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Mirabelle Bevan Mystery #8
Highland Fling
Scottish Highlands, 1958Britain is awash in Cold War anxiety as Mirabelle Bevan heads for the Highlands on a holiday to visit Superintendent Alan McGregor's family. More glamorous than she expected, the Robertsons welcome her with open arms and an array of cocktails, but she has scarcely arrived when the body of an American fashion buyer turns up brutally murdered, plunging the local village into disarray and sending shockwaves around the close, Highland community. Mirabelle can't resist investigating, but what she finds lays the limitations of her feelings for McGregor bare and calls into question the loyalties of all those around her from the Robertson's housekeeper Mrs Gillies to the family of the dead woman. What started as a relaxing break in scenic surroundings soon spirals into a week fraught with danger. As the press descend on the Robertson's Highland estate, it rapidly becomes clear that things are not as black and white as they first appeared and Mirabelle can't count on anyone . . .Praise for Sara 'Sara Sheridan never fails to surprise. Unfailingly stylish, undeniably smart, Miss Bevan is destined to bring the exploits of the past to the best-seller lists of the present' - Daily Record'Beautifully realised vivid characters, both heroes and villains, the atmospheric Brighton setting and plot that zipped along at a lovely pace left me in no doubt that Sara Sheridan and Mirabelle Bevan are a crime force to be reckoned with' - Goodreads'Beneath that prim exterior lies a fearless, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants kind of gal. One part Nancy Drew, two parts Jessica Fletcher, Mirabelle has a dogged tenacity to rival Poirot' - Sunday Herald
- GenresCrimeHistoricalScotland
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2020
9 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Sara Sheridan
47 books436 followersBorn in Edinburgh. I'm a complete swot - love books always have! Currently obsessed with late Georgian/ early Victorian culture, the subject of several of my novels, and with 1950s Britain for my Mirabelle Bevan murder mystery series set across the UK - and even one in Paris. Occasionally write tie-in books for historical dramas on TV, children's picture books and short stories, mostly for charitable causes.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 26, 2023
Highland Fling by Sara Sheridan - Good
The penultimate outing for Mirabelle Bevan and her, now, fiancé Superintendent Alan McGregor. When I saw the author promoting the very first book, she said, during her reading, that she wanted to parallel Britain's postwar recovery alongside that of Mirabelle as she and the country recovered from the traumas of WW2 and now that we've reached 1958 she's quite the changed character...and so is the world.
This is the time when the Cold War was really ramping up. Everyone is expecting another war and for 'The Bomb' to drop. Do you hide under the kitchen table as advised, or take your own way out? Reds under the bed fever is rife.
With this as the background, Mirabelle and Alan head north to the Highlands to visit his family and celebrate their engagement. Of course, they have barely unpacked before a body is found in The Orangery. Despite being on holiday they are soon both drawn into the investigation.
This has all the hallmarks of a closed room mystery as any stranger in the area would be immediately noticed. It doesn't help that the victim is a 'White Russian' emigre and her family are convinced that the 'Reds' are behind it. This just adds to the paranoia - is it really the Reds or is it someone closer to home?
Very readable, I flew through it.
#review
The penultimate outing for Mirabelle Bevan and her, now, fiancé Superintendent Alan McGregor. When I saw the author promoting the very first book, she said, during her reading, that she wanted to parallel Britain's postwar recovery alongside that of Mirabelle as she and the country recovered from the traumas of WW2 and now that we've reached 1958 she's quite the changed character...and so is the world.
This is the time when the Cold War was really ramping up. Everyone is expecting another war and for 'The Bomb' to drop. Do you hide under the kitchen table as advised, or take your own way out? Reds under the bed fever is rife.
With this as the background, Mirabelle and Alan head north to the Highlands to visit his family and celebrate their engagement. Of course, they have barely unpacked before a body is found in The Orangery. Despite being on holiday they are soon both drawn into the investigation.
This has all the hallmarks of a closed room mystery as any stranger in the area would be immediately noticed. It doesn't help that the victim is a 'White Russian' emigre and her family are convinced that the 'Reds' are behind it. This just adds to the paranoia - is it really the Reds or is it someone closer to home?
Very readable, I flew through it.
#review
November 16, 2021
This was a decent story, but it didn’t take long for me to think it was fairly ordinary. What made the series interesting was the interesting and almost unique relationship for the times, between Mirabelle and Vesta. An upper middle class ex-SoE agent and a black working class young woman. Now Mirabelle has really become an ‘appendage’ of Superintendent Alan McGregor and the author is taking the series into the realms of more mainstream thrillers, where this series isn’t anything special.
June 10, 2020
There is a small number of authors where I yearn to be back in their world and so grab the book as soon as I can. They're so good at creating their world that I have never been disappointed. Sara Sheridan is one of these so I pre-ordered Highland Fling and it was duly deposited on my Kindle on publication day.
