Ex-Detective Grace McKenna of Portabello Detective Agency in Edinburgh, was intrigued to receive a call from the owner of the Traprain Castle, Sacha Komorov, about something he told her needed to be discussed face to face. Heading to the Castle, Grace had no idea what was ahead of her and her team, nor the fact that a despicable murderer was poised to pounce. When Sacha informed Grace of a priceless Fabergé egg, a part of his collection, which had been stolen, she deduced it had to be an inside job. The security at the castle was high, but all staff and residents needed to be interviewed.

With Grace's youngest team member Hannah, in the castle as a waitress, and Grace as a supposed art expert, they worked their way into life in the castle. And it wasn't pleasant. The Russians who lived there - as well as Sacha, his wife Katya and brother Nikolai, plus the security enforcer, Viktor - then there was the housekeeper among others. Grace was gobsmacked - a little Russia in the middle of Scotland. But when the murders began and Grace herself was in danger, she wondered if she wasn't in over her head. Would they discover the killer before more were killed? Would the Fabergé egg be uncovered - or was that long gone?

Murder at Castle Traprain is the 2nd in the Detective Grace McKenna Scottish Murder Mystery series by Jackie Baldwin and it was just as tense and fast paced as the first episode! Grace is a strong, determined character, but does go a little too far with her safety! And her team back her (almost) completely! I'm really enjoying this series and hope there are many more to come. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I'm loving this cozy series and this is a good instalment: fun, solid mystery, well develped and likeable characters
Can't wait to read the next one
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

4.5 Stars
When a wealthy local landowner contacts Grace about a case so sensitive he can’t even discuss it over the phone, she’s instantly intrigued. Russian collector Sacha Komorov lives out of the public eye, despite his immense wealth and marriage to a famous ex-prima ballerina. As Grace gazes at the ominous silhouette of his Scottish estate, Castle Traprain, with its high walls and thrusting turrets, a shiver runs down her spine. Komorov himself is just as forbidding as he discloses the disappearance of a priceless rose-diamond Fabergé egg from his collection. It's an inside job, and he needs Grace to uncover the traitor within his own household. As Grace dives into the case, her team goes undercover at Castle Traprain to win the trust of the staff. But things take an unexpected turn when Komorov's beautiful and troubled wife, Katya, begs for Grace's help to catch a disturbing stalker. The plot thickens when one of the potential suspects is found murdered in the Housekeeper's quarters .
The second outing for Grace & her new Portobello Detective Agency & a very good mystery it was. The characters were very well portrayed & I was drawn in from the start & kept guessing until the denouement. I really like Grace, Hannah, Jean & Brodie & love how their friendship is growing. An intriguing cosy mystery with the usual twists, turns & red herrings, the pace is very good & I read it in two sittings. Roll on book 3
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advance copy of Murder at Castle Traprain, the second novel to feature former DI turned PI, Grace McKenna, set primarily in Portobello.

Grace and her agency are asked by Russian oligarch Sacha Komorov to investigate the theft of a Fabergé egg from his private collection. He is a private man and doesn’t want to involve the police as he thinks it’s an inside job. They accept and soon her assistant, Hannah, is undercover at Castle Traprain, but things get complicated when Sacha’s wife, Katya, a former prima ballerina asks her to investigate her stalker and then one of the suspects is found murdered.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder at Castle Traprain, which is a straightforward murder investigation in the sense that none of the perpetrators are identified before the denouement and the reader can guess alongside Grace and her team. Obviously there is a lot more to the novel than just that with several potential suspects, more bodies, physical attacks and some unexpected twists. I found it entertaining as it held my attention throughout, but it doesn’t bear close inspection as it’s not quite realistic with the Russian characters arguing in English and so, easily understood by the eavesdropping team, for example.

The novel is told from various points of view, chiefly Grace and Hannah, so the reader gets a wide view on events, but not wide enough to reveal the perpetrator or the motive. Some of it is more guessable than other bits, but what it does do is lay bare the secrets of the Komorov household, and there are some crackers. It jogs along at quite a fast pace with plenty of puzzles for the reader to piece together, some of them genuinely creepy and others simply one more piece to slot in.

