I very much enjoyed Lydia Travers’ Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency series, so I was thrilled to discover she had started a new series - the Lady Poppy Proudfoot series. I was not disappointed.

This series is set in my favourite decade for cosy crime - the 1920s. The physical setting was also enjoyable - a country house party, though the first murder occurs before most of the guests arrive.

I liked Poppy - she’s very confident and quite pushy, but is also kind. She’s determined to be useful, and does her best to be so.

There’s a good selection of characters who make good suspects, and I very much enjoyed seeing Poppy investigating them.

Overall, this was an excellent start to a new series, and I can’t wait to see what Poppy gets up to next.

I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: It was fun

1924, Scotland
Lady Poppy Proudfoot travels to the Highlands for a midsummer party, where a body turns up beside the loch. When Inspector MacKenzie doesn’t seem to take her seriously, Poppy jumps into action and decides to solve the case.
Of course, another mystery grabs her attention - Lady Constance Balfour, the host, claims her diamond and emerald bracelet is stolen. Are the two events connected? Without more than enough suspects in the house party, Poppy has work cut out for her.
The story comes in Poppy’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
While I didn’t particularly enjoy the first book of The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency series, I liked this better.
The FMC is an almost 30-year-old rich widow with a university education and some social service during WWI to her name. This makes her quite entitled, which comes across clearly in her thoughts, actions, and reactions.
You’ll have to be patient initially to get used to the FMC’s attitude. Yeah, she has quite a few flaws. However, these feel realistic and aligned with how the ladies with titles behaved back then. Makes it hard to like her immediately, but good for the character arc.
There’s a large cast since a house party is going on, and more people pop up in Edinburgh, but I didn’t find it confusing. The key ones are easy enough to track. Gregor, the 14-year-old lad, is a delight to read. He adds a lot of humor and lightness to the story.
The lady’s maid is a bit annoying, but I think that’s the intention. We also have two dogs, a chihuahua named Ollie and a Lab named Major. Major is the FMC’s dog, so he’ll be a recurring character. Yay!
Inspector MacKenzie, the prospective love interest, is actually a decent guy. He shows much patience dealing with the FMC’s antics. He’ll need to be patient in the coming books, too!
The mystery or mysteries, as such, are decent. I like how they don’t go into the tried and tested path but try something different. The reveal is believable, too.
The characters from the previous series make an entry as both books are set in the same region, and they have overlapping social circles.
We get enough descriptions of the highlands to imagine the beautiful place without getting distracted from the main plot. This keeps the pacing moderate and steady.

To summarize, Death at the Highland Loch is a solid start to a new cozy mystery series with yet another female amateur sleuth. As I look forward to the next book, I hope the FMC’s arc shows some growth.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Okay I can’t be the only one that needs more Inspector MacKenzie! I truly loved loved loved this book!! I enjoyed going about this case with Lady Poppy and getting the banter I needed from her and Inspector MacKenzie! I can’t wait for more! I need it!

This was my first book by Lydia Travers. It was a really fun mystery that keep me guessing. I really enjoyed the setting and will definitely be checking out her other books.

Fun little book with a strong tie-in with the Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

Scotland, 1924: Lady Persephone ‘Poppy’ Proudfoot has journeyed to the Highlands with her maid and Labrador Major Lewis for a house party being held later in the week at the mansion of her new friend, Lady Constance Balfour. Along with Poppy, there’s a few other guests that are stayinHg the week, including a Hollywood director, his leading lady, and leading man (all looking to get some ‘atmosphere’) and Constance’s brother-in-law, Nick and his wife Morag. Things quickly go south when the next morning the footman rushes in, announcing there’s a body floating in the loch. Poppy, in part because of her law degree and in part because of the nursing she did during the Great War, soon realizes the man was murdered and that they needed to summon the police.

The police soon arrives in the form of Inspector MacKenzie; he and Poppy almost immediately start butting heads. But soon afterwards, Poppy gets a ‘case’ - Lady Constance has bill from a jewelry shop claiming her recently deceased husband bought a bracelet there a month or so before he died. But the bracelet is nowhere to be found - was it stolen or did her husband give it to another woman, perhaps the lovely blonde actress now staying with them who’s wearing a bracelet that matches the bracelet listed on the bill?

This was a nice beach read! I liked Lady Poppy, although I was curious why, as a widow, she was using her maiden name - which came up several times as people kept wanting to refer to her as ‘Miss’ instead of ‘Lady’. It got a bit annoying how often Poppy did something against the Inspector’s wishes, leaving the Balfour estate or asking people questions. But the characters were likable, and it feels like the series has lots of potential between Poppy, her maid Elspeth (who disapproves of Poppy’s asking questions) and the Inspector who may have more than a slight romantic interest in Poppy.

