Friday, January 24, 2025

Book Review and Giveaway - Tartan, Treasures and Trouble: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery) by Victoria Tait


My Review
Antiques expert Dotty Sayers is back in the Cotswolds at the auction house where she started out.  She participates in a Scottish Burns Night dinner, and one of the participants is poisoned.  When the auction house is mentioned in the press, she goes to work to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read Tartan, Treasures, and Trouble because I absolutely love the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series.  I have recommended this series to several friends.  I love the cozy storytelling, the quaint British village settings, and the details about antiques in these books.

This is a charming entry into the series.  Dotty's romance with Zach, an American who is researching his mysterious ancestry, moves along, and we see her familiar friends and family - and her cat Earl Grey! - in this book.

The mystery is well paced, with short chapters and smart, descriptive, storytelling.  I solved the mystery mid-way through the book but certainly enjoyed Dotty's work as an amateur detective.

The details of a Burns Night celebration were interesting, and I loved the great foodie details in this book.  I made note of a few of them to look up later.  I am intrigued by the mention of a cheese and chutney sandwich, and hope I can find a recipe for that online!

I highly recommend Tartan, Treasures, and Trouble - and this entire series - for fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for anyone who enjoys British village settings.

Book Synopsis

When murder is served at a Scottish Burns supper, it’s not the haggis that hides the deadliest secret. Can an amateur sleuth catch the killer before they toast another victim?

Antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is thrilled to return to the Cotswolds to reconnect with old friends and run the auction house where her career began. She and her friend, Sergeant Keya Varma, organise a traditional Burns Night celebration, but things go awry when one of their guests meets his end before the first whisky is poured.

When the new police inspector is pushed aside by headquarters before she can crack the case, Dotty can’t resist following her own leads. As she digs deeper, she uncovers the victim’s tangled relationships, jealous spouses, and shady business dealings. But when a sensational newspaper article exposes the case, it threatens not only the investigation but also the auction house which Dotty has just been trusted to manage.

Can Dotty solve the case, or will the truth be drowned out by the skirl of the bagpipes?


Author Bio

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, and never expected to travel the world. She’s drawn on her life’s experiences and a love of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder She Wrote, to write British-based cozy mysteries.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative.  As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world of intrigue, surprises, and humour, as well as a delectable helping of mystery, because tea and intrigue are a perfect blend.

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