Book 2 of Detective Grace McKenna Scottish Murder Mystery. Another great read set in Scotland. A brilliant series so far.

“Murder at Castle Triprain” by Jackie Baldwin is an interesting read.

We follow Grace McKenna, a woman who owns her own detective agency. She is called in to investigate a theft within the castle and it’s not long before bodies start to drop.

Will her and her team find the missing item before another body drops?

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to enjoy this ARC. I can’t wait to see what adventures come next.

I needed a cozy mystery and this hit the spot. I was so invested in the characters, I forgot I was reading a book! So many suspects, I was convinced I had it all figured out but the ending took me by surprise. Definitely recommend and looking forward to reading the next in the series!

A Thrilling Adventure.
Grace McKenna was a high-flying detective in the Edinburgh police force, until her son Connor's suicide. Grace runs a detective agency and is assisted by her friend Jean and Connor's girlfriend Hannah. 
Grace is called to Castle Traprain to investigate a locked room mystery. The owner, Russian millionaire Sacha Komorov, has recently acquired an Imperial Faberge egg to give to his wife Katya, who was a former ballet dancer whose career was cut short when her dance partner dropped her during a show.
Sacha hosts a dinner party for friends and Neighbour's to show them the Faberge egg, but when Sacha takes them down to the vault, he finds it is missing. The plot then thickens when one of the potential suspects is found murdered in the Housekeeper's quarters.
Murder In Castle Traprain by Jackie Baldwin is fast paced book which has great character and is a professionally written book with plenty of twists and turns. A thrilling adventure that I highly recommend to those who love fast-paced, action-packed novels. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

From a purely craft POV, there was a lot of telling: “Grace felt relieved.” that survived an editor.

From a storytelling perspective, for a cozy mystery, it was adventurous and twist-y in all kinds of good ways,

From a worldbuilding and character depth pov, the world was fine but the characters lacked depth. It often felt like the characters were dictated by the plot instead of genuinely reacting and eventually driving the story,

Fun to read, though.

✨My Thoughts✨

I was so excited to be back with Grace and her team at The Portobello Detective Agency, after the previous book and its shocking events, I had high hopes for this second instalment.

This case revolves around a stolen Fabergé Egg and its Russian owners household.
Could it be the maid?
What about the housekeeper?.

This definitely was the perfect sequel in my eyes, it had everything that a perfect cosy mystery should have but with the extra magic of Grace, Hannah and Jean plus Grace and her relationship with her ex Brodie (I really want them back together).

As the story progressed Grace had more than one mystery to solve, which I loved.
I really didn’t know who the culprit was either, I was on the edge of my seat

I can’t wait for book 3!.

This was a good sequel to Murder at the Seaside. PI Grace McKeena is back to investigate the theft of a Faberge egg, which end up becoming a murder investigation. Nicely paced, the plot is interesting and so are the characters, but I thought that the first installment was a little more thrilling.

This to me was an enjoyable read of a cozy mystery. A famous five for adults.

Not my usual style but definitely one to read on a dreich day in front of the fire in a gorgeous five star hotel in Scotland.
Thank you Netgalley & Jackie Baldwin for an advanced copy.

Called in to investigate the disappearance of a rare Fabergé egg, Grace doggedly takes on the case. But when bodies start piling up, Grace is determined to figure out what is going on, and who is behind the horror hiding at Castle Traprain.

This was a fantastic read! I enjoyed it. The start was a bit slow, but once the story got going, it really sucked you in, and refused to let you go. This is a book that you can easily finish in an afternoon. Get ready for some twists and turns that will keep you riveted in your chair.

A Faberge egg, a Russian oligarch, a ballerina, a castle in Scotland, an all-female detective agency. You’d expect these to be the ideal line up for a fascinating mystery, but what do you get – a tired cliched story with too much padding, the obligatory faithful dog and a seeming inability to think up new ways of ending a chapter, “she took her leave”, “he took his leave”. Disappointed and would not recommend.
This was an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher

This is the second book featuring private investigator Grace McKenna and it doesn't disappoint. This time Grace is engaged by a Russian oligarch to find a valuable treasure he owns but is stolen from his collection. All the usual characters are there, Hannah and Jean and Brodie along with the dog Harvey. I love the length of these books, one really gets to know the characters. Brilliant whodunnit and great interaction between Grace and Brodie. I can't wait for number three in this series by Jackie Baldwin. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of Murder at Castle Traprain. By the way if there is an audiobook of this title I hope the narrator is the same. If so I will certainly buy it.

I enjoyed this crime fiction story. I had not read the previous book in the series. Grace, is employed to find a missing Faberge egg. She is also asked to find Katya's stalker. During the investigation at Castle Traprain many suspects are shown to have links with the Russian security forces. Isvthis relevant. When the murders occur and Grace is injured how are they linked. A very entertaining story that kept my interest to the end.

I liked this cozy mystery. It had me hooked from the start. Really enjoyed the storyline. I got this as an arc from netgalley and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

Love a good murder mystery and this one was very good. I love the Russian, Faberge Egg connection, love the castle, the setting and the fact that Grace is and ex-police turned private detective and her husband is still a police so there is a family connection going on as well.

It has all the mystery and suspense you want in a good book plus murder, action and intrigue. The characters work really well in this story and it flowed quite well, giving the information you need to keep up and understand the back story.