I like Grace and her team. She hasn’t had it easy over the past few years, but she’s beginning to come to terms with it and is establishing a close bond with her team. It’s pleasant to see such friendship.

Murder at Castle Traprain is a good read that I can recommend.

When Grace McKenna is called to Castle Traprain to investigate the theft of a Faberge egg she is surprised to find that she has another client wanting help from the same household. The egg belongs to Sacha Komorov , a Russian now living in Scotland and his beautiful wife ex ballerina Katya, but Katya also wants Graces help to prevent her murder from a stalker. Then bodies start turning up.
This book has so many twists and turns you won't see coming. I enjoyed the story and kept the pages turning. The story is well written which helps when there are so many suspects to keep track of.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a complicated plot, with a lot of characters to keep track of, but it all came together seamlessly. Jackie Baldwin is excellent at exposition, and you don't feel like you're being bombarded with information. I really liked the first book, and this one was just as good, if not better, as the characters are becoming more fleshed out, and I can see this being a very successful series.

Murder at Castle Traprain is set inside a magnificent Scottish castle, filled with secrets & pasts that are covered. Private detective Grace McKenna & her Portobello Detective Agency set to uncover who stole an ancient Russian faberge egg from unimaginably wealthy Sacha Komorov. After several murders, Grace & her associates uncover much more than who stole the coveted egg. Gripping from the start, with twists that will leave your head spinning!

This book is a part of a series, but ok to read as a stand alone. I had read the previous episode so knew some of the background of Grace McKenna and her staff and history . There are some references to previous events , some of which felt a little clumsy . In this book Grace is asked to investigate a robbery at a castle where a Russian millionaire now lives. Grace has been in the police but is now a private investigator so when crimes build up to murder, she needs to involve her ex husband, Brodie. That is not without complications.
The characterizations are OK, perhaps a little shallow . Not completely believable that Grace receives injuries and within a couple of days picks up the investigation again. Enough action to make for interesting reading though.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

art-theft, artifact, ex-ballerina, ex-pat, ex-cop, murder-investigation, procedural, read, Russian-heritage, Scottish-noir, suspense, theft, threats, thriller, undercover, unputdownable, wealthy****

Former DI Grace McKenna left The Job after personal tragedy and came to start the Portobello Detective Agency with a cohesive group and the occasional assist by her DCI ex-husband.
A priceless Faberge Egg goes missing under conditions worthy of Mission Impossible and the first murdered body is that of the housekeeper. There are also the weirdly unsubtle threats to the wife of the (justifiably) paranoid Russian ex-pat and a myriad of other peculiarities. Weaving throughout the story are the problems and insecurities that Grace grapples with in her personal life. A good read.
I requested and received an EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

I enjoyed reading this crime/mystery story. It had the vibe of cosy-with-an-edge. There were a number of characters, but I didn't lose my way with them or the plot. The author doesn't really describe the characters or the surroundings, so leaves it to the imagination of the reader, which I like. The story keeps you guessing - a few times I thought I knew whodunit, but was then thrown off the scent. This is the first book I have read by Jackie Baldwin, but wouldn't hesitate to read more of hers.

Looking forward to more titles in this series. It takes me a bit to get fully engaged with the books but then I reach a point where I cannot stop reading.

An excellent  murder mystery with thorough investigating and a complex storyline. Grace and her team work well together, facing many dangerous challenges. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved this cozy mystery. I was captivated from the start. While it would be classified as a cozy mystery, it had a greater level of depth than a cozy, intricate characters, and tons of moving pieces which set it apart from others in this genre. There is more than one mystery being solved simultaneously , and trying to figure out if and how they are connected was not easy, and had me guessing the whole time. Truly enjoyed this story, and cannot wait for the next. Highly recommend.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Grace McKenna is an ex police officer turned Private Investigator, and in this the second book in this series, she is hired to find a missing Fabergé egg. Set in the Edinburgh area, this is a well written and interesting Murder-mystery, with a limited number of suspects with dual threads nicely interwoven, with a very Russian flavour. Grace still gets to liaise with her ex husband, Brodie, and both are still traumatised by the loss of their son, but coming to terms with having a grandson. The characters are well rounded and authentic, and I look forward to the next book in the series. While this is a stand alone read, i would recommend having read the first book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Murder at Castle Traprain is the second book in this series set in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ex Detective Grace McKenna gets a complex new case for her fledgling new detective agency. And it's a doozy! Wealthy landowner
Sacha Komorov hires Grace to find his priceless faberge egg that went missing. Grace is sure that the missing egg is still somewhere in the castle and is determined to find it. When one of her main suspects is murdered and one of her loved ones is threatened, Grace pulls out all the stops to find a killer. This book was a nail biter and had me hooked from page one. There is a twisty plot, plenty of red herrings, and likeable main characters. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC to read and review.
5/5. Stars. Well done!

