Murder at a Scottish Social

Scottish Shire Mystery #3

by Traci Hall

USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall returns to the charming seaside town of Nairn, Scotland, where busy mom, sweater shop owner, and knitting enthusiast Paislee Saw must untangle a murder by Scottish shortbread cookie!


When a tainted Scottish shortbread cookie kills the Queen Bee of a competitive mom clique, Paislee Shaw, owner of Cashmere Crush sweater shop and knitting sleuth, must unravel the clues in the third installment of Traci Hall's Scottish Shire Mystery series.

Opening her shop Cashmere Crush and making a new home for herself, her son Brody, Gramps, and their black Scottish terrier Wallace in the beautiful Scottish village of Nairn is a dream come true. So Paislee is happy to give back by donating a luxurious cashmere sweater for an auction to raise money for the Nairn Food Bank. She's less happy to make the acquaintance of a clique of competitive moms at the charity event, who treat a baking contest like it's life or death. It turns out to be the latter for Queen Bee Kristin Buchanan when a peanut-laced shortbread cookie triggers her fatal nut allergy.

Who would poison Kristin? How about half the town? But when Paislee's pal Blaise is suspected, the sweater-selling sleuth leaps into action to unravel the mystery. Along with gruff but handsome DI Mack Zeffer, she has to sort through a batch of suspects without becoming this cookie-cutter killer's next target...

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Scotland, Fiction, Cozy, Knitting

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 5, 2022

About the author

also writing as Traci Wilton and Ellie Brannigan

From cozy mysteries to seaside romance, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall writes stories that captivate her readers. As a hybrid author with over sixty published works, Ms. Hall has a favorite tale for everyone.

Mystery lovers, check out her Scottish Shire series, set in the seaside town of Nairn, or the Salem B&B Mystery series, co-written as Traci Wilton. Her latest project is an Irish Castle cozy as Ellie Brannigan. Whether it's her ever-popular By the Sea romances, an Appletree Cove sweet romance, or a fun who-done-it, Traci finds her inspiration in sunny South Florida, living right near the ocean.

Traci wants to hear from you!

Traci@TraciHall.com

Facebook.com/BytheSeaSeries

Twitter.com/Tracihallauthor

Reviews

[BonnieM☂️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder at a Scottish Social was an enjoyable read. I did find the story slow going with a lot of emphasis on the pettiness of the four woman who made people's lives miserable. The main character is Paislee Shaw who owns the knitting shop, Cashmere Crush. She lives in Nairn, Scotland with her son and grandfather. She and her best friend, Lydia Barron who works for a Real Estate company have been invited by their new friend, Blaise O'Connor to share a vending table to sell their wares at the Social Club and Art Center for the Nairn Food Bank Fund-raiser. The supporting characters are each individuals who add to the story. Kirsten Buchanan who is allergic to peanuts is murdered by eating her shortbreads at the fundraiser dinner. Paislee decides to try to find out who murdered Kirsten as well as Hendrie, the Buchanan's chauffeur is also murdered. The story takes the reader on an adventure of who did it. There is a hint of romance for Paislee with Mark Zeffer, a Detective Inspector and Hamish McCall the principal at a private school. There is alsothe mystery of the whereabouts of her father who seems to have disappeared.

I did enjoy reading the story with the Scottish brogue.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corporation for this ARC.

[Star Gater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the third in the Scottish Series was like visiting old friends. I enjoy the characters and the familial dynamics. I especially respect the relationship between Paislee (Mom) and Brody (son). I think Hall does an amazing writing job.

This is a cozy mystery series: There is a murder, Paislee ends up involved, and the town continues to function. Paislee knits and has her own shop.

The bad news? There are only four books thus far in the series, and #4 is up next for me. I love the series.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read in the Scottish Shire Mystery series. I enjoyed the setting complete with a dose of Scottish dialect. The characters are realistic and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. There is still an unsolved mystery and possible romance that makes me want to keep reading the series to see how those pan out.

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Amanda (BookLoverAmanda) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
This is book 3 in the Scottish Shire series and while some parts were good, most of this I didn’t love. The story kicks off when a shortbread cookie kills the “Queen Bee” of a “competitive mom clique” and Paislee Shaw, owner of Cashmere Crush Sweater Shop becomes the sleuth to figure out who added peanut butter to a cookie to kill Kristen – who was deathly allergic to peanuts – and who hid her epi pen in the process.

