Book Review: Death In A Shetland Family

It is always a pleasure to read another book in the Shetland Mysteries series by Marsali Taylor, featuring Shetland sailing sleuth, Cass Lynch. I received the latest one, Death in a Shetland Family, published in April 2026, as part of the Reading Between the Lines book blog tour.

#DEATHINASHETLANDFAMILY

BLURB

Shetland sailing sleuth Cass Lynch is definitely out of her comfort zone when she helps round up a prize-winning stallion escaped from the renowned Klaufister stud. She’s even less impressed by its owner, Keith Arthurson, a returned city slicker who’s already made enemies in his community.

An unexpected visit to the Arthursons shows Cass the tensions simmering within the family. When Keith’s found dead, can she uncover the motive for his murder without putting herself in danger?

MY REVIEW

This latest mystery sees Cass investigating a death near her home in Shetland, which she shares with her policeman partner, DI Gavin Macrae. With Gavin away on the mainland, tending to his sick mother, Cass carries out her sleuthing while managing the farm animals on her own. Once again, not everything is as it first seems, and not everyone is telling the truth. As Cass tries to get to the heart of what is really going on, danger appears in the most unexpected places.

Told in first person, the story is atmospheric – capturing the mood and many stunning details, including the Shetland dialogue, setting and characters, all of which add to and support the plot. The author’s love of the sea and the land shines through, drawing me right into both the setting and the story.

Dialogue is sprinkled with local sayings and old-fashioned Shetland. My favourite has to be the Scottish term sitooterie, which, although not widely used, I was familiar with – it is exactly what it says, a sheltered place to sit outside (sit ootside).

Without giving too much away, this is a different approach to the murder mystery in terms of timing, which kept me connecting the dots as I read on. Along the way, I met a strong cast of characters, some familiar and some new. The themes of family ties and betrayal, which run throughout the story, are well crafted. From the outset, I found the various members of the Arthurson family intriguing, and the incident with the runaway stallion captured my attention. For me, this is the best book in the series so far.

Overall, an intriguing mystery, beautifully written. Although this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

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

HOW TO BUY

PAPER BACK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Shetland-Family-Marsali-Taylor/dp/1035436272

KINDLE – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Shetland-Family-Marsali-Taylor-ebook/dp/B0G3GZ59XW

SOCIAL MEDIA LINK

Author Facebook Page -https://www.facebook.com/MarsaliTaylorAuthor/

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marsali-Taylor/e/B0034PACI8/

Website: https://www.marsalitaylor.co.uk