A Cold Highland Wind by Tasha Alexander is the seventeenth in the A Lady Emily Ashton Mystery series. It is a dual timeline set in the atmospheric and haunting Scottish Highlands with swathes of suspense and mystery and snippets of folklore. There are also romance, betrayal, family dynamics and courage. The characters are truly fascinating. But for me it was the setting that took my breath away as a huge fan of the Scottish Highlands.

Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves investigate a murder which takes place at lovely Cairnfarn Castle. This time they and their darling and mischievous sons are on vacation and the sons use their cunning and curiosity to aid their parents unearth clues. They are understandably shaken by death. Their wit and charm are so endearing! A few hundred years earlier well-off Lady MacAllister loses her husband and home, Cairnfarn Castle. She and friend (former slave) Tunisian Tasnim are looked upon with suspicion and hostility by local villagers and are dealt with harshly. When accused of witchcraft Lady MacAllister is desperate to prove herself. The two friends are desperate to hide their secret in the form of bundles of special books. But there are far, far more secrets, too. Though separated by many decades, the stories are masterfully tied together with a gratifying conclusion.

I just love Tasha Alexander's writing. It is always obvious she does her research meticulously as the details are vivid and highly descriptive. If you seek a Historical Fiction Mystery series, do envelop yourself in this one. The potential for future mystery solving is exciting with the energetic boys joining the team!

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this beguiling novel.

This is a somewhat lighthearted mystery set between the 1600s and 1905 in the Highlands of Scotland. In the former time, a Moorish woman navigates her feelings about being kidnapped and enslaved before ending up working with a relatively kind aristocratic woman who is kicked out of the castle after her husband dies. Think witch trials. Meanwhile, in 1905, a said castle, a woman and her family visits her old friend the duke and finds herself investigating the murder of one of his employees.

Both storylines made interesting reads, but I'm still not sure how they're related other than characters in both collected ancient Viking runes with symbols carved on them. I enjoyed the wide variety of characters in the small towns. You could really feel the nosy-neighbor vibe. I was a little thrown at how adult the kids in the latter timeline sounded when they spoke. It came across a bit unnatural. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the read and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries or historical fiction.

Too disjointed with the two alternating plots😒

2.5-3🌟stars
This was my first dive into the Lady Emily mysteries and I found it just did not suit my reading taste. The setting is Scotland, one of my go-to locations, but I just could not stay invested in the story.

I think my main issue was with the constant switch back and forth between two different plots in two different time periods. The move back and forth every chapter made it hard work remembering where I stood in either time period. It came across as choppy, distracting and ultimately, killed my interest in either Edwardian era Lady Emily's investigation of the local gatekeepers murder or seventeenth century Tamsin's perilous existence at the height of the Scottish witch trials frenzy. If they eventually connected in any way other than their location it must have been very late in the book.

I really don't like to lay a book down until the last chapter's read. Sadly, the dual plot style really did not work for me and I stopped reading at seventy-five percent. I believe I would have enjoyed A Cold Highland Wind had it focused on just one of the two plots.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

"A Cold Highland Wind" by Tasha Alexander is an intriguing addition to the Lady Emily series that effortlessly blends historical depth with a contemporary murder mystery, all set against the stunning backdrop of the Scottish highlands. This novel is a captivating exploration of the past and its echoes in the present.

In the summer of 1905, Lady Emily and her family embark on a vacation at Cairnfarn Castle, only for their joyous celebration to turn into a grisly murder. Angus Sinclair's death leaves behind a trail of potential suspects, and the enigmatic runic stone found on his forehead deepens the mystery. As Alexander unravels the threads of history, the story of Lady MacAllister, accused of witchcraft in 1676, takes center stage, providing an eerie connection to the modern-day murder.

Alexander's storytelling prowess shines as she weaves together these two timelines, transporting readers to a world filled with secrets, motives, and the ominous presence of witchcraft. "A Cold Highland Wind" is a mesmerizing tale of suspense, beautifully written, and meticulously researched, offering a gripping reading experience for both historical fiction and mystery enthusiasts.

I have been a fan of the Lady Emily Mysteries series for years. I am always excited to see where the next one will take place. When I saw that the newest installment would be set in Scotland, I was thrilled! Scotland is one of my favorite places, and I knew this would be a fantastic story!

One of the things I have always loved about Tasha Alexander’s writing is how accurate her research is. I know for a fact that she does through research, as I have read a book of hers while in the city it was set in (her mystery that was set in Venice, Italy was the boon I read while on my honeymoon in that same city), and I could recognize landmarks she described in the novel. So, I have always known that her books are remarkably accurate. I have also travelled to Scotland, and this book captured that beautiful and rainy country perfectly!

