Death from a Shetland Cliff
As summer draws to a close in Shetland, indomitable sailor Cass Lynch is preparing to look after eccentric, outspoken Tamar, who is returning from hospital following a fall. Recuperation should involve a peaceful week in Tamar’s isolated cottage but, on arriving at the house, Cass finds there has been a break-in… curiously, only some old papers are disturbed. Then the body of a man is found in a cove close-by and while it looks to be an accident at first glance, suspicions are quickly aroused – and soon the police have a murder on their hands. At the same time, Cass begins to suspect Tamar knows more than she’s letting on about her family’s ties to the local laird. As the family start to gather, secrets won’t stay buried for long… This eighth novel in the series brings Cass back to her home waters, where she becomes entangled in a family saga of greed, inheritance and hidden truths.
Praise for Death from a Shetland Cliff
Taylor's storytelling is well plotted, atmospheric and full of details about sailing and the wonderful location that is Shetland itself, the geography, the dialect and vocabulary. For me, the highlights were the Shetland islands and the seas, along with the brilliant characters, such as the indomitable and stubborn Tamar, a close relationship develops between her and Cass. And not all of the memorable characters are human, there is Cat, and a young ginger ketling that begins to regard Cat and the Khalida as home. Cass makes for a terrific central protagonist with her sailing obsession, a relationship with a police officer, DI Gavin Macrae, and confronting head on the idea that change is inevitable and not always under one's control. This is a series I am delighted to have discovered, and one which I think many crime fiction and mystery fans will love too! — Paromjit H, reviewer on NetGalley.com
Reading Cass's adventures after such a long wait has been a joy. The beautiful descriptions of Shetland life, traditions, its landscape and even language bring everything to life. So much so that I really don't want the book to finish, I want more. The characters seem fresher and Tamar was a grand old lady with a fascinating story. The relationship between Cass and Gavin progresses and I look forward to reading more of their adventures and investigations together.
Death from a Shetland Cliff has all the right ingredients for a cracking good tale. Suspense, humour, murder, romance and I can highly recommend it.Sarah B, reviewer on NetGalley.com
Late summer, and the hills are beginning to turn purple. This view is from above the Westings Inn, with Foula on the horizon.
A cluster of croft houses.
I imagined Tamar’s crofthouse as something like this one in Aith.
The track from Tamar’s parking place down to the pier.
The point of Houbansetter, with the curve of Linga behind, and the houses of Brae in the distance. The Skro is just around the corner from the point.
The Skro, where Cass, Magnie and Jeemie find a body.
Looking south from in front of Tamar’s house: the lambie house, containers and the end of the pier. The headland hides the first houses of Aith, the ‘White City’.
A contestant at the Skeld Sheepdog Trials, 2016.
Author Comment
I’d written two tall ships books and now I wanted to get Cass home for a bit. This is a family saga of inheritance and greed which reunites Cass with her former sailing teacher Magnie. I really enjoyed creating the characters for this one, particularly independent, outspoken Tamar. I never use real people for my characters (though someday my grandson, who was three when I invented Peerie Charlie, may argue otherwise!) but Tamar has more than a hint of my Aunt Ysabel, whose WWI diary I published as Forgotten Heroines.
Death from a Shetland Cliff Launch