You can easily read this book as a standalone but if you go back to the beginning, to Brighton Belle, then you will meet Mirabelle Bevan and Detective Superintendent Alan McGregor (and Vesta Churchill - a favourite character of mine) and enjoy the full backstory to their lives though the previous eight novels.
This time, they're up in the Highlands for a holiday - a busman's holiday as you might guess! It's a story that brings in White Russians, Soviets, Communists, Americans plus servants, the Big House, and an orangery. In fact a classic country house crime novel - but the country is Scotland, set in 1958.
There is so much to say about this book but I don't want to give any spoilers. I really like the way that the period is evoked and, for me, it is really small details that remind me so much of that time (to be fair I wasn't born until 1959 but some of these things remind me of my childhood). One of them is when Mirabelle 'sprayed a mist of L'Air du Temps in front of her and stepped into it.' Everything there, from the mist, the L'Air du Temps, and the walking through it, is so evocative. It's as if I can see it happening just out of the corner of my eye - same with the checking of the lipstick in the mirror.
I recommend it - give it a fling! It's a cracking story and I was changing direction on whodunnit again and again and still being wrong. If it's your first Mirabelle Bevan - please read the rest!
And finally, the book arrived at a time when I was due to be on holiday in the Highlands. Whilst I would have preferred to have read it overlooking the Moray Firth on the Black Isle, it did take some of the sting out of missing it for this summer.
You can easily read this book as a standalone but if you go back to the beginning, to Brighton Belle, then you will meet Mirabelle Bevan and Detective Superintendent Alan McGregor (and Vesta Churchill - a favourite character of mine) and enjoy the full backstory to their lives though the previous eight novels.
This time, they're up in the Highlands for a holiday - a busman's holiday as you might guess! It's a story that brings in White Russians, Soviets, Communists, Americans plus servants, the Big House, and an orangery. In fact a classic country house crime novel - but the country is Scotland, set in 1958.
There is so much to say about this book but I don't want to give any spoilers. I really like the way that the period is evoked and, for me, it is really small details that remind me so much of that time (to be fair I wasn't born until 1959 but some of these things remind me of my childhood). One of them is when Mirabelle 'sprayed a mist of L'Air du Temps in front of her and stepped into it.' Everything there, from the mist, the L'Air du Temps, and the walking through it, is so evocative. It's as if I can see it happening just out of the corner of my eye - same with the checking of the lipstick in the mirror.
I recommend it - give it a fling! It's a cracking story and I was changing direction on whodunnit again and again and still being wrong. If it's your first Mirabelle Bevan - please read the rest!
And finally, the book arrived at a time when I was due to be on holiday in the Highlands. Whilst I would have preferred to have read it overlooking the Moray Firth on the Black Isle, it did take some of the sting out of missing it for this summer.
May 31, 2020
I have been absorbed with this series since the beginning. For fans of murder mysteries set in the past this is for you. To make it different from many other series of books out there – this has strong female characters, it is the 1950s, racism is still clearly prevalent and the memories of war are still not quite in the long forgotten past. Mainly based in and around Brighton this time we take a train journey to the Highlands.
For Mirabelle this is a holiday with Superintendent Alan McGregor her beau and very much intellectual equal. They are to visit Alan’s family home and meet some of his family, the Robertsons.
Being embraced into a glamorous family life with big houses, servants and cocktails is a bit of a shock for Mirabelle but she finds she instantly warms to these people.
Then a body is found in the orangery.
No matter where Mirabelle or Alan go, crime seems to surround them.
The body is an American fashion designer with links to Russia. As the Cold War is very much at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it seems that there may be more to this murder.
The urge to investigate and find out what happens is too much to resist and when it seems there is mysteries unsolved about the house and the Highlands, Mirabelle finds herself questioning people about the murder but also her own actions and limitations to her relationship with Alan.
This holiday is going to be one to remember for them.
Great to see Mirabelle and Alan’s relationship flourish and there is no doubt that they are not sticking to the conventions of the time. Even the Robertsons recognise this and it was a breath of fresh air to see such things, but to also know that is was still of time of great change.
Whilst the world changed, so did Mirabelle and Alan. The Highlands was definitely a place they could say was a turning point for them.
A big house murder mystery, spies, servants, ghosts and secrets. Everything you want from a book and one of the best examples of this type of story.
For me well written and constructed and probably the best of the series (so far) and whilst I always recommend starting at the beginning, this would be a good book to dip into as the main characters are away from their normal lives and surroundings. You can then have the joy of catching up with the rest of the series – lucky you!
For Mirabelle this is a holiday with Superintendent Alan McGregor her beau and very much intellectual equal. They are to visit Alan’s family home and meet some of his family, the Robertsons.
