Ladies' detective agencies, as a subgenre have captured me, so as this Scottish one popped up on lists I was mighty intrigued! Maud McIntyre and her assistant Daisy Cameron are a lively pair set in Edinburgh in 1911.

Maud comes from wealth, and checks in with her father for tea now and again, while Daisy was Maud's maid before the Detective Agency came into being. Both are earnest suffragettes and keep tuned to the radio waves for news about the current global conflicts.

Clients show up and after the first awkward exchanges where clients were expecting male detectives, M. McIntyre was able to land her first cases after persuasive discussions.

Still, I'm going to read on to the next book in the series before considering myself convinced. It's a great start for something new to read in the Ladies' Detective category.

*A sincere thank you to Lydia Travers, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #TheScottishLadiesDetectiveAgency #NetGalley

Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid, Daisy, form a detective agency, they never dream their first case will take place at a glamorous house in the Scottish Highlands. But when the Duchess of Duddingston, concerned that a notorious jewelry thief will target her lavish weekend party, employs Maud to go undercover as a guest to find the culprit, the agency has its first case to solve. This is fun new series for fans of historical mysteries set in interesting locations. Anxious to read the next in the series!

This book is SO GOOD! It is very cozy mysterious, intriguing, gripping, witty, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency", I was whisked back in time to the Edwardian Era, put on my sleuthing hat, and tried to solve the mysteries throughout this novel!

Lydia Travers is a phenomenal writer, whose writing style, storytelling, and world-building jumps right off of the page. I can only imagine the amount of research that was done, as each aspect of this novel felt true to the time period it is set in, and I truly felt immersed in the world of the story.

Maud and Daisy have set up a detective agency! Soon, they find that their first case is in the hopes of catching a criminal who continuously steals jewels. I do not want to say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but, I will say, this book has so much in it: various mysteries, twists, turns, shocking moments, and so much more! Are some or all of the mysteries connected to one another? If so, how? What is really going on? You will just need to read to find out!

If you enjoy Historical Cozy Mysteries, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Loved and want more! I love a good period mystery and this one certainly fit the bill! Captivating and had me guessing until the end

Great start to series. I was in two minds for the first couple of chapters however the story lines blossomed and became far more intricate than assumed. Really enjoyable cosy read. Can’t wait to read the others.

Thank you Netgalley

This is the first in the series and it was an enjoyable, cosy read.

At first it felt like I had missed a pre book as it refers to Daisy and Mauds relationship as if we are to know the previous cases but once I got over that and stuck in it was a fun book.

A little obvious as to who the murderer was but I enjoyed the historical aspects of it too.

A cosy, easy read murder mystery.

Thank you for the arc.

The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency by Lydia Travers. Pub Date: April 27, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. If you like cozy mysteries with witty characters set in a foreign country, then this book is for you. The first installment in a new series, this book takes you on a journey of a female who is trying to create her own path in the private investigator world. As a female in her time, she is met with roadblocks of societal standards in which women were not known to be successful, accomplished and business owners who can do the job just as well if not better than their male counterparts. The main character teams up with her female help to solve a mystery of stolen jewelry. I found this novel fun and a palate cleanser. I will be reading the other installments in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and Booktouture for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #thescottishladiesdetectiveagency

Just love the atmosphere and the Agatha Christie style. Ready to read number 2! Two women not afraid to have their on job as detectives no matter what they said

Maud McIntyre and Daisy Cameron, Maud's former lady's maid, set up a detective agency based on one successful, unofficial case and Maud's love of mystery novels. We first meet this enterprising duo when they have just opened their office and are awaiting their first client. Unfortunately, the man who comes through the door is expecting to meet a Mr McIntyre and when Maud reveals she is the M. McIntyre on the door, he is not prepared to hire two young women and leaves. However, Maud and Daisy are not disappointed for long as the Countess of Duddingston invites them to her week-end party at her estate in the Scottish highlands to prevent a jewel theft. Our two detectives go undercover, reprising their former roles as mistress and lady's maid, but their fledgling sleuthing skills are tested when the hunt for a jewellery thief turns into one for a murderer.

Not entirely happy with the outcome of their first case, the pair return to Edinburgh and three new cases involving stolen letters, a missing bride and a lost dog. Elaborate schemes are devised involving disguises and even a little law breaking before they discover the connection between all their cases and return to the Countess of Duddingston's estate to confront a killer.

A new historical cosy mystery series always piques my interest and I found this novel an engaging introduction to this series. I did have one niggle regarding the investigation at the Countess of Duddingston's estate. It seemed drawn out, but we do get to meet some interesting characters, one of whom Maud has met before and could blow their cover before they even begin. However, the pace did pick up and dashed on to a very satisfactory ending.

The next in the series is Murder in the Scottish Hills and I'm looking forward to Maud and Daisy's next case.

Excellent book with lots of twist and turns and in no way was it predictable.
I enjoyed it from the start and was a bit captivated.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Edinburgh 1911. Maud McIntyre and her partner Daisy have just opened their new detective agency and are faced with their first case! They are asked to go undercover at the Duchess of Duddingston's house in the Highlands with Daisy as "lady's maid" during a weekend party that the Duchess fears will be disturbed by a jewel thief. But one of the guests is discovered dead, and theft becomes murder and a completely different kind of investigation. Back in Edinburgh other jobs present themselves, and the two women are challenged by their new profession to think well outside the box and draw insightful conclusions to determine the actual culprit or crime.
This was a very enjoyable traditional mystery, not really a cozy at all. Lots of twits and turns and complexity to it. I especially liked that, more realistically, the business did not have just one case to deal with at a time. There were both large and small situations, and Maud had to determine how much she and Daisy could handle at once. Good character development, believable actions, nice plotting. I look forward to future installments. Recommended.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun book. I enjoyed it a lot.

