me it was way too much boating Terminology. The plot itself was not intriguing either. Really could not get excited about this book.

[Sherrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting details on sailing and Scottish and Norse waters and islands. Mystery is entertaining but ending is a bit unconvincing and there are loose ends in the plot. Found the pregnancy/miscarriage unconvincing as well.

[Saila Routio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full points for the author for knowing her subject. The life on board a tall ship became so vivid that I could imagine myself there. It was fascinating and informative to read how the ship and its crew operate.

[Tonyia Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series and look forward to the next entry.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, the seascapes and descriptions of life on the water are enjoyable and realistic. Nice change of setting for the plot. Relationship development is a bit bogged down. But bring on the next!

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Figured out very early on whodunnit, but it was still a good mystery.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book hard to put down, heart-in-mouth, gripping stuff. Great atmosphere and description of life at sea, it also had lots of tension that made it a very enjoyable read.

[Kath Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who'd have thought it?

Another good one. I'm glad Cass found her love. You would not have expected that ending. It was totally unexpected.