A Cold Highland Wind (Lady Emily Mystery, #17) by Tasha Alexander ~ 304 pages ~ to be published on October 3, 2023 by Minotaur Books
Goodreads Synopsis:
Lady Emily, husband Colin Hargreaves, and their three sons eagerly embark on a family vacation at Cairnfarn Castle, the Scottish estate of their dear friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge. But a high-spirited celebration at the beginning of their stay comes to a grisly end when the duke’s gamekeeper is found murdered on the banks of the loch. Handsome Angus Sinclair had a host of enemies: the fiancée he abandoned in Edinburgh, the young woman who had fallen hopelessly in love with him, and the rough farmer who saw him as a rival for her affections. But what is meaning of the curious runic stone left on Sinclair’s forehead?
Scotland, 1676. Lady MacAllister, wife of the Laird of Cairnfarn Castle, suddenly finds herself widowed and thrown out of her home. Her sole companion is a Moorish slave girl who helps her secretly spirit out her most prized possessions from the castle: her strange books. Her neighbors are wary of a woman living on her own, and when a poppet—a doll used to cast spells—and a daisy wheel are found in her isolated cottage, Lady MacAllister is accused of witchcraft, a crime punishable by death.
Hundreds of years later, Lady Emily searches for the link between Lady MacAllister’s harrowing witchcraft trial and the brutal death of Sinclair. She must follow a trail of hidden motives, an illicit affair, and a mysterious stranger to reveal the dark side of a seemingly idyllic Highland village.
What I Thought:
*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC!*
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I have been a fan of the Lady Emily Mysteries series for years. I am always excited to see where the next one will take place. When I saw that the newest installment would be set in Scotland, I was thrilled! Scotland is one of my favorite places, and I knew this would be a fantastic story!
One of the things I have always loved about Tasha Alexander’s writing is how accurate her research is. I know for a fact that she does through research, as I have read a book of hers while in the city it was set in (her mystery that was set in Venice, Italy was the boon I read while on my honeymoon in that same city), and I could recognize landmarks she described in the novel. So, I have always known that her books are remarkably accurate. I have also travelled to Scotland, and this book captured that beautiful and rainy country perfectly!
I really enjoyed the mystery in this story. I really did not have any inkling of who the killer might be until the moment it wad revealed to me. I love when that happens! The array of suspects, which was basically the entire village of Cairnfarn, were delightful to follow along with. I loved seeing Lady Emily, Colin and Jeremy interacting with all of them. I also loved that we got a lot more time with the boys in this book! Henry, Richard and Tom are so much fun, and I hope we continue getting to see more of them in the next installments of this series.
The historical parts of this book were interesting as well. I enjoyed learning more about Tansy as the book went on, and I liked seeing it all play out from her perspective. The witch trials were an interesting turn of events. I have always known about the witch trials in America, but I didn’t know it was also prevalent in Scotland around the same time. I always learn such cool things from this series!
Overall, this was a fun mystery with a great twist and a good historical storyline to go along with it.
My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I gave A Cold Highland Wind 4.5 Stars!
Are you interested in learning more about this book/series? Check out the links below!
A Cold Highland Wind on Goodreads
Purchase A Cold Highland Wind on Amazon
Are you a fan of the Lady Emily Mystery series? What other historical mysteries do you enjoy? Have you ever been to Scotland? Let’s chat in the comments!
Love and happy reading,
Whitney
Whit Reads Lit 
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