Book Review and Tour | Death at the Scottish Broch

Death at the Scottish Broch: A Mia Reid, Archaeologist, Mystery

by Rose Kerr

Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Isle of Skye, Scotland
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Level Best Books (November 5, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1685128025
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1685128029
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DK89D1R9

Dr. Mia Reid arrives on the Isle of Skye for a summer dig. She learns her friend and trusted colleague, Dr. Ethan Carter, is dead and valuable artifacts are missing.

Interpol agent and Mia’s former lover, Luke Forbes, is working the case with the police. They suspect murder and a smuggling ring.

Mia and her team uncover a treasure with ties to Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Then two students are kidnapped, forcing Mia to trade the treasure for their release. During the rescue, she finds a collection of missing artifacts.

Are the smugglers and kidnappers the same people?

Can she dig up the truth before someone else dies?

My Review

Death at the Scottish Broch is a cosy mystery which doesn’t have the lead character trampling over the evidence, and the proper police procedures progress in a reasonable manner. The explanation of a ‘broch’ comes fairly early, although I think the addition of ‘Scottish’ is probably superfluous. I expect it helps to have it in the title, though.

It’s very nicely written, with plenty of clues and suspicious people abounding. Personally I thought the villain was pretty obvious from very early stages, but then I’m more cynical than many. There were plenty of alternates as red herrings to keep you wondering.

The setting was dealt with fairly well, although I was somewhat confused with the season involved, due to the state of the light, the state of the midges, and the lack of rain on the Isle of Skye. The team didn’t even appear to take rainwear with them for a long day at the dig. Apart from that, there were nods to the cottages, the narrow roads and the hills and possible lack of phone reception, although I can’t vouch for that reality on the side of Skye they were dealing with. It’s good coverage on Vodafone even on the far side of Mull, due to their sponsorship of the World Mountain Bike Champs (held in the area between Ben Nevis and Skye) in 2006.

All in all, a very enjoyable read, especially if you like Scotland.

Don’t miss the interview and Giveaway below!

About Rose Kerr

Rose Kerr writes cozy mysteries featuring strong, smart, women protagonists who must draw on their wits and resourcefulness to solve the crime.

Rose was born in a small community in Nova Scotia and has traveled across Canada.

More recently, Rose and her husband have moved to Southern Ontario. When she isn’t writing, Rose and her husband enjoy exploring the new region.

You can find Rose at her website https://rosekerr.com/

She’s active on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest) as well.

Author Interview

Welcome, Rose, and thanks for taking the time to visit me in southern England, although I’ve spent a lot of time on the west coast of Scotland, too.

Everyone’s just read your bio… what’s a secret that isn’t in it?

When I lived in Northern Ontario, I worked for a distance education network, and I traveled frequently through the north. On one of my trips, I was flying in a small aircraft. We were making frequent stops in small communities. At one stop, all the other passengers got off and I was the only one left. The pilot asked if I wanted to sit in the co-pilot seat and learn about flying. I jumped at the opportunity. The pilot was an instructor for a college in the area and he gave me basic instruction on flying the airplane, the “highways” in the sky, how to use the radio, the different instruments used in flying. Then he let me take control of the plane! That was exciting! It was a memorable trip and a lot of fun.

Oh, wow! I have always wanted to fly a plane, but stuck to riding horses, which some people say is much the same…

Next question…why did you pick to write cozy mysteries?

I tried writing in other genres, but it didn’t feel right. When I began writing cozy mysteries, I felt like I had come home. There’s a puzzle to solve, great characters to meet, and justice is served.

What types of books do you like to read?

I read widely in the mystery genre. Cozy mysteries are my favorites, but traditional and historical mysteries are on my bookshelves too. And I enjoy a good thriller.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

My husband and I recently moved to southern Ontario. In our spare time, we like to explore the area. There are a lot of beautiful small towns, great shops, and excellent parks in this part of Ontario within a few hours drive of our home. It makes being a tourist easy and fun. We’ve discovered some lovely communities.

I also do Diamond Art painting, and I knit when I have time. And read! I read a lot…

Tell us about Death at the Scottish Broch, A Mia Reid, Archaeologist, Mystery and how it came to be.

Several years ago, I took some courses on archaeology and antiquity smuggling through Open Learn University. While I was taking the courses, I thought it would be fun to write a book about a modern-day archaeologist who gets entangled in a murder and an antiquity smuggling ring. It took some time for me to come up with the premise, the characters, and the location. I knew I wanted my archaeologist to be slightly older than most amateur sleuths, and she’s 38 years old. She’s lived life and has had to deal with challenges, disappointments, and with success. Mia’s been an interesting character to learn about.

In Death at the Scottish Broch, Mia is looking forward to a summer dig on the Isle of Skye with her good friend, Ethan Carter. She arrives on Skye and learns that Ethan’s dead and valuable artifacts are missing. Her ex, Luke Forbes, is on Skye. He’s now working for Interpol and is collaborating with Police Scotland. They’re investigating missing artifacts they believe have been taken by smugglers. Mia has to figure out who killed Ethan, prove that he had nothing to do with smuggling, and rescue two students who have been kidnapped by turning over artifacts for the students’ release.

Have you written other books?

I’ve written the Brenna Flynn Mysteries. The first book (Death on the Set) came out in 2022 and is available in audiobook. Brenna Flynn is a high school guidance counselor who loses her job to budget cuts. She takes on a temp position as a production assistant on a cooking reality show and has to solve a murder on the set. 

I’m working to get the remaining books in the series out soon.

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

I’m working on book two for the Mia Reid, Archaeologist, Mystery series. It’s due to my editor at the beginning of May and scheduled for release in November. This story takes place in Lakeview City, Canada where Mia lives. The tentative title is Death of an Antiquarian. 

I’m also working on an idea for a new series. There are a couple of new characters that are showing up and telling me their story. I’ll need to listen to them soon!

Anything else you want readers to know?

I’m also a member of the Facebook group, Murder, They Write. There are 10 authors in the group. Our literary agent passed away and we wanted to stay together, so we made the Facebook group. We all write cozy mysteries and have fun posting every day. We also host author takeovers for visiting authors.

Also, I plan to be at Malice Domestic this year. If you’re there, please say “hi”, I’d love to meet you!

Thank you very much. We’ll finish with the author links. I hope lots of people get in touch and your tour is successful.

Thanks for hosting me!

Author Links

FACEBOOK:   https://www.facebook.com/RoseKerrAuthor

INSTAGRAM:   https://www.instagram.com/r.m.kerr/?hl=en

PINTEREST:   https://ca.pinterest.com/RoseKerrauthor

GOODREADS:   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22146877.Rose_Kerr

Purchase Links: Amazon US  – Amazon Canada – Barnes and Noble – Kobo

There’s a Giveaway on the Death at the Scottish Broch tour!

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Visit other Tour Hosts

• February 10 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT  
• February 10 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR GUEST POST
• February 11 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
• February 12 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
• February 12 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• February 13 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
• February 14 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
• February 15 – Jemima Pett, Author – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
• February 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
• February 16 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER GUEST POST
• February 17 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
• February 18 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
• February 19 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
• February 20 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
• February 20 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
• February 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
• February 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
• February 23 – The Editing Pen – CHARACTER GUEST POST
• February 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW