NO MATTER WHERE SHE GOES, SHE SEES THE UNINVITED HOUSEGUEST–ALSO KNOWN AS THE AURA OF DEATH… London architect Kate Benedict is off to a glamorous weekend party in Scotland at the formerly grand castle belonging to the uncle of her boyfriend Josh. And thus is the scene set for a deliciously traditional British cozy with a touch of the paranormal thriller – complete with ghostly characters from … complete with ghostly characters from the past; the requisite medieval weapons collection; and a creepy, ruined, closed-off wing of the castle.
There’s also a vaguely menacing assortment of servants and locals and a castleful of dodgy houseguests, all wrapped up in mysterious gloom as thick as the Scottish fog…but warmed by a cozy library fire and a nearly priceless collection of single malt scotches.
The festive occasion turns solemn when Kate notices an aura above the head of Josh’s beloved Uncle Fergus. Blessed – or cursed – with the ability to see auras that indicate that death is imminent, Kate can sometimes avert disaster – if she can discover the source of the danger. Otherwise, Josh’s favorite uncle will die in a matter of days.
Is Fergus suffering from an undiagnosed illness? Is the threat linked to the impending sale of the castle? Or is there a murderous secret buried in the past, with a deadly claim on the present?
In an attempt to sort out the nature of the threat, Kate takes a stroll to the loch and experiences a hallucination – a vision so real she feels she could touch the participants: a black-robed priest stalking a lovely young woman in 16th-century costume, as she clings protectively to a book. The woman holds the book out to Kate, as if asking Kate to protect it. Is the vision a message about the threat to Fergus?
As Kate and Josh race the clock to find the source of danger, the guests arrive, filling the house with known and unknown threats: townspeople opposed to the sale of the estate; the wealthy businessman who wants to buy it; scheming relatives with agendas of their own and tales of treasures hidden in the castle.
And as the dangers increase, so do the number of auras Kate sees. She knows who’s in danger, but she can’t do anything to help unless she knows why!
Perfect for anyone who’s ever shivered their way through a Barbara Michaels mystery; and for all lovers of both American and British cozy mysteries, especially those with just the slightest hint of the paranormal, like Michaels’ colleague Carolyn Hart (in her Bailey Ruth series), and the more contemporary ones, including Carolyn Haines, Gina LaManna, and Leighann Dobbs.more
Carrie Bedford – Kate Benedict Bk 4 – The Scottish Connection – Reviewed 1/29/18 – Read 1/20-22/18
Death the uninvited houseguest that takes over a weekend party!
London architect Kate Benedict is off to a glamorous weekend party in Scotland at the formerly grand castle belonging to the uncle of her boyfriend Josh. The festive occasion turns solemn when Kate notices an aura above the head of Josh’s beloved Uncle Fergus. Blessed – or cursed – with the ability to see auras that indicate that death is imminent, Kate can sometimes avert disaster – if she can discover the source of the danger. Otherwise, Josh’s favorite uncle will die in a matter of days. As Kate and Josh race the clock to find the source of danger, the guests arrive, filling the house with known and unknown threats: townspeople, some of whom are violently opposed to the sale of the estate; the wealthy businessman who wants to buy it, accompanied by his entourage; scheming relatives with agendas of their own; and rumors of ancient treasures hidden in the castle. And as the dangers increase, so do the number of auras Kate sees. She knows who is in danger, but she cannot do anything to help unless she knows why!
What did I like? I have always been a lover of the paranormal genre and this was an interesting one. I loved the setting of the book as that is one place that I would love to visit. Castles and Knights are so awesome. The history of the families and the family histories are so cool. I have some family history of that area myself. Kate and Josh are such a cute couple that plays off one another so well in the book. Uncle Fergus is just the kind of guy that I would love to meet in real life.
What will you like? Ghosts, mystery, murder, old murder mystery, humor, and lots of emotional scenes. You can just feel the frustration of the kids as they race to beat time and save Fergus. Add to the mix the old murder that took place so many years earlier and the ones they try so hard to prevent. The intrigue of the reason behind the aura and the mix of the family problems lead to an unbelievably great read. Highly recommend this book for reading enjoyment. I received this from the Publisher for an honest review with no other compensation.
• File Size: 3321 KB
• Print Length:
• Publication Date: February 16, 2018
• Publisher: booksBnimble
• ASIN: B0795YQSVS
• Genre: Psychic Mysteries, Traditional Detectives Mysteries
@ddeegott
August 3, 2020
Very good time!
I loved the setting, characters were fun and nasty, and the mystery confusing! Just what I needed to escape this pandemic!
This is book 4 in this series. I have not read any other books by Carrie Bedford but I will be in the future. I don’t usually read Paranormal mysteries but this one takes place in Scotland and it caught my eye. I am so glad I read it. Kate and Josh are great characters and the story was different and very intriguing. I have already downloaded more in this series.