I really enjoyed the mystery in this story. I really did not have any inkling of who the killer might be until the moment it wad revealed to me. I love when that happens! The array of suspects, which was basically the entire village of Cairnfarn, were delightful to follow along with. I loved seeing Lady Emily, Colin and Jeremy interacting with all of them. I also loved that we got a lot more time with the boys in this book! Henry, Richard and Tom are so much fun, and I hope we continue getting to see more of them in the next installments of this series.

The historical parts of this book were interesting as well. I enjoyed learning more about Tansy as the book went on, and I liked seeing it all play out from her perspective. The witch trials were an interesting turn of events. I have always known about the witch trials in America, but I didn’t know it was also prevalent in Scotland around the same time. I always learn such cool things from this series!

Overall, this was a fun mystery with a great twist and a good historical storyline to go along with it.

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I gave A Cold Highland Wind 4.5 Stars!

I didn't like this one as much as the last Tasha Alexander. Again, I spent much of my time trying to figure out how the two story lines intersected. That may be part of where my disappointment came from. It felt like these were two unconnected story lines and each deserved a full novel, rather than half a novel.

The mystery itself wasn't as twisty as I normally like for a novel, and the character of the gamekeeper not very well fleshed out. As a result, I found I wasn't very invested in who killed him.

I was however, very invested in Tansy and would have happily read an entire book with her as the main character.

I really loved the atmospheric setting of this historical mystery. Set in a Scottish village in 1905, a murder has taken place. But there’s also another aspect to the story that takes place in 1676. An enslaved woman, who is later freed, is in the same village during a witch hunt. Both timelines were very interesting. I also loved how deep into folklore the residents of this village are, and how quick people are to blame fairies and kelpies on the goings on.

Every time I start a new Lady Emily book I wish I hadn’t already read all of the earlier books in the series… Tasha Alexander has a knack for building a rich historical world through very thorough research. At the same time, she cleverly weaves together cerebral mysteries that have you guessing until the end.

The mystery is told from two perspectives, like all of the Lady Emily books — one from our lady detective during the early twentieth century and another from a woman from an earlier time (in this case, a Moorish woman from the early 1600s).

For this installment, we’ve traveled to the Scottish highlands, to the castle of Emily’s childhood friend and frequent series guest Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge.

The setting and theme is perfect for October — there’s a spookiness about the dreary highlands and the 17th century Scottish witch trials. There’s of course a murder, and Emily and her friends have to solve it. There are also a couple of secondary mysteries that keep you on your toes. Overall, a great installment and I already can’t wait until the next one!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Tasha Alexander for the ARC.

A Cold Highland Wind by Tasha Alexander
Lady Emily Mysteries Book. 17 I have been reading this series since the beginning but have missed a few here and there. This one was a little bit sad because of the ending with the murderer. The alternate storyline set in the earlier time period had a mostly good ending but it was a little nerve wracking getting there. I kept worrying about what would happen next. This may have been a bit of a letdown for me because the previous book that was set in Egypt was so fabulous and this one just didn’t quite measure up to that one. Also, Jeremy was so down on himself in this book that it was a bit irritating. I do love that Lady Emily is an emancipated woman and her husband is a hottie

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the next Lady Emily mystery by Tasha Alexander.

Lady Emily, her husband, and their children visit their friend Jeremy in the Scottish highlands. The title fits the story perfectly. This story switches back and forth between 1676 and 1905.

After a ceidlh, a guest is found murdered and Lady Emily sets out to find out who the killer is. Further investigations reveal dark secrets among the Highlanders. The suspects include a besotted servant in love with the murder victim, another servant who saw the victim as a romantic rival (both vying for the same woman's attentions) and possibly an outsider. The story switches back to 1676 about a recent widow thrown out of her home by her stepson and her companion who was a Moor slave, "freed" by the widow. This is during the time of the witch hunts.

This is a story about betrayal. It took me a while to figure out the connection between 1676 and 1905. Perhaps that was the author's intent?

Liked the other Lady Emily mysteries better than this story.

A well done dual time line novel that moves between the story of Tansy, a Tunisian woman in 1676, and Lady Emily, Colin and their boys in 1905. The trip to Cairnfairn Castle was meant to be a vacation for the family but then the boys stumble upon the murdered body of the castle's game keeper. He was not a good person but the killing was gruesome. In alternate chapters, Tansy, who is living as quietly as possible, is mourning her more or less exile to an unfamiliar and unwelcoming place, and then she's the subject of rumors of witchcraft. It wasn't immediately obvious to me how these two tales would match up but trust that they do. This the latest in a long running series and it should be fine as a standalone (although those who have followed along will especially appreciate seeing the boys become a bigger part of the story.) Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

I enjoyed this book. I have read the very First Lady Emily book, number 16, and now number 17. I don’t think it’s necessary to have read them all to enjoy this book. It’s an engrossing book set in Scotland. The duel timelines made it extra interesting.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Scottish murder!

