*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author, Storm Publishing and Kelly Lacey of Love Books Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: When young, pretty Eliza Anderson walks through Grace McKenna's door begging for help finding her missing sister, it sparks the Portobello Detective Agency's most dangerous investigation to date.
The trail leads Grace and her team to a plush clinic nestled in Scotland's remote wilderness. On the surface, Whiteadder House seems too good to be true, offering miracle cures and luxury comfort at no cost. But as they dig deeper, the cracks in its gleaming façade start to show.
Before long, Grace and her protégée Hannah are fighting to infiltrate Whiteadder's inner sanctum, going undercover while racing to uncover its dark secrets. Little do they know that Whiteadder's founders have been buying influence at the highest levels to keep prying eyes away, and this time Grace is not going to get any help from the police. Has her handsome ex-husband Brodie been compromised too?
With the facility locked down tight and a web of corruption allowing Whiteadder to operate unchecked, Grace must trust her instincts and sacrifice everything to find a way in to save her client's sister – and, even more difficult, a way out. Then a young woman's body is found on a nearby beach – could it be linked to the clinic? Grace knows she must find out before more lives are lost...
A totally gripping Scottish cozy mystery. Fans of Clare Chase, Faith Martin and Frances Evesham will love this series.
Regular readers will know that I don't normally like to start reading partway through a series but a) the blurb just grabbed me and b) this stands alone just fine - not having read books 1 & 2 of the series didn't affect my enjoyment of this third book at all!
I immediately engaged with the main character trio of Grace, Jean and Hannah, three very different women but all with skills to contribute to the Portobello detective agency (not forgetting Harvey the dog, of course!).
The main mystery plot is focused around addiction and its treatment, which can make for a very difficult and triggering read, but I became so engrossed in the suspicions around the clinic and the perils of the agency's undercover work there that I flew through the whole story easily - completely immersed and barely breathing.
Action-packed and exciting, I will definitely look out for more from this series and am now very tempted to back-track to the first two books after all, to find out what I missed!
'She said that two years ago she was living on the streets. Her body was failing, and her mind had shut down apart from getting the next hit of alcohol. Day by day she let go a little more until she sensed she was near death.'
'So, what happened to change that?' prompted Grace, totally caught up in the story being revealed.
'Somebody offered her a place at a luxurious rehab clinic at Whiteadder.'
- Jackie Baldwin, Murder at Whiteadder House
About the author
Jackie Baldwin grew up in a small, rural town in southwest Scotland. She went off to study law at Edinburgh which proved something of a culture shock and returned to Dumfries to practice family and criminal law. Much later, she retrained as a hypnotherapist and discovered a passion for the inner workings of the human mind.
Her first novel was published in 2016 and featured former priest, Detective Inspector Frank Farrell. Murder by the Seaside is her fourth novel and the first in her Detective Grace McKenna series. It is set in Portobello, the seaside suburb of Edinburgh.
Married, with two grown-up children and a little grandson, Jackie loves roaming about the East Lothian countryside with her golden retriever, Lucy, or taking her for long walks on one of the many beaches. If you come across her in the wild she will likely be a combination of windswept, muddy, or soggy with twigs in her hair. She also loves to swim in the sea, but is only brave enough to do it in the summer.
Website link: https://jackiebaldwin.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JackieBaldwinAuthor
X/Twitter: https://x.com/JackieMBaldwin1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackie.baldwin.1088
Don't forget to check out the other blog stops on the tour for more great reviews and content (see the poster below for details)!
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