Beatriz Williams

When the big name American male author who has leased the Castle of Kinloch on a small island in Scotland is found murdered, the pool of suspects is small. Particularly as other than the inhabitants of the island, the only other people there are the three American writers, who purport to be best friends there on a writing retreat to work on a collaborative book. But anyone who has met Cassie (wife and mother of 6 with a prolific backlist of cozy mysteries), Emma (respected author of dull as show more dirt history books), and Kat (brash author of dark supernatural erotica) can tell they're not exactly friends. Did they come to the island to commit murder? And if it wasn't them, who else on the small island could have possibly wanted the victim dead?

A really fun murder mystery that pokes plenty of fun at the publishing industry, but also reflects many of its realities. While it took me some time to warm to the characters, particularly Kat who is very stand-offish (for good reason), eventually all three became a delight to follow. Divided into two parts, following our main three characters before the murder and as they try to solve it themselves gives the reader lots of time to explore the characters as they reveal more and more of their secrets while working towards the final resolution of the whodunnit. Setting the novel on a small Scottish island in December gives it plenty of atmosphere, that I throughly enjoyed. And while the authors include plenty of humour (the plaid! the sheep jokes!) throughout the book, they also thoughtfully engage with some serious themes including sexual assault. An excellent read for those who enjoy a solid mystery with a heavy dash of (eventual) female friendship. show less

This started out really slowly for me (and I *really* didn't like the three main characters at first), but after maybe a quarter of the book, I settled into it, started to appreciate what the authors were doing, grew to like the characters, and had a lot of fun. A tongue-in-cheek send-up of the cozy mystery and romance genres that is also a good story with great character development along the way, this was a fun read. I have some quibbles (the set up is a little too long; a few of the show more recurring jokes fall flat or are more annoying than amusing), but ultimately I'm really glad I didn't give up on this one. And the last 60 pages or so are a *ride*, in the best possible way. show less

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This was so entertaining! It was funny, punny, with lots of romance novel jokes, and a murder mystery too. Gags about stiletto heels (and pantaboots), plaid, a small Scottish island with people wearing multiple hats: The barmaid is the island midwife and medical examiner as well as the local GP and the sister of the DCI - Detective Chief Inspector).

The concept is tongue in cheek – show more three actual authors collaborating on writing a book about three authors writing a book. Here’s how the real-life authors accurately describe their book: “The excruciating jokes, the atrocious Scottish accents, the tropes, the puns, the murder of nefarious male authors – all written with a wink and a nudge and a great deal of love, and maybe a teeny grain of truth.”

To be honest, it took me a few chapters in before everything clicked for me. The three main characters weren’t all that likable at first, but the more time I spent with them, the more endearing they became. And that went for the Scottish characters too, from Beatrice the sheep to Loren the dog as well as the humans. And then there’s a murder and the three American authors are the main suspects. They realize the best way to prove they didn’t do it is to find out who did.

If you’re in the mood for a feel-good murder mystery with some romance and lots of jokes, a few red herrings, an edge-of-your-seat climax, and a happily-ever-after ending with a Scottish location, this is the book for you. show less

If you look at my "read" shelf, you know I love a good story about a woman disguised as a man. I also love a good case of mistaken identity. This book has BOTH. Emilie disguises herself as a (male) tutor in the household of the Duke of Ashland in howling wilds of Yorkshire. While she meets with someone from her past while dressed as herself (female), she is ALSO mistaken as Ashland's every-other-Tuesday lady of the night. DOUBLE TROUBLE, YES.

Ashland was seriously disfigured in battle, with show more scars covering most of his face and missing his right hand. There is no fairy-tale transformation where suddenly his scars are gone making him handsome again, or giving him his hand back (or even a replacement hand). Instead Emilie is able to see his scars and missing hand as a part of him, and love him (and by extension them) just as he is. I do so love a story where the person is loved for their entire self, without some transformation or being required to change into someone or something else to suddenly be worthy of love. Instead all it takes is the right person so really see you in your entirety, and love you precisely as you are. Now *that's* a love story.

This is the first in a series, and from the ending of this book it sounds like books #2 and #3 likely run concurrently with the events in this book (centered around Emilie's sisters, who are also in hiding disguised as men - um, YES PLEASE.) At one point she meets up with her sister who is also in hiding as a man, and it's clear there's a major story going on with her sister - I'm going to go ahead and assume that's book 2 (which you'd better believe I've got requested at my local library right now!) show less