Murder in the Scottish Highlands
(An Ally McKinley Mystery #1)
by Dee MacDonald

Amazon / B&N / BB

Majestic mountain views, whisky by the fire and… a murder to solve? Join Ally McKinley at her cosy little guesthouse in the Scottish Highlands as she tackles her first puzzling case!

For recently retired Ally McKinley, the tiny village of Locharran is the perfect place to open the guesthouse of her dreams in a lovingly restored old Scottish malthouse. Before long she is making friends with the locals, including Hamish Sinclair, the earl who owns the nearby castle. But things take an unexpected turn when her first paying guest, American tourist Wilbur Carrington, is found sprawled across her cobblestoned courtyard with a dagger in his back…

With the police baffled, Ally’s instincts get the better of her, and she can’t resist launching her own investigation. In no time at all she and her Labrador puppy Flora are on the case, making enquiries over tea and excellent shortbread. She finds that Wilbur, a keen amateur genealogist, was convinced that he was the rightful Earl of Locharran… Even worse, he had plans that would put many people out of their jobs and even their homes.

But which of the locals resorted to murder? The hotel owner furiously trying to save his business? Locharran Castle’s fiercely loyal housekeeper who’d do anything for the earl? Or the earl himself, whose entire way of life was threatened by what Wilbur knew?

Looking for clues, Ally finds a faded photograph in a hidden drawer in Wilbur’s room. Could this be the key to solving the mystery? But when one of her suspects dies in a suspicious accident, Ally realises that things are getting a wee bit too close for comfort… Can she uncover the truth or will a killer get off scot-free?

An utterly unputdownable new Scottish cosy mystery series from bestselling author Dee MacDonald. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Clare Chase.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Mrs Frost had acquired a very grand accent– compared to her husband anyway– and spoke with the proverbial mouthful of marbles.

Queenie was the elder– and the boss. She’d acquired a permanent stoop, due to years of stretching across the counter in order to catch every word that any customer might utter, in any part of the shop, no matter how quietly. She was therefore well informed on everyone and everything and, if she ran out of gossip, she was a dab hand at making some up.

Ally had only seen the Reverend Donald Scott from a distance: a tall, gangly, angular man who, she’d been told, had enormous feet. ‘Ye’ll see them comin’ round the corner long before ye see the rest of him,’ Murdo had informed her.

‘How did you deal with it?’ ‘I lifted up his kilt, had a look and said, “Not up to my standard, I’m afraid”! He didn’t hang around to argue!’

My Review:

An absolutely delightful kickoff to a new series and my introduction to the skillful craft of Dee MacDonald. As truly a Scottish name as I’ve ever heard, so well prepared to write cozy mysteries based in bonny Scotland, a land from which many of my ancient ancestors have sprung. I adored her artfully contrived village of amusingly authentic characters, each one more quirky than the next. I enjoyed them so much, I’ve got the next book locked and loaded on my beloved Kindle.

About the Author

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The Runaway Wife was Dee’s first (published) novel, but she wrote her very first book – at around seven years of age! This was a love story which she duly illustrated before sewing all the pages together up one side. Writing was what she ‘was good at’ in school and she won several essay competitions, but then life got in the way and she didn’t pick up a pen again until after retirement.

Dee left Scotland and headed for London at the beginning of the swinging sixties. After typing her way round the West End she became an air stewardess on long haul routes with BA (then BOAC) for eight years. After that she did market research at Heathrow for both the government statistics and for BA, she became a sales rep and was the receptionist at the Thames Television Studios in Teddington when they had the franchise.

She then ran a small B&B for ten years in Cornwall, where she lives with her husband. Dee has one son and two grandsons who live locally.