Recommended. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.Com which I voluntarily reviewed.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for this ARC. I've read the lady detective agency series and was hoping this would be as good but it was quite long winded and i guessed the culprit quote early on.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

A cozy mystery which introduces Lady Poppy, a buddying amateur detective. Fun read and I look forward to more adventures with Lady Poppy (and Major the dog)

3.75 stars rounded up. I do love a cosy historical mystery, bonus points if there’s a hint of romance and a dog! This one sees Lady Persephone Proudfoot (Poppy) take her dog Major to a country house for the week when she is invited to join the Balfour family for parties. A body is soon discovered by the loch and Inspector MacKenzie arrives to investigate, while Poppy has a go at putting her law degree to use and trying to solve it too. Add in some American film people, a potential jewel disappearance, a visiting friend of Poppy’s back in Edinburgh who gets mistaken for Poppy and attacked… and overall this is a good read and introduction to what promises to be a fun cosy mystery series.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers Bookouture, in return for an unbiased review.

Scotland, 1924: A glamorous midsummer party in the Highlands turns deadly when a body is discovered beside the loch. Lady Poppy, armed with her law degree and a loyal Labrador, is convinced it’s murder. But grumpy Inspector MacKenzie dismisses her meddling. Can she solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

This fun and entertaining mystery kept me guessing. It has a strong plot and well-developed characters. I like Lady Poppy, even if she’s sometimes a bit smug in her treatment of MacKenzie and withholds information from him. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

A good cozy mystery set in 1920s Scotland. When Lady Poppy goes to a house party she finds a body washed up on the shore of the Loch. Naturally there is a grumpy police chief who I hope will be a love interest in future books. Fun read and fun to follow the clues in this one. Would highly recommend.

Death at the Highland Loch is a murder mystery set between the First and Second World Wars. Lady Poppy Proudfoot is of that class of woman who doesn't need to work, but is very keen to stick her nose into everyone elses' affairs, a bonus when you are investigating a murder. She is also a little aragant and irritating, but hopefully as the series progresses, some of her rougher edges come of and we warm to her a bit more.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this book and it certainly kept me guessing, although I had figured out one or two things by the end. I wasn't keen on the way that Poppy decided she was a detective on the strength of solving one mystery. Most amatures are a little less keen to label themselves straight away.
There are mentions of characters from a previous series I believe, I haven't ready any of the books, so didn't really understand who they were, but fans of Lydia Travers other books might well appreciate them.
This was an entertaining read and a good start to a new series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Lady Poppy is a strong, smart and independent woman who wants to solve a crime using her budding detective skills. I really enjoyed this book. I love historical murder mysteries and this one didn't disappoint. I’m already looking forward to find out what happens next.
I received an advance review copy via Netgalley/Bookouture and I’m leaving a voluntary and honest review.

I just loved this book! I loved the story and the characters I just couldn’t put it down.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you love a cozy mystery and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

'Death at the Highland Loch' is one of those amateur detective mysteries where I read for the slow burn romance as much as the puzzle behind the murder. Both Poppy and Inspector MacKenzie's banter and ingenuity propel the story along. Gregor was also a delightful member of the cast. The 1924 Scotland setting has glamour and charm, but the rest of the characters are not as memorable, which is fair for a whodunit. Lydia Travers wrapped up the story well, which pushed my rating from 4 to a 5.

If you enjoy reading historical cozy mysteries, then I recommend this book to you! I look forward to the sequel. And I have not read The Scottish Ladies Detective Agency series that this book was spun off from, so I am intrigued to explore those as well.

Special thanks to the Publisher, Bookouture, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I'm a fan of cosy crime and this is no exception! It was a wonderful setting and such a good time getting to know these characters and seeing how the mystery unravelled! A great start to a new series!

Lady Persephone "Poppy" Proudfoot attends a house party at an estate, meets some American actors, and tries to solve the murder of a stranger to the village whose body is discovered by the lake. The first in a series, this book is a quick read with a plot that moves along, although some of the large cast of characters seem superfluous (e.g., the American visitors). Poppy herself is a difficult character to like in the beginning - a bit spoiled (making use of her title) and childish (keeping information from Inspector McKenzie for no good reason), but her enthusiasm to solve the mystery grew on me, and she will hopefully develop greater depth as the series continues. Poppy is a widow, a law-school graduate (in the 1920s!), and ran a hospital for wounded soldiers during WW1, so I know the depth is there, and hopefully the author will draw it out. A promising beginning to the series and I look forward to the next book. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the eARC.

Death at the Highland Loch is the first in Lydia Travers’ new 1920s’ series about Lady Persephone Proudfoot (Poppy, for choice). Poppy is the daughter of the Earl of Crieff who, upon inheriting the earldom, promptly went off to be a sheep-farmer in Australia with Poppy’s mother.

