Death in a Scottish Tower by Lydia Travers ~ a Review

by MK French

Lady Poppy Proudfoot is visiting Glasgow University to celebrate the scholarship endowment she set up when a body falls from the tower. She instantly suspects it's murder because there had been a similar death eighteen years before. As she and Inspector MacKenzie investigate, they find clues and echoes of the prior death. While there are suspects, the timetable accelerates after another body is found. Poppy soon gets a note telling her to be at the tower. Will she be the next victim?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

March 2026; ‎ Bookouture; 978-1805501329
ebook, print (330 pages); cozy mystery

Death in a Scottish Tower is the third Poppy Proudfoot novel. She's as irrepressibly cheerful and determined to investigate as ever, and a little clearer in her affections for Inspector MacKenzie now. She's observant and takes in the details that aren't offered up to the police: the notes written to the victims, a mockup of the dress that the victim eighteen years before had written, and the groups of young women who are looking at Mary Queen of Scots. Poppy has her notebook and methodically goes through her list of suspects and motives, revising it as she goes back to question the people on her list. The Inspector is well aware of her antics now; while he doesn't exactly approve, he doesn't try to scare her away from investigating as he used to. This also means that she discusses her thoughts with him and asks for his help, which gets her further and safer than she would have been otherwise.

I enjoyed reading this and raced through to find out how Poppy would help catch the killer. She flirts more with the Inspector, and he sometimes flirts back with her. While he maintains his professional stance, the two trade ideas as equals without the initial distance and suspicion he had in the first book. It's fun to see how the two of them connect and work together to track down the killer. This is a lovely third volume in the series of mysteries.

Buy Death in a Scottish Tower at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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