Australian author Emma Callandar has been offfered the chance to help esteemed mystery writer Iris Blackthorne finish her final novel. It’s 1965 and Iris’s memory is fading. She sends Emma off to the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where the novel is set so that she’ll get a feel for the place and the people. What Emma uncovers is a tie to a real-life crime from 1906, and the family enmeshed in its history does not want that tale told.

Emma has traveled alone to London for work, leaving her life behind in Australia. Despite the bold start to a new life, Emma is young and naive. She lives in a time where she both wants to find a way, but also find a husband who will take care of her and keep her safe. These two dichotomy’s to her personality are what led Emma into solving this mystery. She was bold enough to once again, travel a distance to discover a new place, the Isle of Skye, but her naiveté and poor decision making keeps her on the edge of disasterous occurances and in the end, danger. This was a book where I enjoyed seeing her grow but at the same time was saying ‘come on now, Emma, is that the best plan’?

I love a good historical mystery and Rhys Bowen does a great job of setting a scene and the mood of a novel. I’ve been to Scotland, but not to the Isle of Skye, a place that sounds beautiful, but also a place that hasn’t gotten out of the previous century. I enjoyed the slower pace on the island juxtaposed against the increasing tension as Emma gets closer to solving the mystery. There is a hint of romance, but really, Emma seemed to want to find romance with any young man, which I found slightly annoying. Again, that was a sign of the year this story took place more than it was that Emma wasn’t independent thinking.

I don’t always love a slow paced mystery, but I was definitely in the right mood for this one. I was charmed by the characters, frustrated by women’s rights in the ’60’s, and hooked by the mystery. A solid weekend read!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

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