Excellent historical mystery.

Although this is the 17th in a series, this is only the second one I have read. Now I find that I want to go back and start from the beginning. I love the character of Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, as well as their extended family and friends. The 3 sons are a lot of fun and make for some humorous moments in the story.

In this installment, in the summer of 1905, the family visits an old friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, at Cairnfarn Castle in the Scottish Highlands. After a welcoming Ceilidh that lasted into the wee hours, the Duke's gamekeeper, Angus Sinclair, is found dead along the banks of the loch. Although the women of the village wanted to marry him, he certainly had some secrets and at least one enemy. Some strange clues are found during the investigation that lead back to 1676 when the madness of witchcraft trials reached the castle and a previous occupant, Lady MacAllister. Told in alternating points of view and shifting in time periods 1905 and 1676, the secrets and lies are revealed.

I like the writing style and the characters in this novel and the plot was complex but interesting. There were some surprises along the way as Lady Emily and her husband talk with the villagers and try to find the truth. I listened to the audiobook that I got from my local library while also reading along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher and I liked the narrator very much, especially the Scottish accent and proper pronunciation that enhanced the atmosphere and setting of the story.

I'd recommend the series and I plan to continue reading additional installments.

This is my first book by Tasha Alexander, but it won't be my last. I think I need to know more about Lady Emily's story. This one takes place in the highlands of Scotland. I know! I was excited to read a whodunit set in the early 1900's in the highlands. It mainly focuses on Lady Emily, but I loved that really her whole family was involved in solving the murder especially her husband. Since this is book #17, I have a lot to learn about the family. I have at least 16 books to get me started. That being said, it was totally understandable as a stand alone book. You'll have no trouble following along. It has two timelines. One from the 1600s and one from the 1900s, but it's really easy to follow and cool how it all connects in the end. I loved all the characters and it was a good mystery.

This was a very interesting book! I enjoyed the dual timeline and learned a great deal about this time period. I will have to check out other books by this author.

A Cold Highland Wind is 17th book in the Lady Emily historical mystery series. This is the first Tasha Alexander novel I have read. I enjoyed the double historical timeline as well as the ending tying the two together. I think however my favorite parts were the crocodile. Trust me if you enjoy historical mysteries this is a good one and besides there’s a crocodile to find out about.

Doubling Down

A very cleverly and well written double mystery, taking place centuries apart. Gullible is one word I took away from this story, not that I recall it necessarily being used, but that it applied to several of the characters. Redemption is the second word that comes to mind, and is the stronger description. Plan to wallow in the pleasure of visiting Scotland in two completely different earlier eras. What remains constant is the vagaries of people, whose hopes, dreams, goals, desires, failures and foibles rule the world over.

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of A Cold Highland Wind! All opinions in this review are my own.

Despite being the 17th book in the series, this was my first Lady Emily mystery. I didn't expect the two timelines so I was really curious to see how they would connect after the mystery had already been presented in Lady Emily's timeline.

While this was a quick read, I had a hard time being truly immersed in the mystery. I loved the setting but I think the short chapters from one timeline to the other confused me at times. I also think I would have liked it better as an audiobook for the Scottish pronunciations.

I have been provided with a review copy of A Cold Highland Wind from NetGalley for an impartial review. I just really enjoyed this story and I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Lady Emily and family is on vacation. The friend has a castle that sounds amazing. There is a dance and the punch is spiked. The town folk are having a fun time. But then a dead body is found. Lady Emily and her husband step in to help the police. As bodies pile up the mystery becomes more involved.
At the same time we follow this story, there is another story being told. Every other chapter is the story of Tansy, The story takes place long before the mystery. Tansy was taken from her home in another country. She is part of the castle's early story. Never really saw the need for this story but I read it. I preferred the Lady Emily part of the story.

I absolutely loved this book. Disclaimer, I have not read any other books in this series. I feel like it was fine reading it without reading the other books. I'm sure there are things I would have enjoyed more having read the others, but I'm still happy I read it.

This story follows dual timelines and it was one of the rare times where I enjoyed each timeline equally. I was fully invested in the mystery and the lives of these characters.

This is the perfect story for someone looking for a fun book set in Scotland with a lot of mystery and a little witchcraft.

I can't wait to pick up the rest of the series, now.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I found this book to be ok. I didn’t like the jumping back and forth between Tansy’s point of view and Lady Emily’s. I found I wasn’t all that interested in either pov and I didn’t see the point of Tansy’s story. When the reveal happened, it wasn’t all that interesting.

Historical murder mystery set in Scotland with 2 different timelines. One is in the early 1900s, when a woman and her husband and sons go to visit a family friend and end up investigating a murder. The second timeline takes place in the 17th century and involves slavery and accusations of witchcraft. I preferred the later timeline for the story and the characters. People were awful in the earlier timeline!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

In this duel timeline story set in the Scottish highlands, the plot shifts between Lady Emily and her family in 1905 and a Tunisian woman in the late 1600s. While the mystery is well-plotted, my real enjoyment came from the historical details and the antics of Emily's children.

I’ve read most of the books in this series and I’m impressed how the author is able to keep it fresh and has me wanting more even after 17 books in this series. Well done!

Sometimes jumping into an ongoing series works and sometimes it doesn’t. I think, in this instance, reading some of the previous books would have made this one more enjoyable.

This story has a lot of characters and a lot going on. I didn’t get a good sense of anyone’s personalities beyond the basics. People started blending together.

I also didn’t think the second timeline was necessary, and maybe it actually detracted a little from the main plot.

While I wasn’t wowed, I can see why this series in general would be popular.

*Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC.*

A story marketed as being set in the Scottish highlands revolving around an ancient story of witchcraft and murder? SIGN ME UP. This book had absolutely beautiful story-setting. I felt truly immersed in the environment and am now ready to move to Scottland. This was very fun one for me! I really loved the word usage of the author and the descriptions given which made it extremely immersive.

Very interesting read! The book pulled me in from the start and I wanted to see how it ended. Try it and see if this book is for you!

An enjoyable and fun mystery set in Scotland!

This was my first book I’ve read in the series but it was easily read as a standalone. The author provided enough information to know the main characters.

Between the two timelines, I enjoyed the 1905 one more. I was more invested in that mystery and storyline.

Nevertheless, this was a good book. I’ll have to start at the beginning now and catch up!

A murder mystery set in Scotland early 1900 that goes back in time..with curses and witches.
Some good drama and characters.
Voluntarily reviewed
.

In this latest installment in the long running Victorian mystery series, Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves uncover an ancient story of witchcraft that may hold the key to solving a murder centuries later.

The Lady Emily books are presented in a dual-timeline format in alternating chapters taking place many years apart. In this case it was Scotland in 1679 and hundreds of years later in Victorian times.

I love the historical aspect of this mystery series. Plus, the wild Scottish highlands setting was the perfect backdrop for this mystery.

I did prefer the Victorian timeline, however there are several plot twists in both timelines that kept me reading on to the end.

I adore stories that centered around the highlands. One because I am Scottish and Irish and also another widely popular series based within the same lore and geographical region. However, this book really stood out and defined its own story within the enchanting highlands. Would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this title!