Em is an American doctor who has relocated to the small town of Sea Isle, Scotland. Volunteers have restored an old train, and there is an event with storytellers on its first run. However, one of the storytellers doesn't show up, and he's found dead later. Could he have been poisoned? Is his death due to a fatal allergy? Natural causes or murder? While Em and Ewan are investigating, their romance is starting to heat up. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Death on a Scottish Train

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“ Summer is coming to a close on beautiful Sea Isle in Scotland, and Dr. Emilia McRoy is celebrating one year since her big move. With a weeklong festival to end the season, the town gathers for a magical ride on the newly refurbished Storyteller’s Train, but the launch’s success is dampened by an unexpected death. ”

This was a wonderful edition to this great mystery series! This is the 3rd book I have read in this series and they just keep getting better and better. The mystery had me on my toes the whole time. The characters are added to in every book so it makes them even better. I want to go live in Sea Isle, Scotland forever. Highly recommend this book and series.

Goodness me, this was such a good book. Highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to others, that's for sure! I mean, a train in the scottish highlands. What's not to like?

Death on a Scottish Train: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly is the fourth book in this solidly good cozy mystery series that began with An American in Scotland. It has been about a year since Dr. Emilia McRoy left it all behind in Seattle and moved to Sea Isle, Scotland. The past year has been a lot, but she is happy. Other than the cold, she loves the place and the people and has made a number of friends. Life is pretty good and she feels more and more at home.

As the book begins, tourist season is almost over and the good doctor is worn out. So many tourists has meant an increased workload for her and that has made for long days. But, she promised to attend the Friday night train party and to help out a little bit. So, she is dressed up in her 1930’s outfit and is pushing through for her friends.

Her good friend, Mara, and a number of other folks have refurbished a train that has not run in the last fifty years. Now named the “Scottish Story Tellers Train,” it will run twice daily between Sea Isle and Edinburgh. On board will be a rotating group of storytellers that will share tales for tourists and locals. Tonight is the launch of the train from the local station (also refurbished) and will feature a rolling party of numerous people, food, storytellers, and more.

A fun evening goes a little wrong when one of the storytellers goes missing after he checked in and the train is well underway. The man had been heavily involved up to this point. He was clearly a bit nervous at check in, but the idea he just walked away before doing his storytelling part on the train seems a bit much.

It is only after the train returns to the station and the guests have left that a search party is organized to check the station and the surrounding area. It is the good doctor that finds him wedged into a broom closet at the back of the office. He vomited before death and has a yellow haze in the whites of his eyes and a blueish tint to his lips. He has been dead for some time as rigor is setting in. The good doctor is very sure it is murder. In her secondary role as corner, she will be in charge of the body for sometime as she assists local constable Ewan McGregor and his team in investigating the murder.

What follows is another strong read in this excellent cozy mystery series. Numerous relationships between characters continue to develop and evolve here so it is best to have read the previous books in the series. The mystery is complicated, much like the weather in Scotland, which continues to play its own role in this book and the series. The result is a highly entertaining read in Death on a Scottish Train: A Scottish Isle Mystery and one well worth your time.



My digital ARC came from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a review.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

A cozy mystery with a lovely Scottish setting and a likable main character, but the pacing felt uneven, and the mystery lacked some of the tension I hoped for.

Still, the charm of the setting and supporting cast make it an enjoyable light read. A pleasant addition to the Scottish Escapes series, though not the most gripping installment.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for letting me read and review an advanced copy of ‘Murder on a Scottish Train’ by Lucy Connelly.

The 4th book in the Dr Emilia McCroy/Evan McGregor series is another fantastic story. Celebrating the end of summer, most of the town rides a newly restored train, with storytellers that switch between train cars. One of the storytellers is not on the train and is found dead back at the station. Dr Emilia, who is also the coroner, finds too many abnormalities for the death to be considered accidental, which sets the wheels in motion of another investigation with local constable/laird/mayor, Evan.

I enjoy the sexual tension between the two as they try to solve the mystery, with the usual danger that each faces when they get too close to solving the case.

The 4th book in Lucy Connelly's Scottish Isle mystery is another good one. Dr. Emilia McRoy, the ex-pat American doctor who came to Sea Isle Scotland to be the doctor for the small town, finds herself having to solve yet another murder. This time the death takes place as the town celebrates the opening on a new train line to Edinburgh.

