Several generations of the Ogilvy-Sinclairs gather at Loch Down Abbey. With so many of the family in residence, the staff is stretched to the limit when a mysterious illness starts to overtake them one by one, everyone is told to remain at the Abbey, and the food supplies start to dwindle. As if that weren't bad enough, the current Lord Inverkillen is found dead in mysterious circumstances. The head housekeeper, Mrs MacBain, decides to investigate and find out what happened, but even she isn't prepared for what she finds out.

I requested to read this as I was intrigued by the title's play on lockdown and the fact it is set in the 1930s. It wasn't quite the story I had envisaged as, although there is a death in story, as some reviewers have pointed out, the investigation barely features and it is more about the family and staff coping with the conditions due to the mystery illness. Most of the family members are rather horrid, the only decent ones being Iris and Fergus (I did also feel rather sorry for Lady Victoria), and it was hard for to feel any empathy for any of them. The ending was okay but I feel it was a little implausible. Overall, this is a momentarily diverting read, but I doubt it will be one that stays with me or that I read again. 2.5 stars (rounded up to 3)

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the copy.

3.5 ⭐

This was an entertaining mystery! Full of suspense and a very dysfunctional family! The twists and turns were well placed and that kept me engaged. At the beginning I had difficulty keeping a track of the characters. But it didn't last long. Overall, I enjoyed reading this one.

What a delight of a book!
Full of humour, well drawn characters and a family with issues. Not forgetting a mysterious death and an entertaining nod to the global pandemic.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you have ever enjoyed Agatha Christie type novels then be sure to read this.
I needed the character list initially to get my head around the different members of the family but soon their personalities made it clear.
I don't give 5 stars lightly, a book has to have really engaged and entertained me. Having recently read a couple of psychological thrillers that didn't hit the mark it was a joy to read a well written book that didn't insult the reader's intelligence.
I especially appreciated the epilogue as I dislike loose ends and this tied them up perfectly.
I will look forward to reading the next book by this author

I did enjoy this story, it purposely echoed some of the things we are experiencing during the pandemic. They did seem to be quite a dysfunctional family with many secrets. There are a number of characters and I did make a list of relationships at the beginning, which I found helpful. There is also the mystery of a death and discovering how it happened. It also showed how little understanding the aristocracy had of their servants’ lives. The ending came as a surprise and I liked the epilogue which explained what happened to everyone. This was a very entertaining read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A mysterious illness is sweeping across Scotland in the 1930’s.

An family living at Loch Down Abbey rarely leave the grounds and are seemingly unaware of the illness, until they have to cut back on the staff. They are also preoccupied with the death of Lord Inverness and his Will.

Forced to have only three tea cakes to choose from instead of five, slices instead of full cakes. Drawing their own baths, and lighting their own fires are a few adjustments the family is forced to make when most of the staff falls ill.

Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read. There was a lot going on! So much drama among this spoiled aristocratic family. The chapters were a bit long and constantly switching perspectives, but it was easy to follow. I bookmarked the list of characters and had to refer back to that a bit in the beginning to keep track.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this advanced copy in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars

The first for this author but it wasn’t really for me. Too many characters and a bit too close to 2020/1 with similarities to Covid. Thanks Beth and do keep writing and thanks to NetGalley

This book is great fun, the situation is clearly designed to echo our own age but the same struggles are on display - such is human nature. This book cleverly weaves an Agatha Christie style murder mystery into a vibrant narrative. It will be interesting to see what the author tackles next.

Oh I loved this book! There are a lot of characters, but the narrative glides effortlessly between them and is very well written. I’d love to see it as a film. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Beth, it really was a joy to read. Thank you #netgalley

Huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, NetGalley and the author for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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What a unique story!

Going off the blurb alone, I was not expecting the wry humour, the almost satire narrative and the gripping mystery that are the highlights of this story in my opinion.

Frankly speaking, this doesn't feel like a debut novel to me and reads more like the work of a seasoned author.

