This is the third book in the Grace McKenna Mystery series but the first one I have read.

Grace operates the Portobello Detective Agency along with her friends, Hannah and Jean. They are tasked with finding a missing woman and as they search they discover she is one of many. It appears that there are secrets to discover at Whiteadder House where these young people have been taken for therapy. Grace and her team put their lives on the line when they go into the House undercover.

An interesting story which can be read as a standalone but I think would have been even better if I had read the previous two books as well. I enjoyed all of the happenings but was not really invested in the characters. The blame falls on me for that - always start your series at #1.

Eliza Anderson's twin sister was missing and the police weren't interested, so she arrived at the door of the Portobello Detective Agency, run by Grace McKenna, ex cop. Learning about Beth's life to date was hard to listen to, but Grace took the case and her two offsiders, Hannah and Jean, along with Harvey, Grace's devoted Labrador were all determined to find the missing woman. Eliza's information led them to a clinic for addicted young people; they would stay for a year, free of charge, and leave, healthy and no longer addicted. Grace was alarmed. Those places were expensive; what was happening out in the Scottish wilderness at Whiteadder House?

Grace's ex husband, Brodie, who was a police officer, told Grace he couldn't and wouldn't get involved, even when the body of a young woman was found washed up on the shore. With no help from the officials, Grace and her team knew they had to infiltrate Whiteadder House themselves. Danger vibrated, but Grace was determined. There were people in peril, some who were beyond help she knew - but she had to do it, come what may. Hannah and Grace went in undercover - but would they make it out again?

Murder at Whiteadder House is the 3rd in the Detective Grace McKenna Scottish Murder Mystery series by Jackie Baldwin and it was intense! Fast paced, my heart was pounding as I flew through the pages - I couldn't work out whether this would end well or not! Fabulous characters - the three women of the detective agency, and Harvey make the stories! I'm really looking forward to #4 and am convinced this one is the best yet in the series. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Jackie Baldwin’s “Murder at Whiteadder House,” the third installment in the Grace McKenna Mystery series, marks a thrilling and sophisticated addition to the series that fans have come to love. Baldwin continues to deliver a compelling narrative, rich with atmospheric tension and finely-tuned character development, making this novel a standout in the genre.

The story plunges Grace McKenna and her Portobello Detective Agency into their most perilous case yet. Baldwin’s adeptness at creating a sense of urgency and danger is evident as Grace and her team navigate the ostensibly idyllic yet sinister Whiteadder House clinic. The remote Scottish setting adds a layer of isolation and suspense, enhancing the overall mood of the narrative.

Baldwin maintains a consistency in her storytelling, seamlessly blending intricate plotting with character-driven drama. Grace McKenna, as ever, is a tenacious and relatable protagonist, whose personal stakes are higher in this novel. Her complex relationship with her ex-husband Brodie, who may be compromised, adds an emotional depth that resonates throughout the story. This emotional core is a hallmark of Baldwin’s previous works and continues to engage readers, allowing them to connect with Grace on a deeper level.

Character development is robust, with Grace’s protégée Hannah emerging as a significant figure in the investigation. Hannah’s evolution and growing confidence provide a refreshing dynamic to the team. The ensemble cast, from the enigmatic clinic founders to the desperate Eliza Anderson, is well-drawn, contributing to the intricate web of intrigue and deception.

Fans of cozy mysteries will find much to appreciate in Baldwin’s meticulous attention to detail and her ability to craft a story that balances suspense with the comfort of familiar characters and settings. The immersive investigation process, combined with the luxurious yet eerie backdrop of Whiteadder House, keeps readers engaged and guessing. Baldwin’s prose is both evocative and precise, making the Scottish wilderness come alive and enhancing the overall sense of place.

“Murder at Whiteadder House” is a testament to Jackie Baldwin’s skill in crafting a mystery that is both thrilling and emotionally resonant. It is a worthy addition to the Grace McKenna Mystery series, offering a perfect blend of suspense, character development, and atmospheric storytelling. Whether you’re a long-time follower of the series or a newcomer, this book promises a gripping and satisfying read that is sure to leave you eagerly anticipating the next chapter in Grace McKenna’s journey.

I very much enjoyed this detective agency mystery. It’s not quite a cosy, but has endearing characters and a wonderful dog. Very clever plot idea and nasty villains.

