This is the second book in the series but is easily read as a standalone.
This was a good, solid mystery that had me guessing. I thought I had it figured out but it took until the reveal for the full story to come to light. The subject matter is a little bit darker and more tragic than your run of the mill cozy crime novel and I felt that the setting of the old castle fit the atmosphere of the story very well.
The book, although a quick enough read, did slow down in places. I wasn't very pleased with the romantic element as it didn't add anything to the story but at the same time, it made me like Iris more as the character. She's in her forties and doesn't hesitate to have some guilt-free adult fun with a handsome man. It's good to see women of this age group represented well in fiction.

I liked the side characters, especially Haley, the police detective. Kathy seemed like a nice enough character but we don't really get to know her motivations very well. There seemed to be an unexplained and secretive backstory to her that left me with a few unanswered questions. The rigmarole with the teacher was left unexplained as well. Things are alluded to but never satisfactorily revealed. Tying up these loose ends would have tidied up the story better for the reader.

Over all, a good mystery and a series I will keep an eye on.

This book was not for me. I requested a review copy because I was under the misapprehension that this was a golden age set mystery firmly rooted in the cosy genre. I was wrong on all fronts.

This is the second in the series and follows painter Iris Grey as she becomes embroiled in a mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. I’m afraid I couldn’t like the protagonist (she was a bit too condescending for my taste) and that had a definite impact on my ability to enjoy the novel. The subject matter was also really dark (far more than I’m used to in my cosy crimes which I think is the genre the author was aiming for) and I just didn’t enjoy reading it.

It was well written and my criticisms are completely subjective, but I’m afraid I won’t be reading any more in this series.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher***

This was a perfect cozy detective story. It was both fun and fresh and a good read. The book was longer than it need to be, which caused it to drag on a bit too much. The ending was pretty easy to figure out which isn't the best in mysteries. Overall, I relatively enjoyed my time reading it.

I loved this book can't recommend it enough. Interesting characters a bit of international travel and the mystery had me guessing between 3 possible murderers towards the back end. I still didn't guess exactly right. One of the best one's I've read recently and this is a new author to me so I will be hunting out other books.

I don't have much luck with mysteries recently and I really, really wanted to like this, but sadly I did not get on with it at all. It's a personal preference in mystery writing where I want my main character to have more substance, I never really got the handle of Iris and this may be due to the fact that I did not read the first book, but still, she never really formed as a character for me.

2.5 stars for this undemanding cosy crime novel.

I really have to stop reading ‘cosy crime’. I pick up these books hoping for something like Agatha Christie but I am setting myself up for disappointment every time. If you are in need of really undemanding fiction, perhaps you will enjoy this Iris Grey mystery because really there is nothing very wrong with it. It is just not for me.

Why is it not for me? I didn’t find it authentic. I hadn’t realised that the novel is set in Scotland – this happens to be where I live, and I don’t feel that MB Shaw knows Scotland on any more than a superficial level. The Scottish insights felt wrong to me, which stopped me from being pulled into the book. The jarring carelessness of the writing – eg having a Detective Inspector mischaracterise a crime as a hate crime – also worked to pull me out of the story. Lastly, I was increasingly irritated by the narrator’s insistence that Iris was likeable, it felt like the reader is told this every other page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

A fun and fast paced murder mystery that I just couldn’t out down. A really wonderful read and I can’t wait to get my hands on more from this author in the future. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Even though Murder at the Castle is the second book in the Iris Grey Mystery Series, it is OK as a standalone. I didn't feel as though I was missing much background information. It was a rather interesting plot and the characters are well cast. I did find it a bit boring at times, but the ending is quite unexpected (and well, rather dark...). On a side (more general) note, there's one recurring issue that's annoying on NetGalley, it's the TOC-less novels. Please consider adding TOCs to your books to help navigate the files better.

This book was attention capturing from the very beginning. It featured an artist and amateur sleuth, who became ensnared in a murder mystery. The book details a web of deceit on the part of many of the principal characters. It is up to Detective Inspector Stuart Haley and Iris Grey to unravel the mystery. I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers.

What a fantastic cozy mystery! I absolutely loved every bit of this book. Likable characters (Iris and Kathy are the best!), lovely setting (Scottish Highlands and a bonus trip to Vienna) and a mystery that keeps one guessing till the end. I am looking forward to reading more of Iris Grey's sleuthing adventures.

This was a cozy detective story perfect for easter. I expected Marple, but got something a bit more flamboyant, which was both fun and fresh. At times the jumps in narrator were confusing, which dragged me out if the experience a bit, and the book was too long, it dragged on a bit too much.

The ending was not what I expected, probably because it was exactly what I expected.


This was a netgalley read.

First book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
It's a highly entertaining and engrossing story, the characters are interesting and fleshed out, the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Good murder mystery in great settings😊

I gravitate to stories that take place in some of my favorite countries and settings. This mystery, set mostly in rural Scotland and Venice, has some great features in addition to happening in two of my favorite places. For the Venice scenes especially, I felt I was right there with the characters.

