Murder at the Castle

An Iris Grey Mystery #2

by M.B. Shaw

Painter (and amateur sleuth) Iris Grey enters a world of buried secrets, village gossip, family feuds, and murder in the latest cozy mystery from New York Times bestselling author M. B. Shaw. Portrait painter Iris Grey arrives at Pitfeldy Castle in the Scottish Highlands, at the request of Baron Jock MacKinnon. Jock has commissioned Iris to paint a portrait of his fianc�e, American socialite Kathy Miller, ahead of their New Year wedding. Kathy invites Iris into her confidence, as she's received a series of threatening notes asking her to call off the wedding. Iris begins to investigate, and when a body is discovered in the grounds of the castle, she fears for Kathy's safety. With the wedding fast approaching, Iris tries to solve a mystery that is caught up in a rarified world of family feuds, romantic intrigue, buried secrets, and murder.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Cozy Mystery, British Literature

385 pages, Paperback

Published December 8, 2020

About the author

M.B. Shaw is the pen-name of New York Times bestselling writer Tilly Bagshawe. A teenage single mother at 17, Tilly won a place at Cambridge University and took her baby daughter with her. She went on to enjoy a successful career before becoming a writer. As a journalist, Tilly contributed regularly to the Sunday Times, Daily Mail, and Evening Standard, before turning her hand to novels.

Tilly's first book, ADORED, was a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic, becoming an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. She now divides her time between the UK and America, writing her own books and the new series of Sidney Sheldon novels.

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder at the Castle is the sophomore instalment in the Iris Grey Cosy Mystery series, set in the stunning Scottish Highlands and the equally spectacular Italian city of Venice. Likeable artist, portrait painter and accidental, but seemingly effective, amateur sleuth Iris Grey is invited to Pitfeldy Castle in the Highlands by Baron, Jock MacKinnon, who commissions her to paint his fiancee, American Kathy Miller, renowned for running in fashionable, high societal circles, often featuring the New York elite. Despite a significant difference in age, Jock and Kathy are planning to wed in New York before too long, and to say that his children and ex-wife aren't happy about the impending nuptials would be an understatement. Both Jock’s family and many of the local village residents he has known for longer than he cares to remember, thoroughly dislike Kathy as she appears toalways be on her high horse looking down, patronisingly, on everyone else and they don't feel like she is suitable for Jock at all, but nothing is what it initially appears. Iris soon realises that there is a completely different atmosphere once you scratch through the surface of the facade and she swiftly becomes embroiled in family issues, secrets, lies and murder...

This is a superb cosy mystery with more bite and grit than usual but still maintaining the cosy feeling and it's every bit as entertaining and compelling as the series opener. We still are presented with the chocolate-box village and countryside location, and in my mind, it was exactly like the villages in Midsomer Murders: quaint and typical of England. It's simply the perfect book to escape from the troubles of the world and inhabit someone else's even for a few hours. Iris is a great character and protagonist who is a force for good in her community, and she illustrates just how much of an effective sleuthing brain she has too. As she becomes ever more involved in investigating she soon discovers huge secrets and revelations regarding Kathy and Jock’s family and their pasts. This is a fun, fast-paced, easy read with an enjoyable and entertaining plot, a good cast of characters and a number of suspects with motives, plenty of red herrings, twists and reveals. A delightful cosy that has a satisfying conclusion and if you like the solid, usual format of cosies in general then this will be something you will want to pick up. Highly recommended.

[Hayley Fortin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up while looking for a cosy crime, something that gave me Agatha Christie/Johnathon Creek vibes and it was off to a great start but quickly became sluggish and boring.

The main character, Iris Grey is an artist commissioned to paint a portrait of Kathy Miller, a beautiful American due to marry a wealthy elderly Baron of a Scottish Castle. There is already a lot of tension surrounding the match when Iris first arrives on the scene which was interesting to begin with as the action kicked off straight away.

However, once the remains of two bodies are found in the grounds of the castle (not a spoiler), the pace of the story actually slowed down where I expected it to increase. The tension failed to increase and a lot of scenes seemed to just fill the pages rather than direct the plot in any way. Which was disappointing for a book which had a promising premise.

I wish the main character of Iris had more substance, she was a bit bland and uninteresting which meant my attention completely dropped off during the slower parts of the plot line.

