Thoroughly enjoyable! This is the best of the series so far. An engaging plot line captivates the imagination. I was kept guessing until the great reveal! Lots of intricate threads make up this story but it’s so totally cosy in manner! Please let there be another one!

Thank you Netgalley

1925, Cressida Fawcett is visiting Ayrton Castle in Scotland to offer interior design advice. Her trip is interrupted by the murder of the previous owner in a locked room. Cressida begins to investigate while she waits for DCI Andrews to arrive but is she putting herself in danger?
Death in the Highlands is the third book to feature Cressida and DCI Andrews. I have previously reviewed the second book in the series, Death by a Cornish Cove. There are mentions of the earlier cases but no spoilers about the culprits.
Cressida is on hand for the discovery of a body, stabbed to death while in a locked room. How did the killer escape and could it really be someone on the estate? Luckily Andrews is on holiday in Scotland but it still takes him a while to arrive so Cressida gets started on the investigation on her own.
There is a whole host of suspects as Hamish had a lot of enemies among his employees, family and wider social circle. Cressida searches for motive and finds plenty but which were worth killing for? Andrews doesn't arrive until halfway through the book so Cressida has already made significant progress in the hunt for the killer all by herself.
There are lots of clues and red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Cressida's dog Ruby adds a touch of humour and the overall tone of the book is quite light despite the murderous content. I felt that the historical and geographical setting provided an interesting backdrop to the plot and characters.
Death in the Highlands is an enjoyable historical cosy murder mystery.

Another gem of a Historical Mystery from Fliss Chester in the Cressida Fawcett series.

Bookouture continues to far outpace any other imprint for the best historical mystery series, and Chester’s books just keep getting better as the series progresses.

This time we take a trip to Scotland, where a Glorious Twelfth shoot quickly turns anything but when a body is found in a locked room.

As with all the best historical cozy mysteries, the setting is the best part. Here we’ve got a rambling old castle complete with secret passages, a folly, and loads of other lovely atmospheric touches. Chester sprinkles in all sorts of delightful bits of history (particularly with an eye toward design and architecture), and some of it factors into the mystery itself.

Cressida remains a winning heroine whose sharp wit and intrepid determination let the reader root for her to solve the mystery with ease and abandon.

Along for the ride are Cressida’s adorable
pug Ruby, her bookish best pal Dot, and Dot’s brother Alfred, who Cressida absolutely, definitely, does not have a crush on (wink, wink).

In all, loads of fun and right up there with Verity Bright’s Lady Eleanor books as my favorite historical mystery series.

I love the setting of the roaring 20’s. Then to have it in Scotland was even better. The characters were so fun and cozy. I highly recommend this book for a nice raining weekend with a cup of tea.

Cressida is a delight.
Sounding in the right time and place with just the right balance of wit and mystery, this murder happens on a shoot in the highlands, secret passages, antlers and a long held secret.
Great fun

Fliss Chester’s inimitable sleuth Cressida Fawcett is back for another exhilarating case in the third installment of this series – Death in the Highlands.

Cressida Fawcett never turns down an invitation – especially when it is to a gorgeous castle in the Scottish Highlands. Having been asked to help out with some interior designing at Ayrton Castle over the summer, Cressida packs her best hunting jackets and alongside her adorable pug Ruby heads off to Scotland where trouble quickly ensues. All of Cressida’s plans for a carefree summer are dashed when former owner Hamish Glenkirk is found dead in mysterious circumstances. Who could have possibly murdered Hamish? And even more baffling, how did the murderer manage to kill him when he was in a room three storeys up that was bolted from the inside?

With Detective Andrews of Scotland Yard not yet able to join the party, it’s up to Cressida to find out whodunnit – and fast! There are certainly no shortage of suspects, however, just when Cressida thinks she has made a breakthrough in the case she hears a scream and finds another dead body. Can Cressida figure out who the murderer is before there are further additions to the body count? Or will Cressida end up the killer’s next victim?

I am a huge fan of Fliss Chester’s Cressida Fawcett’s mysteries and I whipped through Death in the Highlands in a matter of hours. A delightful historical cozy that grips from the very beginning, Death in the Highlands is a brilliantly paced, perfectly tense and highly engrossing page-turner with a fabulous sleuth you just cannot help but adore.

