Scottish Shire #5
Traci Hall’s fifth book in her A Scottish Shire series is Murder at a Scottish Castle. This series has made an impact on me thanks to Hall’s ability to immerse readers in a Scottish atmosphere with her accurate use of the language and descriptions of the village of Nairn. Paisley, our protagonist, has been invited by the Dowager Countess to Ramsey Castle for an end of summer bagpiping competition. Even better news is that now she’s onto the Dowager Countess’ radar, as she wants to sell her cashmere goods at the castle gift shop. As a single mother and business owner, Paisley is always ready to go after extra sources of income. Of course, when she goes, she must take her son Brody, her grandpa, and their black Scottish terrier, Wallace, with her. Good competition and newly discovered rivalries keep the bagpiping competition going strong with lovely music and high spirits. That’s until one of the competitors, the reigning champion no less, suddenly collapses. Soon after, DI Zeffer is on the scene, proclaiming the champion not only dead but most likely murdered.
Unsurprisingly, Paisley finds herself square in the middle of things, as her yarn delivery man and friend is wrapped up in the competition and in the investigation. As the last person to touch the champ before he was taken away, he’s being subjected to the hairy eye from DI Zeffer. As if that wasn’t pressure enough, Paisley’s reputation for solving mysteries has made its way to Ramsey Castle. She finds the Dowager Countess eager to enlist her help in getting things squared away as quickly as possible. No pressure there. Especially if she wants to keep selling her goods at the castle. Just in case that wasn’t enough pressure, the landlord of her shop, Cashmere Crush, is invested in her doing ‘everything’ to make the Dowager Countess satisfied and wrap up this murder. Then there is the issue of Brody running into some trouble at school, and her ‘reliable’ juke going on the fritz. Things just pile one on top of another for her, and readers will find themselves sympathizing with her struggle to keep control of her life both socially and financially, while she’s also helping to investigate the death of the bagpiper.
With castles and bagpipes, Traci Hall pulls readers into Murder at a Scottish Castle with these iconic Scottish things and keep readers submersed in it until the very end. It’s easy to get swept away in our daily problems, even more so when the unexpected comes along and overwhelms us. Paisley does the best she can to manage, but it is clear that she is pushed to the very edge. At least DI Zeffer does not follow the ‘stay out of it’ vibe that cozy detectives often take on. He knows Paisley has a knack for sleuthing, and that people are more willing to confide in and talk to her than they would to a man with a badge. So he’s more than willing to let her help out with the investigation, as long as she shares everything with him, and doesn’t put herself in any danger. With everything going on, it’s a wonder poor Paisley doesn’t have a complete nervous breakdown. She refuses to let any of it get the better of her, and while she might lament certain setbacks she always takes a deep breath and marches ahead, ready to face the challenge.
I suggest this book for readers looking for an immersive experience. It’s easy to get lost in the pages and be vaguely confused when you come out of the book and no one around you has an accent. Long time readers of Traci Hall’s Scottish Shire Mystery series will thoroughly enjoy this newest addition. First time readers will find themselves wanting to go pick up the previous books to see just how Paisley came to be known as the go-to sleuth of Nairn, and get a bit more experience with her family dynamics. I always find myself excited to read another Traci Hall installment, so that I can see just how things turn out for Paisley and her clan, and also to take a nice little brain vacation to the land of Scots. – Carla Schantz