Set in Scotland, I do like the setting and narrator with the Scottish accent. I also do like the main character of Paislee, her son Brody and her gramps with their Scottish terrier dog Wallace. What I couldn’t stand in this story was the circle of “mean girls” – which I guess is the point, but they got on my nerves so bad. They were spoiled mean girls who had everything and still were not happy. We have them continuously saying the woman that died, Kristen, was a “b” word and they were so nasty that it reminded me of high school girls. The mystery would have been ok, but I am just not connected with most of these characters like I am in other cozy mysteries.

The good parts of this show how important it is to appreciate the small things in life, money isn’t everything, wealth can ruin you and how the author stressed the need for food banks to help others in need. We also see Paislee dealing with issues with her son in school so more of the family aspect is shown and I did like that.

I also didn’t love this content --- we have a couple who are participating in an open relationship (WHYYY), another that had cheating going on, another that was “friends with benefits”. Also didn’t love the language – it wasn’t a ton but, them calling the woman that died names the whole time bothered me. At least it was talked about as being bad, but I didn’t love these things in the story. This book is just one that wasn’t for me, personally.

Other content warnings: 1 character with bulimia, 1 character with a drinking problem, 1 character who was seeing her psychiatrist as her now husband but started when she was 16 many years ago, it was mentioned it was inappropriate but wanted to mention it.

The only reason I am continuing with this series is because I have book 4 on NetGalley to review. Hopefully I will like it better.

[Moondance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saturday morning Paislee Shaw left Cashmere Crush, her sweater and ysrn shop, in the wrinkled but capable hands of her grandfather, Angus.

This is the third book in the Scottish Shire series. It was a pleasure to get reacquainted with Paislee an her friends and family. Paislee is helping raise money for the Nairn Food Bank. A cookie competition brings out the worst in some of the contestants and the fundraiser chair is murdered.

I had a bit more trouble getting into this book than the previous ones. The "mean girls" that were the center of the fundraiser made it extremely hard to have sympathy for the murder victim. It's hard to believe that thirty year old women would still act like teens in school.

Of course, Paislee gets involved in the investigation much to the chagrin of Detective Inspector Mack Zeffer. Paislee's loyalty to her friends certainly outweighs his wish for her to remain a bystander.

As for Zeffer, I am firmly on his side as a love interest for Paislee. The Headmaster of Brody's school irritates me as a potential suitor.

I enjoy the interaction between Paislee, her grandfather and her son. She is presented as a hardworking single mother with reasonable expectations.

The characters are well done. Even the "mean girls" that I didn't like. The plot is good with just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

I love the description of Cashmere Crush. As a wool junky, I would spend all my time (and money) there.

This is a well done series that I enjoy reading. I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing me a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder at a Scottish Social is the third book in the Scottish Shire Mystery series. I find this to be a fun and enjoyable series, in large part due to the main character, Paislee Shaw. I have enjoyed getting to know her and her family through the course of the first three books. I have particularly enjoyed how her grandfather has been incorporated into the series and look forward to uncovering the mystery that surrounds him and his missing son.

This time around, Paislee is involved with a fundraiser for the local food bank that ends with her trying to revive one of the contestants in the cookie bake competition when she collapses after eating one of her own cookies. In order to clear her new friend Blaise as a murder suspect, Paislee must wade through a number of clues along with the vain and vapid "friends" of the victim. The victim in this book was not a particularly nice woman so at times it made it a bit hard for me to care about who killed her. However, Ms. Hall does a nice job of making her reader care about Paislee so no matter how unpleasant the victim is, we are rooting for her to solve, or help solve the crime.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series to see the author gives us any more clues surrounding the mystery with Paislee's grandfather. There is much more to uncover there.

I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Kensington, through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the manner in which I received this book.

[The Cozy Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the “Scottish Shire Mystery” series since book one. The latest addition Murder At A Scottish Social adds new interest to the series and brings readers deeper into Paislee’s world. This time, Paislee uses her yarn shop and skills to help the needy. Never would she have thought that people who were adults could still act like bullies from school or that helping at a charity event would lead to murder.

