Lexie Conyngham

1817. Charles Murray is visiting St. Andrews, staying at Professor Shaw's home, now the home of his ex-servant Walter. On returning from a recital, they find a body in one of the ponds in the garden.
The dead man leaves a wife and child behind, the wife believing that it is someone from their past who is guilty. Murray with the help of Constable Round investigate.
An enjoyable and well-written mystery, another delightful story with a fine cast of characters

This novel was quite slow to start but life in and around St. Andrews and the relationships of people within the university made very interesting reading. The first murder didn't take place until halfway through the book which I thought was a little too far in, but, the writer makes good use of this time to introduce and fully flesh out the characters. We get to know Charles very well and we learn of his difficulties with his father who is threatening to cut off all financial support if he show more doesn't come back to run the family estate and get married. Charles has no intention of doing either. Not yet anyway.
Charles is very resourceful though and by the end of the book he has secured a way of funding himself until graduation.

I liked that this book was set in Scotland and not the usual ballrooms of regency England. The tone of the writing was serious and literary in style which complemented the academic setting of St. Andrews. I also enjoyed reading some familiar Scottish colloquialisms that we in Donegal, Ireland also have in our dialect.

I will definitely be following the rest of the series.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

The setting is Orkney in the Viking times, and on the day that Ketil Gummarson arrives, Sigrid, a widow, discovers a body. Probably dead for some months. On seeing the body Ketil knows who it is, but why was he killed. Where did the rumour start that the long dead Rognvald Brusason has come back from the dead to claim Orkney for his own.
Sigrid and Ketil investigate.
A very enjoyable, well-written historical mystery with its twists of plot, and with its very likeable and well-developed main show more characters.
I look forward to reading more in the series, of which this book is a very good start.
A NetGalley Book show less

1812. Two years have passed since Murray left Edinburgh. He is in Naples when a letter arrives from ex-servant Mary. Her husband Aeneas Maclachlan is in jail awaiting trial for murder and his regiment refuses their help. With the added incentive that a young lady is in unwelcome pursuit of him, Murray and his butler Robbins travel to the distant Mughal India. Where intrigue and more murder await them.
An enjoyable well-written story in this series. As always the descriptions of the scenes show more are a delight, lovely well-drawn characters, a bit of romance plus a good enough plot. Oh, but the ending. show less