A Shetland Winter Mystery

 

It's the dark nights in the run up to Christmas, and sailing sleuth Cass Lynch's first night on dry land is disturbed by strange noises outside her isolated cottage. Tiny footprints in the moonlit snow trail from her front door before mysteriously disappearing. Soon Cass learns others were visited by the same tiny feet in the night.

It looks like ingenious local teenagers playing tricks - but what happens when festive games turn deadly?

Cass soon finds out as a schoolboy disappears, leaving only a trail of footprints into the middle of a snowy field. She's determined to investigate, but uncovering the truth will also put her in danger . . .

You know a book is going to be good when the first line draws you in and makes your ant to keep reading. Fortunately, every other line lived up to the promise of the first and I really did want to keep reading. At first the book seems to be a Norse/Shetland myth but it soon emerged that something far more sinister was at work in the background. In this book Cass is on dry land rather than at sea, although the nautical allusions are still there and boats are not entirely omitted. Sailing fans should not panic. There is a real Scottish flavour with Shetland dialect sprinkled throughout but these are explained well within the text without pulling the reader out of the story.

Review

One of the real strengths of this book is the setting. Shetland is portrayed in all it's wondrous, wintry beauty. The descriptions allowed me to picture it perfectly. I have always wanted to go to Shetland and this has made my desire to do so even stronger. The author has a real flair for words and uses each word to good effect to place the reader directly on the islands. 

Cass is a great character but at first I was unsure of her foray on to dry land. I should not have worried as this added a whole new exciting dimension to the storyline. All of the characters are well drawn and I found myself relating to them on many levels. As a former teacher, Taylor has a real understanding of teenagers and children and this came across in her portrayal of the younger characters. 

The story itself is excellent. This is a slow burn book rather than an on the edge of your seat tale, but I think the tension is all the better for it. I genuinely loved this book and can highly recommend it. 

Author Biography 

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland’s scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland’s distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.