Amber Warning: A Scottish Island Cosy Mystery

Joana Snowdon

Jun 2026 · The Highland Mysteries Book 2 · Highland Quill Publishing

About this ebook

Hebridean Storms Take Your Breath Away. Sometimes Permanently.

Joana and Brian set off again, having agreed on one non-negotiable: no bodies this time. Just a quiet photography workshop and the wild beauty of Lewis and Harris. They should have known better.

On arrival, it becomes clear the guests are more taken with each other's secrets than with the view. And then, the Atlantic throws an amber warning, and a guest is found dead. The local police put it down to a mainlander who underestimated the island. But Joana spots bits that do not quite add up. The storm did not kill anyone. Someone among them did.

As the storm cuts the island off from the mainland, Joana and Brian find themselves trapped with a killer. Brian tries to keep tempers from flaring with his charming chaos and catastrophic DIY attempts. Joana, meanwhile, is undeterred by either gale or homicide and is determined to catch the culprit before the ferry service resumes. Their investigation takes them from the Callanish Stones to Luskentyre Beach. But then, a second body is found.

A Highland Mystery, Book 2, but easily read as a standalone. As much comedy as cosy crime, with a sleuthing pair who don't take themselves too seriously. Their friendship has outlasted most marriages, possibly because they can never agree on anything, though they're firmly on the same side when it matters. A proper whodunit with a fast, page-turning plot and the kind of dry British humour that can bite. And, as ever, Scotland steals the show.

Perfect for fans of Midsomer Murders and Agatha Raisin.

Ratings and reviews

This is the second book in this series and as with the first one it is very intense. Again we have the two main characters and their interactions which is funny. We also have the two professional detectives and their interactions, which are hilarious. With all the mystery, suspense, and drama. This is a good series to read. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the Scottish countryside. I received a free ARC via StoryOrigin, this review is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Great atmosphere🌊☔I found the mystery unpredictable right through to the end. The author has come up with a fun pair of photographer/amateur detectives in lead characters Joana Snowdon & her sidekick ever-hungry vegan Brian Goodfellow pitted against an irascible DCI Fraser & idiom-challenged DC Murray. In one sense, sort of an Agatha Christie type isolated venue mystery but set on remote Scottish Harris/Lewis Isles: great setting & covers local issues: tweed weaving, youth flight,etc.