Welcome to a cosy mystery set in Scotland! Our two leading ladies are spunky and I love the interplay between them. The mysteries themselves are also good! It was great to have more than one going! I also enjoyed the one mystery lasting more than a weekend house party for a change!

All in all, it is a delight to have found a new-to-me author and I wait in eager anticipation for the next in the series! It’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale and highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maud McIntyre opens up a detective agency in the heart of Edinburgh. She has always loved mystery novels, and with the support of her father, which is still an anomaly in 1911, she sets out for some clients. She is approached by a Duchess to come to her house party and suss out the culprit of a string of jewelry robberies among the upper class. Unfortunately, this one comes with a murder. Can Maud and her assistant Daisy solve the case before they’re next?

I just wished I liked this book more. It has everything I would want in a cozy mystery, it just never came together for me. I felt like I knew the baddie from the very beginning, and I didn’t really understand why Maud was a good detective besides the fact that she likes mystery novels

1911, Scotland. Maud McIntyre defies convention by setting up her own detective agency with her former maid Daisy Cameron. Their first case begins as a jewel theft but swiftly turns into a murder investigation...
The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency is the first book in a new series to feature Maud and Daisy as they establish themselves as female private detectives.
The Duchess of Duddingston is hosting a house party and she doesn't want the notorious jewel thief to target her guests. She hires Maud and Daisy to attend the party but nobody expects a murder to take place. The pair seem to solve the case quite quickly and then move on to three new cases in Edinburgh (a missing bride to be, stolen letters and a vanished Pekingese).
I enjoyed the historical elements to the plot. The world is three years away from war, the suffragettes are campaigning for the vote, King George V has recently been crowned. Maud feels passionately about women's rights and is determined to succeed in her own venture as a private detective despite the prejudice against her. The class and social norms also play a key role in the investigations.
The cases interconnect cleverly and I found myself rooting for Maud and Daisy to uncover the truth. They are both hugely easy to like although I did feel that the Scottish dialect was applied a little haphazardly. There is a wonderful frisson of romantic tension mixed with antagonism between Maud and Lord Urquhart over the course of the book.
The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency was a very enjoyable cosy murder mystery. I look forward to reading more about Maud and Daisy's adventures in the future.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for this ARC. A very good start to what will hopefully continue to be a great series. Nice cozy crime with good characters you want to learn more about. Very much hoping this will be a series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency" in exchange for my honest review.

This first book in a new series is exciting and refreshing. The characters are very engaging right from the first page. Maud McIntyre and her former ladies' maid Daisy Cameron have started a detective agency in 1911 Edinburgh. Many of their prospective clients come in looking for a Mr. McIntyre and are not looking to hire a female detective. The Duchess of Duddingston does hire the duo to stay at her home as she is worried about recent jewel thefts that have occurred during weekend parties at other stately homes.

Not only is jewelry stolen but there is a murder during the weekend. The local constabulary appears to be inept and not very interested in solving the case. There is an interesting cast of characters staying over at the house and all could be seen to have motive.

Then they are given another case when Lord Miller's daughter Diana disappears. The ladies' are suspicious when they learn that Diana was engaged to be married to Mr. Laing who is one of the Duddingston guests. Another guest - Lord Urquhart (who firmly believed that women could not be detectives) also has a link to the case when he hires the ladies to find a stack of love letters that were stolen from his home around the same time as Max the dog disappeared from his neighbours house.

As the ladies unravel all the threads that are tied together with this case, they find themselves in increasing danger. There is wonderful suspense and a thrilling conclusion to their first case. A truly wonderful start to what looks to be a brilliant new series with strong female characters.

Oh what a delightful time! Maud and Daisy drew me in immediately and I devoured this book despite having a lot of other things I should have been doing. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Poirot, this series will bring you back to the golden age of mysteries while giving you all the fun interpersonal interactions you expect from a modern mystery. This is, I believe, Travers first book and there are some teething pains. Rather than one mystery, the plot is about four intertwined smaller mysteries, which leads to some odd denouements in the book halfway through. However, if you can get past that, you will be rewarded by a fun and well constructed set of mysteries solved by characters you'll want to visit again. Recommended.

I enjoyed the first book in the Scottish Ladies Detective Agency series, set in Scotland in 1911. Its setting and historical period are unique, coupled with an intelligent and likeable amateur sleuth team, humour, and numerous suspects and twists, making this an engaging historical cosy mystery.

The story has enough historical socio-political details to deliver authenticity, and the two women solve believably constructed crimes. It's an enjoyable escapist read with engaging mystery, a realistic historical setting, and varied characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This is a delightful read and the start of the new series.

Set in 1911 in Edinburgh, Maud McIntyre has opened up a new detective agency with her maid Daisy Cameron as they await for new customers. Their big break came they attended a house party organized by their first customer. As they are investigating a series of robberies of jewelry, soon they get embroiled into solving a murder mystery and Maud and her maid Daisy become busier than ever!

This was beautifully written and it was quiet enjoyable as well. I do like the setting much as it was set in the 1910's Scotland and it was a good job by the author to take us back to that era so we can experience what it was like. The story was engaging and I was hooked into the story from the beginning till the end. I certainly enjoyed reading this book and since this is the first book of the series, I will be looking forward to read the next book in the series! Worth five stars!

Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the blog tour. Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.