I just love cosy mystery's and this book called Murder by the Seaside
by Jackie Baldwin and narrated by Samara MacLaren, is the first book in the new Detective Grace McKenna Scottish Murder series and was
a completely unputdownable cozy mystery novel and was a brilliant audiobook.

A great start to a promising new series.

A great audiobook for when the weather is horrible outside.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advance copy of Murder by the Seaside,

This audiobook involves PI Grace. McKenna hired to investigate a mysterious death. This cozy mystery kept my attention. I really enjoyed the characters and the dilemmas they encountered. I recommend this book. After listening to this book, I looked for and purchased the next book in this series.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio copy of Murder by the Seashore for an honest review.


This story is set in Edinburgh, Scotland. Grace McKenna has a tragic past. She loses her son in death, then she loses her job on the police force, and then her marriage fails.. Trying to pick up the pieces of her life, she starts her own detective agency. When the widow of a highly publicized psychic comes to her agency in search of her husband's killer, she sees her chance of making a name for her agency. The psychic's death was ruled a suicide. But the widow believes he is murdered.

This has many twists, many stories with the main one. As an audiobook, you have to pay close attention as there is many characters. Overall I liked it very much. The narrator was really good on this one as well.

This book was a great read but I was kind of let down by the ending. I wish there was a big twist or something I didn't expect

After the toughest year of her life, Detective Grace McKenna leaves the police force & opens the Portobello Detective Agency with her assistants Jean & Hannah. When the glamorous widow of renowned psychic Paul Gordon entreats her to investigate his suspicious death, Grace sees a unique opportunity to make a name for the agency. Joining forces with Tobias Sloan – a dapper investigative reporter seeking answers about his wife's tragic passing – their search takes a dark turn when the body of a beautiful young woman is found at a nearby elite golf club. The evidence leads them straight to Merchiston College of Psychic Studies – the very place where Paul Gordon met his grisly end. Uncovering a shocking secret linking the two murders, Grace finds her professional and personal boundaries are beginning to blur.
An interesting start to the series I really liked Grace who is at rock bottom, thank goodness she has Harvey, this case is just what she needs to begin to lift her. The characters have depth whether you love them or hate them, the pace is good & there are plenty of twists & turns. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing the book to life, she made it flow effortlessly & I actually preferred listening to the book than reading it – a first for me
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Murder by the Seaside
Detective Grace McKenna Scottish Murder Mystery #1
Jackie Baldwin

Grace McKenna was a member of the Edinburgh police force; she resigned to be a private detective. She is now the owner of the Portobello Detective Agency. Life hasn’t be easy on Grace; she lost her son and blames herself. The business is struggling but a case comes along that could make or break the business. It could at least put the agency in the black. The widow of Paul Gordon approaches her to investigate his death. He was a well-known psychic. Grace is vulnerable emotionally due to the loss of her son; the case has her surrounded by psychics. She is unsure of who to trust. The clues lead her to Merchiston College of Psychic Studies.
I love most books set in Scottland. There is something about the Scottish countryside that calls my name. Naturally I was eager to delve into this mystery and I wasn’t disappointed. This is the first book in what is sure to become a successful series. I liked Grace, our main character; I wanted more background information but I’m sure that will come with future books in this series. Kudos to Jackie Baldwin on a well written interesting book.

Wow, this is truly a five-star mystery! I loved that there were so many threads woven through this book: it starts with a death that Grace, a private detective, is asked to investigate. Is it truly a suicide or could it be murder? As the story unfolds more crimes and misdeeds are added to the investigation, including embezzlement and financial impropriety, theft, adultery, assault, another murder, false identity, and kidnapping. All of this is set against the backdrop of a perhaps-shady college for psychics and the activists who want it shut down, and a lot of family drama. Part of the joy of this book was in trying to figure out how all of these threads could be connected, or if they were simply unrelated, but unfortunate, events. The story moved along well, even when Grace and her team seemed stymied by lack of information and I wanted to push through and listen to just a few more minutes. I found that the mystery wrapped up well and the ending of the book was brilliant. If this is indeed the first in a planned series I will definitely be looking forward to the next one! Highly recommended for fans of a complex detective story. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Grace was previously a DI on a major enquiry team at Edinburgh Police Force, since leaving she has started her own company - Portobello detective agency. Although she is still mourning the death of their son, which lead to the breakup of her marriage from husband Brodie, Grace takes on her first case for the practice. Sylvia Gordon has employed her to look into the death of her husband Paul Gordon which was ruled a suicide, but she believes there is more behind it.

