Traci Hall

Traci Hall: Murder at a Scottish Castle

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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. read more

Traci Hall: Murder at a Scottish Wedding

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Murder at a Scottish Wedding by Traci Hall is a wonderful look into Scottish culture, and provides two very different mysteries that will have readers glued to the pages. Paislee Shaw is the detective in this series, and she owns a yarn business in Nairn known as Cashmere Crush. However, while Ms. Shaw has solved several murders in the three prior books, this one revolves around the wedding of her best friend Lydia. Thankfully, Paislee does not have to lose her best friend in order to prompt the investigation. Instead, the happy day is halted by the murder of a member of the wedding party. The death is also witnessed by an entire church full of wedding guests. When Paislee discovers that the victim was supposed to be Lydia all along.  When Lydia discovers this, she won’t be able to rest easily unless Paislee looks into the matter herself. Being a part of the wedding party gives Paislee access to both of the families involved, and gives her plenty of reason to speak with and look into everyone. read more