In the end I wasn’t surprised by the conclusion and though it all fell flat

[Thebooktrail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visit the locations in Murder at the Castle

I was in the mood for a castle based mystery and so this landed in my lap and thank goodness it did! Not only did I get to spend time in a castle with wood-panelled walls and dark shadows around the corners, I also got to travel a bit to Venice. That was unexpected but very good how the two story threads and the settings joined to form one interesting picture.

Iris Grey is the main character who I immediately liked. She’s an artist, a portrait painter in fact who has been invited to Pitfeldy Castle in the Highlands by Baron, Jock MacKinnon. He has commissioned her to paint his fiancee, an American socialite Kathy Miller. She is a socialite and more used to the fashion houses of New York than raw and wild Scotland. That sounded like a good mix, so my interest was peaked from the start.

As for the baron, he’s a bit of a strange one. First and foremost, his children do not like the fact he is getting married. Lots of family tension and drama. It was interesting to see how the baron was regarded by the locals, the villagers. They all think that Kathy is just out for his money. Well, Iris starts to have a nosy around, once in the castle’s walls. The truth is, that you really don’t know what is going on behind closed doors….

Well, Iris soon gets involved in family secrets, drama, intrigue and a whole lot besides. I enjoyed how the author created the contrast between this chocolate-box village with the impending castle behind it. I could see the castle and the baron looking out over his land and people. Interestingly, I was one of the villagers looking up at the castle wondering what secrets and shenanigans we would find locked up inside the walls. Plenty as it turns out.

The story took me on a very enjoyable ride. From the tartan cover to the wonderfully vivid descriptions of Scotland, it was very atmospheric. Oh and let’s not forget Venice! I enjoyed bobbing along the Grand Canal with one of the characters on our way to another part of the mystery. I felt very much a part of an immersive story. All in all, this is such a good tale, red herrings, atmosphere and a great sleuth in Iris.

I read this in Scotland, close to Edinburgh Castle or was it Pitfeldy Castle? That really enhanced my reading experience !

Susan

[Mystery, She Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

Such a disappointment after how much I loved the first one. This one just felt confusing, long, and boring. I am hoping it was the plot’s fault as I do want to continue with this series.

[Allison M · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars for this undemanding cosy crime novel.

I really have to stop reading ‘cosy crime’. I pick up these books hoping for something like Agatha Christie but I am setting myself up for disappointment every time. If you are in need of really undemanding fiction, perhaps you will enjoy this Iris Grey mystery because really there is nothing very wrong with it. It is just not for me.

Why is it not for me? I didn’t find it authentic. I hadn’t realised that the novel is set in Scotland – this happens to be where I live, and I don’t feel that MB Shaw knows Scotland on any more than a superficial level. The Scottish insights felt wrong to me, which stopped me from being pulled into the book. The jarring carelessness of the writing – eg having a Detective Inspector mischaracterise a crime as a hate crime – also worked to pull me out of the story. Lastly, I was increasingly irritated by the narrator’s insistence that Iris was likeable, it felt like the reader is told this every other page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iris Grey is asked to paint a portrait of beautiful American Kathy Miller, who is engaged to the much older Baron Jock MacKinnon. No one in the remote fishing village likes the engagement, including Jock's two children by his second marriage, or his ex-wife, sulking in Edinburgh. When Kathy's little dogs find the buried skeletons of two women, Jock tries unsuccessfully to quash the police investigation. Unfortunately for him, that only prompts Iris to investigation further. The trail leads to Italy, and then back to Scotland.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, got a little bit unnecessarily complicated and I guessed the killer and reason along the way, but Iris is a great detective and a setting of Scotland will always win my attention

[Nadishka Aloysius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters carried this story. I particularly liked the protagonist Iris who is a portrait painter cum amateur sleuth with relationship issues. For once I also felt that her woes in love did not detract from the main story (as usually happens).
I also loved the rural Scottish setting that lifted the book to a whole new level.
Those are the plus points.
On the negative side... I hate it when the main characters can't put 2 and 2 together when it is so obvious to the reader. I go through the book feeling that 50% of it is unnecessary if they could just see what was right in front of them!
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the copy.
Although I was disappointed in the plot I think I will try the rest of the series...

