Detective Lola Harris is persuaded by her sister Frankie to have a weekend away. Frankie has led Lola to believe that they’re staying in a cottage, but neglects to say that it’s in the grounds of Ardaig Castle, which is now a health and wellness retreat for the rich and famous.

Not only having deceived Lola about the location, Frankie has also not been entirely truthful about the reason for choosing the castle. Frankie knows the manager of the castle, Catherine, and has promised her that Lola will investigate the poison pen letters that Catherine and several other staff have been receiving.

Despite being cross at Frankie for manipulating her, Lola still agrees to help get to the bottom of what the anonymous letters are all about. The latest one mentions there being a killer amongst the castle’s staff so Lola starts digging, and uncovers more than she thought when a body is found on the premises.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for my copy of Murder at Ardaig Castle.by Daniel Sellers.
I didn't realise this was number 5 in the series until I had finished the book. It did not spoil my enjoyment at all and I thought it worked well as a standalone. Lola is being treated to a weekend away by her sister, at a posh new health retreat. Until she finds out about the poison pen letters sent to the staff there, and when a body is discovered Lola puts her Detective Inspector hat on. Cut off by the storm Lola must preserve the scene and keep everyone else alive.

Once again, we again find Lola out of her natural environment. A weekend break with her sister turns into a consultation with an old friend of Frankie's. She works at the titular castle, now a wellbeing centre, and has had issues with poison pen letters. Of course, this turns into a more serious crime. And as a storm cuts off the castle, Lola is the only one who can investigate.

The plot is a good one, with all suspects effectively confined in the one building. Lola has to figure out relationships. past misdeeds and lies to solve the crime. But this actually comes at a good time for her - frustrated in her current Police Scotland role running a unit looking at white collar crime, she finds she is in her element at the sharp end of a murder.

NOTE: this book has been renamed "Murder at Ardaig Castle".

"This was what she'd been missing the last several weeks - the thrill of the chase and the support of dedicated and truly loyal colleagues."

Lola Harris is back, in #murderinthetrossachs (#murderatardaigcastle) by @danielsellersauthor. Lola is "tricked" by her sister Frankie into traveling to castle Ardaig for a relaxing weekend. In reality, Frankie wants Lola to investigate the source of some threatening and anonymous letters sent to employees of the elite castle. A locked-room mystery of sorts, as the weather blocks access to the castle, and we have a dead body. Even though Lola is off her patch, she dives into the situation and does her usual excellent job of ferreting out the perpetrators. Another winner in the series, highly recommend.

P.S. thanks to #netgalley and @joffebooks ARC program for the ARC.

A secluded retreat. A storm closing in. A killer among them. Detective Lola Harris is persuaded to take a much needed break in the remote Scottish Highlands. She’s expecting peace and quiet. But Ardaig Castle, an exclusive wellness retreat for the rich and famous, has its own dark secrets. Lola soon discovers that someone is sending poison pen letters to the staff. They’re growing more malicious each week. The latest reads: Why have you employed a killer among your staff?! Good book! This book had suspense, intriguing, murder, good mystery, a good who done it and a few crazy twists! The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and Joffe books for sharing this book with me!

I don't know I thought this book would be better than the previous whole the settings and plots are unique that potentially could make for outstanding they are woefully let by the paint by numbers style of writing, the weak and frankly annoying written lead character Lola. This book should have stood out for me as I love a locked door old school mystery but this completely lacked all the successfully elements needed, many writers use the base of bones of the great Agatha Christie but this read like a bad Nancy Drew. Lola doesn't read like a strong woman she is full stereotypical traits that only a man trying to write a female lead would include she is whiney, full of self importance and worse of all her main motivations in life is the love of "her man" tho I will say in this at least we have been spared the first love saga with Joe. These books lack any grit for books based around a Glasgow police officer they have none of dark Glasgow humour or chat that's is needed, in fact the only comical part is the glossary of English for the US readers at the end which is frankly an insult and highlights the lack of real true writing and highlighting the way the author casually throws in little sayings to get give the book a proper Glasgow feel which if anything only reads like lazy writing. While I think the plots are always very good and interesting the writers style and tone never matches the potential of them and that's a real shame. I have given this two stars as I think the plot could have worked in the right writers hands and because I liked setting. I won't be reading any more of Lola I think after reading the first five I know by now they are not for me. I wish the author all the best on publication but I think this is designated to be another 99p or free kindle read at the very best. As a side bar I do like how the authors makes political comments subtly and on the whole remains unbiased unlike some of the more famous Scottish writers yeah am talking to you Val, last book read like a love to the SNP only good thing about it was laughing after the all scandal came out, so I do rate this written for achieving that at least

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Detective Lola Harris is talked into visiting Ardaig Castle, a wellness centre, by her sister, for a relaxing weekend. It proves to be anything but - there's a nasty case of poison pen letters going around and unbeknownst to Lola, her sister promised the woman who runs the centre that Lola would look into it.
Angry at first. Lola, who's hating her current work situation, starts to enjoy the investigating. It becomes more and more of a tangled web and soon there's a murder. I did guess a tiny bit, but there were many shocks towards the ending! All this while there's a tremendous storm going on and the roads are closed, hemming them all in.
A really clever 'locked room' mystery featuring the wonderful Lola Harris. I love her and the series!
This is a very clever 'locked room' mystery

Isolated castle, secretive guests all their for their own agenda and all with secrets - threats getting more and more serious - and of course a raging storm! All ingredients for a closed door mystery when a corpse joins the crowd. Solid mystery with great atmosphere.

Tense novel set in an exclusive hotel in Scotland where there has been a spate of poison pen letters received by the staff. The guests there are recovering from addictions and mental issues so the owner is reluctant to have it investigated by the police. Lola is a police officer and is tricked into investigating on the Qt by her sister. Then a body is found and there is a storm that cuts off access to the hotel so Lola is forced to take charge. A good read that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

A suspenseful book set in the Scottish Highlands My kind of book for a snowy day. A detective accompanies her sister to a weekend get away to a resort. What she doesn't know is that her sister wants her to investigate a series of threatening letters that the employees of the resort have been receiving. Add a torrential rain storm that cuts off access to all surrounding areas and a murder that follows, you have a great story to read. Highly recommend to readers of Scottish mysteries.