It’s 1905, Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves are holidaying at Castle Cairnfarn in the Scottish Highlands along with their gorgeous and wickedly precocious sons, twins Henry and Richard, and their beloved adopted son Tom. They’re guests of Emily’s childhood friend, Jeremy Sheffield, the Duke of Bainbridge. Jeremy is a bumbling delight with two madcap great aunties who keeps every one on their toes. The boys particularly enjoy the aunties, for reasons that become quite clear. Mind you the boys do insist on walking Cedric the crocodile. I would not be so blasé. Crocodiles as pets! Hmmm! Recipe for disaster!
As always there’s another story running in tandem, set in Cairnfarn in 1676. The tale of Tansy, a young moorish girl sold into slavery and eventually passed on to Rossalyn, Lady MacAllister, mistress of Castle Cairnfarn. Rosalyn frees her, but as Tansy often soliloquises, what good will that do her if she can’t return to her family and homeland in Tunisia. This part of the story turns into a tale of women dispossessed, of women accused of witchcraft, and of artefacts from that date.
Meanwhile back in 1905 the boys upsettingly discover the body of the gamekeeper, murdered rather nastily. Emily and Colin, find themselves pressed into investigating. What follows is a rather convoluted exploration of who kew what when.
I laughed at how the boys kept interrupting their parents at inappropriate moments!
The boys are just so earnest and funny in their moves to do their own thing. As we close Jeremy is trying to talk one of them (any one!) into being pronounced his heir. The Duke can’t be bothered with marriage.
Another winning and solid addition to the Lady Emily Mysteries.
(I do love the cover BTW)

A St Martins Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

A Cold Highland Wind is the seventeenth book in the Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries series. The story is told from two different time periods.

Lady Emily is a very intelligent woman who solves crimes in the 1900's. Each murder mirrors one that happened in the past. This one is similar to one that occurred in Scotland in the 1760's during the hysteria accusing women of being witches.

This was an interesting story told in different centuries. I enjoyed both stories and the way Emily went about solving the crime. This is the first one I have read in the series. I think I might have liked it more if I had read more of the series. At first, I found it hard to follow but finally got the rhythm and fell into it.

I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely.

I just reviewed A Cold Highland Wind by Tasha Alexander. #NetGalley

Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge complains that whenever Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves are around, someone gets murdered. Sure enough, his gamekeeper on his Scottish estate is found dead by one of the Hargreaves boys. The motive for death becomes even more muddled when they find he is not who he said he was. He took on another man's identity. A parallel story set a few hundred years earlier finds local women threatened by the possibility of witchcraft. Both stories are very engaging with satisfying solutions.

Lady Emily, husband Colin, and their three sons have traveled from the Nile to Cairnfarn Castle in Scotland. The estate is owned by their friend the Duke of Bainbridge, Jeremy., and they are hoping for fun and relaxation. However, at the local celebration, the duke’s gamekeeper is found dead. Angus Sinclair left Cairnfarn once but has now returned and appears to have collected his score of enemies.

The second storyline is set is 1676. The now widowed Lady MacAllister has been removed from her home following the death of her husband. Her companion is a former Moorish slave girl. The two women realize that they left the Lady’s family books behind and steal into the castle to retrieve them. When a poppet is found, Lady MacAllister is accused of being a witch.

I read book 16, and the ending made me fall in love with Lady Emily’s sons. I would have loved to read about their journey to Scotland. I imagine hijinks ensued. I do wish there had been a little more involvement with the boys throughout the mystery as well, especially since it was the boys who discovered the body.

As this is book 17, I would encourage everyone to read from the beginning. However, if they are like me and ignore that advice, this is capable of being a standalone novel. No previous spoilers, and there’s really not much need for specific background on characters. Any background provided is more for the plot than it is for development or growth.

I enjoyed the mystery as well as the investigation. I knew from previous books that the reader would be transported from Lady Emily’s timeline to a past timeline. Eventually the storylines begin to connect. However, I find that every other chapter makes the story pace slower. I would become engrossed with Lady Emily and Colin’s investigation, and then find having to reconnect with someone entirely different. Maybe if it was every other chapter, or a middle section devoted entirely to that past, would have helped.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

3.75 stars

This reliably entertaining historical series featuring the intrepid Lady Emily and her hunky husband Colin is always fun. This story finds their family at a castle in Scotland with lots of atmospheric weather and references to witchcraft in days of yore.