This is the third book in the Grace McKenna series, and it is just as good as the first two. In this installment, Grace and her team (Jean and Hannah—and the faithful golden retriever, Harvey) are hired to find a woman’s missing sister. Their investigation leads them to a posh rehab clinic, where things are not what they seem. They find themselves in over their heads, in part because the local police seem to be blocking the investigation—which leads to an interesting twist. I have grown to love these characters and how they work as a team to solve crimes, and I love the backdrop of Edinburgh (and Portobello beach, in particular). I can’t wait for the next book in the series! Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eliza Anderson goes to see Grace McKenna reporting that her sister, Beth, is missing. Grace and her team are led to Whiteadder House, a Scottish remote wilderness, where residents stay to be cured of alcohol and drug addiction. When a young woman's body is found on a nearby beach, Grace knows she must find out more before another life is lost. Could it be linked to the clinic? Are the police being silenced by Big Pharma? This is a fast-paced novel with twists and turns which kept me guessing until the very end. I enjoyed the main characters of the book. Grace owns a detective agency with her friend, Jean, and Connor's girlfriend, Hannah, and her dog Harvey. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. If you like action-packed thrillers then you will love this book. Highly recommend!

A really great cozy murder mystery. Although I hadn’t read the previous 2 novels I soon picked up the characters and their relationships. It was an interesting plot and was well written and I raced through the exciting novel. I would recommend it, Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this novel.

What a whirlwind of a book! My first read from Jackie Baldwin and it definitely didn't disappoint.

What I liked:
-The protagonists weren't sexy, young and had a 100% happy ever after. They were various ages, comfortable in themselves and had complex stories that will obviously be continued in the next book.
-The pace. It was unputdownable because every chapter left on a hook that you had to see out.
-3 female protagonists/heroes
-The amount of Harvey time! (Poor Harvey)
-The evil sanitorium vibe!

What I didn't like:
-For a series that I chose because it was set in Scotland, the only thing Scottish was the proximity to Edinburgh and the word 'wee' was used 3 times. I wanted a lot more Scottish language, customs and culture.
-The beginning was a tad confusing as we waited to find out what relationships the characters were to each other. With such a complicated set, it needed spelling out better.
-What happened to Marek in the end?

My thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This reads to me more like a police procedural than a cozy mystery. It’s not for me, but I’m sure the target audience will enjoy it. It’s well-paced with strong and sympathetic characters.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was the first book in this series that I read, and while it is the third one written, I had no trouble following along. The characters were well developed and interesting, the plot moved along quickly and had some nice twists and turns. The story reads as an elevated cozy mystery. Overall, a really great read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good mystery and this was a good mystery. This is the 3rd book in the Grace McKenna series, but can be read as a stand-alone. The characters were great; you could easily relate to the ones you needed to relate to and didn't like the characters you shouldn't like. The world-building and scene settings were very well done and I had no problem picturing the scenes in my head. The story is fast-paced with enough twists and turns to keep on flipping the pages. I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed every second of it. I think the only thing that was a little downer was the plot. I figured that one out pretty quickly, but it didn't take away my curiosity if I was right. This book gives you the ‘cosy’ mystery vibe, but with the tension and suspense, it becomes a lot more. I like Jackie her writing style and she has no problem dragging you into the story from the very first page. If you are a fan of mystery, private detectives and you like to stay up just so you can finish a book, try this one out. In all fairness, the whole series is really nice, so if you are bored you can definitely binge-read these ones.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley, and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

This book had me guessing until the end. I thought I had it figured out a few times, but I was wrong. Great mystery and characters!

This book held me in suspense and made me wonder what was going to happen next. I liked the bravery of the investigators and the girl whose sister is missing. I didn't see the findings or the ending coming.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Jackie Baldwin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Murder at Whiteadder House
by Jackie Baldwin
Pub Date: May 29 2024

Murder at Whiteadder House is the 3rd book in the Detective Grace McKenna Scottish Murder Mystery. Although it is the 3rd book in a series it can be read as a standalone.

The book has great writing, the plot has a lot of unexpected twists and turns and the story ends in a dramatic climax! My favorite book in the series!

Synopsis: When 28-year-old Eliza Anderson walks through Grace McKenna’s door begging for help finding her missing sister, it sparks the Portobello Detective Agency’s most dangerous investigation to date.

Many thanks to #MurderatWhiteadderHouse #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Set in Scotland near Edinburgh, Grace McKenna runs a private investigation agency, with team members Hannah and Jean, and of course, her golden retriever Harvey. Her ex-husband Brodie is a police officer, and the two had almost gotten back together when Brodie’s girlfriend Julie announced that she was pregnant, drawing Brodie to her.

Grace’s client Eliza is desperate to locate her missing twin sister Beth, who had been a patient at the mysterious Whiteadder House rehab center to recover from her addictions. Grace’s investigation starts to reveal that there are some horrible things going on behind the scenes at the seemingly ideal rehab center. As Grace, Jean, and Hannah discover more about what the doctors are doing at Whiteadder, they are increasingly getting into very dangerous territory. Two mysterious bodies wash up on the beach. Are they associated with Whiteadder? Grace finds it difficult to get help from the police or even to know whom she can trust. Can she even trust Brodie? The characters are very well-written, and the story was so absorbing I read it in one day, taking only short breaks. Great suspense! I recommend it highly.