[Donna Pfeiffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery plot with several twists. A painter is commissioned to paint a portrait of a woman who is marrying a baron in Scotland. Upon arriving at the castle, meeting the family for the first time, it is obvious that there is a lot of animosity between family members over the choice their older father is making regarding his choice for his future wife. As the painter gets to know the upcoming bride, she becomes aware of threats made to the bride, implying past acts of violence of former wives of the groom. Two bodies, from about ten years before, are uncovered on the grounds. Trying to determine the identity of these victims brings several people under suspicion, with a myriad of past secrets that they are all hiding.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

MURDER AT THE CASTLE
M. B. Shaw

Iris Grey Mystery


I love Iris Grey, who is a great main character. She is a portrait painter and a really good one at that. She is paid well for her time and talent and never leaves before the painting and the mystery are done!

Her commission this time is in Scotland at Pitfeidy Castle. The Baron has commissioned her to paint his fiancee, Kathy Miller, American socialite, and dog owner. As many older men take a much younger wife, the Baron's children are not happy, in fact, they don't like their daddy at all. But not liking your dad is not enough not to care about someone that is going to marry him and possibly take his money! So they ban together to see what can be done.

But Iris is there to nose around while she paints and is soon caught up in a long-time mystery that includes two dead bodies, women of course. AS she pushes ahead of the police she discovers more than the police ever could have. I love Iris! I found this one very Scottish and atmospheric! The writing is good, it is after all a cozy mystery!

4 stars

Happy Reading!

[Slinkysnake · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent murder mystery. The book consistently tries too hard to tell you that characters are different from how they are portrayed, which they never are, but otherwise the story chugs along 'guilelessly'.

[Joella Hawkswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. So addictive. Will definitely be getting the previous one as I didn’t realise it was a series!!

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[ghostly_bookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

CAWPILE 6.43
3.5 STARS

Read for Final Book Support Group Round 11 March 2024 + Realmathon 3.0 March 2024.
Finished a duology! whoo!
I loved the setting of this one, a coastal town with a big castle- in the autumn/wintertime sounds hauntingly beautiful.
I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this one and I'm quite sad it's the final book as I'd love to have seen more of Iris Grey.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very worthwhile and entertaining read. Ms.Shaw really puts alot of thought into her plot and characters. I love when you can really get inside a characters thought processes, it makes a book come alive. A very realistic premise for a murder mystery that just happens accidentally at a castle in remote Scotland. Iris, commissioned to paint a portrait of Jock McKinnons fiance discovers a long lost gravesite of two unknown women. Riveting!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder at the Castle by MB Shaw is a solidly written mystery set in the beautiful setting of Highlands.

I am familiar with MB Shaw's previous work correlation with the last Sidney Sheldon so I had certain expectations thinking that this book will resemble her earlier books.
And in a way it does, even though the story doesn't unfold as quickly nor is it as gripping and engrossing.

It is however a plausible and well told mystery, with craftily presented characters and intelligent mystery nicely introduced.
There are some quite likeable protagonists and some that are less so. Main character is smart, realistic, down to earth and artistic woman. It is a pleasure to read about such character.
Side characters are somewhat typical but still compelling.
Mystery unfolds slowly, it is easy to follow and is told from different perspectives. Main detective is a very personable yet authoritative.
This is a very good start in what will probably become mystery series.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good murder mystery in great settings😊

I gravitate to stories that take place in some of my favorite countries and settings. This mystery, set mostly in rural Scotland and Venice, has some great features in addition to happening in two of my favorite places. For the Venice scenes especially, I felt I was right there with the characters.

Unlike many amateur sleuth mysteries I've read, here Iris, the female lead, actually teams up with local law enforcement from the start, with no rivalry or antagonism between portrait painter/amateur detective Iris and Stuart Haley, the local policeman who's honest and earnest about getting to the bottom of things. I liked how they consulted with and really supported each other.

This is the first time I've read anything by M. B. Shaw and I think I will be looking for more in this series, particularly since each painting commission takes her to new places. There's never a dull moment as numerous mysteries crop up, a manageable number of characters (and plenty of suspects) kept me guessing right through to the climax and there's even a bit of romance for recently-divorced Iris. The story is action driven and dredges up current resentments against the local laird's stunningly beautiful American fiancee as well as past secrets that get dug up (literally)!

Thanks to Orion Publishing/Trapeze and NetGalley for sharing an advance complimentary copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery in this book was comparable with the first book in the series. I do enjoy the story as a whole, but the writer does add a bitter pill to the solving of the mystery. She did it in the first one too ,with the solving of the murder destroying an innocent person's life. In this one she rewards two of the antagonists with everything they wanted in the first place. I know in real life evil almost always triumphs over good, but I want better from the fictional worlds I visit.