The always superb Fliss Chester has knocked it out of the park with Death in the Highlands and I cannot wait for the next Cressida Fawcett adventure.

Another delightful outing with Cressida is afoot in “Death in the Highlands” by Fliss Chester. Intending to share decor thoughts at a historic Scottish estate, she is taken aback to once again find herself on the scene of an unexpected death. Being out of easy reach of the nearest detective, once again, Cressida sets off to find out what is really going on.

This fun and cosy mystery was a tad too predictable for me, I would have liked a little more intrigue but I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to adventuring with this lovely cast of characters in the next in the series! It is a four out of five on the enJOYment scale.

In this series’ third mystery, set in the mid-1920s, Cressida, best friend Dotty, and Ruby, Cressida’s tartan-clad sleuth-extraordinaire pug, are invited to a grouse shoot by the Stirlings, the new owners of Ayrton Castle, in the highlands of Scotland. On the morning of the shoot, Hamish Glenkirk, the previous laird, is stabbed to death inside the locked turret study, the key still in the inside lock. True to form, Cressida just can’t help investigating, although she does report the death to her friend, Detective Andrews, who just happens to be holidaying nearby. And thank goodness for his kindly forbearance with the hot-headed Cressida. Two things incessantly occupy Cressida’s thoughts: murder and mayhem, and patterns, colour and fabrics. A veritable interior designer amateur sleuth. It doesn’t take long for her to root out multiple suspects, all of whom loathed the dear departed Hamish. Was it the gamekeeper who accused the laird of over-culling the land? The son, robbed of his inheritance? The daughter, robbed of the man she loved? Or someone else entirely? And in keeping with various tropes of the cosy mystery, there’s soon a second body.

This is a delightful, fast-paced, easily-read story, complete with tongue-in-cheek British humour and nods to eccentric aristocratic mores. Most of the nuances of character can be gleaned from this adventure, so no need to backtrack through the series, although they are recommended. Cressida and Dotty are quite a pair, especially with the addition of Dotty’s brother, Alfred, who Cressida is trying very hard not to become too fond of. Perhaps romance will blossom, and the determinedly independent, bloody-minded Cressida will morph into a sleuthing duo. A stand-out series in a much-loved genre.

Cressida and Ruby make for a formidable team in this murder mystery. Alfred and Dotty are lovely complementary characters and so together they investigate making this an enjoyable murder mystery read.

The storyline wasn't quite as strong this time in my opinion, though it certainly had some interesting twists. The police had very little to do with solving the case and the Poirot- style ending felt just a little over the top.

It's the third story in the series and I'm looking forward to the next one .(perhaps we'll even have a little romance?). It's four out of five stars for me.

My thanks to #Netgalley and Bookouture for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Cressida and company are staying at a Scottish castle for the Glorious 12th when murder hits a visitor instead of the grouse. And in a locked room as well. What isn't there to like: the 1920s, a castle, a locked room mystery. The characters are just as cracking as the cocktails. A lot of fun and I look forward to reading more of this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

A lovely quaint read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I hadn’t read the previous books in this series but it didn’t stop me enjoying this as a stand-alone piece.
The characters were well rounded and I especially loved the role of her little pug!
A neat little mystery hitch was tied up beautifully, a great homage to the classic murder mystery.

A strange one, this, IMHO that is. It's set in 1925, though it read more like just prior to WW1. Cressida Fawcett is a socialite/interior designer who finds herself investigating a murder at a Scottish castle. All well and good so far. However, and I don't know about the other books in this series, he policeman doesn't appear until about two thirds of the book has gone, and then still leaves most of the sleuthing to Cressida - a likeable character - he even lets her do a Poirot at the end by gathering everyone together. For me, a bit of a ho hum book still, will give more a try,

Death in the Highlands is the third book in the "A Cressida Fawcett Mystery" series. This is a fun historical cozy mystery with some great characters, especially, Ruby the pug. Although this is the third book in the series, you can read this book as a standalone. Cressida, her BFF Dotty and Dotty's brother Alfred have been invited to Ayrton Castle in the Scottish Highlands for the first grouse hunt of the season. Before the hunt starts one of the guests comes running from the castle to share the news that Hamish Glenkirk, the previous Lord Ayrton, has been found dead, locked inside one of the turret rooms. This locked door mystery has Cressida phoning Detective Andrews of Scotland Yard, the man she worked with to solve the murders in the previous two stories in the series. While waiting for him to arrive, she begins her own investigation, and discovers a lot of people dislike Hamish and may have had motive to kill him. Motive aside, how did they kill him and leave him in a room locked from the inside?

