Murder in the Scottish Highlands: A completely addictive cozy murder mystery (An Ally McKinley Mystery Book 1)

Ally McKinley, recently retired, opens a guesthouse in the Scottish Highlands village of Locharran, housed in a restored old Scottish malthouse. She befriends the locals, including Hamish Sinclair, the earl who owns the nearby castle. When her first paying guest, American tourist Wilbur Carrington, is found dead in her courtyard with a dagger in his back, the police are baffled. Ally decides to investigate herself, aided by her Labrador puppy Flora. She discovers that Wilbur, an amateur genealogist, believed he was the rightful Earl of Locharran and had plans that would displace many locals from their jobs and homes. Several people had motive: the hotel owner struggling to save his business, the castle's loyal housekeeper devoted to the earl, or the earl himself, whose way of life was threatened by Wilbur's claims. While searching Wilbur's room, Ally finds a faded photograph in a hidden drawer. When one of her suspects dies in a suspicious accident, the danger becomes personal. Ally must uncover the truth before the killer escapes justice. This is the first book in the Ally McKinley Mystery series.