This was a fun read with various characters from the Detective Agency getting themselves into pickles. I can’t help but feel a lot of the procedural elements are entirely unrealistic. If this doesn’t bother you then I am sure you will find this an engaging and entertaining read with many twists and turns, but for me it detracted a little from the plot. I would probably still read a follow up in the series though.

The narrator was excellent, with a lovely soft voice and great character voicing.

3.25 rounded down

This was such a enjoyable read. I love the characters and plot. The mystery held you throughout the story. Highly recommend.

This was an interesting mystery and kind of touched on a lot of different elements. Where should I start? Ok, we have Grace who was kicked off/quit the police force after the tragic death of her teenage son. She separated from her husband (as most often happens after the death of a child) and started a detective/P.I. agency in Edinburgh. Eventually Grace gets a case to solve the murder of a psychic who committed apparent suicide, but his widow thinks other wise. This leads the whole team (of 3) at the detective agency into dangerous paths. More and more bad things happen as Grace infiltrates the Psychic college and her team infiltrates other areas. Dead bodies, theft at a country club, kidnapped babies, kidnapped adults, and dealing with the otherworldly via the mediums at the psychic college.

Fun fact, psychic colleges are real. I thought it was a made up thing for the book, it's not I googled it and there are real colleges out there for psychics and metaphysical studies which is interesting. This story has a lot of elements. The obvious one is the murder mystery, then we have the mother who is unable to move on from the death of her son and the murder case really brings that grief to the forefront. There are sections in the story that felt very repetitive, which may be because the case was going in circles but reading the same things multiple times, is not that fun for the reader.

The narrator did a great job, the voices were not that different, but it was easy to follow along and she was able to convey the emotions of the scenes.

This is a fun mystery with a touch of paranormal type elements (with the mediums). It is nice to read a story set in Edinburgh even if everyone is dying.

OMG, what a ride! What an ending!

OK, let me start over. I really enjoyed Murder by the Seaside. It was my first book by Jackie Baldwin, and even though some people say it's considered a cozy mystery, I beg to differ. I think it has much depth and touches sensitive topics such as suicide. The spiritual world is also addressed, albeit not as absolute truth.

Grace is an extremely smart private detective who used to be part of the police force until her son apparently drowned and tore her career, marriage and life apart. A body has never been found, so she has been consumed by grief, guilt and also a little hope, in her own way. She can't let go. In her first case as a PI, she and her 2 undertrained staff members are hired by a woman who claims her husband has been murdered, even though his death was officially considered suicide. The following events and the several strands of the investigation lead to an "only one more chapter" type of story. I could not guess the culprit (but then, I usually don't) and was definitely shocked by the last sentence of the novel. I need more! There's going to be a second installment which I'm already looking forward to reading.

To be honest, it took me some time to get hooked. Maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook version and I thought the narration could have been a little more lively, emphatic, something of the sort. But after a few chapters, I was all in.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Grace McKenna is a private investigator with her own agency. Previously she was a detective, but after the tragic loss of her son Grace left the police force, as well as her husband, and is trying to sort out her life. She is hired to investigate the apparent suicide of a wealthy psychic by his widow, who believes his death was murder. Grace teams up with an investigative reporter who is seeking answers about his own wife's death as the two both seem to be connected to a psychic college.

I found this novel to be very interesting and well planned. This is the first novel in a planned series by Jackie Baldwin. The author did a great job of connecting all her plot points, developing her characters and relationships, and keeping her twists interesting and plausible. I tend to prefer stand-alone books because I don't want to get invested in a series, but I would definitely be interested in the next novel in this series.

Grace has left Edinburgh police force. She is now the proud owner of a struggling detective agency. She takes a shocking case. She hopes this will take her agency out of the red. But, it does more than that…it puts her and her team lives on the line.

I enjoyed Grace. She is definitely in a bad place in her life. And she struggles every day. But, she does pull through. She has lost her son and she blames herself. This makes her very vulnerable in this story, because she is surrounded by psychics. Psychics are not known for their truthfulness and, one especially, takes advantage of Grace’s vulnerability.

This story has a great many twists and turns and the setting of Edinburgh is wonderful. I loved hearing about Old Town and the Closes (street alleys to Americans.) But, it tends to ramble a bit, in my opinion.

