The Abbey is not what it sounds like but is an estate which belonged to an aristocratic family who hit hard times financially. It is now a hotel run by one of their former staff having been sold at auction. The family however have decided to hold a ball in the hotel bringing back memories of how these were planned in earlier days. The family gather for this event. What is clear is that they may have lost their estate but they have not lost their feelings of superiority. Half of the book is finished before we get one of the murders promised in the title. Then these are pursued by one policeman and the manager of the hotel. There are so many people involved from the aristocratic family that you would need a list of their names and relationships. The characters who are murdered chafe not had a sufficient role in the story to make much impact. I did not find this a compelling read.

Loch Down Abbey is doing rather well as a hotel, under the management of Mrs MacBain.

They're throwing a Highland Ball.

The only trouble is that a good many memebers of the Inverkillens, the former residents, are turning up uninvited.

Can Mrs MacBain find enough rooms for everyone, and stop the bickering?

But that proves to be the least of her worries.

One of the guests is found dead after the ball. In the library. With the door locked from the inside...

Just brilliant

Scotland, 1930s, family-dynamics, cosy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, secrets, situational-humor, sly-humor, historical-fiction, historical-research, rural, hotelier, hotel, servants, local-law-enforcement, investigation, housekeeper, closed-circle-mystery, murder****

A little longer than it needs to be, but a fine mystery to escape into. Meet a sizeable cast of laughable characters with or without any sense. Then there are the horde of unruly children, secret passages, Mrs. MacBain the intrepid housekeeper, and the spoof of the local constabulary!
Another example of great fun with some obvious and some very sneaky spoofs. A most enjoyable read!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook/PDF copy without TTS from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley.
Avail Feb 13, 2025 #OnlyMurdersInTheAbbey by Beth Cowan-Erskine #LochDownAbbeyBk2 #NetGalley #HodderFiction #HodderBooks #CozyMystery #HistoricalFun