Death at a Scottish Christmas is the third book of the Scottish Isle Series. It is the story of Doctor Emilia and the mysteries she solves with Ewan, the constable, and the rest of the town. This book is set at Christmas time and includes all the traditions.
I love a book set in Scotland and at Christmas time. It was a cozy mystery. I had a small idea who the killer was, but there were still many surprises. I enjoyed getting to know the town's characters, and it was also okay that I had not read the first two. There were small parts referenced from the first two that I did not know details about, but it worked.
It was worth the read, and I am sure I will go back and read the first two and any others in the future.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC copy.

Death at a Scottish Christmas is the first ever book I have read from Lucy Connelly, the hints at the previous books through out the story has me so excited and curious about the start of Emilia's Murder-Mystery solving adventures!

The banter and friendship through out the book was amazing, the Scooby-do antics of Jasper, Mara and Angie were hilarious and heartwarming. The achingly slow-burn between Emilia and Ewan now sits next to Dale Mayer's Doreen and Mack, I was cheering them on, on every page!

The suspense and questions about the murders and killer wrapped up the story in the best way, and the ending leave much to be excited for in the next book.

Deat at a Scottish Christmas is the 3rd in the Scottish Isle Mystery series. I have read all of these books. It takes place in Sea Isle, Scotland. Emilia McRoy (Em) is the main character. She is the doctor and coroner hired by Ewan Campbell. He is the laird of Sea Isle as well as mayor and constable. Em had been an ER doctor in Seattle but she had found her husband had been unfaithful and was murdered. She need a change of scenery. Mara, her best friend and manager of the Pig & Whistle pub owned by her grandparents. Her other friends are Aggie who owns several clothing shops and Jasper who owns the bakery in the town.

Mara calls Em and asks her if she can help her pick up the band she has hired as their bus broke down. They found them and brought them back to town. Destinee and Mara had been childhood friends and the band, Bram and the Stokers, who had a huge following in Scotland, were playing at the pub because of their friendship. Bram is the lead singer and Destinee also a singer. Davy Albright was their manager.

At the pub Bram asks Em to dance. He tells her that he and Ewan had a history and he had been friends with Ewan's brother but no longer. He was found in bed with Ewan's fiance. He was use to having woman fall at his feet and asked her to see him after the gig. She declined. The next day she went to the pub and saw Bram sitting on the beach. She went to check to see if he was okay and found him dead. Ewan came to the beach to check also. Em called her assistant to bring her kit and some coffee. When Abigal got there they worked to secure the scene. Being the coroner , Em takes the body back to the office. They find a puncture wound. Someone had pumped air into his brain but not with a needle but a corkscrew. He also had drugs in his system. They went to speak to the band and were told that Bram did not do drugs and didn't tolerate the band members doing it. They were not allowed to drink while performing. They told them that he always had a notebook with him to write down his songs.

Because of Ewan's past with Bram theuppers were sending a detective inspector, Bethanly Thomson to oversee everything. The murder of their manager, Davy adds another dimension to the story. This is where the story takes off and is too much to put on paper so I will leave it to the reader to enjoy with all the twists and turns to the exciting end.

The book ends with a Christmas celebration with all Em's friends, Ewan gives her a beautiful necklace and hints that he is happy that she is there. It was a fun bookk to read and look forward to the next book and see where their relationship develops.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

This book is the third part of a series, but can be read as a standalone as there are hints about all the important information. I liked the setting, a beautiful place in Scotland. It was also interesting to see the inclusive festivities. The characters are really likeable and they create a closely knit, supportive community. No wonder the American doctor Em loves it here. The murders were not too gory, but unusual and the medical details sounded interesting.
All in all I spent some enjoyable time with the novel and can recommend to anyone who likes the genre..

I really enjoy this series. The setting is charming and different, and the people are likeable and fun. It is Christmas in Sea Isle, Scotland, and Dr. Emilia is off work for almost a month, so she can enjoy all the festivities that the people celebrate. But before the first party happens, the leader of a rock band in town for a special concert is found dead on the beach. During the investigation, the constable and Emilia are both threatened, and another person is found dead. It is a warmhearted story in a very cold place, with lots of loving and kind people and delicious food. I'm looking forward to more in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC.

I enjoyed meeting the characters- had never read the first two books in the series but will look them up!

Death at a Scottish Christmas is the third installment of the Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly. It is the holiday season and our favorite American ex-pat, Dr. Emilia (Em) McRoy is looking forward to her first Christmas in Sea Island, Scotland. Dr. Em became the local doctor and coroner after moving to the community for a fresh start. She works closely with the local Constable and Laird Ewan Campbell. As she adjusted to her new community, Dr. Em made new friends, and the group quickly became her surrogate family.