Being embraced into a glamorous family life with big houses, servants and cocktails is a bit of a shock for Mirabelle but she finds she instantly warms to these people.
Then a body is found in the orangery.
No matter where Mirabelle or Alan go, crime seems to surround them.
The body is an American fashion designer with links to Russia. As the Cold War is very much at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it seems that there may be more to this murder.
The urge to investigate and find out what happens is too much to resist and when it seems there is mysteries unsolved about the house and the Highlands, Mirabelle finds herself questioning people about the murder but also her own actions and limitations to her relationship with Alan.
This holiday is going to be one to remember for them.
Great to see Mirabelle and Alan’s relationship flourish and there is no doubt that they are not sticking to the conventions of the time. Even the Robertsons recognise this and it was a breath of fresh air to see such things, but to also know that is was still of time of great change.
Whilst the world changed, so did Mirabelle and Alan. The Highlands was definitely a place they could say was a turning point for them.
A big house murder mystery, spies, servants, ghosts and secrets. Everything you want from a book and one of the best examples of this type of story.
For me well written and constructed and probably the best of the series (so far) and whilst I always recommend starting at the beginning, this would be a good book to dip into as the main characters are away from their normal lives and surroundings. You can then have the joy of catching up with the rest of the series – lucky you!
May 29, 2020
Mirabelle Bevan returns in style in the 8th instalment of her glorious 1950s murder mystery series.
As the title suggests, this time she has travelled away from her Brighton home to far north of the border, up to the Scottish highlands where she is on holiday with her new fiancé Superintendant Alan McGregor, visiting his family.
Set in 1958 around the anxiety of the Cold War, the plucky couple are warmly greeted by their hosts, the Robertsons, but no sooner than they arrive as so does the discovery of a dead body. An American/Russian fashion buyer is found brutally murdered in the Orangery bringing chaos to the household and local village.
Of course Mirabelle, with her past history of crime investigation, cannot fail to get involved and is soon questioning anyone and everyone and testing the loyalty of the staff , the locals and McGregor’s family. Soon enough the local press are getting involved and it becomes clear that everything is not quite as it seems.
I really enjoy reading the stylish Mirabelle Bevan set of books which are all so beautifully written and usually seem to throw up a word or two that I have to look up in the dictionary! This latest episode does not disappoint and is an enjoyable romp through the wonderful Scottish Highlands with an exciting, unexpected climax. My only criticism is that Vesta, Mirabelle’s assistant from Brighton in previous novels, barely makes an appearance this time, but hopefully she will return in style for the next book.
The Daily Herald claims that “Mirabelle has a dogged tenacity to rival Poirot,” High praise indeed but certainly justifiable.
I would like to thank NetGalley and UK publisher Little Brown Book Group UK for supplying me with an advance copy for review.
As the title suggests, this time she has travelled away from her Brighton home to far north of the border, up to the Scottish highlands where she is on holiday with her new fiancé Superintendant Alan McGregor, visiting his family.
Set in 1958 around the anxiety of the Cold War, the plucky couple are warmly greeted by their hosts, the Robertsons, but no sooner than they arrive as so does the discovery of a dead body. An American/Russian fashion buyer is found brutally murdered in the Orangery bringing chaos to the household and local village.
Of course Mirabelle, with her past history of crime investigation, cannot fail to get involved and is soon questioning anyone and everyone and testing the loyalty of the staff , the locals and McGregor’s family. Soon enough the local press are getting involved and it becomes clear that everything is not quite as it seems.
I really enjoy reading the stylish Mirabelle Bevan set of books which are all so beautifully written and usually seem to throw up a word or two that I have to look up in the dictionary! This latest episode does not disappoint and is an enjoyable romp through the wonderful Scottish Highlands with an exciting, unexpected climax. My only criticism is that Vesta, Mirabelle’s assistant from Brighton in previous novels, barely makes an appearance this time, but hopefully she will return in style for the next book.
The Daily Herald claims that “Mirabelle has a dogged tenacity to rival Poirot,” High praise indeed but certainly justifiable.
I would like to thank NetGalley and UK publisher Little Brown Book Group UK for supplying me with an advance copy for review.
May 29, 2020
Mirabelle Bevan returns in style in the 8th instalment of her glorious 1950s murder mystery series.
As the title suggests, this time she has travelled away from her Brighton home to far north of the border, up to the Scottish highlands where she is on holiday with her new fiancé Superintendant Alan McGregor, visiting his family.
Set in 1958 around the anxiety of the Cold War, the plucky couple are warmly greeted by their hosts, the Robertsons, but no sooner than they arrive as so does the discovery of a dead body. An American/Russian fashion buyer is found brutally murdered in the Orangery bringing chaos to the household and local village.