I enjoy this fun historical cozy mystery series. I love the recurring characters, especially Ruby, Cressida's pet pug. Cressida is a smart investigator that knows what to ask and how to put the clues together to solve a crime. The problem is, her questions usually end up putting her in the crosshairs of a killer themselves. I love how Ruby often points Cressida in the direction of a clue and assists in solving the mystery this way. Detective Andrews is a friend of Cressida's father, and allows her to "assist" in the case, often asking her to find out more information. He was quite late on the scene in this book, which left Cressida asking questions and snooping without his support or permission to do so. With more than one murder in this story, it kept me reading throughout the evening to follow the clues with Cressida to find the murderer. This was another fun story with lots of suspects and red herrings, and clues to lead you through the twists to a satisfactory ending. I love trying to sort out the culprit, but once again, I did not have this one pegged. I am already looking forward to the next book in this series. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, especially historical ones, then I recommend you pick up Death in the Highlands, or better yet, the first book in the series, Death Among the Diamonds.

Death in the Highlands is another superb addition to the brilliant cosy mystery series featuring Lady Cressida Fawcett - part time sleuth and aspiring interior designer!

This time (as the title confirms), Cressida finds herself in the highlands at Ayrton Castle along with her best friend Dotty and adorable pug Ruby. Straight away we are thrown into action as Ayrton Castle has recently been sold to the Stirling family from Hamish Glenkirk and there is still a bit of animosity about the family having to sell the family castle. Matters are made a lot worse when Hamish Glenkirk is found dead in a locked room when the rest of the party are on a shoot.

Cressida is one of my favourite characters and you can't help but be pulled along for for the ride with her. She is brilliantly down to earth despite having a very privileged life and I adore her dog Ruby who also decides to get herself involved in the investigation! Despite Detective Andrews (on holiday in Scotland!) telling her not to poke her nose into anything dangerous, we all know this will not be the case as Cressida finds herself investigating the other party members and the castle itself. I think I enjoyed this book more as Cressida had more of a starring role on the investigative side with Detective Andrews detained for half of the book. I do enjoy his character though as he desperately tries (and fails) to reign in Cressida and keep her safe.

Fliss Chester provides us with a wonderful array of characters and more importantly suspects as we learn that most of the guests had a reason for wanting to get Hamish out of the way and because of this the red herrings are scattered thick and fast! I thought I had managed to get an inkling but completely changed my mind after another murder occured and realised I was back at the drawing board!

The author has developed a wonderful cosy mystery series here that I really hope runs for a long time.

 A brilliant book that I couldn't put down.

Another wonderful read! In this third Cressida Fawcett mystery, the setting is the Scottish Highlands. A wonderful and old estate, with a castle full of history, ends up being the scene of a murder, an accident (that ultimately led to death), and an attempted murder.
The list of suspects is long, and the motives are many. But, as with the previous two, the culprit is a surprise. At least it was for me. And the motive is a familiar one, but the reason behind it is tragic.
No spoiler alerts here. You must read this to watch how the mystery unfolds. It is definitely worth reading, especially if you like mysteries from the Downton Abbey period.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

This is the third in Fliss Chester’s Cressida Fawcett series, and I love it!

Here we find Cressida and Dotty at Ayrton Castle in the Scottish Highlands. They’re visiting for the Glorious Twelfth, the opening of grouse hunting season. But the festivities soon lose their luster when Hamish Glenkirk, the former owner of Ayrton Castle, is found dead in a locked room in one of the castle’s turrets. As the castle is somewhat remote, assistance from Scotland Yard will be some time arriving. So Cressida takes it upon herself to start investigating.