At first the death looks like it might be a tragic accident, the result of an allergy. But as Emilia, who is the coroner as well as the local doctor, soon discovers a deadly intent. As she and the local constable investigate, they learn that more than one person had reason to want the victim dead and gone.

This is a fun entry into this cozy series. Emilia has been in Scotland for a year in this book, and has gathered quite a few friends since moving to Sea Isle. All the gang is here, and including the handsome constable, who is also the mayor and the laird, the man whom Emilia insists is just a work colleague, and maybe now a friend. For those interested in romance with their mystery, Emilia and Ewan do seem to be getting a bit closer to romance in this book--she (and we) even meets his parents!

I love stories with a whole friendship group working together to solve the crimes, and as the coroner Emilia has a more legitimate reason to investigate than many cozy heroines. If you enjoy the series, you'll like this book. If you haven't read any of the series, and you love good mysteries with quirky small town characters, you should get on board now!

I enjoy this series. It’s fast and funny and the relationship between American Dr. Emilia McRoy and serious constable Ewan McGregor continues to evolve. A nice friend group and an acknowledgment that she really does do dumb things while investigating. In this one, a man dies before getting on the newly refurbished train and of course, Dr. Em finds his body. Lots of suspects and danger for all plus a swanky dance makes this a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this DRC.
#DeathonaScottishTrain #NetGalley

What I loved:

Doc and Ewan’s relationship. Dr. Em and Ewan have been dancing around each other (figuratively and literally in this book) this whole series, but e finally made headway in this installation. Ewan is trying so damn hard to make Dr. Em realize he likes her, but she assumes he hates her. I generally hate the easily rectified miscommunication trope, but I am slowly enjoying Em realizing that her attraction is (1) not one-sided, and (2) both physical and emotional.

The Setting. As always, Connelly does a great job of creating a picture of a tight knit, event filled community where everyone gets involved and helps each other. The backdrop for this installation’s murder is the inaugural ride of a historic train from Sea Isle to Edinburgh, which her best friend helped relaunch and half the town is either volunteering to get up and running or is attending as a weekend activity. You can picture the town, its residents, and the Scottish “vibe” on every page. Who doesn’t want to live here?

What Didn’t Work as Well:

The Murder. While the idea of a murder through systematic bee pollen poisoning in cosmetics is a cool concept, I feel like the methodology of the murder and the big reveal (no spoilers) was not well executed. There was a lot of red herrings, the murder victim’s personality and his tics were almost irrelevant, and I did not feel like the end fit the whole story getting there. It felt rushed.

Th Pacing. Similar to above, because the murder was only solved in around the last ten pages and very haphazardly, the rest of the pacing of this book felt painfully slow. Too much time was focused on the various red herring characters, the drama in their lives, and not enough time fleshing out our victim. Dr. Em and Ewan’s investigation was somehow both way too thorough and not effective enough, and the book lingered too long on the cozy elements and not enough on the main plot.

Pub Date: 14 Oct 2025

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Since this is the fourth book in the series, I won’t say too much — but if you loved the first three, you absolutely need to read Death on a Scottish Train! Lucy Connelly continues to deliver perfectly paced and wonderfully plotted mysteries, all wrapped up in charming Scottish vibes.

If this is your first time hearing about the series, I highly recommend picking it up! Books 2 and 3 are my personal favorites, especially for their cozy, wintry atmospheres.

I am excited to pick up the audiobook book when it publishes this that is usually how I consume this series (love me some Scottish accents).

Death on a Scottish Train is the 4th book in the Scottish Isle Mystery series. It takes place in the town of Sea Isle, Scotland. Dr. Emma McRay is the doctor and coroner. She is celebrating her one year anniversary. She came from Seattle, Washington USA as an ER doctor in a busy hospital. to become the doctor in the town. She lives in an old church which is her home as well as her office. Abigail is her assistant. She looks after her brother, Tommy who works as the gardener at the church. Ewan is the local constable and mayor. He hired Emma. Mara is her good friend who runs the Pig and Whistle Pub with her grandparents. She has been one of the volunteers who restored the Scottish Story Teller's train. They were all going to ride the train on the maiden ride. It will go between Sea Isle to Edinburgh. They were assigned seats. Mara and Jasper who was also a friend of Emma's and baker. Ewan also joined them at their table. Henry is a policeman and Abigail's boyfriend.