The holiday season is serious business in Sea Island and Dr. Em has a month off to enjoy the celebrations. The highlight of the festival is the opening night concert of a popular Scottish band whose lead singer is a local boy. But the festivities could be at risk with Dr. Em’s discovery of the lead singer’s murdered body and Constable Ewan Campbell as one of the prime suspects. Em is determined to find the trued killer to clear Ewan’s name.

This mystery is a perfect rainy day read. The plot has plenty of twists and turns that kept me engaged. The characters are well developed, and I enjoyed watching their growth throughout the series. The more relaxed relationship between Dr. Em and Ewan was a highlight and it hints to future possibilities. Although this book can be read as a standalone, reading the other books in the series will help you understand some of the characters' backgrounds better.

I would absolutely recommend Death at a Scottish Christmas and can’t wait for the next book in this series. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Lucy Connelly and NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy.

A good cozy mystery set on an island in Scotland. When a lead singer is murdered, there are many possible characters who had reason to do him harm. Luckily the doctor plays detective and helps solve the murder. Would recommend. Good story and pace.

Sea Isle, Scotland - Present Day

Dr. Emilia McRoy is an American physician who recently left Seattle to take over the small medical facility in Sea Isle, Scotland. Hired by the town constable, Ewan Campbell, Emilia has fit in comfortably with the town's people, making friends, and participating in Sea Isle's goings on. With Christmas coming up, she is especially excited about celebrating a holiday she'd long ago given up. With the arrival of a popular Scottish band who wanted to promote their future tour in America, Emilia is taken by the music, and the group members, some of whom are locals. But when the lead singer is found murdered, Emilia and Ewan are swept up into a drama no one
expected.

After the news gets out about the murder of the famous singer, an outside police detective is sent to investigate, and the first person she suspects is Ewan who had a long ago encounter with the victim. Emilia is shocked, and vows to prove Ewan's innocence. With the bickering of the other band members and their manager, she wonders if they will give her clues.

As the town coroner, as well as physician, Emilia performs the autopsy on the singer, and discovers some disturbing details. Questioning the band members doesn't always produce clear results, and now it seems Emilia may have someone stalking her. Can she prove Ewan's innocence, and stay safe?

DEATH AT A SCOTTISH CHRISTMAS is an interesting first person account of a true mystery. Who would want to kill the group leader? And why? Emilia's intuition must work fast.

I love a good British Isles mystery. Set in Scotland during Christmastime, this book has the local, small-town doctor and coroner trying to discover who murdered the lead singer/songwriter of a popular band. Or did he take his own life? Did he have help?

Death at a Scottish Christmas is part of a series, but stood alone without loose ends or innuendo from earlier books.. I did not feel disadvantaged by not having read the previous titles. It was easy to like the characters and the town. Four stars were given instead of five because the groundwork to the denouement was a bit weak in that there was little evidence pointing to the killer, so the end was more disappointing than satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book had a strong opening I think. It got us invested in the main character, established the setting and her relationship to other characters and the setting and it got us invested in the victim and suspects.
All that being said I don’t think it accomplished the things a 5 star episodic mystery book would accomplish. The ending felt very very weak to me and there were a lot things as I was reading that I thought was really silly. It was a little hard to suspend my disbelief in some places and I didn’t love the idea of a doctor working so closely with the police. There was a lot of police stuff I didn’t like!
I did like the setting of the Scottish isle at Christmas time and I enjoyed that there were a lot of winter festivities that gave us a place to go.
I did feel invested because I thought we were given enough information to potentially solve the mystery on our own which is always preferable but it didn’t end up mattering imo.

Dr. Emilia McRoy emigrated to Scotland after tragic events in Seattle. She's not only their doctor, she's also their coroner. But she's taken a month off to enjoy the holiday festivities and all of Sea Isle's decorations. One of those events is watching a local band that made it big, and they've returned to their roots for a concert before a final tour.

After the band is stranded, the lead singer, Bram Stoker (not that Bram Stoker, obviously!) takes a liking to the doctor and asks her for a dance that night. The town constable, and chief landowner, Ewan Campbell, dislikes Bram but doesn't tell Em why. Still, she enjoys her evening and is surprised when she's called to the beach about a dead person. Finding Bram's body, she doesn't think it was a natural one, and is conducting tests to see if she's right.

But when it's discovered that it truly was murder, Ewan, who has a past with the man, becomes the main suspect and a London officer is sent down to conduct the investigation. After a rocky start, the two women begin to get along, although the officer has her own issues with the investigation as well.

