A Scottish Shire Mystery Book 7
Author: Traci Hall
Genre: Mystery
Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496754677
Kensington Cozies
304 Pages
$17.95; $9.99 Amazon
November 25, 2025
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The Highland Games have taken over the quaint seaside village of Nairn, Scotland -- and the life of sweater shop owner, knitting enthusiast, and busy single mom Paislee Shaw...especially when a killer enters the competition!
Paislee Shaw is no stranger to managing tricky tangles, but mid-August spins her world into more chaos than she ever could have imagined. Between her teenage son's moody antics, friends making life-changing decisions, and the looming Nairn Highland Games, evenings with fellow crafts of the Knit and Sip crew are her one escape. But when she joins the organizing committee, Paislee is instantly plunged into a whirlwind of clashing personalities and scandalous mishaps...
The festivities unravel faster than a dropped stitch when heavy throwing competitor Artie Whittle is accused of cheating -- and his ill-tempered father is found murdered the next day. With Artie unconscious and pegged as the prime suspect, Paislee and DI Zeffer team up to untangle the truth. Navigating a cast of unusual suspects -- from jealous judges to grudge-holding locals -- Paislee must weave together clues hidden amidst caber tosses, kilts, and a killer who only plays to win...
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Paislee Shaw lives with her son Brody and grandfather in their small town of Nairn, Scotland. She owns a yarn shop which fortunately is doing well. Volunteering to help with the annual Nairn Highland games should be easy enough -- that is, until she finds that there is plenty of friction between others involved. Her employee is dating one of the entrants - Artie Whittle -- but her parents think he's not good enough, though she stays close. When Artie is accused of cheating in the caber throw, he denies it, and his father Joseph is angered enough to confront the man who accused him. In fact, Paislee learns later that Artie's father is not only full of anger, he's also a philanderer, and just downright mean.
Which doesn't mean that he should be murdered, but that's exactly what happens -- and Artie is the prime suspect. Paislee wants to believe him innocent; if not for herself, then for her employee, but who would want to kill him? As it turns out, many people, including his long-suffering wife. But would she go that far?
When DI Zeffer turns up, it turns up feelings in Paislee that she never expected to feel. It also turns up questions she never wanted to answer, and even questions her son never knew existed. Now, with the murder first and foremost, Paislee must put her personal feelings aside -- even though she doesn't really want to -- and concentrate on the here and now, And that means Brody comes first, even at her own cost.
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But can Paislee find a killer, keep Mack Zeffer at bay, and keep Brody close? These are questions that need answers, and Paislee is at once confused and determined...if she can find a killer before they strike again...
This is the seventh book in the series and I have loved them all. The author brings us to Scotland with ease, and describes the surrounding areas, which makes me want to visit. She also engulfs us in the lives of Paislee, her family, and her close friends; and we find that things are changing; whether it is wanted or not.
As to the murder, there are people to sift through, and they all seem to have secrets of their own that somehow connect them to the dead man. While Zeffer is looking through his clues and conducting investigations, Paislee is sifting through her own.
When the ending comes and we finally figure out the identity of the killer, Paislee discovers it also, and it leads to a climax that is worth the wait. At the end, the epilogue is worth reading the book alone, and I am glad that I was given the chance to do so.
I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Traci Hall's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/traci-hall/
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