Part of Scottish Isle Mystery
First published 2024
Dr. Emilia McRoy anticipates a peaceful Christmas in Sea Isle, her Scottish village home. Those plans shatter when a rock band's lead vocalist turns up dead days before their planned world tour. The singer had been composing fresh material that disappeared after his murder, suggesting someone killed him to steal the songs. The case takes a personal turn when authorities arrest Constable Ewan Campbell for the crime. Emilia knows her friend could never commit murder. She launches her own probe to prove Ewan's innocence, discovering the victim had accumulated numerous enemies. Her amateur sleuthing attracts unwanted attention from a menacing secret Santa who begins issuing death threats. Stalkers shadow her movements as she pursues leads. Emilia races to unmask the real killer and expose whoever set up Ewan before the murderer claims another victim during the Christmas festivities.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth
Vibes: atmospheric, cozy, dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, race-against-time, stalker-antagonist, wrongly-accused
Setting: Sea Isle, Scotland
Period: Christmas
256 pages · Hardcover · Crooked Lane Books
Content warnings: death, murder