Donald Jack was one of the volunteers who made sure that everything with the train was accurate. He was also one of the story tellers and was excited about doing it. Mara checked in everyone who would be on the shuttle and Donald was checked off but when it was time for him to be in his car he was a no show. Mara's grandfather filled in for him. Everyone checked the train but he was nowhere to be found. When they got back to Sea Isle they decided to check out the station. Mara, Jasper and Emma split up and looked in all of the rooms. Emma was looking in the office which was empty but noticed a small door. Opened it and found Donald dead in the broom closet. He called Ewan and arranged to have the body brought to her office. After reviewing the body and said that he had died before the train left. She believed he died of anaphylactic shock. Someone had poisoned him. She planned an authopsy the next day. Abigail did all the lab work on Donald. In checking the lab work she found something strange. Went back to check the body but there were no puncture wounds Donald had digested bee venom and was highly allergic to it. She notified Ewan of her findings that Donald had been killed by bee venom. He got it from his lip balm. It was murder. The store that the lip balm came from Kiara's Lotion and Potions owned by Kiara. She and Ewan spoke to her about the bee venom. She told them that she never used it in her product as people were allergic to bees. She said that if it was in the lip balm someone else had put it there. Donald always bought it in 6 balms as well as lotion for dry skin.

Ewan invited Emma to join him to check out Donald's house and office. Mr. Jeremy Burn was his partner in the accounting firm. He was away at a conference. At the house Emma found letters threatening Donald. The next day Emma and Ewan went to the office. Catherine Allen is the executive assistant to the owner. She told them that they were under investigation with the Revenue of Scotland because of Donald.

Returning to Donald's house they ran into Mrs. Culbert. She lived next door and told them that the only people who came to his house was his partner and the assistant who stayed an hour. In the house they found a train set up of the town Even the storybook train. Going through his desk Emma found a hidden compartment with a laptop hidden inside. In getting into it they suspected that he was a thief. Needed a forensic accountant to check everything out. They also found a plastic garbage bag filled with money. It was in the bottom of a fake p[ant.

Mara bought a woman to the clinic. The woman was Donald's sister, Kaitlyn. Mara was suspicious of her. She told Emma that she as an editor of books. Donald had been her accountant and had lost all her money in one of his schemes. A year ago he had asked her for money again. She was so upset that she hadn't seen him since. She also wanted to know when she could get her brother's body to bury.

This is where the story takes off. There is so much going on that it is hard to put all on paper. There are so many twists and turns that leaves the reader staying to the very suspenseful and exciting ending.

I have read all the books in this series. I love the characters that make up the town. The romance between Ewan and Emma is ongoing. Hope they realize they do love eachother in the next book and go from there.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this Arc.

Unlike a lot of people, I just recently discovered Lucy Connelly and fell in love, so I was excited to see Death on A Scottish Train the fourth book in her A Scottish Isle Mystery series, available on NetGalley. I requested it, crossed my fingers when I got the approval, and cheered when I got it. Death on a Scottish Train was as great as I expected and now has me hooked on another series. It may take me a while to buy all of them, but that will happen as soon as I can make it happen. After reading so many books where the police tell the main character to stay out of the investigation, and rightly, it was great to be part of the work the investigators did. I loved seeing the mutual respect among the professionals and watching the interaction among the friends. While I had no problem deciding who the killer was, it did not detract at all from the plot. The whole story, the multiple mysteries, and finding out how things worked was intriguing throughout. I hope the chance of romance doesn't drag out too much, but I am fine with the slowly developing relationship for now.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane, for allowing me to read and review Lucy Connelly's wonderful new book Death on a Scottish Train. My friends will be as excited about this book and about finding a compelling new series as I am.

#NetGalley #CrookedLane #AScottishIsleMystery #LucyConnelly #DeathonaScottishTrain

First book I have read by this author. Will definitely be looking forward to read more of her work!
Story moved along at a nice pace. Characters are developed nicely. Plenty of suspects to filter through.
Suprise ending. Would recommend this book for anyone's reading enjoyment.

