Death at a Scottish Halloween Review: Lucy Connelly’s Cozy Mystery Audiobook

🎧 Listened in audio | 📢 Narrated by Kimberly M. Wetherell
⏱ Duration: 10 hours | 📖 ARC by NetGalley
Genre: Cozy Mystery | Published: August 11, 2026
🏷️ Publisher name: Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media

Book Blurb:

It’s the week of Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve as they say in Scotland, and the town of Sea Isle is full of spooky celebrations. Dr. Emilia McRoy is happy to pitch in until she and her assistant, Abigail, find a dead body in a haunted house, and it is a real one. They’re too late to save him, but they’re set on finding his killer, even with too many suspects to count. Constable Ewan would prefer the good doctor and her friends stay out of it. They don’t. As they investigate, they realize the killer is searching for something and will murder anyone who gets in the way.

Let’s talk … murder!!!

I have enjoyed Dr. Em’s journey from Seattle to the Scottish land of Sea Isles tremendously. She has found her tribe in such a random but beautiful place, and I love reading about her relationships with Abigail, Tommy, Mara, Jasper, and especially Ewen. Every book makes me feel a little more at home on the island, and this one was no exception. The slow burn romance with Ewen feels just right and not overdone, like in some other cozies.

The Halloween setting is perfect. With the town’s All Hallows’ Eve celebrations, the haunted house, and Em and Abigail’s spooky medical office room, the book is full of autumn atmosphere. I also enjoy seeing Scottish traditions through Em’s American eyes, and it’s clear the author puts care into working them into the story.

The story starts out like a comedy of errors. With two men named Duncan and plenty of confusion over who is who, I spent the first half just trying to keep track of everything. As the book went on, I started to see how all the pieces fit together, and it was a lot of fun watching the threads come together. The pacing was steady, the characters were charming as always, and the journey itself was a delight.

What vexed me in this one though is the ending. It was not satisfactory. I really wanted the mystery to end differently, for the killers to have a different motive than the one shared. The entire journey was beautiful but the end could have been better. I really wished I could give this 5 stars, but at 4 it shall remain.

Even so, I’ll be back for the next installment. Dr. Em and her friends have earned a permanent spot on my cozy mystery shelf.

Would I recommend it?

Death at a Scottish Halloween is a cozy, autumn-soaked read I’d happily hand to anyone who loves a small island town and a doctor who can’t stay out of trouble. Two men named Duncan keep you guessing for a good while, and the pieces do click together in the end. The killers’ motive left me wanting something different, which cost it a fifth star. Still, add this to your TBR for your October reading stack, because the atmosphere alone is worth it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Next Stops After Sea Isle:

1. A Dream of Death by Connie Berry. The Goodreads blurb itself compares this series to Connie Berry, and if you like a cozy with real atmosphere and a sleuth far from home, this Suffolk mystery fits.
   Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
2. The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton. Another one the blurb name-checks. An American heroine finds a new life in Scotland (Edinburgh this time), so you get your Scottish fix with a whole new cast.
   Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
3. Evans Above by Rhys Bowen. If Constable Ewan is your favourite part of Sea Isle, here is a village constable in the Welsh hills who gets pulled into murder in a small, tight community.
   Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
4. Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton. The first Hamish Macbeth is a classic Highland village mystery, so it’s a good next step if the Scottish setting is what keeps you coming back.
   Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
5. Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly. A newcomer who builds a circle of friends in a small town, plus a slow burn that doesn’t take over the story, makes this a natural pick for Dr. Em fans.
   Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy

Your Spookiest Cozy Read

Okay, confession time. Do you save your haunted house mysteries for October, or do you read them whenever the mood strikes? And which cozy series has made you feel most at home in its little town? Tell me in the comments, because my TBR could always use a few more.

Book Links block

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Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert
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