Tartan and Treachery: An Alex Allin Cozy Mystery

by Gracie Gann

🧵 Murder, Mayhem, and a Castle Full of Secrets—This Retreat Could Be Their Last

Quilt shop owner Alex Allin expected a tranquil escape at Blair Castle’s Scottish quilting retreat—until the famed but foul-tempered instructor is found dead inside the locked sewing salon. No way in. No way out. Someone came armed—with more than just scissors.
The clues? A centuries-old quilt, a cryptic symbol, a missing heirloom—and the haunting tale of Moira MacNairn, an accused witch whose final secrets are stitched into the castle walls themselves.
Trapped by a storm, Alex leans on her loyal Cavapoo Saedie, the charmingly unpredictable Justin Case, the meddling-but-mighty Granny Squad—and best friend Juniper, still reeling from a suspicious tumble.
Among the Margot, the rival with everything to gain from Cordelia’s silence, and Giles, the castle historian who knows every secret passage—and every buried sin.
As thunder roars and the lights go out, it’s the killer isn’t hiding—they’re hunting. Armed. Silent. Slipping through secret passages no one should know exist.

If Alex can’t unravel the clues in time, the quilt won’t be the only thing buried for good.

For fans of Amanda Flower, Ellery Adams, and Miss Marple—with a Scottish twist.
Includes a bonus Scottish recipe and heirloom quilt square!

Ready to solve the case? Grab your scone, snuggle up, and follow every stitch.

443 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2025

About the author

Gracie Gann writes heartwarming cozy mysteries stitched with secrets, small-town charm, and a touch of faith. She and her husband served as missionaries for over 50 years before she turned to fiction, stitching her love of history, mystery, and meaningful connection into every book.

Gracie now lives in Colorado with Steve and their black-and-white Cavapoo, Saedie—who frequently steals both snacks and scenes in her stories. When she’s not plotting fictional crimes, she’s dreaming up recipes, exploring hidden corners of the world, or designing her next quilt.

Her Alex Allin Cozy Mystery series is perfect for readers who love a good puzzle, a strong female lead, and a little faith mixed in with their fiction.

Visit her at www.graciegannbooks.com

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gracie Chann certainly has a way of creating atmosphere and her writing is both highly descriptive and humorous: “The castle air felt sharper that night - thinner, edged with a hush so complete that even footsteps seemed to shout.” Her quirky characters, not to mention Saedie the dog, are highly entertaining: “Juniper whooped. Dolly clutched her oils to her chest. Bernie reached for her boarding passes like a general readying for battle.” Add to this patchwork mix an ancient castle in Scotland, a chilling host, and a Scottish ancestor who was branded as a witch, and the stage is set for a whacking murder mystery. Sadly, for me, this didn’t quite work out as well as I’d hoped. At times the characters and the humour seemed a little too overblown. I also feel that the story could have been well told in half the time. Lastly, assuming that these books are written for a diverse audience, I found the plethora of quotes from the Bible to be inappropriate. There are five books in the ‘Alix Allin Cozy Mysteries Series,” all published within recent months. Quite an output!

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read that hooks you in from the start! Alex Allin is a quilt shop owner and is excited to go to Blair Castle for a quilting retreat. What fun - that is until the body of the grumpy instructor is found dead in her locked sewing room. This is a really good locked door mystery that encompasses secret tunnels, strange symbols, a missing heirloom and the stranger story of Moira MacNairn, an accused witch. With the help of her clue finding, intuitive, Cavapoo Saedie, Justin Case, the ever involved Granny Squad and best friend Juniper the investigation begins. With so many twists and turns to this mystery and guesses when you try to figure it all out, you are taken to a great ending! Once again, the author has a winning addition to the Alex Allin Cozy Mystery series! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Mrs K.Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tartan and Treachery is an Excellent story of Alex a Quilt Shop Owner and her clever sleuthing dog Saedie. Alex received a letter , a quilt with hidden patterns and other item which steered her to go to Blair Castle in Scotland which was linked to her Families past . Alex, Saedie with Juniper a Cafe Owner, Friend and the Granny Squad travelled to Scotland to an Heirloom Quilting Retreat followed later by Justin a Journalist. I love the way the Granny Squad always follow where Alex travels to assist and protect in the search. While there the mystery increases in importance as the patterns in the quilts guide them to find the truth. Superb story and series which I highly recommend that you read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Robin McAuliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read other books by Gracie Gann and looked forward to this latest installment. It didn’t disappoint! Ms Gann is very good with character development and it evolves nicely with every book.

