Death at a Shetland Festival By Marsali Taylor
Headline and Marsali Taylor for this ARC 9781035400669 I m always delighted to see that there is a new Cass Lynch book out I know I am in for a varied read along with a mystery I may or may not solve usually not This one is set during the annual fold festival at the start of May Cass partner DI Gavin Macrae are attending a concert at the Hillswick Hall where amongst the acts are friends of Cass from her sailing days Gavin s cousin The concert is nearly over when a women burst into the hall covered in blood She has found a body The story is told from the present day perspective as well as the crazy days at the start of the oil A young girl describes in her diary how she worked at the Sullom Voe work camp along with her sister The thing I love most about Marsali Taylor s book are the way she combines descriptions of the land seascape the people of course the cats This is woven with the main plot Living in Shetland it is always good to know exactly where she is talking about I love dropping in to Cass Gavin s lives am always looking forward to the next one Definitely a five star read 9781035400669
| Death at a Shetland Festival By Marsali Taylor |
| 1035400669 |
| 9781035400669 |
| English |
| 379 |
| Kindle Edition |
And I am leaving this review voluntarily 9781035400669 Death At a Shetland festival was the first read by this author Its apparently part of a series but I had no idea and my reading of it certainly didn t suffer as a result The book opens with a music performance and during one of the acts someone comes out screaming covered in blood The book then follows the investigation although Gavin Macrae is removed as he s considered too close to the case Which as you can imaginegoes down well The story flicks between the present and the past when the building opens up as a place for the men to gather I found this hard going at points due to over description but enjoyed the story overall. I feel the author could massively improve the pacing of the novel by removing extra details about the music and the instruments The setting was stunning and ideal for a crime novel 9781035400669 This is the second Shetland book by Marsali Taylor I ve read It certainly didn t disappoint The title tells you exactly what happened.
This is the latest in Marsali Taylor s Shetland based crime series that I particularly enjoy due to the atmospheric Scottish island location surrounded by the seas featuring amateur sleuth and sailor Cass Lynch in a relationship with DI Gavin Macrae living in their home by the sea with her yacht Khalida with their trio of cats The author uses an actual folk festival which inspires this mystery in which famous Irish folk singer now living in Canada with his children Fintan Foley is performing with others Attending the festival in which a Canadian group includes his cousin Will who could be his twin are Gavin and Cass blown away by the opening act of talented fiddler Ethan accompanied by his mother Debs Chaos ensues when Kay Baker bursts into the hall covered in blood after coming across Foley s murdered body in the dark Gavin immediately takes charge cordoning off the crime scene and organising the relevant interviews However he is taken off the case with his personal connection to Will leaving him angry and frustrated an outside MIT comes in although DS Freya Peterson remains giving him the inside track on the case In the meantime Cass has come across a diary partially filled with entries from 1981 and a photograph at a church sale she is intent on finding the owner of the journal with the aim of returning it to them In 1981 thousands of men were brought in and resided in a workers camp building the Sullum Voe oil terminal with locals primarily employed in the lower paid catering and cleaning services. With the dual timelines from 1981 and the present the connections begin to slowly emerge This is an intricate and complex murder mystery well plotted that had me completely engrossed with its surprising twists and turns until the shocking truth is laid bare Cass could hardly have imagined the danger she is to find herself in This is a wonderful addition to what is a compulsive series that is informative on local culture language and dialect and with a established cast of characters that I am always delighted to catch up with such a Cassie s friend Magnie I recommend this to readers interested in the Shetlands in all its glory its history and people Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC 9781035400669 Marsali Taylor s Shetland has become another of the world s beautiful but dangerous places and it comes to life in a big way in the latest outing for her shrewd sailing sleuth Cass Lynch One of the most prominent events of the year is about to get under way when the book begins the Shetland Folk Festival a huge and joyous jamboree which welcomes performers of traditional music from all over the world at a series of sell out concerts at various locations on the islands Cass and her policeman partner Gavin Macrae have tickets for the first concert and since murder seems to dog Cass s footsteps it comes as no surprise when the body of one of the artistes is found in a pool of blood at the back of the venue The artiste is Fintan Foyle a famous Irish Canadian singer who has come to the Shetland event as part of a world tour The local police are on the spot to do the initial groundwork but because of the victim s fame a major investigation team flies in from the mainland and Gavin finds himself well and truly sidelined Fortunately the incomers involve local sergeant Freya Peterson in a minor role she is as annoyed as Gavin to be pushed out and keeps him and Cass informed Meanwhile Cass has another mystery to solve A diary dating back to the 1980s has turned up in a box of books donated to a parish sale and she sets about identifying the owner so it can be returned She resists the temptation to read it but Marsali Taylor takes pity on the reader and offers enough taster chunks to reveal how this story strand links to the murder. Naturally the major investigation team go off down blind alleys and it s the Shetland contingent who solve both the murder and the mystery of the diary Along the way there are plenty of twists turns and crossed wires with Taylor s trademark cast of interesting characters including a host of different folk musicians and