The book opens with Poppy arriving for a week-long house party, hosted by a new acquaintance, Lady Constance Balfour, the recently widowed owner of Balfour House and its estate. Poppy is accompanied by her maid, Elspeth. Unfortunately, the next morning, a body is discovered by the loch. As frequently happens in these cosy detection novels, Poppy takes an instant unjustified dislike to the handsome police inspector despatched to investigate, Inspector Mackenzie, and decides that she can solve the murder before he can. In a separate sub-plot, Poppy also discovers that Constance’s late husband had bought a lovely diamond and emerald bracelet that Connie has never seen. Connie wonders if her late husband was having an affair, as she cannot think of any other explanation. As Poppy needs to go back to Edinburgh for one night, she offers to ask questions at the jeweller’s and try to identify the recipient.

I’m in two minds about this book. The murder and the bracelet threads have good, satisfactory, solutions with some ingenious solid clues for the latter. Travers can write lively enjoyable dialogue with vivid characters – there is no danger of getting any characters mixed up in this book, despite there being several house-party guests. Any historical facts are gently slipped into the story and we do not feel the book has morphed into a history textbook. On the other hand, I do have reservations. Poppy and Elspeth are not likeable characters. The danger is that first impressions – in novels as in life – do count. The reader doesn’t know the characters and must take them to be as the author depicts them - I nearly gave up on page 2. In this case, Poppy is arrogant and, I’m afraid, a little stupid at times. Although Inspector Mackenzie has told the guests not to leave the estate, Poppy is determined to go back to Edinburgh to keep her promise to meet and host a young woman coming for an interview at the hospital. She thinks that if she leaves Elspeth at Balfour House, Mackenzie is “[…] sure to think I’m in another room or out riding.” Mackenzie, however, has a sense of humour and is quite tolerant of Poppy, despite her irritating and self-centred behaviour.

I also had to suspend belief a couple of times in the last few chapters. When told over the phone that Mackenzie is on a train, Poppy tells the constable “[G]et the train to turn round and come back” and “[I]nform the inspector he must return straightaway […] as I have solved the case.” As I said, arrogant and self-centred. You might argue that this is satirical humour, depicting a caricature of Poppy, but I’m less certain, given the way she is depicted earlier in the novel.

Despite my reservations, I shall look out for book 2 in the series, hoping that the author shows Poppy as a much more likeable person. Poppy has some generous traits and could easily be portrayed as intelligent and deserving of Mackenzie’s respect. I’m not sure that a “nice” Poppy, though, would tolerate Elspeth’s (frankly, insolent) behaviour. I do think that it would be a much stronger book if they had an amicable, more sympathetic, relationship.

Fans of Travers’ Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency books will be pleased to note Maud and Daisy make guest appearances.

#DeathattheHighlandLoch #NetGalley

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t an intense or heavy read, but it offered a charming setting, plenty of adventure, and just the right touch of mystery. I especially loved Poppy and her fierce determination to defy the expectations placed on women—particularly fitting given the 1920s setting. Her little mission to Edinburgh in search of the missing bracelet was a highlight for me and kept the story moving at a fun pace.

There was always something happening, so I never found myself bored. That said, I did feel the large cast of characters made things a bit hard to follow at times. Some, like the American actors and directors, didn’t feel essential to the story—unless they play a larger role in other books in the series.

I absolutely adore Scotland, and this cozy mystery series was right up my alley. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this in advance!

Once again the publisher has insurance me to another new author and series that I'm, definitely looking forward to reading more by and of. I loved most of the characters and the interaction between them, and I especially loved how the main character wasn't afraid to cause chaos.

Death At The Highland Loch, is the first book in the Lady Poppy Proudfoot Mysteries by Lydia Travers, When Lady Poppy and her favorite pup Major is visiting Scotland for a Midsomer party at Lady Constance‘s estate, who’s also a new widow. Lady Poppy went to law school and loves the art of investigating, so when lady constant tells her of a bracelet that a local jewelry store claims her husband ordered with a staggering amount owed, Lady Poppy says she’ll look into it. Poppy is getting her ducks in a row to investigate the mysterious bracelet when a body is found by the loch on Lady Constance‘s estate and it looks like someone in her staff is the culprit. two detective inspector Max annoyance Poppy investigates the murder as well but when someone attacks a young girl poppy loaned her cloak to she knows she’s getting close despite someone doesn’t want her to live long enough to uncover the mystery. let me just say I love chief inspector Mac and Poppy‘s relationship and also I in no way figure out the ending which to me makes for a good mystery I really thought I knew but I had no clue and I cannot wait for the next book. I am a new reader of cozy mystery series and I really thoroughly enjoy the beginning of this one. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #DeathAtTheHighlandLoch, #LydiaTravers, #LadyProudfootMysteries,