After witnessing the mean girl spirit of adult women who don’t seem to like each other or anyone who is not within their clique, Paislee understands why her new friend, Blaise, once a part of the clique, wants to move her child away from their realm. During the charity event, these women spend their time trying to one-up each other and everyone else while looking down their nose at anyone who is not in their social and financial circle. Paislee spends her time selling her handmade knitted products and yarn, getting new customers, raising money for the food bank, and ignoring the women. When the baking contest gets underway, the clique leader, Kirsten, ends up dead. It doesn’t take long for Paislee and the police to figure out she was murdered, probably by someone at the charity function.

The suspects range from the victim’s family, friends, her husband’s business associates, and those who attended the charity event. Almost anyone that the victim insulted could have a motive for murder. And it comes as no surprise when the police start investigating those closest to her for murder. She left a long line of enemies in her wake. Paislee and Lydia dive into the investigation and get a little help from Grandpa along the way. With Cashmere Crush, Paislee’s yarn shop to run, a son to raise, and a couple of other mysteries to solve, Paislee doesn’t have much time, but she tracks down clues and ends up finding a killer.

The characters in this series are very well written; you can almost picture them as you walk down a street in the faces of those you pass. The location is fun; who wouldn’t enjoy spending time in a small Scottish village? The mystery is delightful, and the solution to the murder somewhat unexpected. Readers will keep guessing until the very end. I love Pasilee’s yarn shop; if only I could knit, I’d be in seventh heaven. I could do with less of the Scottish brogue as it detracts from the flow of the story and is unnecessary; most readers will put their own inflection on the character’s voice. I also have an issue that the mystery of Grandpa’s missing son still has not been resolved. I recommend that new readers start with book one, as this is not a stand-alone story; readers may get lost trying to figure out who the characters are and their role in Paislee’s life. However, Murder At A Scottish Social is an entertaining story that readers will enjoy.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paislee Shaw has agreed to share a table with her friends, Lydia, and Blaise at the fundraiser to support the Nairn Food Bank. Drama starts before Paislee arrives when the Queen Bee of the mom clique from the local elite school, Kirsten Buchanan puts their table at the back of the room next to the loo. The theatrics continue as Kirsten and her worker bees shoot barbs at Blaise who has decided their crowd is not for her. When Kirsten ends up dead after sampling a cookie, Kirsten’s friends are quick to point the finger at Blaise. Paislee puts away her knitting needles and dons her sleuthing cap in order to find the guilty party. Murder at a Scottish Social by Traci Hall is the third A Scottish Shire Mystery. It is best to read this series in order so that you can get to know the and understand their relationships. I thought the story contained good writing with a slower pacing. There is an interesting cast of Scottish characters. Paislee, Brody, Lydia, Gramps, and Wallace the dog are back along Detective Inspector Zeffer. We get to meet Blaise O’Connor, her husband, and son. I did have a hard time with the Scottish brogue. It was in the previous books, but it seemed more pronounced in this one. I had such a hard time deciphering the words that I got a migraine. The whodunit had several suspects, a red herring, and direct clues. If you catch the clues, you should find solving this mystery a cinch. Paislee did not do much sleuthing in this story. She was, though, on the receiving end of nasty potshots. I was turned off by the mean women group. Their nastiness was off-putting (and reminded me of high school). When not knitting or working at the shop, Paislee must deal with an issue regarding her son, Brody. Unfortunately, that means dealing with the problematic headmaster. Gramps, as always, provides humor. I liked how the author emphasized the need for the food bank in the community. The fundraiser was wonderful the way people came together to raise money for the cause (if you can overlook the cruel female clique). Murder at a Scottish Social is a Scottish whodunit with a cookie contest, a cruel clique, nasty nuts, an elusive Epi-pen, a pilfered piece, remarkable knitwear, and a dedicated detective.

[Allyson Abu-Hajar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at a Scottish Social is the third book in this fun series! Paislee Shaw, along with her friends, Lydia Barron and Blaise O'Connor are meeting up to donate to a fundraiser. Along with an auction, there is a cookie competition where Blaise is one of the final contestants. Two other contestants are moms of a clique that Blaise used to be a part of. The Queen Bee of the mom's clique, Kirsten Buchanan, has a reputation for being nasty and Blaise is her current target. The cookie contest comes to an abrupt end when Kirsten takes a bite of a cookie laced with peanuts which she is allergic to. One of the moms in the clique point a finger at Blaise.