a group of women with a common history of jobs at the workers camp when the Sullom Voe oil terminal was under construction forty years ago She brings to life the boisterous final night of the folk festival and explores the subtle undercurrents and emotions of the relationships between the artistes and the locals And as well as preparing for one tour of duty on board the longship S rlandet before settling down to domestic life with Gavin Cass gets to go sailing in her yacht Khalida another trademark of this engaging series Not for the first time Marsali Taylor has ticked all the boxes familiar characters to enjoy and new ones to warm to or not as the case may be a generous helping of Shetland landscape and everyday life a nicely convoluted mystery and as a bonus a slice of recent island history to explore Long may murder continue to follow Cass Lynch around her beloved Shetland Reviewer Lynne PatrickFor Lizzie Sirett Mystery People Group 9781035400669 I have not read previous books in the Shetland Mystery series I would say however that this does not detract from the story as it is pretty easy to catch up with the characters The series centres on professional sailor and amateur sleuth Cass Lynch who is in a relationship with Detective Inspector Gavin Macrae The pair attend an annual folk festival on the island Among the performers are a Canadian group whom Cass knows well and Fintan Foley who is a famous Irish folk singer now himself based in Canada During one of the performances volunteer Kay Barker runs hysterically into the hall with her hands covered in blood She has stumbled over Fintan Foley s murdered body in the darkness Gavin Macrae starts to investigate the case but because he has personal dealings with some suspects is subsequently removed from the case Cass however has found a diary with entries from 1981 and a photograph obviously taken in the 80s of three young people In 80s the Sullom Voe oil terminal was constructed on Shetland Thousands of men from all over the UK came to work on the construction and were housed in a worker s camp on the island The local Shetland residents mainly women were also employed in providing catering laundry and cleaning services to the workers From this point in the book we continue with dual timelines from 1981 and the present The plot is complex and intricate but unfortunately I didn t enjoy it as much as I thought I would It is very slow moving and I found myself turning over and skipping pages certainly for the last two thirds of the book I really wanted the writer not to labour over every point and description. My thanks to NetGalley Headline Accent and Marsali Taylor for the ARC in exchange for an open and honest review 9781035400669 A discovery at a church rummage sale leads to a complex case for Cass Lynch and her partner DI Gavin Macrae A diary had been tossed in with donated books and after she reads enough to see that it contains personal information Cass decides to look for the owner She and Gavin are spending a long weekend attending the Shetland Folk Festival Headlining the Festival is Fintan Foley an internationally famous Irish folk singer He is stabbed to death almost immediately after his performance As Cass tries to identify the owner of the diary she finds links between what happened over forty years earlier with the recent murder She is determined to find the killer before there is another victim. Although Death at a Shetland Festival is part of a series it can easily be read as a standalone Descriptions of Festival days alternate with chapters taken from the diary The murder at the Festival setting is made difficult to solve by the different memories of witnesses confused by the crowds and music look for the illustration of the gorilla in the room The author of the diary is a tragic figure whose secrets reach into the present Both plots weave seamlessly together until the final conclusion Each chapter contains the words and translations of Shetland folk music that adds to the atmosphere 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley or islands or joyous intricate story telling ANN CLEEVES Crowds are gathered for a concert at Shetland s renowned folk music festival when there s a shocking discovery international folk legend Fintan Foley has been stabbed backstage Sailing sleuth Cass Lynch and her partner DI Gavin Macrae are in the audience and must untangle a complicated case where nothing is quite what it seems Cass soon discovers that Foley s smiling stage persona concealed links with Shetland He d worked here in the 80s the days when oil brought wealth to the islands Has a long buried secret risen to the surface and will it make Cass a target for a cold blooded killer Atmospheric and gripping Death at a Shetland Festival is the latest instalment in the much loved Shetland Mystery series by Marsali Taylor Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths Death at a Shetland FestivalDeath At a Shetland festival was the first book I have read by this author While part of a series I didn t feel that I was affected by not having read the others so can be read as a stand alone It moves between the present and the 1980 s There are many twists turns and red herrings in this book to keep things interesting and descriptions of the scenery and wild life are wonderful However while well written there was too much trivial detail included that slowed the pace so much I struggled not to skip parts of it I received an advance review copy for free but the whodunnit is the best part of the book I loved the dual timeline aspect with the segment from 1981 coming from a diary from back in the day. I hope this author continues with the series because it s a cracking good one 9781035400669 Always such an enjoyable read catching up with Cass and Gavin and the next intriguing murder mystery The history intertwined with the present and of course all the lovely Shetland talk and places make for a great time 9781035400669 I always love Marsali Taylor s Shetland Sailing mysteries perfect escape after reading so many dark books 9781035400669 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 womens suffrage in Shetland Shes also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht and an active member of her local drama group 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 site_link 
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