The narrator, Samara MacLaren, is very good. She brought life to all the characters.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This is the first book in a series featuring Grace, a former DI whose normal world disappeared in one fell swoop. Two years on Grace has started a private investigation business along with Jean and Hannah her trusty assistants. A client approaches Grace to investigate the death of her husband, the police have determined suicide.
This is the nub of the book, but it encompasses so much more! There is grief, loss, recovery, self doubt, murder, child abduction and a woman trying to keep a hold of herself.
This is anything but a cozy crime, it is gritty and believable. The characters are brilliantly drawn, the narrator is absolutely perfect. I found myself crying for Grace and Brodie, laughing at Harvey and fearing for the three women at various points. I really look forward to the next installment of Graces' story and plead with the publishers to keep the narrator throughout the series. I can't recommend Murder by the Seaside highly enough.
Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, Storm Publishing for the ARC of this book.

I didn’t have high hopes for this book but thought it would be an easy listen so gave it a go. I was wrong to have low expectations as I thoroughly enjoyed it, there was lots of twists to the storyline to keep me interested and although I could guess at some parts I got others wrong.

I like that Jean had an active part and wasn't written off as an older lady. Hannah did annoy me at times with her risky choices. I guessed her storyline early on.

Grace is a great character but if she was a high ranking police officer in the past would she have done some of her more dodgy actions? Who knows.

I would definitely recommend this book and will be looking out for more books by this author as I have not read anything by her before. The narrator was a perfect fit for the book.
Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, Storm Publishing for the ARC.

4 stars

I really enjoyed this mystery. The story is suspenseful & intriguing but is also heavy on character development. I really like the MC and her associates & I look forward to the next book in the series!

[What I liked:]

•The characters, their psychology & motivations, & their relationships to one another are well developed & believable. Grace, Jean, Hannah, & Brody are all sympathetic characters who don’t always see eye-to-eye & are dealing with personal struggles outside of work. The way their personal lives intersect with the investigation & influence their actions makes for a well-rounded story & characters I want to learn more about in future installments.

•The plot was satisfying & exciting. While I picked up on a few things and at least suspected part of the solution nearing the end, quite a bit of the mysteries’ resolutions I did not see coming! Largely in part to the depth of even the side & minor characters.

•This is a very touching story in part about dealing with grief & loss. Suicide features in more than one subplot, but I think it is discussed in a respectful way. Grace’s desire for connection with her son beyond the grave comes into conflict with her doubt of the supernatural, & her struggle to reconcile the two was relatable for me. (The ending is very touching 🥲 I loved it!)


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•At times Hannah comes across as overly petulant & reckless. I get that she’s young & inexperienced in investigation, but she’s also supposedly had a tough life & been forced to grow up very early. Sometimes her naïveté seemed exaggerated.

CW: domestic violence, murder, suicide, death of a child, kidnapping, sexual harassment, infidelity, sexism, gambling addiction

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

first-in-series, new-series, Scottish Noir, psychics, ex-cop, thriller, suspense, undercover, unputdownable, grieving, grief, investigative-journalist, extortion, extra-sensory-abilities, life-changes, multiple-murder*****

Former DI Grace McKenna left The Job after personal tragedy and came to start the Portobello Detective Agency. At first the high profile case of the suspicious death of psychic angered her into taking the case despite her own grief, but then investigative journalist with a similar agenda convinces her that he should join with her team. There are other murders and much due diligence that involve real danger to the team. Expects mad twists and creative red herrings!
I requested and received a free temporary audio copy from Dreamscape Media/Storm Publishing via NetGalley! Voice artist Samara MacLaren has the kind of convincing dramatic delivery that encouraged me to keep reading far too late.

So often when I see it's a Scottish setting, I think it's going to be a cozy. Cozy authors love the British Isles, it seems. This is not cozy. This is a true mystery/thriller, to my delight.

There's a quick pace, looming danger, fun characters, intriguing psychic element (is it real or is it fraud debate), fringe far-right protestors and their ill deeds, theft, murder, and many suspects. I liked the conflicted feelings Grace and Brody had, and how they helped one another instead of being at odds like in so many other books with a private detective and law enforcement. That was an interesting dynamic. The gals working for Grace were fun, too. This was just a great read and I will look for future books in the series.

This book is the first in the Detective Grace McKenna series, it is also my first Jackie Baldwin novel. It was a great story, very intriguing, it kept me guessing the whole time.
Our heroine Grace has opened her own detective agency after leaving the police force. Along comes a case that can put her agency on the map, but it means that Grace might have to deal with the loss of her teenage son.
This was a great mystery, and left me anxiously waiting for book 2 in the series.
Thank-you to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the advanced listener copy of the book. The narrator Samara MacLaren was wonderful.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Storm Publishing for this ALC. I had a little difficulty with the accent on this one but once i got used to it I was hooked on the story. I love a good detective book and this one was great. Read this if you like mysteries set in a cozy seaside town.