‘Death in a Shetland Family’ by Marsali Taylor

Published by Headline Accent,
16 April 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-0354-3627-9 (PB)

Shetland's sailor sleuth Cass Lynch is home from the sea and looking forward to spending a few days with her partner, policeman Gavin Macrae, but the best laid plans don't always work out. Gavin has been called away; his mother has been taken ill, and Cass comes home to an empty house and a list of unfamiliar chores. On the way, an encounter with a runaway horse will lead to unexpected ramifications, though she doesn't know that yet. That evening she meets the horse's owner and is unimpressed by his suave attitude and very un-Shetland demeanour. He has recently returned to the island after forging (or failing to forge) a career in England and has made himself unpopular. 

A day later the same man's murdered body is discovered – and it becomes evident that Cass was one of the last people to see him alive. With Gavin away and an investigation team brought in from mainland Scotland, Cass's local knowledge and easy-to-talk-to manner mean she is soon doing what she does best, apart from sailing of course: gathering pieces of information everywhere she goes and putting them together.  

As always in one of Marsali Taylor's novels, there's plenty of sailing. Cass is glad to be reunited with her own beloved yacht Khalida, and there are trips to look forward to on her new ship the Shetland-based Swan. There's also Shetland itself: the variety of lifestyles, the country shows, the harvest festivals, all described in the kind of detail that makes you feel you're right there in the middle of it. And it seems that everywhere she goes on land or at sea, something significant occurs or Cass happens upon someone who has new light to throw on the murder. 

We meet plenty of familiar characters: Magnie, Cass's retired fisherman friend; Anders the Norwegian engineer; Cass's father and redoubtable Maman; Freya Petersen, Gavin's super-efficient sergeant. The family of the murdered man figure as strongly as you might expect: his stern mother, alcoholic brother and fragile sister; also, his neighbours: Mattie, who is in love with the brother's estranged wife, and observant Mary, who lives according to strict religious principles. Everyone is as rounded as regular readers have come to expect, with the ring of reality; there's good in all the bad guys and no one is perfect. 

It's all set against a background unfamiliar to both Cass and her legions of fans: the croft where Cass and Gavin's cottage is situated. In Gavin's absence she finds herself learning more than she bargains for, about feeding, counting and rounding up a whole troop of animals: ponies, hens, sheep and of course the cats. 

Naturally, the information Cass gathers plays a key role in solving the murder, and as always she finds herself in trouble and gets out of it with ingenuity and courage. And there's a hint – just a hint – at the end that there are plenty more adventures in store. I couldn't be more glad of that.
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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.