Many Threads..
The second in the Detective Grace McKenna Scottish Murder Mystery series and a tangled web of threads is about to be uncovered. At the exact moment that the detective is finally finding her peace, chaos strikes and an undercover operation is planned at the imposing Castle Traprain. There is little doubt that our protagonist is compelled to act but even she cannot comprehend the way in which the case will twist. With an atmospheric and convincing setting and a cast of credible characters this is a compelling and engaging mystery of many threads and a worthy follow up to the first in the series.

Creepy castles, lives of the rich and famous, and burgled Fabergé eggs-Murder at Castle Traprain delivers all of these and more in a fun, gripping package.

Two notes: First, I really feel like this book would have made more sense to me if I'd read the first book first. I eventually figured out who everyone was, but it took a while. Second, it amused me to read all the previous reviews complaining that this work was more of a cozy mystery. Ironically, I read almost exclusively cozy mysteries and, to me, this seemed a lot more hard core. It seems like this book exists uncomfortably in the gap between thriller/mystery and cozy. If you read both, you will enjoy this work, but if you only read one side of the genre, you may not find this books hits the right notes for you.

Grace McKenna, a retired police officer, and her detective agency are called to solve the theft of a Faberge egg from a Russian oligarch's castle in Scotland. Well-developed relationships among the agency's employees add to the charm of the setting. Some of the situations are implausible (Grace is lucky to keep overhearing arguments in English between various Russian characters . . . shouldn't they be arguing in Russian? Also, ballet dancers do not get diplomatic immunity). The second book in the series, but I hadn't read the first and it was easy to pick up the back stories. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

Murder at Castle Traprain was an interesting read. It takes place in Portpbello Beach in Scotland. Grace McKenna is the main character who owns Portebello Detective Agency along with her staff Jean and Hannah and her ex DS Brodie. Sacha Komorov, a Russian who owns Castle Traprain wants to hire Grace to find who has stolen his valuable faberge egg, His household consists of his wife, Katya. his housekeeper, Irina Petrova, Viktor Levitsky, his security guard; his brother, Nikolai Komorov and curator of his collection, Oliver Compton-Ross.

Grace meets with Sacha and it is decided that Hannah would be hired to work in his castle. His wife, Katya was a famous ballet dancer who was injured while dancing in the Russian ballet. Sacha has built her a dance studio in the castle as she still loves to dance. Katya also hires Grace to find out who has been stalking her all these years..

Sacha wants Grace to come to his dinner party and also meet his neighbor, Harris Hamilton and his wife, Hillary. At the party Hannah finds Irina Petrova dead in her bedroom. Irina had just found out that she is Sacha and Nikolia's half sister. Polly Gray is a maid that helps Hannah with her job and later is also killed by stangulation. The third death is Katya's lover, Igor Sokolov.

While trying to find out who killed these people strange things are going on. There is too much to put on paper that takes the reader on an exciting adventure to find out who was killer these people to the exciting and unexpected ending. I don't want to tell too much so that the reader can enjoy all that is happening in the story. It does keep the reader guessing.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

I was intrigued to pick up this book because of the Scottish setting for this murder mystery private detective agency story. A good story with lots of nasty characters for you to choose as the culprit, with extra threads of villainy added as the story continues. I hadn’t read the previous book, that made no difference to my enjoyment of this one. The main characters are interesting, well developed and believably real. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.