Unlike many amateur sleuth mysteries I've read, here Iris, the female lead, actually teams up with local law enforcement from the start, with no rivalry or antagonism between portrait painter/amateur detective Iris and Stuart Haley, the local policeman who's honest and earnest about getting to the bottom of things. I liked how they consulted with and really supported each other.

This is the first time I've read anything by M. B. Shaw and I think I will be looking for more in this series, particularly since each painting commission takes her to new places. There's never a dull moment as numerous mysteries crop up, a manageable number of characters (and plenty of suspects) kept me guessing right through to the climax and there's even a bit of romance for recently-divorced Iris. The story is action driven and dredges up current resentments against the local laird's stunningly beautiful American fiancee as well as past secrets that get dug up (literally)!

Thanks to Orion Publishing/Trapeze and NetGalley for sharing an advance complimentary copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

A fun, cozy mystery, with an interesting cast of characters and an intriguing plot. I loved the setting and thought the book worked really well overall.

This is the second book in the Iris Grey series and I have put the first on my TBR for this year.

Murder at the Castle was a fun fast paced story that is set in the Scottish Highlands and included everything that I love in the cosy mystery genre. I especially liked Iris and will definitely keep an eye out for MB Shaw's other works.

The characters carried this story. I particularly liked the protagonist Iris who is a portrait painter cum amateur sleuth with relationship issues. For once I also felt that her woes in love did not detract from the main story (as usually happens).
I also loved the rural Scottish setting that lifted the book to a whole new level.
Those are the plus points.
On the negative side... I hate it when the main characters can't put 2 and 2 together when it is so obvious to the reader. I go through the book feeling that 50% of it is unnecessary if they could just see what was right in front of them!
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the copy.

Murder at the Castle is the sophomore instalment in the Iris Grey Cosy Mystery series, set in the stunning Scottish Highlands and the equally spectacular Italian city of Venice. Likeable artist, portrait painter and accidental, but seemingly effective, amateur sleuth Iris Grey is invited to Pitfeldy Castle in the Highlands by Baron, Jock MacKinnon, who commissions her to paint his fiancee, American Kathy Miller, renowned for running in fashionable, high societal circles, often featuring the New York elite. Despite a significant difference in age, Jock and Kathy are planning to wed in New York before too long, and to say that his children and ex-wife aren't happy about the impending nuptials would be an understatement. Both Jock’s family and many of the local village residents he has known for longer than he cares to remember, thoroughly dislike Kathy as she appears toalways be on her high horse looking down, patronisingly, on everyone else and they don't feel like she is suitable for Jock at all, but nothing is what it initially appears. Iris soon realises that there is a completely different atmosphere once you scratch through the surface of the facade and she swiftly becomes embroiled in family issues, secrets, lies and murder...

This is a superb cosy mystery with more bite and grit than usual but still maintaining the cosy feeling and it's every bit as entertaining and compelling as the series opener. We still are presented with the chocolate-box village and countryside location, and in my mind, it was exactly like the villages in Midsomer Murders: quaint and typical of England. It's simply the perfect book to escape from the troubles of the world and inhabit someone else's even for a few hours. Iris is a great character and protagonist who is a force for good in her community, and she illustrates just how much of an effective sleuthing brain she has too. As she becomes ever more involved in investigating she soon discovers huge secrets and revelations regarding Kathy and Jock’s family and their pasts. This is a fun, fast-paced, easy read with an enjoyable and entertaining plot, a good cast of characters and a number of suspects with motives, plenty of red herrings, twists and reveals. A delightful cosy that has a satisfying conclusion and if you like the solid, usual format of cosies in general then this will be something you will want to pick up. Highly recommended.

Murder at the Castle by MB Shaw is a solidly written mystery set in the beautiful setting of Highlands.

I am familiar with MB Shaw's previous work correlation with the last Sidney Sheldon so I had certain expectations thinking that this book will resemble her earlier books.
And in a way it does, even though the story doesn't unfold as quickly nor is it as gripping and engrossing.

It is however a plausible and well told mystery, with craftily presented characters and intelligent mystery nicely introduced.
There are some quite likeable protagonists and some that are less so. Main character is smart, realistic, down to earth and artistic woman. It is a pleasure to read about such character.
Side characters are somewhat typical but still compelling.
Mystery unfolds slowly, it is easy to follow and is told from different perspectives. Main detective is a very personable yet authoritative.
This is a very good start in what will probably become mystery series.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery. Iris is an interesting lead character, being an artist and having great people skills. Other characters are also fully fleshed out. The settings in Scotland and Venice are beautifully described. I will now read the previous book in what will hopefully be a long series.

The story is set in Scotland. Iris Grey has been invited to the castle to paint a portrait. But things are what they appear to be. The castle hides secrets and lies and a murder takes place. It's down to Iris to solve the mystery.

I enjoyed this fast paced murder mystery. I couldn't put it down because I just had to know 'whodunnit'. Loved the characters and the charm of the castle. This is the second book in the series but to be honest I never noticed until I had read the book. I now need to read the first!