This is a wonderful addition to the series. I love all the characters and I would say it's a read alike for those who like M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up a TV series for ACORN TV or BRITBOX.

Excellent mystery with several twists. Lots of characters and a highland background keeps it suspenseful. the ladies of Yon Bonnie Books, Janet, Christine, Tallie, and Summer, are confused when a sealed box of used books is left on the steps of the shop. Are they a clue left behind by the local retired doctor that Janet found dead after a bicycling accident?And then travelling nurse, Lachy is found murdered. When the doctor's hermit brother is also found murdered the ladies realize they must all be linked together. But who and why, and is the box of books a clue?

I'm so glad I stuck with this series. It has gotten better with each book as the characters have grown. The pace continues to be the perfect slower pace found in a cozy. The perfect reading getaway.
Janet and her daughter, Tallie, along with Janet's long time friend, Christine and her daughter, Summer, run a combination book store and tea room. Janet and Tallie are American transplants and Christine and her daughter have returned to their roots in Scotland. Together they make quite a team. They don't just sell scones, tea and books. They have a knack for 'bumbling' over bodies and then figuring out who dunnit. They have a very good relationship with two policemen, both named Norman and share every bit of information and gossip with them. Respect goes both ways between them. The ladies have named themselves the S.C.O.N.E.S ( the Shadow Constabulary of Nosey Eavesdropping Snoops) and Janet has brought them a new case.
All Janet wanted was to try out her new bike with a plan to get into shape to ride in next years Half Hundred Haggis ride. While enjoying the local scenery she discovers the body of a local doctor, tossed like a rag doll on the rocks below a stone bridge. Was it a tragic accident, he was almost 70 and he may have had health issues that led to him going off the road to his death. That would have been the end of things but soon Janet and Christine encounter the dead mans' sister who happens to be an old classmate of Christine's. With that connection, they offer condolences and are surprised at her reaction. It's not long before two more deaths occur and they are most certainly not accidents. When they realize that they are getting conflicting descriptions of each of the victims, the puzzle gets more complicated.
Christine sums it up well. "We are amateurs and we know it. We bumble and muddle and we are certainly led astray by red herrings......."And passively trying to uncover answers, rather than actively trying, is both pleasingly subtle and well within our amateur skill set".
If you need a nicely paced well crafted puzzle in a lovely setting, complete with pots of tea, scones, good friends and a couple of sweet cats named Smirr and Butter to warm your lap, give this one a try. It works fine as a stand alone.