‘An Imposter in Shetland’ by Marsali Taylor

Published by Headline Accent,
19 June 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-0354-0068-3 (PB)

Sailing sleuth Cass Lynch is beginning to settle into a life closer to home than her frequent stints as one of the crew of an ocean-going longship allowed. The sea and sailing are in her blood, but now she contents herself with shorter trips as first mate of the Swan, Shetland’s own, much smaller training ship. That is where we find her at the start of her latest adventure. Cass is one of a crew of three, taking eight passengers all keen to learn to sail on a trip to St Kilda. Skipper for the voyage is her old friend Magnie; Duncan the engineer is less familiar. One of the passenger-trainees is her partner Gavin Macrae, taking a well-earned break from policing the islands, and keen to hone his own sailing skills.

Also on board is Tiede Barton, a lifestyle influencer and recent incomer to Shetland. Several of the other passenger-trainees regard her with doubt bordering on suspicion. Though she takes her turn with watches and other on-board tasks, she doesn’t really mix with the others – but when they disembark at St Kilda, she persuades one of the non-Shetlander passengers to photograph and film her for her website and podcasts. 

Later, when it’s time to return to the Swan for the homeward journey, despite an extensive search Tiede is nowhere to be found.

The subsequent major investigation back on Shetland unearths a complex network of criminality, which reveals that even such a far-flung haven doesn’t escape the attention of those who stand to profit from it. All eleven of the Swan’s crew and passenger-trainees are involved in some way, and Marsali Taylor’s talent for creating multi-layered and highly recognizable characters is very much to the fore. Mavis and Sophie, mother and teenage daughter, are down-to-earth Shetland folk with good reason to dislike the missing influencer; they contrast sharply with married couple Brandon and Charlotte, sophisticated off-islanders – though Brandon has hidden depths and a rather unexpected background. Vaila, teenage daughter of Cass’s childhood friend Inga, has a variety of skills which prove useful. And there’s a welcome return of Peerie Charlie, surely one of the most engaging pre-schoolers in all crime fiction!

Taylor’s other strength is bringing everyday Shetland life into the picture. This time she uses it to demonstrate the long reach of the internet, and how nowhere escapes its pernicious side. Gavin is all too well aware of the potential dangers, but despite his best efforts to keep Cass out of the investigation, she is soon involved far too deeply for comfort.

Even for dedicated non-sailors like me, Cass’s adventures are absorbing to the point of addictive. Marsali Taylor is as skilled with a gripping plot as she is with the Swan’s mainsail. Long may she flourish! 
------
Reviewer: Lynne Patrick

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group. 

www.marsalitaylor.co.uk  

Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen, and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher for a few years and is proud to have launched several careers which are now burgeoning. She lives in Oxfordshire in a house groaning with books, about half of them crime fiction.