4.5 good pace, story, and characters Listened br audio and enjoyed Short chapters made reading fast and consistent
Will read more from this author

This is the third Grace McKenna mystery but can be read as a standalone. Grace runs a small detective agency in Edinburgh, at the beginning of the story a client, Eliza Anderson walks through the door asking for help to track down her twin sister Beth. Beth had been an alcoholic and drug addict but apparently had been restored to health by a luxurious rehab clinic at Whiteadder. The clinic seems too good to be true, the last meeting Eliza had with her sister, she seemed to have relapsed to her old ways and sounded paranoid “She kept on about how they were sending the snake to get her.”
Digging deeper into Whiteadder House, Grace and Hannah, her colleague, go undercover into the clinic in an attempt to find out what is going on behind the façade. What they find is unsettling, the clinic is run by an American pharmaceutical company, which has no qualms about their research methods, they also have local clout with the police; this will prove to be a very dangerous investigation.
The thriller has elements of a Robin Cook medical thriller mixed with a private detective investigation like a Sara Paretsky novel. The writing is engaging and the plot takes a number of dramatic twists and turns. We are invested in the characters as they delve deeper into the mystery. The story races along to a thrilling climax.

An Exciting and Gripping Novel
I really enjoyed the previous book, so I was really looking forward to reading this book Murder at Whiteadder Lane by Jackie Baldwin. This is an action-packed thriller that grabbed my attention from the start. Grace McKenna was a high-flying detective in the Edinburgh police force, until her son Connor's suicide. Grace runs a detective agency and is assisted by her friend Jean and Connor's girlfriend Hannah and her dog called Harvey.
The case begins when a lady called Eliza comes in saying her twin sister is missing. Eliza had been to the police, but they think that her sister has disappeared because she is an alcoholic and fell of the wagon and was also taking drugs.
Eliza sister had been a patient at a private clinic, called Whiteadder House which is in the beautiful highlands of Scotland This starts ringing alarm bells for the three investigators as it seems too good to be true, a private clinic offering miracle cures and luxury comfort for one year at no cost plus taking homeless people of the streets and then giving them somewhere to live and helping them to get a job after their release.
Grace and Hanna are determined to find the underlying cause of their missing person as they get drawn into more than just a missing person as They are informed a body washed up on the shores is linked back to the clinic. Grace must trust her instincts to find a way in to save her client’s twin sister. Grace is spurned into action so both Grace and Hannah go undercover and decide to infiltrate the clinic to prevent more deaths and to find Elizas twin sister whom they believe is being kept against her will inside. With the facility locked down tight and a web of corruption allowing Whiteadder to operate unchecked they are going to have to be very careful and get out alive with their client.
I really enjoyed this book, it is an excellent fast pacing book, has intriguing characters, with an action-packed plot line and an exciting and gripping novel which will hold you until the end of the story. Murder at Whiteadder House by Jackie Baldwin is a professionally written book with plenty of twists and turns. A thrilling adventure that I highly recommend. Do not miss this book. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

ex-cop, local-law-enforcement, missing-persons, Scottish-noir, undercover, thriller, suspense, threats, manipulation, secrets, lies, twins, sisters, private-investigators, rural, corruption, murder, investigation, relationships, relationship-issues, riveting, greed, police-corruption, political-corruption, pharmaceuticals, guinea-pigs, experiments*****

Former DI Grace McKenna left The Job after personal tragedy and came to start the Portobello Detective Agency with a cohesive group of other women and the occasional assist by her DCI ex-husband. This client is in search of her twin sister who has disappeared for good this time, but it doesn't feel voluntary. Their investigations lead to involvement in undercover work at the Whiteadder House, a rehabilitation facility deep in a major wooded area. The story compelled me to finish it in one day!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

The Portobello Detective Agency takes on its most dangerous investigation to date when Eliza Anderson seeks Detective Grace McKenna’s help in finding her missing twin sister. Grace and her team member Hannah begin their search at the Whiteadder House, a rehabilitation facility located deep in the woods of Scotland’s wilderness. They find that the claims for treatment at the facility are almost too good to be true. It is more like a luxury spa for the wealthy than a treatment facility for recovering drug addicts.
Hannah and Grace believe Eliza’s sister is a patient in the facility, and her life may be in danger. When a young woman who was believed to be a patient at the clinic was found dead at a nearby beach, other lives may also be in danger. The police were notified about the suspicious activities going on inside the clinic, but they failed to do anything about it.
Grace and Hannah are determined to find out the truth. In a heart-stopping move, they risk their own lives by infiltrating the clinic to uncover its corrupt activities and prevent more lives from being lost.
A gripping novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.