In the aftermath, where everyone had to remain and give a statement some interesting facts emerge to shed light on a number of other people. Paislee has doubts as to the primary culprit's guilt and seeks out to question them. Are Paislee's instincts on track or steering her in the wrong direction?

Meanwhile, at Cashmere Crush, Paislee's grandfather, Angus, is holding down the fort a little too much, which has him grumbling. Paislee has a dilemma involving Brody and whether or not she should step in.

I love the way this book is written and while reading it, I get to have a little bit of a Scottish brogue myself. There were quite a few that I had pegged as being guilty, but was surprised in the end.

I requested and received an ARC from NetGalley via Kensington Books and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

[Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though this is the 3rd book in this series, it is the first one that I’ve read. I get the feeling you need to read the first two to really understand what is going on and how everyone relates into each other. These books are not easy stand alone stories.

The story and plot and well thought out but a bit of a challenge to read if you’re not used to reading Scottish brogue. I really like Paislee, Brody, Grandpa, Wallace the dog and Lydia, Paislee’s best friend. The story starts with everyone setting up booths to sell their wears to help the local food bank. The woman responsible for setting up the fundraiser, Kirsten, local socialite, suddenly dies of a peanut allergy after tasting one of her own entries for the cookie bake off. No way she’d be anywhere near a peanut. As time goes by, you see all the in fighting with the social elite and how mean they are to anyone and everyone, including each other. So many suspects, can Paislee help the police figure out before she becomes a victim too.

As I said before, the story. Is well thought out but a bit of a challenge to read as a standalone and with the Scottish brogue it may be a bit of a turn off for a few. I overall liked the story. I love cozy mysteries but this was not one of my favorites.

Thank you #netgalley and #kensingtonpublishing for the opportunity to read this book.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paisley Shaw is a fantastic character that I am enjoying getting to know. Her grandfather Angus and son Brody weave their own unique personalities into the story, which makes it easy to stay engaged whole reading.
Owning her own yarn store is something she loves, and her love for knitting keeps her busy.
Paisley and her BFF Lydia find themselves outcasts among the rich and snooty. Participating in a fundraiser to help the food bank, the ladies find themselves among a group of shallow, egotistical women.
When one of the group is a victim of murder, Paisley and Lydia do their best to put the evil mastermind behind bars.
This is a wonderful story that will keep the reader guessing.
#MurderataScottishSocial #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read this book.

[Brittani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traci Hall has a wonderful third installment in the Scottish Shire Mysteries with Murder at a Scottish Social!

We are reunited with Paislee Shaw and friends during a fundraiser for the local Nairn food bank. But it seems some people can't let grade school go, and we're soon in the middle of a Mean Girls-esque group of women. When one of these women die, Paislee has to swim through their bickering and lies to try and discover the truth before it's too late.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one. The women in the clique were written so well (frighteningly so) that I had flashbacks to individuals from my own past I could associate with them. I found myself laughing at many points, and was happy to see that Grandpa and Brody were still a large part of the story. I enjoy their family dynamic. We get to see a bit more of Lydia and a new friend, Blaise, that I look forward to seeing more of in the future.

If you haven't read books 1 and 2, you could still read this and not have any problems following along. The only thing you might be missing a large chunk of is the background with Grandpa and Craigh that's a secondary storyline and her past with Hamish. I encourage you to read the entire series, though! I've enjoyed each one and look forward to more!

[Adaiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paisley Shaw, owner of Cashmere Crush, once again finds herself at another murder scene. This time Queen Bee, Kristen Buchanan, the leader and mean girl of Inverness Social Circle is taken down, and out by a fatal peanut allergy. Someone's added peanut shavings to Kristen brown sugar shortbread cookies. As she lays on the ground gasping for air, her medicine is nowhere to be found, and Kristen dies. Who poisoned Kristen?

What follows are reveals from Kristen friends, regarding the information she had on all of them. Mari, fighting bulimia, and hiding the fact her husband has left her for another man, or Christina, her alcoholism, and how she carries around a water bottle filled with Vodka, Blaise who was raised in an orphanage has left the ladies group, and now hangs with Paislee, and her Sip, and Knit group. So who'd want Kristen dead?