Alix and her friends, in this book, go to Scotland for a quilting retreat. Along with the Granny Squad, the group are on the case again solving another mystery, this one with ties to Alix ‘s family and a link to the tragedy of witchcraft trials.

I really enjoy the quilt making link/information. It is very interesting to see how quilt squares, while helping to solve a mystery, can also hold such meaning.

There are a lot of twists and turns to enjoy in this latest read.

I received an ARC copy of this book but my opinion and comments about the quality of this book are freely offered.

[Cherie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book by Gracie Gann this time it’s in a fantastic Scottish Castle setting. A Celtic Knott shows up on a cryptic message and Saedie pulls out an old family quilt with the same Celtic Knott and a hidden treasure stitched into one of the blocks. Juniper has a flyer to a quilting retreat in Scotland and Alex receives an all expense paid scholarship to the same retreat which ironically is located on land once owned by Alex’s family has them thinking that this is more than a coincidence and that there’s a mystery to solve which they can’t resist. This is another excellent book by Gracie Gann and one that’ll keep you guessing and entertained!! You won’t want to miss this one!
Cherie

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex Allin is in her shop and finds a treasure in an old quilt which leads her to her Scottish ancestor. She has started to research her when an invitation is given to her to come to Scotland and be in a quilt workshop. The Granny's managed to finagle their way to job her. What they find in this very old castle lets her know just how bad it was for a woman that people judge because they want something that she has and get away with it. History and knowing your families place can be very satisfying. Love the Grannys!

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating cozy mystery, how could the murder happen if the room is locked? Alex and her friends, including the Granny Squad, are once again figuring out what happened. Amazing characters that will make you smile with all their quirks will keep you entertained throughout. And the mystery will keep you intrigued. Fun to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Allin gets a message by post which sends her and her friends on an adventure to Scotland An intriguing experience awaited them. There was more than meets the eye with murder, magic and sabotage in the cards and humour with the Granny Squad. A captivating read from the start. I received this ARC copy and recommend this book to other readers.

[Dianne Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story!

Another incredibly fascinating story by Gracie Gann that I found totally intriguing.  This is a must-read book that I found to be entertaining and thought provoking.  This book and others in the series are easy to highly recommend.

I read this book a spart of an advance reader team  I am voluntarily writing this review.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I found this to be a fast read that quickly drew me into the story. Great characters and enough twists and turns to keep you reading are found within these pages. I will be looking for more books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cyndi Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quilting and mysteries, super fun. The characters are great, especially the Grannies. I love that this author puts a new Bible verse at the beginning of each chapter.

Beautiful quote:
"Some patterns aren't meant to be perfect-- just remembered.".

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Great Scottish castle setting. Wonderful diversified lovable characters. Fantastic plot with twists and turns galore. Historic background that is very realistic. I loved every minute of the book. Just when I thought the book was almost over a new twist changed everything.

[Terri Borkgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tartan and Treachery

A trip to Scotland with an embroidered quilt,Alex Justin, Jasmine and Sadie with the Granny Squad, visit a castle and wander in hidden corridors to find the truth. Land and witch trials and an antique broach help this crew to change history among the clans in Scotland

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex and a group of friends & her dog, go to Blair Castle in Scotland for a quilting retreat. There is a great deal in this book, basted mostly on one of the “Witch” trials held in the 17th century.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful mystery to read and I loved the characters. A very enjoyable book.