annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Murder in the Scottish Hills is the second Scottish Ladies Detective Agency historical cozy by Lydia Travers. Released 26th May 2023, it's 323 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. . It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free, alongside the other books in the series.
This is a fun and well written historical cozy with an appealing cast of female private investigators (a well born young woman and her assistant, who was also her former lady's maid) during the early 1900s, set in Scotland. Protagonist Maud has set up as a private enquiry agent, despite strongly sexist discouragement, and is drawn into adventure and danger again when she and Daisy literally find a body on a train.
The plot is well organized and the characters are rendered (mostly) believably. It's a historical cozy, so there are some period appropriate bits of dialogue and commentary which give the book a historical feel, but not so much as to be awkward or yank readers out of their suspension of disbelief. It's a light read; there's no graphic violence or rough language. Well written and civilized, readers who enjoy early golden age mysteries will likely find it, and the other books in the series, appealing.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 43 minutes and is read by series narrator Helen McAlpine. She has a light alto voice with a warm Scottish accent, but does an impressive job of a range of Scots regional accents -as well as- Irish and English without making it a wince-fest; quite an achievement. Ms. McAlpine's voice is relaxing and well rounded and easy to listen to. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
Four stars. It works perfectly well as a standalone read, but readers who enjoy series cozies will enjoy all three books, and it would make a nice short binge/buddy read. All are currently listed on Kindle Unlimited to borrow with a subscription to KU.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.