Family conspiracies, secrets and rivalries all form one part of the story's intrigue. The all too familiat flu-like disease forcing everyone into staying at home adds further eeriness enhanced by the older and more mysterious setting. Amidst all of this, the arrogance amd privilege of the rich are portrayed with rib-cracking (does that qualify as an adequate descriptor?) humour that is nonetheless realistic.

I'd love to read more in this series and Beth Cowan-Erskine's other works.

Overall rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars

I did not finish this one, as it had too many persons, and when it was reminiscent of covid, I couldn´t finish it.

Sorry and thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC ebook.

3.75 stars
This 1930s mystery set in a Scottish castle has some unusual and entertaining plot twists, including a totally unexpected and perfect ending. The supremely competent head housekeeper Mrs. McBain is really the central character. And while there are a couple of unexplained deaths, this is not exactly a conventional murder mystery.

There is the usual family strife among the aristocrats, sibling jealousy, inheritance uncertainty, and a fair amount of upper class adulterous behavior. Another interesting backdrop, especially given the pandemic, is that some sort of post-flu virulent illness is sweeping the countryside. Most of the dozens of servants at the castle are isolated with it. The resident titled family is not so much worried about their health as annoyed by the massive inconvenience of only having a few people to wait upon their every need.

There is a lot of wry humor here, much of it aimed at the super-entitled wealthy characters. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The play on words in the title of this book is brilliant and really intrigued me when I first came across it. Initially I was a bit hesitant about reading a story which features a pandemic and lockdown as it felt a bit too soon and close to home. However, my reservations quickly dissolved when I saw how well these elements are handled in the plot.

Set in 1930s Scotland, the Loch Down Abbey of the title has been home to the Inverkillen family for hundreds of years. At the start of the book we are introduced to quite a lot of characters including the extended family resident at the house and the numerous members of staff. However it doesn't take too long to get to know who everyone is and it quickly becomes clear that this is a pretentious, spoilt and privileged family who take many things, including their staff, for granted.

As the pandemic worsens and impacts on staff numbers, food and other resources are harder to come by and the book explores the impact this has on the family with a lot of humour and satire. However, this only provides the backdrop to an excellent family drama full of secrets, scandals and shocking revelations. I thought the plotting was excellent and it made for a hugely entertaining read.

This is a really promising debut novel and I will be keeping an eye out for this author's next books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

a mystery illness is on the run through Scotland but those at Loch Down Abbey believe they are safe. When the Lord dies in what appears to be a tragic accident, everything changes for the family. Suddenly they are in financial trouble and the virus is hitting the staff.

This was an interesting read and the illness hits home given the current climate we are all living in. The plot is slow but steady and builds to a satisfying climax. I did find the ending a little beyond belief but it was done well and whose to say it wasn't possible. The characters are interesting especially Fergus and Iris. I did also figure out what the Lord had been up to and what that meant for others. The story is well written and keeping with the times its describing. A interesting historical read.

3.5 but rounded up.
Set in Scotland in the 30s we meet the family who live at the big house - and lord of the manor, who is soon found dead in mysterious circumstances. The police declare it accidental but housekeeper, Mrs MacBain, isn't convinced. And so, while the rest of the family go about their usual business of pretty much doing nothing of consequence, she decides to investigate. Whilst also looking after the leeches' needs of course. But then her work is compounded by the introduction of an illness that floors all it come in contact with. With her team of servants literally dropping like flies, where will she find the time to do everything... Will the suspected murderer get away with it...?
This was a delightful, if a little tongue in cheek of a book that, although a bit implausible in parts, did keep my attention and also kept me entertained all the way through. It did however take a bit of getting into - probably due to the massive cast list - but after a quick refer back to the handy list at the beginning of the book - which I also screenshot as it's not that practical on a kindle - I did get there. But I do believe that the cast could have been cut a bit - there are quite a few characters that don't do that much and are not really that developed and could very easily be merged with others to thin them down a tad. The plot is also a bit busy and, at times, what with this and the huge cast, it does feel like maybe the author is trying a bit too hard. Which, given the way it all wrapped up, which was both interesting and intriguing and left me satisfied, she has no really need to do so.
All in all, a decent enough debut with enough foundations to build on for her next book. Which despite some misgivings about this one, I will be looking out for. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Murder and mayhem what are the rich to do?? A murder has been committed and and this group of Lords and Ladies have no idea how to proceed. Lets face it without their maids and housemen these royals cannot exist. One thing which I found interesting is that the author listed the cast of characters in the beginning of the book. Never before have I come across this in any mystery novel that I have read. Good thing she did because I did find it hard sometimes to follow the characters, but in the moment I did feel like I was in a movie who done it.. That made this book very interesting..
As much as I found this to be a mystery, I also felt it was very comedic. Royals who have no idea of what goes on in their abbey. They just assume that servants just get things done. One character Mrs. MacBain, the head housekeeper thinks one of the family members might have committed the murder. She feels that this murder was no accident. Plus she worries about her village, the people in it and the big question What do these rich people do all day? She is very funny.. Along with many of the other characters who fumble their way around.
This book was funny not your typical mystery which surprised me. I enjoyed it but was a little confused with the multi characters and the storyline changed a lot. Reading on a kindle makes it hard to go back and review what you might have to reread.
Thank you Hodder&Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC. Thank you Beth Cowan Erskine for an amusing mystery.