I remember when the Ist book in this series, An American in Scotland, came out. It was all anyone could talk about. I bought it, of course, but it took me months before I finally decided to read it. I wasn't sure I would like it. Boy was I wrong! Lucy Connelly quickly became my favorite author.
Murder on a Scottish Train has everything I want in a cozy.
Dr Emilia has the best friends a girl could ask for. They are always down to do crazy and possibly dangerous things just to make sure she's safe. I love the all fun loving, quirkiness.
The way Lucy brings her characters to life, I don't feel like I'm reading a story about fictional characters and I definitely want to be part of their friend group! The banter between her and Ewan is unparalleled but also if those two don't realize they are perfect for each other and do it soon I'm going to scream!
Anyways, back to the review. When someone is found dead on opening night of the town's new storytelling train we all know that Em can't just do the coroner job and walk away.
She has a much too curious mind and has to help investigate.
That curious mind of hers has gotten her into some trouble and sticky situations in the past. This time is no different.
Lucy Connelly has done a bang up job once again, keeping us guessing at every corner trying to figure out who done it and why!
P.S. Just in case by some miracle Lucy reads this review lol This series can never end!

Death on a Scottish Train is book 4 in the Scottish Isles Series. Lucy Connelly is a favorite author, and this series certainly proves Connelly's talent for weaving together plot and characters into a terrific series. In this 4th book, Dr Em and Ewan make some small progress in the romantic aspects of their relationship. The other characters are also wonderful--Abigail, Tommy, Henry, and Mara are all likable and fun.
Death on a Scottish Train is well plotted, as Em and Ewan's friends help them solve the mystery surrounding a storyteller's death. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I am recommending this wonderful cozy mystery, and the above comments reflect how much I liked this novel.
5 stars

Death on a Scottish Train is another delightful triumph from Lucy Connelly! Set aboard the enchanting inaugural journey of the Storytellers train, this cozy mystery delivers charm, intrigue, and just the right dose of danger. The beloved cast of relatable characters continues to shine, making it easy to feel right at home even amid murder and mayhem. With its atmospheric Scottish setting and smart storytelling, this series remains a fan favorite—and this latest installment is not to be missed! (I received an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.)

I started reading this and put it down. I was enjoying it so much that I decided to read the earlier books first. I have now completely the series to date. This book can be read stand alone but better if read in order. I love the characters and their interactions. I hope the books keep coming and soon

‘You’re going to be nosy no matter what I say.’

In true Agatha Christie style Mercy and her twin sister are off on a whiskey tasting retreat in a nearby castle and storms roll in and bodies start to drop. With her mystery writers’ imagination working overtime Mercy can’t help but to meddle in Kiernan’s investigation. Highly enjoyable!

This is latest installment in one of my favorite cozy mystery series featuring Dr. Emilia McRoy, an American doctor now living in Sea Isle, Scotland who works with the local police to solve mysteries as the town’s coroner. When a local financial adviser and train enthusiast is murdered during an event held on the newly refurbished train, it’s up to Em, her friends, and constable Ewan McGregor to solve the case.

As always the cozy setting of the small Scottish town is lovely and I really enjoyed the relationship between Em and her friends. I also really enjoyed the development of the characters as they grow and form new bonds. Em and Ewan finally seem to be making progress in their contentious and often awkward friendship, and I was glad to see that. Overall the mystery was just okay but the other elements more than made up for it. I hope the mystery is fleshed out in the final version.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy! All opinions expressed are my own.

This is my first book by Lucy Connelly, but I certainly will read other books by her. The characters are delightful, determined to find the murderer, and the plot is clever and tense. Emilia, an American who has been living in Scotland on Sea Isle for a year, is a medical doctor and by default has become the coroner for the town. She is also intrigued by the murder of a man who was supposed to be one of the story tellers on a refurbished train journey. The victim seems to have been killed by a severe but slow allergy to bee balm, and Doctor Em needs to figure out the exact physical cause and result of the death.

The characters are particularly likeable, and their interactions are intriguing. Doc, as Emilia is called by most villagers, seems to have a burgeoning relationship with Ewan, a laird whose family has more than one castle or mansion, and who is also the town mayor and constable. Their growing friendship is developing and sweet.

This cozy mystery has every aspect to make it suspenseful and intriguing. The characters are skillfully developed and the plot keeps us ruminating on who is guilty of what. The book is skillfully written and moves quickly. It's a great book for readers of mystery and lovers of great character development.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.