ARC Review of Mystery in the Highlands by Lydia Travers

 I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher for a fair and honest review. 

When members of a choir start dropping dead in the Highlands, Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid Daisy go undercover to discover the inharmonious culprit. But will they uncover the killer before another murder takes place?

Edinburgh, 1911 : When Maud and Daisy receive a letter from Daisy’s cousin, Clara , sharing her fears that two sudden deaths in her local choir weren’t accidental, at first Daisy thinks her cousin is overreacting. But Maud’s detective senses tell her something is afoot, and so they make haste to the Highlands to investigate.

As soon as they arrive, Maud and Daisy go undercover in the choir to find potential suspects. But with one murder deemed a heart attack, and the other declared an unfortunate drowning, Maud and Daisy have their work cut out when it comes to persuading the local police that perhaps the choir isn’t as perfectly in tune as everyone thinks...

But finally they receive a clue in the form of an anonymous letter. Enclosed is a rhyme which they’re certain holds the key to the next murder…

With the clock ticking down to another death, they know they can’t miss a beat - but will Maud and Daisy solve the mysterious rhyming verse before another singer is silenced, or will this case lead to their own untimely swan song?

This is the third book in the Scottish Ladies Detective Agency and although I have enjoyed the first two books I just felt they were sort of average reads. So I am happy to say that I enjoyed this one a lot more.

Daisy's cousin Clara wants her and Maud to come and investigate the fact that two of their choir members have died. They are calling them accidents but Clara just seems to think that it's weird that they both died so close together. 

Maud and Daisy don't have any jobs lined up so they decide to head to the Highlands. They join the choir so that they can sort get to know the others and see if it could be anyone in the choir. Though someone knows that they are private detectives because some starts sending them notes with a rhyme about where the next murder will take place and who it might be if they can only figure it out in time.

They don't have success figuring out a couple rhymes before the murders happen but they do save one, but figuring out who was doing it took them a bit longer. 

In this one there was a bit more danger for the two ladies and I think that might have added a bit to the reason I enjoyed this more but I think the one reason is there wasn't several different mysteries. There was one other small mystery they were asked to work on but it was one that Daisy could handle herself and wasn't much so I don't count it. I guess I just like my cozy mysteries to have one solid mystery instead of several that connect in the end.

I really like Maud and Daisy and Lord Urquhart who always seems to show up wherever the two ladies are and always there to lend a hand even if they don't want him there...lol.

4 stars