This humourous tongue in cheek nod to the aristocracy and country house mystery is a breath of fresh air.
As much as I enjoyed the plot, I found myself linking scenes and characters from other novels and television series to this book. It was very easy to visualise both the scenes and the characters.
While Head Housekeeper Mrs Mcbain searches for clues into the death of the Lord, the rest of the family fight over their position, possessions and future.
What a tangled web and what an enjoyable read! With secrets, secret passages, secret weddings, secret rendezvous and secret children, it took concentration to keep up; but well worth it.

Loch Down Abbey was a fun, entertaining read which doesn't take itself too seriously. I don't usually read books set in this era but I love Downton Abbey and the play on words title appealed to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC.

It's a mystery, no it's a story about a quirky family, no it's both wrapped up in an interesting novel. There's the Inverkillen family, to the manor born for centuries. They are unique, humorous, a bit unworldly because they've lived there lives in the sequestered lap of, if not royalty, at least upper class privilege. Then there's the downstairs staff, much more down-to-earth, but still providing service to the family, even when they might think them a bit eccentric.

Lord Inverkillen dies, his body found at the bottom of the stream at the weir. What an odd place to fish. He's never fished there before. We get in-depth looks at how each family member sees his death, particularly in how it affects them and where it puts them in the hierarchy of the family.

The police start to investigate, and are content to call it an accident. The head housekeeper, Mrs. Mackenzie isn't so sure. She thinks there are too many things that don't make sense and decides it's up to her to figure things out. The only thing is, she has a short time frame to do it in. Why? You'll have to read the book to find out.

All in all a satisfying mystery novel with interesting characters and a good plot. My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Publishing for providing me with an advance copy for review. The opinions stated here are entirely my own. For more, see the full review at the link below..

The basis of the book seems to be “what if COVID-19 had occurred in 1930s aristocratic Scotland?”
When Lord Inverkillen is found dead in mysterious circumstances, and the police declares it an accident, the housekeeper Mrs MacBain sets out to solve the mystery. With lots of twists and secrets to uncover, and more staff falling victim to a deadly virus, a diminishing staff find themselves dealing with “125 rooms, but just 6 in regular use” and a family of spoilt brats who have never learnt to do anything for themselves, let alone take responsibility for their own children!
There is plenty of “upstairs downstairs” or “Downton Abbey” influence, though little evidence of real research. If you can overcome the ridiculousness, it was an enjoyable quick read and there were moments of real humour, but cannot claim it is a great literary work! Mrs McBain and Mr Hudson need their own series, with Lady Georgina keeping everything discreet & respectable!
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.

#LochDownAbbey #NetGalley

This is a fun read, yes, there’s a death and a whodunnit vibe, but it felt this was more about family relations, and how the family interacted with outsiders.

The level of self absorption by the family was just outstanding, and it made the book for me. I just couldn’t believe it their behaviour! Wonderful stuff!

It’s an enjoyable, fun, easy read!

My thanks to Netgalley and Hodder And Stoughton for the advance copy