Paislee, along with the the handsome D.I. Mack Zeffer work together to avoid charging the wrong person for murder, and protect Blaise, since she's a suspect.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in a Scottish Shire mystery series. I’ve read each book. I liked the second book quite a bit. This book’s focus on mean girls and bullies didn’t hit the best note with me. I struggled a bit to make it through. It didn’t sit well with me that Paisley kept getting dragged into mean girl territory in the name of supporting a new friend.
I didn’t like any of the mean girls and one of them dying only mildly sparked interest in figuring out who killed her.
The book takes quite a while to work through the mystery. I enjoyed the time in Paisley’s life separate from the murder, although the nightmares were something different for this book. Paisley didn’t really investigate much either just kept putting herself in range of potshots from the mean girl faction.
The focus on one particular character as main suspect tried to hide the motives of other characters for killing Kirsten. It took until the last moments to change direction in dangerous fashion. The terribleness of the women in the mean girl group overshadows the story to the point of repelling this reader.
The ending after the murderer is revealed is rather abrupt and highlights Lydia’s immaturity. Paisley to the rescue again…to be continued next book I suppose.
The book does try to highlight the need in communities large and small for food bank support, which is a good aim.
The story is good but it wouldn’t be first in my thoughts to recommend to someone being introduced to cozy mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this cozy series. The characters and setting are charming. I adore Paislee Shaw, her son Brody and Gramps. This is a wonderful, well written mystery that will keep you guessing to the end. I look forward to my next trip to Nairn, Scotland.

I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stelle e mezza
Altra serie di cui mi ero scordata. Adoro l'ambientazione in Scozia e mi piacciono gran parte dei personaggi ricorrenti. Devo dire che non avevo proprio capito chi fosse il colpevole, avevo qualche nome in mente, ma nulla di sicuro e non avevo sospettato minimamente della persona giusta. Sono curiosa di scoprire cosa si nasconde dietro la scomparsa dello zio della protagonista.

[Karen Stallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Murder at a Scottish Social” the 3rd instalment in the Scottish Shire Mystery series by Traci Hall. This has become one of my favourite Scottish cozy mysteries! I absolutely loved this instalment and can’t wait for book 4

When a tainted Scottish shortbread cookie kills the Queen Bee of a competitive mom clique, Paislee Shaw, owner of Cashmere Crush sweater shop and knitting sleuth, must unravel the clues

I loved meeting the newest addition to Paislee’s circle Blaise who unfortunately had dealings with mean girls…. Lydia and Paislee had Blaise’s back throughout the story which I admire. I would love to have more friends like that. I find the characters to be wonderful, full of Scottish pride and small village life.

Now I’m glad that Paisley, her son Brody and grandpa Angus are still together but I have a feeling something is up with Craigh… maybe we will learn more in book 4.

The mystery is interesting, well plotted, full of lots of twists and kept me guessing on whodunnit right to the reveal.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Valerie Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great cozy mystery series. Traci Hall has made me fall in love with Paislee Shaw, her family, and the town of Nairn. She just wants to run her shop, raise Brody, and live the best life she can. Her loyalty as a good friend throws her in the middle of this new mystery, and she won't stop until Blaise's name is cleared. Traci Hall brings Scotland right off the pages so brilliantly. She draws you in and keeps you guessing until the end.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder At A Scottish Social is the third book in the A Scottish Shire Mystery series by Traci Hall.

Blaise O’Connor, a member of the knitting group at Paislee Shaw’s Cashmere Crush sweater and yarn shop, asked Paislee and Lydia to attend a function that would be raising money for the Nairn Food Bank fund-raiser. The fund-raiser is headed by a group of women whom Blaise calls “ladies who lunch”. The group is made up of women who feel they are better than anyone else and will go out of their way to outdo each other. The group leader is Kirsten Buchanan and is known as the Queen Bee. Paislee and Lydia arrive at the Social Club and meet up with Blaise. They soon see examples of the back-biting and sniping that Blaise has been talking about recently. Soon it is time for the judging cookie baking competition, and the cookies are brought out and placed before the judges. As the Queen Bee takes a bite of a cookie, she soon experiences breathing problems. Other group members know Kirsten is allergic to peanuts and set out to find her EpiPen. Kirsten is transported to the hospital, where she soon dies. Christina will find her pen, and she will quickly become a person of interest.

