I came to this series after reading Gray's "Legacy of the Lynx" so was looking forward to a change of scenery - 1860s Scotland - a time of pivotal change in the Scottish Highlands.

The stories in Clio Gray's "Scottish Mysteries" are spread across both the Scandinavian world and northern Scotland. For centuries there were political links across the North Sea.

Each of the books feature a mining theme: coal and gold, strontium, copper; as well as links to events in the past. As we are taken on a journey over the northern parts of Scotland, what I appreciated in the all the books was the location map - for whilst I was familiar with a few of the place names, the maps help put things into perspective.

The author makes use of the chapters to introduce characters that form part of the narrative - whether fleetingly or on a more permanent basis - so the setting of each scene is crafted before things begin to take off. I especially enjoyed the characters of Brogar Finn and Sholto McKay, trouble-shooters for the Pan-European Mining Company, who make a nice change from your standard fictional amateur investigator.

With each book, Gray tempts us - the reader - with a story peppered with well researched historical fact and a carefully woven plot, that like the dangerous quicksand of the Solway Firth mudflats, can suck the reader in unawares, escape being nigh on impossible.

I couldn’t finish this one and only made it through the first 6 chapters. Personally, I made the choice to quit because of the numerous times God’s name was taken in vain. It wasn’t the only reason, but it was the main reason. I was also having trouble following the story line. It jumped from person to person and setting to setting with no apparent connection. I’m sure if you read farther it would draw together, but I still found it annoying for the bit I read.
I received this as a free ARC from NetGalley and Urbane Publications. No review was required.

Not so much a murder mystery as a great adventure story.Set in 19th century Scotland, on a remote stretch of western coast,it has the perfect setting.A man is brutally murdered allegedly by smuglers,but there is more to it,nothing is so straightforward ,What was he bringing back to his master,who lives as a recluse on a private island surrounded by mysterious structures? And who does the skeleton, accidently found,belongs to? And where did that huge sundial,inscripted with strange languages,came from? Yes,definitely an adventure story!

A brilliant Scottish adventure story! I truly adored the characters in the Burning Secrets by Clio Gray. They had full personalities, believable backstories, interesting quirks and as I read I became attached to them. I look forward to reading the other books in this series to see how they develop and change as the challenges they face as they travel bring them new adventure.
Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

5 Stars

Our story is set on an island called Ardnamurchan off the coast of Scotland. In a little village called Strontian exists an active lead mine owned by the Galena Ore Mines. It is both a forbidden and lonely place.

Sholto McKay and Brogar Finn return in this book. They are traveling together on this journey and have settled in to make a great team. They still represent Lundt and McCleery’s Pan-European Mining Company. With them are Gilligan and Hugh, two employees of the mining company.

Gustav Wengler is an inventor, scientist and mathematical genius living on an isolated island with strange and stately structures on it. He calls his home Havengore and it is away from the rest of the village. His assistant, Archie Louden is missing and he is very frustrated and upset. Wengler gets Jed Thornbrough and Matthias McQuat to go look for Archie. They team up with Sholto and Brogar and together they find Archie’s body.

Matthias gathers everyone together and sets them off in different directions to discover who killed Archie and what happened to his horse.

A subplot of the book concerns a sundial that disappeared from (Copenhagen) some ten years earlier than our murder and the effect it has on the various inhabitants of Ardnamurchan. The group concludes that the earlier death is linked to Archie’s death. They investigate it as well.

This is a very well written and plotted book. I liked it better than the first in this series. Ms. Gray is a brilliant writer, no doubt about that. I can hardly wait for the third book in this series.

I want to send a huge thank you to Netgalley and Urbane Publications to forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable book to read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Urbane Publications for an advance copy of Burning Secrets, the second novel in the Scottish Mysteries series, set on the Ardnamurchan peninsula.

It is 1869 and Archie Louden is returning home from a buying mission in Denmark when he is attacked and killed. Brogar Finn and Sholto McKay of the Pan-European Mining Company of Lundt and McCleery's are in the area looking for strontium but are soon diverted to helping Matthias McQuat, manager of the local mine and finder of the strontium, find the murderer.

I wasn't aware from the blurb that this is a historical novel so it's not quite what I expected it to be - a straightforward murder investigation. So while it is a murder investigation it opens out into Dan Brown territory with the uncovering of old historical secrets and theories. Unfortunately this holds no interest for me and I found it extremely unexciting and boring.

Archie's murder is solved fairly quickly so it is the ramifications of his murder that occupy the novel, namely the lengths people will go to for knowledge or to hide their crimes. I can't say I found it convincing but I can't say why without spoilers.

For me Burning Secrets is a very difficult novel to get immersed in and I never had any difficulty putting it down. The plot is not gripping and while I understand that Ms Gray has done her research on the area and era the modern dialogue destroys and sense of it.

Burning Secrets is a well thought out novel, just not for me.