Publication: 10th September 2025 (paperback), 8th October 2025 (eBook) – Storm Publishing
At The Wild Haggis Bookshop, the murder mysteries aren’t just on the shelves!
Beth Cunningham thought she’d closed the book on her troubled past when she opened The Wild Haggis Bookshop in the charming Scottish town of Oban. But when her inaugural book club evening ends in real murder – the body dramatically posed amongst the party decorations – her fresh start ends in a twist she definitely didn’t see coming.
With local police detective Logan Hunter eyeing her as his prime suspect, Beth must fight to clear her name. Still, she can’t help but notice his warm brown eyes and dedication to justice… even as he builds a case against her.
Determined to find the truth, Beth is shocked to discover a web of lies among her book club attendees, each one hiding secrets worthy of a bestseller. With time running out before she lands in jail, can Beth uncover the secret worth killing for?
I want to be like the protagonist of this new series by Jackie Baldwin, Beth Cunningham, and move to the Scottish Highlands and open my own bookshop. What I wouldn’t like is having Beth’s secret from her past which makes her a suspect for the murder of a young woman.
After past events forced Beth to leave the beautiful town of Oban in the Scottish Highlands, she’s now returned for a fresh start. She’s opened a bookshop, The Wild Haggis Bookshop, she’s got a black cat named Toby, and she’s getting to know her peculiar employees. The first night of the Armchair Detectives Book Club seems also to go quite well until one of the members is found murdered and Beth is one of the main suspects.
This book has everything I love. A cozy mystery, an engaging and interesting protagonist, a bookshop with its own cat, all set in the beautiful setting of the Scottish Highlands. The plot is clever and well-developed and, even though the ending felt a bit rushed, I enjoyed it very much. The mystery is intriguing and I loved how Beth’s staff comes together to help her figure out who is the killer. As they investigate, they find out that Beth is not the only one with a secret and the list of suspects grows.
Murder at the Wild Haggis Bookshop is the first book in the The Highland Bookshop Murders series and I am already looking forward to the next book for a new immersing mystery and, hopefully, for more of Detective Logan Hunter.
A huge thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this gripping novel.
Jackie Baldwin grew up in a small, rural town in southwest Scotland. She went off to study law at Edinburgh which proved something of a culture shock and returned to Dumfries to practice family and criminal law. Much later, she retrained as a hypnotherapist and discovered a passion for the inner workings of the human mind. Her first novel was published in 2016 and featured former priest, Detective Inspector Frank Farrell. Murder by the Seaside is her fourth novel and the first in her Detective Grace McKenna series. It is set in Portobello, the seaside suburb of Edinburgh. Married, with two grown-up children and a little grandson, Jackie loves roaming about the East Lothian countryside with her golden retriever, Lucy, or taking her for long walks on one of the many beaches. If you come across her in the wild she will likely be a combination of windswept, muddy, or soggy with twigs in her hair. She also loves to swim in the sea, but is only brave enough to do it in the summer.
Book After Book 
Thank you so much for this lovely review. I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Jackie xx
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