At first glance, it appears that rather a lot of people had reason not to like Hamish Glenkirk. His own son Jack is one of them. Jack’s motive, the loss of his future inheritance since the castle was sold, seems to be stronger than most. But then Jack is shot and seriously injured. Accident? Or is the killer trying to strike again?

What a delightful take on the locked-room mystery Chester gives us! And so many red herrings to chase! She sets up one suspect after another, only to knock them down in due time and leave the reader back at square one trying to figure out whodunnit. And the locked room, with its windows far too small, is a puzzling murder scene. How did the killer get in and out of the room without being noticed?

The Bright Young Things that populate Cressida’s world, and indeed Cressida herself, are delightful, as always. (With the exception of Jack Glenkirk, who’s really not that pleasant.) Cressida and Dotty work wonderfully together, and the idea of Dotty out with a rifle hunting grouse makes me chuckle. I suspect Dotty would hunt grouse about as well as I would! Dotty’s brother Alfred makes an appearance here, and Cressida gets her hackles up a little when she sees him appearing to flirt with the daughter of Ayrton Castle. Could our Cressida be developing feelings toward Alfred that are more than just friendly? And will she ever admit that?

As a former prosecutor, my suspension of disbelief had to work overtime just a little when Cressida started taking evidence from the scene. I can kind of see why she did it; with actual police assistance some time away, it would have been easy for the killer to return to the scene and take away anything incriminating (if I recall correctly, that’s called spoliation of evidence – it’s been a hot minute since law school, though). But my prosecutorial side shuddered at the chain of custody nightmare that would have been in real life. It didn’t stop me loving the book, though!

Family drama, clues hidden in unusual places, a killer on the loose, and Cressida on the case. Once again, Fliss Chester has given us an enchanting story that kept me guessing. I loved it, and I am here for all of Cressida’s adventures!

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cressida and her chums are staying in Scotland at a shooting party in 1925. Cressida has been asked to give some interior design tips as the castle has been newly acquired. However, when a brutal murder is discovered she uses her brains to try to solve the case to help her friend Detective Andrews. A good read.

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Death in the Highlands’ by Fliss Chester.

This is Book 3 in Chester’s series of historical cosy mysteries set in Britain during the mid-1920s. The lead is the Hon. Cressida Fawcett, who prides herself on being independently minded. Her life may be privileged but she has a keen interest in interior design and is often consulted by members of high society. Recently she has added amateur sleuthing to her repertoire and helped solve two murders.

Once again she and her best friend, Dotty (Lady Dorothy Chatterton) are visiting a stately home, this time Ayrton Castle in Scotland. They are accompanied by Dotty’s brother, Alfred. Aside from celebrating the Glorious Twelfth, Cressida is advising Lady Anne Sterling on her redecorating.

When a classic locked room mystery occurs there are a number of other house guests, some with secrets, to provide a suspect pool. While everyone awaits the arrival of D.C.I. Andrews of Scotland Yard, surely no one would mind if Cressida began to investigate?

I did feel that Cressida did take liberties by taking over the case and the police letting her. Yet this kind of behaviour is quite common in Golden Age Detective tales.

I am very fond of Dotty, who is very down to earth. There’s also signs that Cressida may be rethinking her stance on a single life. It will be interesting to see how this progresses in future books.

I certainly found ‘Death in the Highlands’ an enjoyable whodunnit. This series of historical cosy mysteries is one that I plan to continue with. In addition, the sophisticated Jazz Age setting allows for a few hours of escapism.

I think that each one of these Cressida Fawcett Mysteries have got better and better. Cressida is such a great character with her interfering ways and as she pokes her nose into everything, it's not long before she gets to the bottom of the mystery, with the help of Ruby, her little pug.
Cressida is in the highlands this time, staying at a castle as the hunting season starts. Unfortunately, it's not game birds being hunted when the old Laird of the castle is found dead and other people still seem to be threatened.
I didn't solve this one, but I'd got some of the details. Fortunately, Cressida had the right idea and managed to solve things. She also seems to be finally getting the right idea about her friend Alfred, even if she's unwilling to give up her independence. A great read and I can't wait for the next in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.