As usual, the author intersperses their adventure with another story from long past, in this case the tale of a young Moorish woman abducted from her home in Tunisia and brought to Scotland as a slave, a disturbing and sad tale loosely based on an actual scenario.

The two narratives blend well and there's lots of action to keep you turning the pages. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is another in the Lady Emily series. In 1905 Lady Emily and her family travel to the remote Scottish estate of their friend the Duke of Bainbridge for the summer. Shortly after their arrival the gamekeeper is murdered. There are a number of suspects. Lady Emily and crew investigate and find a link to a 1676 witchcraft trial.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title.

Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, does like an excuse to dress up, and his dear friends coming to visit him en famille at his estate in Scotland means it's time to break out the Bainbridge tartan, a flamboyant concoction of bright turquoise, scarlet, and yellow designed by his late lamented Uncle whom he inherited Cairnfarn Castle from. Emily, Colin, and their three children are headed north to visit Jeremy because of one of their children. Henry is very persuasive and upon learning that Jeremy is in possession of a menagerie he demanded to inspect the living conditions of the animals. And yes, this would be the same Henry who walks around with his crocodile Cedric on a lead. He seems to think that animals should be free, but what's safest for the animals might not be safest for the residents of Cairnfarn. Luckily there is a new danger on the horizon, that of a murderer. On their second day at Cairnfarn the village hosted a ceilidh for their new doctor. A new doctor who happens to be a woman! There was dancing, drinking, storytelling, a punch that packed a punch, and Jeremy in Bainbridge tartan from tip to tail, and, before the night was out, murder. Only the body of Jeremy's gamekeeper, Mr. Sinclair, wasn't found until the next morning. By Emily's precocious children. His body was a bloody sight and on his forehead lay a single stone with a rune carved in it. One would think that such brutality couldn't exist there beside the loch in quiet splendor. But that's one thing Emily has learned over the years, death can happen to anyone at anytime. Now they just have to figure out the who and the why. And there are plenty of candidates, especially when you're victim is a handsome stranger in a new place who kept to himself. When Mr. Sinclair arrived in Cairnfarn he left behind a fiance in Edinburgh to steal the hearts of the local lassies. One lassie in particular loved him desperately but her affections were not returned. Could either of these spurned ladies have been the culprit? Or perhaps the young farmer in love with the girl Mr. Sinclair spurned? When love and lust is at play anyone could be capable of murder. And Cairnfarn has a dark history of witchcraft. And everyone knows though shalt not suffer a witch to live...

Having reached seventeen volumes and an ever expanding cast of beloved characters I'm always wondering who will be drawn into Lady Emily's current case. Will her mother-in-law deign to make an appearance? Will the ghost of Kristiana von Lange loom large? Will Cécile du Lac be lured away from Paris and yet another paramour? Could Emily's dear friend Ivy Brandon stop by? Or what about the formidably smart American Margaret Seward? Or could it be just Jeremy, the Duke of Bainbridge? While I love all these characters more than I can say I was not the least bit disappointed to see that just Jeremy was on board for the latest adventure. As much as I love every single entry in this series the two books that top my list are The Adventuress and A Terrible Beauty. And The Adventuress gives us so much wonderful Jeremy I could die happy, he wouldn't have died happy, but thankfully he got away from his fiance. His minute cameo at the end of the last adventure wasn't enough, I needed more and thankfully Tasha somehow knew. What's more, here we have Jeremy attempting to adult and being almost nearly useful. In a kilt. Sadly, there is no Colin in a kilt. Once you meet Jeremy's Greats you will hope that perhaps they will be able to force Colin into a kilt for their own amusement, because they know a fine specimen of a man when they see one, but sadly it was not to be. And I'm sorry for that slight kilt spoiler, but I think that it's important to make sure you don't suffer the same crushed dreams I did. But at least there's Jeremy, you think he's growing up, taking on responsibility, and then he has the vapors and has to go lie down for a bit, have a drink, and possibly a game of billiards. As Tasha said, "The Ducal Struggle® is real." Yet thankfully we are introduced to some of Jeremy's relatives who are very much wanting to get their fingers into all the pies versus keeping their hands as clean as possible with their nails as nice as the valet can make them. I'm talking about the aforementioned Greats. These are Jeremy's great-aunts, Miss Adeline and Miss Josephine. They have sequestered themselves in their own salon in Cairnfarn from which they know all and see all and desperately want to know about the murder. They are my new favorite characters and if they don't minimally get their own novella I shall have a fit of the vapors myself.