DEATH AT A SCOTTISH HALLOWEEN (Scottish Isle Mystery #5) by Lucy Connelly will be released on August 11, 2026, by Crooked Lane Books.
While working at a haunted house in her adopted hometown of Sea Isle, Dr. Emilia McRoy and her assistant, Abigail, find a real-life dead body among the props. One of their fellow actors, Duncan Craig, was stabbed to death just across the hall from their scene and they didn’t hear anything. Dr Em is working with the local constable to solve Duncan’s murder when a second man named Duncan Craig winds up dead on her doorstep. Dr. Em is determined to figure out if the two murders are connected.
Despite being the fifth in the series, DEATH AT A SCOTTISH HALLOWEEN is the first book that I’ve read. Having not read the previous books, I was a bit at a disadvantage because I didn’t know all the backstory. That being said, I did enjoy the story. The dual murders of Duncan #1 and Duncan #2 were intriguing—especially because it was not certain if the two deaths were related or not. I would have enjoyed more scenes at the haunted house, but there was other fun All Hallow’s Eve activities scattered throughout the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.