[Carol Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder at the Castle is the second in the Iris Grey series, and while it can certainly be read as a stand-alone, events from the previous book are referenced. The author gives enough information that a new reader wouldn’t be lost, but since that case is why Iris is in Scotland and does affect how she views things, I think it’s worth reading.

Iris is commissioned to paint a portrait of Kathy Miller, a beautiful American due to marry a wealthy elderly Baron, Jock MacKinnon. MacKinnon’s adult children dislike Kathy intensely – she displaced their own mother in the castle and she’s much younger than the Baron. The townsfolk don’t like her because she has some new ideas about how things around the castle should be run – and she’s American. Kathy’s been receiving threatening letters, which she wants Iris’s help putting a stop to. There’s already plenty of tension before the two women’s bodies are found buried on the castle grounds.

This is not quite a cozy mystery, although Iris is an amateur sleuth and it’s set in a quirky small town. It’s a little darker, the romance is a little sexier, the topics are a little tougher. That being said, I did enjoy it. The mystery moved along at a decent pace and I loved the short trip to Venice. We’ve got a lot of tangled threads, buried secrets, and questionable loyalties. I can’t say the killer was a surprise, but Iris does a good job of putting all the clues together.

[Janet Mahlum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two wives who disappear "never to be seen again." Two female bodies found buried at the Baron's bothy with signs of murder. A chief superintendent who is able to be black-mailed by the Baron and close down the murder investigation. A chief inspector who is a kind, gentle, intelligent man well-liked by his staff. A pretty young American who is to be married to the Baron and is receiving threatening annonymous letters. A portrait artist with an eye for detail and a good mind. An old gilly in a care home with severe Alzheimer's whom the Baron is VERY protective of. A young shy gilly who has a secret past. An Italian with enough influence to have the artist deported from Italy with no explanation. He also has some kind of tie to the Baron and to Scotland. A priest in Italy who knows more than he is sharing. A robbery in Italy and attack on the American who seems more upset than warranted and desparately afraid of something. A sexy fisherman. Yes, so many writers seem to think they need to throw some sex into their books. I don't know if the editors encourage it saying, "It sells books!" or if the author's do it because they think it is expected. "He is guilty," said Iris, and then the lies started to unravel. There were several red herrings and some loose ends left untied, but all in all a very good mystery.

[Inishowen Cailín · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series but is easily read as a standalone.
This was a good, solid mystery that had me guessing. I thought I had it figured out but it took until the reveal for the full story to come to light. The subject matter is a little bit darker and more tragic than your run of the mill cozy crime novel and I felt that the setting of the old castle fit the atmosphere of the story very well.
The book, although a quick enough read, did slow down in places. I wasn't very pleased with the romantic element as it didn't add anything to the story but at the same time, it made me like Iris more as the character. She's in her forties and doesn't hesitate to have some guilt-free adult fun with a handsome man. It's good to see women of this age group represented well in fiction.

I liked the side characters, especially Haley, the police detective. Kathy seemed like a nice enough character but we don't really get to know her motivations very well. There seemed to be an unexplained and secretive backstory to her that left me with a few unanswered questions. The rigmarole with the teacher was left unexplained as well. Things are alluded to but never satisfactorily revealed. Tying up these loose ends would have tidied up the story better for the reader.

Over all, a good mystery and a series I will keep an eye on.

[Kathleen Robson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel. Based on the cover, I'd expected it to be set in the 1920's or 30's so it was a slight surprise to discover it is set in the current day. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and found the protagonist, painter Iris Grey, to be an interesting character with a terrier like way of rooting out the truth. In this book, Iris has been invited to paint the portrait of Kathy, the fiancé of the Baron, Jock, who owns a castle and large estate in Pitfeldy, Scotland. As a young and beautiful woman who Jock has left his wife of many years for, Kathy is not popular with his children or his staff. However, when her dogs dig up the remains of two dead bodies on the estate, the murder case begins in earnest. Detective Inspector Haley is a good foil for Iris and they work together to solve this historic crime. I hadn't guessed the outcome, which is a good thing, as it shows the book kept me entertained and guessing right down to the last page. Based on this, I'll be looking for more Iris Grey novels.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ This was a good mystery. I liked the settings and the characters. The plot was good too. I knocked off some stars for the annoying overuse of adverbs. No one just said anything. It was- Iris said, knowingly or Jock said, irritatingly. As if the reader couldn’t tell from the context.
There are also several loose threads here that don’t appear to be just teasers for the next book (which I hope there is) so why not tie them up, especially since there is an epilogue.
The ending was pretty predictable from about the 2/3 point of the book, but there were still a few twists that made it interesting.
I got the audio version and was not really impressed by the narrator. If she is going to use different voices for the characters, she needs to find different ones for her younger males. To me, they all sounded alike. This isn’t a knock on the actual book. If she writes another one in this series, I’ll read it!

