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Welcome back to the tiny Highland village of Locharran, where Ally McKinley – guesthouse owner and accidental detective – is about to stumble upon another dead body… and her next case. When Ally McKinley hears that well-known novelist Jodi Jones is going to host a writers’ retreat at the hotel just down the road, she’s delighted to offer rooms at her little guesthouse for some of the attendees. Ally is thrilled to join the group for one of their first sessions – but the retreat has barely begun before she finds the famous writer strangled in the ladies’ bathroom! The cake tin and teapot come out at the little guesthouse in the Highlands as Ally begins to question her bookish guests. Accusations of plagiarism and infidelity start flying and it’s clear that more than one of the retreat attendees had a grudge against Jodi. But could any of them have resorted to murder? When Ally discovers a diary in Jodi’s bedroom at the guesthouse with several pages ripped out of it, she thinks she’s close to cracking the case. But the plot thickens when another of the aspiring writers is found dead, only hours after she said she knew the identity of Jodi’s killer. Not only is the murderer still in Locharran, they’re desperate to stop Ally getting to the truth. With her faithful puppy Flora by her side, can Ally unravel the clues and solve the mystery before she’s written out of the story for good? A totally gripping and bookish cozy mystery set in the Scottish Highlands from bestselling author Dee MacDonald. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Clare Chase. Readers are loving A Very Bookish Murder: ‘Definitely merits more than 5 stars… one of my favourite reads of the year so far!... Laugh out loud… just brilliant. I'm looking forward to book four already.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ‘I LOVE Ally McKinley!... Felt like a warm hot toddy for the soul and took me back to my time in Scotland… I can’t wait
When a famous novelist is found strangled during a writers' retreat in the Scottish Highlands, guesthouse owner and accidental detective Ally McKinley must uncover which of the bookish attendees harbors a deadly secret. Ally McKinley, proprietor of a cozy guesthouse in the picturesque village of Locharran, finds her quiet life disrupted when she agrees to host attendees of a prestigious writers' retreat. Her delight turns to horror when the celebrated novelist Jodi Jones is discovered murdered in the hotel's bathroom. As Ally delves into the lives of the aspiring writers, she uncovers a web of plagiarism, infidelity, and deep-seated grudges, realizing that any one of them could be the killer. With a torn diary and a second murder complicating the investigation, Ally, aided by her loyal puppy Flora, races against time to expose the truth before the murderer silences her permanently.
The premise sets up a classic cozy mystery with a strong sense of place in the Scottish Highlands. The narrative appears to focus on Ally McKinley's amateur sleuthing, driven by her personal involvement and the close-knit community setting. Readers can anticipate a plot filled with red herrings, interpersonal conflicts among the writers, and a race to solve the mystery before the protagonist becomes the next victim. The inclusion of a puppy suggests a lighthearted tone, characteristic of the cozy mystery genre, while the escalating stakes promise a gripping conclusion.
Page Count:
238
Publication Date:
2025-09-16
Publisher:
Bookouture
ISBN-10:
183618252X
ISBN-13:
9781836182528
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