Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In need of a change of scene, Seattle ER doctor Emilia McRoy, the narrator of Connelly's promising debut and series launch, makes a leap of faith by accepting a position as the sole practitioner in the town of Sea Isle, Scotland, where she has family roots according to a DNA test. Emilia warms to Sea Isle's quirky residents, except high-handed Ewan Campbell, "constable, mayor, and laird of Sea Isle," who has a knack for getting under her skin. Then a corpse appears in her office, only to disappear overnight before her other duty as coroner can begin. No body, no autopsy, no crime? After threatening letters arrive, she must work with Ewan to discover what's going on. As the tension rises, Emilia's ER experiences become crucial to saving not only her own life but others' as well. Jane Austen fans will relate to Emilia, a complex lead with more than her share of emotional baggage, trust issues, and self-doubt. Hopefully, Emilia will be back soon for an encore. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Dr. Emilia McRoy really should have read that 30-page contract before moving from Seattle to Sea Isle, Scotland. After 15 years as an emergency room doctor, she fled family tragedy and burnout to take a position as the small town's general practitioner. She learns that her new practice and home are in a deconsecrated church that comes with two employees. The town is eager to welcome the new doctor, except for a man named Smithy who refuses to drink in any pub where there's a McRoy at the bar. Three hours later when she takes shelter in a hut during a rainstorm, Em finds Smithy dead. As she seeks help, she runs smack into Ewan Campbell, the constable/mayor/laird of Sea Isle who's also her new boss. She's stunned when she learns her contract says she's the local coroner. Investigating Smithy's death will take everything Em's learned from British mysteries on TV, and she butts heads with Ewan at every turn. VERDICT Connelly writes an atmospheric, character-driven debut that's amusing at times, with a quirky, spirited cast. It has a strong sense of place that should appeal to fans of Carlene O'Connor's Irish mysteries.--Lesa Holstine
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A stressed-out American emergency room doctor who's moved to Scotland for peace and quiet finds herself targeted by a killer. Dr. Emilia McRoy's DNA test showed that her family came from the area of Sea Isle, where she's just been hired after a long search for a physician willing to live in the remote hamlet. Her new friend Mara--who works at the Pig & Whistle, her grandparents' pub--will help ease Emilia into relations with her neighbors, even the grumpy ones. On the way home from the pub on her first night, the rain makes Emilia seek shelter in a small cottage where she discovers the body of Smithy, a local curmudgeon whom she'd met at the pub only hours earlier. Right behind her is Ewan Campbell, the laird, mayor, and chief constable of Sea Isle, who'll strike sparks in their every encounter. As the doctor, Emilia is also the coroner, and she finds herself calling on years of knowledge of British crime dramas for help. She immediately clashes with Ewan, who thinks the death was accidental, since she's sure it was murder. Emilia lives and works in an old church rife with secret doors beloved of the former doctor. Fortunately, her cleaner and assistant, Abigail, knows all about the house and is a dab hand in the clinic. When Smithy's body vanishes, Emilia doesn't know whom to suspect. A lot of people were angry with Smithy, and he might have been a blackmailer to boot. The infuriatingly bossy, rich, handsome, and caring laird becomes her partner in investigation, leading to a number of life-changing events and a brush with death. Stunning Scottish scenery provides the backdrop for an enjoyable mix of murder and romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