[Mary Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up.

Pleasant enough "cozy" murder mystery, but some of the oomph is lost when it is a cold case that the amateur portraitist-detective is investigating.

But I appreciated that the author dialed back "idyllic" to two uses, and she only started throwing in silly metaphors in the last 30 pages.

Iris's own long woolen skirt and fringed sweater shook and shivered, giving her the look of a particularly cold bird as the priest approached her, his cassock billowing in the wind like the sail of a pirate's ship.

I think the author intended a third "Iris Grey" mystery, since she sets up the next location at the end of this one, but I think this is it for the series. I might have bailed on Iris, anyway. I was mostly reading to learn more about her relationship with her sister, which was left unresolved in Book 1, but, alas, the author did not pick up that story line.

[Laura Hannaway · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not for me. I requested a review copy because I was under the misapprehension that this was a golden age set mystery firmly rooted in the cosy genre. I was wrong on all fronts.

This is the second in the series and follows painter Iris Grey as she becomes embroiled in a mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. I’m afraid I couldn’t like the protagonist (she was a bit too condescending for my taste) and that had a definite impact on my ability to enjoy the novel. The subject matter was also really dark (far more than I’m used to in my cosy crimes which I think is the genre the author was aiming for) and I just didn’t enjoy reading it.

It was well written and my criticisms are completely subjective, but I’m afraid I won’t be reading any more in this series.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher***

[Debbie Maskus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Someone had suggested Murder at the Castle by M. B. Shaw. The description of the Scotland country provides a wonderful backdrop to the story. Local traditions seep into the current day and hinders the police many times. Shaw uses many interesting similes in the story: tighter than a virgin’s ass and like a turd in a swimming pool. These release a comic relief when the story intensifies. Again, an old crime uncovers when Iris goes to Scotland to do a painted portrait of a bride. Shaw presents many likeable characters, as well as mean and totally wretched characters. Too many men involved in the cover-up and a few loose ends forgotten. I guess that wife #2, Fiona, stands as a red herring, as well as headmaster, John Donnelly. Really wanted to hear what Fiona knew about her ex-husband, Jock.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun cozy set in a castle! And Venice! Iris, a portrait painter, has been hired to immortalize Kathy, the much younger fiance of Baron Jock Mackinnon. What she finds when she arrives at the castle is a delightful setting but a raft of jealousy and mistrust in the Baron's family and in the village. Is it because Kathy is an American or because she's just annoying? Or is she? And then the bodies turn up. Iris finds herself working with DI Stuart Haley to investigate. This isn't heavy lifting in terms of plot but it's got good characters and a generous spirit. Iris is mature (and as we are told perhaps too often, likable). Although there are red herrings, the mystery isn't too complicated. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. A good read.

[Gilion Dumas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at the Castle has everything required for a modern-day mystery paying homage to the Golden Age. Iris makes a likeable, suitably quirky and independent amateur sleuth. There is a complicated plot involving several potential suspects, a village full of buried secrets, a collection of feuding family members, a church fair in the village, parties at the castle, and a sympathetic local policeman. Add in a romantic subplot and a side trip to Italy to liven things up. There are a couple of loose threads that don’t so much need tying up as just tucked back into the fuzzy weave of this cozy mystery, but that is a quibble.

All in all, Murder at the Castle is a completely satisfying puzzler.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iris is commissioned to paint a portrait of Kathy Miller, fiancée of a Baron in Scotland. While on a walk of the estate, Kathy’s two dogs uncover human bones. Police arrive and uncover two female skeletons that were buried approximately 15 years ago. Iris works with local police to discover who these woman were which involves a trip for Kathy and her to Venice, interviewing locals in Scotland, the Baron’s ex-wife in Edinburgh, and servants. Lots of secrets revealed, loyalties to the Baron and angry children of the Baron’s are all intertwined to make a good mystery.