Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Danger in Edinburgh (The British Book Tour Mysteries) by Emma Dakin. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Danger in Edinburgh (The British Book Tour Mysteries)
by Emma Dakin
Danger in Edinburgh (The British Book Tour Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Scotland
Camel Press; 1st edition (September 14, 2022)
Paperback : 264 pages
Claire Barclay, owner and tour guide of The British Mysteries Book Tours, leaves her house in Hampshire and her significant other, Mark Evans, puts her dog Gulliver into her van and heads off to Scotland for the start of a fortnight tour.
She expects to lead her guests to various literary sites where authors set their stories. She had just settled everyone into their luxurious Edinburgh hotel when, on a quick outing with Gulliver, she discovers a body. A young woman has been the victim of the serial killer who targets university students.
She calls Mark. But Mark, although a Detective Inspector of the Major Crimes Investigation Team, has no jurisdiction in Scotland. He can only sympathize and advise—and protest her involvement. Her guests meet for breakfast every morning at the Magpie Café where Claire finds characters who live or work nearby, including the local beat copper Sheila McKinnon and Detective Inspector Derrick Hamilton. Christopher, an accountant, brings his dog Suzy. Ryan, a neglected teen, slips in for free food and Bert Anderson, a middle-aged entrepreneur, cheerfully tries to interest everyone in investment schemes.
The waitress is Isla, a university student, who is researching a paper on psychopaths.
All the guests speculate on the murders and attract the attention of the inspector. Claire is frantic to protect her guests from police investigation. At the end of the tour, after she has put her charges safely on their respective planes and trains, Claire takes a last walk with Gulliver and meets one of the café regulars. She sees irrefutable evidence of murder and is so surprised that she betrays her knowledge and puts her own life in jeopardy.
My review of Danger in Edinburgh
Danger in Edinburgh by Emma Dakin is the fourth book in The British Book Tour Mysteries series. Since I’d read the second and third books in this series I was looking forward to once again going touring with Claire Barclay. Claire is both the owner and tour guide of The British Mysteries Book Tours.
This time around, Claire is leading a tour in Edinburgh, Scotland. As usual, her small group tour will visit sites where either mystery authors are from or where mystery books take place. Her little dog Gulliver always accompanies Claire on tours, and as such, he requires walking. Upon her arrival to the hotel, she takes Gulliver on a walk and discovers the body of a murdered young woman. As it happens, a serial killer is preying on young women in the area. Not the ideal thing to bring your tour group into! But, since none of the group are young women, they are most likely not in danger.
This cozy mystery book’s pacing may not appeal to everyone, but I really enjoyed it as well as the others in the series. It moves at a slow pace due to the details the author includes. Dakin really takes you on a tour by describing the trip in detail. She tells you what Claire says to her tour group while they’re traveling through an area and shares the routes Claire takes.
Since I will probably never travel to the UK, I like the thorough descriptions. She describes the decor of the places they eat while sharing some of the menu items, their alcohol choices, desserts, and adds details by describing the foods that those outside of Scotland might be unfamiliar. Reading about all of the delicious sounding foods will make you hungry! I especially want to try baps which are basically soft yeast rolls, but I’m a “carbaholic”!
I was able to solve the mystery quite early in the book, but that didn’t make the book any less enjoyable for me since I liked learning more about the characters and watching how the killer is revealed. Since it is a book tour, lots of authors and books are mentioned. I do wish that there were a list of them at the end of the book. With the next book, I’ll keep a notebook with me because I’d like to read some of them.
If you enjoy cozy mystery books with detailed settings, enjoyable characters, and a relaxed pace, give Danger in Edinburgh a read!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe (also called Victoria Sandwich cake) from the author
This cake is served in Scotland as well as England. I love it because it is easy to make and seems to turn out every time. It looks a little messy but it is tasty. I’m sure you can make it much more neatly.
I make a few changes to the original recipe as I use a combination of oil and butter instead of only butter and my own home-made jam in the filling, It is just as good with store–bought jam. Raspberry and strawberry jam are most often used but I find any kind of berry jam works well. I particularly like it with black currant jam.
You can make it by dumping everything in together and mixed it, but I cream the oil butter sugar and eggs first, then add the dry ingredients.
I have had this in many cafés and guest houses in Scotland and have served it at my book launches when health regulations allowed. We couldn’t serve it the libraries during Covid ,but we are back with tea and Victoria sponge at the December 4th launch.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup soft butter
- 3 eggs (large) at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup milk
Filling
- ½ cup soft butter
- ¾ icing sugar
- Scant amount of milk, enough to spread the icing
- A smidgeon of vanilla if you like
- ½ to ¾ cup of jam (strawberry, raspberry, black currant)
- A little icing sugar to sprinkle on top
Directions
- Preheat oven to 150’ Butter two 8-inch round pans and place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom.
- Cream butter, oil, sugar and eggs.
- Add flour, baking powder and milk until you get a light, cake batter.
- Divide the mixture and ladle into the baking pans. Smooth the batter until it is level.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
- Turn out onto a rack and let cool.
- Beat the soft butter and icing sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and scant milk until it is of spreading consistency. Spread over one of the cakes.
- Spread the jam carefully on the icing. Place the second cake on top. Sprinkle icing sugar on top.
There you are. It takes about 15 minutes to make the cake and five minutes to make the icing.
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About Emma Dakin
Emma Dakin lives in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast of British. She has over twenty trade published books, including a 2022 Award winning memoir Always Pack a Candle: A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, but continues to enjoy writing The British Book Tour Mysteries. Her love of the British countryside and villages and her addiction to cozy mysteries keep her immersed in discovering the different cultures of the country and the different dialects. She gives us characters who live and work in those villages, isles and cities. She introduces readers to the problems that disturb the idyllic setting. Research is essential to give the reader an authentic setting. It was necessary for Emma to sit in The Whiski Bar on The Royal Mile, to tour Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood and to play her fiddle in the Tay Inn. A trip to the Highlands and the iconic isle of Iona were vital. When not writing or traveling, she paddles with her outrigger crew on the waters of the Pacific Coast and walks her dog who is much less obedient than Claire’s fictional Gulliver.
Author Links
Webpage/Blog emmadakinauthor.com
Facebook http://tiny.cc/ilk3az
Goodreads http://tiny.cc/ttk3az
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo
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Danger in Edinburgh TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 14 – The Book Diva’s Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 15 – Mythical Books – AUTHOR GUEST POST
November 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
November 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, RECIPE
November 18 – The Editing Pen – CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 19 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
November 20 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
November 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
November 22 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
November 23 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
November 24 – THANKSGIVING
November 25 – ebook addicts – REVIEW
November 25 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
November 27 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
November 28 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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Christy, I suggested putting a list in the book of the mysteries that my characters mention but the publisher preferred I put them on my website. I didn’t do it. After your request, I’ll set to and make that list. It should be on my website in a week.
Great! I will be looking for it!