Death At A Scottish Wedding by Lucy Connelly
It’s October in Scotland – and it’s bitter cold in the 500-year-old church now converted into doctor Emilia McRoy’s medical practice and home. It’s only been a few months since Emilia moved from the United States to Scotland. Her family’s roots are here. She’s fallen in love with Scotland, to the point that she now officially considers it her home.
Everything seems to be moving along quite well in spite of her very different lifestyle in Seattle. She’s made quite a few friends and her practice is doing well. But there is “one” hiccup in her new job – she’s not only the practicing doctor, but also the coroner (that’s what happens when you don’t read the “fine print” in the contract).
Now she’s off to attend the wedding of her dear friend, Angie, and her beau, Damien. It’s a 4-day party event held in a Gothic castle up in the Highlands. Ewan Campbell is renting out the castle (one of his family’s many properties) for the special occasion. He’s also the laird, mayor and Constable of Sea Isle where Emilia resides.
She carpools up to the castle with Ewan and other friends, just ahead of a blinding snowstorm. But Ewan isn’t worried. He’s made sure the castle is stocked with plenty of food and fuel to withstand any blizzard. He’s also enlisted his private security team to make sure this large wedding goes off without a hitch. Emilia brings along her heavy duty medical bag just in case someone has a medical emergency (oh, if only she knew what was coming!).
They all arrive safely at the beautiful and stately castle. It doesn’t take long for them to get settled. It doesn’t take long for the festivities to begin. It also doesn’t take long for Emilia to discover a dead body in one of the turrets!
And there you have it – a castle full of wedding guests (plus more to arrive on the day of the wedding). A snowstorm so off the charts that roads are impassable – no one is going to get in or out for several days. And after Emilia puts on her coroner’s hat, it becomes evident – there’s a murderer among them!
For armchair fans, this will be a feast for your sleuthing skills. No one knows the victim. Everyone staying in the castle is a suspect. Even as the story unfolds, you’re skeptical of the motive – seems like someone wants to break up the wedding. There’s plenty of suspicious guests and wedding staff. There a gaggle of Angie’s stepmoms. There’s the groom’s snobby father and mother who disapprove of the whole affair. Damien’s brother is a ne’er-do-well. Mystery fans will find the suspects positively tantalizing!
This is the second installment in Lucy Connelly’s superb Scottish Isle Mysteries. This atmospheric series sets the cozy mystery bar high. The characters are polished to perfection. Old world charm blends with Emilia’s American traditions.
Death At A Scottish Wedding will transport you into a snowbound castle where there’s a killer on the loose. With a plot that has more twists and turns than the old castle halls, will you (as an invisible wedding guest) be able to flush out a cold-blooded murderer?
Don’t let this series get past you! An American In Scotland was the FIRST in this series. Both books are sure to please mystery fans and should not be missed!
A copy of this book and cover photo were provided by Crooked Lane Books.