Once again, Paislee and Lydia will find themselves looking for a murderer. They soon discover that many would like to see Kirsten no longer in the hive. Their investigation will point them to Buchanan’s cook, who was recently fired and naturally to the other members of the “ladies who lunch”, possible infidelity, or possibly someone who just wanted to gain revenge for Kirsten’s meanness.

The book is well-written and plotted, and there were plenty of red herrings that kept me guessing until the end as to the killer’s identity. Also, the characters are well developed and believable. I liked that Angus and Brody get along so well and are there for Paislee when she’s off investigating.

I will be watching for the next book in this exciting series.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The third in a cozy series, Paislee Shaw, owner of a sweater shop, investigates the death of a mom in a very competitive clique. This is the first I’ve read in the series but you can easily understand it without reading the others.

It is a solid cozy with the expected elements. The main recurring characters are fun and engaging. But what really colored my enjoyment of the book was just how nasty these moms were. They reminded me of the bullies from high school. Because of that I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I could have. It wasn’t a good fit with me. There was nothing wrong with the story I just really didn’t like the murder victim and the possible suspects.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Traci Hall writes with a slower pace than some cozy authors. I like that Murder at a Scottish Social goes into more detail about the characters and their relationships in the town. It creates a comfortable, realistic setting for a series. This one takes on the topic of bullies, both in an adult group of privileged women (think Desperate Housewives) and among Brody and his pre-teen friends. It also brings in the golf scene, very typical for a Scottish town.

The major flaw is the same as it has been for all three books so far: the dialect. It is inconsistent and extremely distracting. Please, Ms. Hall, can we get rid of it in Book 4?

Thank you to Traci Hall, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like knitter Paislee! I so enjoy how the author entwines Paislee's family and friend stuff with the mystery. She navigates relationships with Grandpa and Brody, cell phone decisions, friend troubles, community issues, and more in an engaging and entertaining way. In this case, I did feel like the mystery wasn't as strong as the life part of the novel. (It would rate 3-1/2 stars for me because of that.) The mean girls clique just doesn't do a whole lot for me personally, and there's so much of that. I find them hard to distinguish from each other. Still an enjoyable read, though!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Marsi Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the phonetic spelling of the Scottish accent to be very distracting. Example: "Kirsten is oot for bluid. My bluid." I've read a lot of books set in Scotland and/or written by Scottish authors and while there may be some words or expressions thrown in they don't overwhelm the story like they did in this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Kensington Books.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a five star series from the first book, a series I gave a spot on my must be read list from the first book. The setting of Nairn, a small town in Scotland, is the perfect reading escape. Paislee Shaw balances a full life as a single mom while running her knitting shop, Cashmere crush. Her Grandfather rounds out the family. In this, the third mystery she confronts, she has to deal with a group of adult mean girls and a baking competition that turns deadly for the Queen Bee, Kristin Buchanan. The weapon turns out to be a nut laced shortbread cookie. As for the list of possible suspects...well let's say the list of people who liked her would just about fit on an index card. Paislee wouldn't be involved if it weren't for the fact that her friend, Blaise is at the top of the list of suspects.
If I lived in Nairn, even being unable to knit more than a very basic and very long scarf, I would love to spend time in Cashmere Crush. Paislee knits custom sweaters and I love hand knitted sweaters. In this case she has one of her cashmere creations put up for auction to raise money for the local food bank. I'd be happy to place the winning bid.
Each mystery adds a bit more to the sub story about her Grandfather and to Paislee's life, too. The characters are well developed and the puzzle is full of twists, turns and lots of wrong guesses. Just the way I like my cozies.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at a Scottish Social, book three of A Scottish Shire Mystery series, is an absolutely enjoyable read. Paislee and her friends, Lydia and Blair are all participating in a fundraiser for the Nairn Food Bank. Paislee had no idea how petty the elite group of women, so-called “friends” of Blair could be, nor the lengths they would go to win the baking competition.
When one of the elite group members suddenly passes away at the start of the competition, Paislee, once again finds herself tangled in a murder investigation. Solving it won’t be as easy as she thought, since several people, including the woman’s friends, have as many secrets as reasons to want her dead.