When there's a vicious attack on someone Em cares for, things become even messier, and she knows she has to find out who had the best motive to kill the man. But it won't be easy, and between Christmas festivities and doing her job, someone is out to kill again...

This is the third book in the series and I quite enjoyed it as much as the last one. It's Christmas time in Sea Isle, and the town has gone all out in decorations and festivities. While Em is charmed by this, she's not charmed by the bitter cold and all the snow. Still, she's promised to be a part of it, so a part of it she will be. She also didn't sign up to find another dead body, nor that it's someone well-known and well-loved by others.

But was he, really? In doing her job, she questions the other band members what they know about his past, and she finds that they like fighting with each other more than anything...at least that's what they do. It makes her suspicious of each and every one of them, but could one of his band mates truly kill? Or was it a stalker? Or a crazed fan?

She's also dealing with people who are stuck in Sea Isle due to the snow, trying to decorate her own home, reporters trying to get an inside story, and someone else who is injured while trying to help. Em just might be in over her head this time...

I don't want to say any more about the book in order not to ruin it for others, but I will say the story is riveting and had me reading it in one sitting. There's a lot going on here, along with too many secrets and lies, and also quite a few suspects. It's a fun read for the Christmas holiday (or even before); when the killer is revealed it comes as a complete surprise, which is the best part. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

I found Death at a Scottish Christmas fine for a rainy (or snowy) afternoon's read. Otherwise, nothing to write home about.

Dr. Emilia McRoy investigates the murder of a member of a well-known band who gave a concert in the village, assisted as usual by her friends, curious villagers, and local law enforcement. I enjoyed the development of the characters and their relationships, the mystery with its twists and turns, and the setting of the Scottish Highlands. The ending came very abruptly but on the whole the pacing was brisk and to the point. I look forward to the next book (and hopefully the faster development of the relationship between Emilia and Ewan). Thank you to PenguinRandomHouse and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Scottish Isle series is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy series. Aside from living my dream of moving to a quaint, Scottish island, Em is both likeable and knowledgeable. Doctors don’t feature in most cozies, but her profession gives her unique insight and access to cases without going completely rogue. The supporting cast of characters is also fantastic and very well-developed.

Lucy Connelly's "Death at a Scottish Christmas" is a delightful mix of mystery, holiday cheer, and Scottish charm. Set against the picturesque backdrop of a snowy Scottish village during Christmastime, this novel weaves a tale of intrigue and suspense that kept me guessing until the very end.

The characters are well-developed and engaging, each with their own quirks and secrets that add depth to the story. The protagonist, a clever amateur sleuth with a penchant for solving puzzles, is a compelling lead whose determination to uncover the truth drives the narrative forward.

The author's descriptive prose beautifully captures the essence of a traditional Scottish Christmas, from the cozy cottages with roaring fireplaces to the rolling hills blanketed in snow. The festive atmosphere adds a layer of warmth to the darker themes of murder and deception, creating a unique and engaging reading experience.

While the pacing is a bit slow at times, the intricate plot and unexpected twists more than make up for it. The resolution of the mystery is satisfying and ties up all the loose ends neatly, leaving readers with a sense of closure and fulfillment.

Overall, "Death at a Scottish Christmas" is a captivating novel that blends holiday cheer with a gripping mystery. Fans of cozy mysteries and atmospheric settings will find much to love in this charming book. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy read to curl up with during the holiday season.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher. I was excited to see the next book in this series! Lucy Connelly has created a village that I would love to visit. Dr. McRoy gets to take a month off to enjoy her first Christmas in Sea Isle. To start Christmas off she gets to meet the famous Scottish band, Bram and the Stokers when their vehicle breaks down. She doesn’t even get a small break before she finds the lead singer, Bram, dead. She now is helping Constable Ewan Campbell to solve this confusing mystery. This books is the third in the Scottish Isle Mystery series.

The medical knowledge and expertise give this series a unique identity in the cozy mystery genre. The characters are charismatic and the Scottish setting is enticing. However, I wish the narratives were a bit more “mysterious “.

Did enjoy this book very much. I love reading cozy mysteries and I was super interested in reading more about the Scottish Highlands. I would definitely be recommending this to some of my great friends who are like me. Love, cozy mysteries

Dr Emillia is enjoying working in a remote Scottish village where there are a lot of traditional festivals are celebrated. I is as far as can be from her roots in America. There is great excitement when a band comes to play at Christmas before going on tour in America. Excitement turns to sadness when one of the band members is found dead the next day Emillia as resident Dr/coroner and self styled sleuth needs to discover whether it is natural causes, suicide or murder. Alovely cosy thriller in an attractive setting.