Death at the Highland Loch by Lydia Travers - Book Review

Series: Lady Poppy Proudfoot #1

Publication Date: 19th May 2025 

Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: It was fun 

1924, Scotland 

Lady Poppy Proudfoot travels to the Highlands for a midsummer party, where a body turns up beside the loch. When Inspector MacKenzie doesn’t seem to take her seriously, Poppy jumps into action and decides to solve the case. 

Of course, another mystery grabs her attention - Lady Constance Balfour, the host, claims her diamond and emerald bracelet is stolen. Are the two events connected? Without more than enough suspects in the house party, Poppy has work cut out for her. 

The story comes in Poppy’s third-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

While I didn’t particularly enjoy the first book of The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency series, I liked this better. 

The FMC is an almost 30-year-old rich widow with a university education and some social service during WWI to her name. This makes her quite entitled, which comes across clearly in her thoughts, actions, and reactions. 

You’ll have to be patient initially to get used to the FMC’s attitude. Yeah, she has quite a few flaws. However, these feel realistic and aligned with how the ladies with titles behaved back then. Makes it hard to like her immediately, but good for the character arc. 

There’s a large cast since a house party is going on, and more people pop up in Edinburgh, but I didn’t find it confusing. The key ones are easy enough to track. Gregor, the 14-year-old lad, is a delight to read. He adds a lot of humor and lightness to the story. 

The lady’s maid is a bit annoying, but I think that’s the intention. We also have two dogs, a chihuahua named Ollie and a Lab named Major. Major is the FMC’s dog, so he’ll be a recurring character. Yay! 

Inspector MacKenzie, the prospective love interest, is actually a decent guy. He shows much patience dealing with the FMC’s antics. He’ll need to be patient in the coming books, too! 

The mystery or mysteries, as such, are decent. I like how they don’t go into the tried and tested path but try something different. The reveal is believable, too. 

The characters from the previous series make an entry as both books are set in the same region, and they have overlapping social circles. 

We get enough descriptions of the highlands to imagine the beautiful place without getting distracted from the main plot. This keeps the pacing moderate and steady. 

To summarize, Death at the Highland Loch is a solid start to a new cozy mystery series with yet another female amateur sleuth. As I look forward to the next book, I hope the FMC’s arc shows some growth. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #DeathAtTheHighlandLoch