While reading this series, you will find yourself transported to the bonny land of Scotland. The descriptions and dialect will pull you in and keep you reading, I had trouble putting it down. The plot is well-thought out and all my favorite secondary characters were there. So many clues to decipher since the victim had secrets on almost everyone in her circle. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another clue would throw me off!

I was so happy to receive this book as a gift, it has quickly become one of my favorite series.

[Tarri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cozy mystery has everything; a young woman sleuth, a curmudgeon/caring grandfather with a missing son, great friends, mean girls, a ten year old son who is being bullied at school, a hunky detective or two, a whole lot of suspects, and knitting

Paislee owns and works at the local yarn shop and has donated a beautiful sweater set to a fundraising auction for the local food bank. She is also selling hand knit merchandise with a percentage going to the food bank. Her friends Lydia and Blaire have also donated and are selling at the booth with Paislee. When one of the attendees is murdered Paisley and her friends work to solve the crime before more people die.

Good characters and relationships lead in this cozy mystery toward success. The mystery was tight and I couldn't figure it out (always a point giver). The characters were real to life with a ten year old who talks and reacts like a ten year old. This is not the first in the series and while it is not necessary to read the first one, I will admit to being curious enough to go check it out.

Enjoy the book. I did.

#NetGalley #cozymystery #TraciHall #MurderAtAScottishSocial #KensingtonPublishingCorp #KensingtonBooks #series #family

[Readsandeats · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley, Kensington Books and Traci Hall for the e arc of this book.

Paislee is happy being in Nairn, she has her shop, her son, her grand father and her friends. She agrees to provide a cashmere jumper for the auction, at the local sale of work, to raise money for the town food bank.
At the auction she meets a clique of women who think they are so perfect and above others. These ladies used to be friends of Paislee’s friend Blaise. Blaise is in competition with them for the baking contest. When something happens to the queen bee of the clique and Blaise is accused Paislee must put her sleuthing skills to the fore.
A good cosy mystery with well written characters. The clique was so well written that you detest them from the beginning. I liked Paislee and her family, the interplay between her and her son was well written and her Grandfather was a lovely character.
The only thing that annoyed me in the book was the overuse of colloquial Scots. As a Scot, I and all my friends only use Scots words here and there, never in every second sentence. But this should not put you off reading a good cosy.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this recent visit to Nairn more than the last one (which I also liked) because I felt that it flowed better. There were still some slower areas within the story where it did drag a little in the middle but overall the story was interesting and the mystery kept me guessing. I was not a fan of the women highlighted here but you weren't supposed to be. I did like how much more her grandfather was in this story and how they were co-parenting her son. I will definitely continue with this series.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always refreshing when a series maintains its allure three books in. I started this series because I always like a new location and a new kind of protagonist. There have been quite a few series that I have abandoned after a book or two because the narrative did not continue to hold my interest. I think this series has a little more to go before it reaches that point. We have two major plotlines ongoing in the background of the individual mystery. We have the missing son and the love triangle that is not exactly anything concrete at this time.
This particular instalment was almost entirely devoid of the romantic conflict in Paislee's mind. She thought about it once or twice but did not linger on it amidst yet another death and the subsequent upheaval in everyone's lives.
In the previous instalment, another woman joined forces with Paislee and her best friend to form a formidable trio. In order to support this new friend amidst a very toxic environment, both Paislee and Lydia spend time and energy at a charity auction/sale. They come into close contact with the tiresome mommy group, who have been making life hard for Blaise. One of them does not survive that first night. What follows is the regular investigation with personal issues thrown in and family chipping in to add to the drama in the story. We have some hints as to the directions the aforementioned longer running plotlines may go, but nothing was confirmed.
I liked that I was not even trying to figure the killer out myself. I was just going along with the investigations and the clues that turned up during the elimination processes. The ending was a surprise, and there is something to look forward to in the next instalment.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and the previous works in the same series.

[Linniegayl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite in the series so far, and am really hoping it's not the last! I've come to love the main characters in the series: Paislee, Brody, Gramps, Lydia, Blaise, as well as the many assorted other villagers. I do NOT want this to end! The mysteries are always entertaining, and with each book we get to know a bit more about the characters. What's going on with Gramps? What will happen with Lydia? And just what's up with D.I. Zeffer?