The Highland Heist

Basham’s latest thrilling historical mystery (after The Juliet Code) gets off to a crackling start when honeymooners stumble onto a crime scene that appears to implicate the bride’s sister. After British couple Frederick and Grace Astley visit Grace’s sister, Lillias, in America and find her standing over her husband’s dead body, Grace insists on her sister’s innocence. The investigation, though, turns up some suspicious information—including that her sister’s expensive tastes have left the family in debt, that her husband had a gambling habit, and that they’d been fighting. Meanwhile, other oddities crop up, including a mysterious figure spotted skulking around Lillias’s home, and an attack on Frederick and the cook that throws the house into disarray. Just as Lillias’s name is cleared, the sisters discover they’ve inherited a Scottish castle from a relative. Lillias heads abroad, praying for a fresh start. But when trouble follows her, it becomes increasingly clear she’s being targeted by bad actors who’ll stop at nothing to get her out of the picture—and that Grace and Lillias must work out why to keep her alive. Despite some confusing twists, readers will be drawn in by the propulsive plot and vivid backdrop enriched by bits of Scottish folklore. Spirited if slightly overcrowded, this is an adventure Basham’s fans will be glad to take. (July)