A great and entertaining read and I like forward to seeing what comes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A good murder mystery combining intrigue involving the Russian mafia, a stolen faberge egg, a Scottish castle, a mysterious stalker and murder. The lead investigator, Grace McKenna, is a foremen police officer now running her own detective agency. Her ex husband, Brodie, is still an active police detective and is allocated to the formal murder investigations at the castle where Grace has been commissioned to recover a stolen faberge egg. The two cases combine and race towards an exciting conclusion.

Grace, her family and her agency staff are introduced and clearly operate as a close knit community. The family relationships provide an interesting sub story which no doubt will continue to run through into future books. The characters are well rounded and authentic. The book finishes on an unexpected note and leaves me eager for book number three.

Release Date: September 19, 2023
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When a psychic fair arrives on Cape Cod, Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, wants nothing to do with it. However she finds herself attending a séance, along with Jayne (her best friend), Ashleigh (her shop clerk) and former pop star Bunny Leigh. Once they arrive, Gemma finds herself banned from the séance. Curiosity piqued, she listens in from outside the room. Gemma hears a cry for help, a scream. Gemma bursts in the door to find a body. The windows are all locked, and Gemma was guarding the only door. Someone in this room is a murderer. But who? The game is once again afoot for Gemma Doyle, as she hunts a killer. But, this time, is the killer of flesh and blood or had the medium summoned doom from beyond the veil?

I liked this book. The backstory was confusing as I had not read the previous book and that made the book drag a bit for me. The other reason for 3 not 4 stars is I thought the Russian angle was a bit overdone with references to ballerinas, defecting, Faberge eggs etc. It felt a bit like the author had just thrown everything they knew that was Russian at the book. And yet strangely there was no attempt to create Russian accents/speech patterns or even Scottish ones which left me feeling that the book didn't really establish itself as being set in Scotland.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Set in Edinburgh, this murder mystery investigation features former Detective and now Private Investigator Grace McKenna.This is the second book in the series and reads well as a standalone. After success in a high-profile murder investigation, Grace is employed by a Russian living at Castle Traprain to find a valuable item from his collection. The crimes become increasingly more severe as Grace and Hannah work at the castle trying to solve a complex and dangerous case. The characters are believable and vivid. The investigation is complex and immersive, drawing the reader into the action. I like the investigation team, the female protagonists and the Scottish setting for this engaging story.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

The backstory, fair warning I haven't read the first book in this series. Grace McKenna was a high-flying detective in the Edinburgh police force, until her son Connor's suicide sent her spiralling. Her marriage to Brodie, also a detective but far less driven, did not survive and he is now dating Julie, the (much younger) daughter of Grace's old Superintendent.

Now Grace runs a detective agency, assisted by her friend Jean and Connor's girlfriend Hannah who didn't have a chance to tell Connor she was pregnant before he died. Now Brodie, Grace and Jean help Hannah look after her toddler Jack.

Grace is called to Castle Traprain to investigate what appears to be a locked room mystery. The owner, Russian millionaire Sacha Komorov, has recently acquired an Imperial Faberge egg to give to his wife Katya, a former ballerina whose career was cut short when her dance partner dropped her. He hosted a dinner party for friends and neighbours to show them the egg, but when he took them down to the vault it was missing.

Shortly after accepting the assignment, and planting Hannah as a maid, Katya also approaches Grace, she has been receiving threatening letters and disturbing toys (fake Faberge eggs containing a toy ballerina with a broken leg etc).

Neither of the Komorovs wants to call in the police so Grace and her team must investigate alone, until the Russian housekeeper is found poisoned in her office.

As Brodie and Grace pursue their separate investigations they can't help but wonder if there is a link between them. But as the body count rises it seems they have a psychopath escalating out of control.

I thought the Russian angle was a bit over-egged with references to FSB, ballerinas, defecting, Faberge eggs etc. It felt a bit like the author had just thrown everything they knew that was Russian at the book. And yet strangely there was no attempt to create Russian accents/speech patterns or even Scottish ones which left me feeling that the book didn't really establish itself as being set in Scotland.

Overall, this was a pleasant read, there's a lot of backstory about Grace and Brodie which serves as an overarching story. Verdict? I'd read more in the series on Kindle Unlimited or if they were free but I don't think I would pay for them

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

This gripping Scottish mystery had me hooked from the beginning. I could not put it down. I absolutely adore Grace and I can't wait to see what she and her team get onto next!! Loved this!! This is an autobuy series for me.
I just reviewed Murder at Castle Traprain by Jackie Baldwin. #MurderatCastleTraprain #NetGalley
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This left me feeling hollowed out. Crimes of the heart (they don't even have to be illegal) can do as much damage as anything done in hatred. The mystery, more a detective story than a cozy, is the second in the series starring Detective Grace McKenna and her agency who are asked by the reclusive, wealthy and perhaps tied-to-the-Russian mafia, Sacha Komorov, to investigate the robbery of a Faberge egg that seems to be an inside job. Meanwhile, his wife asks Grace to catch a stalker that she doesn't want her husband to know about. During the investigation a person in found murdered in the house.

There is plenty of action, suspense and good detection in this story along with psychological depth, characters you care for and twists and turns to keep you guessing. Grace and the other members of her agency are competent and professional. You won't find amateur detectives in this outfit. Risks they take don't seem foolish or impulsive. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.