Of course Mirabelle, with her past history of crime investigation, cannot fail to get involved and is soon questioning anyone and everyone and testing the loyalty of the staff , the locals and McGregor’s family. Soon enough the local press are getting involved and it becomes clear that everything is not quite as it seems.
I really enjoy reading the stylish Mirabelle Bevan set of books which are all so beautifully written and usually seem to throw up a word or two that I have to look up in the dictionary! This latest episode does not disappoint and is an enjoyable romp through the wonderful Scottish Highlands with an exciting, unexpected climax. My only criticism is that Vesta, Mirabelle’s assistant from Brighton in previous novels, barely makes an appearance this time, but hopefully she will return in style for the next book.
The Daily Herald claims that “Mirabelle has a dogged tenacity to rival Poirot,” High praise indeed but certainly justifiable.
As the title suggests, this time she has travelled away from her Brighton home to far north of the border, up to the Scottish highlands where she is on holiday with her new fiancé Superintendant Alan McGregor, visiting his family.
Set in 1958 around the anxiety of the Cold War, the plucky couple are warmly greeted by their hosts, the Robertsons, but no sooner than they arrive as so does the discovery of a dead body. An American/Russian fashion buyer is found brutally murdered in the Orangery bringing chaos to the household and local village.
Of course Mirabelle, with her past history of crime investigation, cannot fail to get involved and is soon questioning anyone and everyone and testing the loyalty of the staff , the locals and McGregor’s family. Soon enough the local press are getting involved and it becomes clear that everything is not quite as it seems.
I really enjoy reading the stylish Mirabelle Bevan set of books which are all so beautifully written and usually seem to throw up a word or two that I have to look up in the dictionary! This latest episode does not disappoint and is an enjoyable romp through the wonderful Scottish Highlands with an exciting, unexpected climax. My only criticism is that Vesta, Mirabelle’s assistant from Brighton in previous novels, barely makes an appearance this time, but hopefully she will return in style for the next book.
The Daily Herald claims that “Mirabelle has a dogged tenacity to rival Poirot,” High praise indeed but certainly justifiable.
July 24, 2020
1958 and Mirabelle Bevan is now engaged to Alan. When he suggests they visit his family in northern Scotland she agrees and they travel in style. Upon arrival at the family seat they discover that a woman has been found dead in the house, a Russian-American fashion buyer. With Cold War paranoia set in throughout the country there is talk of spies and communists so when another body is found it's no surprise that Government agents are involved as well.
I love Sheridan's series set in 1950s Brighton. Mirabelle Bevan is a delightfully old-fashioned detective heroine, somewhat Upper Class, monied and middle-aged (yet glamorous). Throughout the series big issues of class, race and sexism have been addressed and here homosexuality is also included. However out of Brighton I found this novel less successful and somewhat confused, by taking an international perspective I felt the story lacked clarity. Having said that, Sheridan still knows how to write a quality novel.
I love Sheridan's series set in 1950s Brighton. Mirabelle Bevan is a delightfully old-fashioned detective heroine, somewhat Upper Class, monied and middle-aged (yet glamorous). Throughout the series big issues of class, race and sexism have been addressed and here homosexuality is also included. However out of Brighton I found this novel less successful and somewhat confused, by taking an international perspective I felt the story lacked clarity. Having said that, Sheridan still knows how to write a quality novel.
April 16, 2025
This is is the eighth book in a series (nine books so far) and the fourth one I have read featuring Mirabelle Bevan who is a sort of private detective. The story is set in the Scottish highlands in 1958.
Mirabelle is now engaged to Detective Superintendent Alan McGregor and they have both taken a holiday to visit Alan's cousin, Bruce, who is a landowner in Scotland. A friend of Bruce's wife who has been staying in their lodge is found murdered in the main house. Then the maid (there are only two staff in the house - a maid and housekeeper) is murdered too. The story is a bit convoluted and frankly I felt the plot got a bit too silly towards the end but it is a very readable book which also makes some social comments about those times.
Nevertheless I do like Mirabelle and hope to read the first five books in this series.
Mirabelle is now engaged to Detective Superintendent Alan McGregor and they have both taken a holiday to visit Alan's cousin, Bruce, who is a landowner in Scotland. A friend of Bruce's wife who has been staying in their lodge is found murdered in the main house. Then the maid (there are only two staff in the house - a maid and housekeeper) is murdered too. The story is a bit convoluted and frankly I felt the plot got a bit too silly towards the end but it is a very readable book which also makes some social comments about those times.
Nevertheless I do like Mirabelle and hope to read the first five books in this series.
July 12, 2021
Dismal.
Maybe if you've read the whole series you are engaged with the characters, but as it is the main characters were all a bit flat, and the walk ons were ciphers. I had no engagement at all with two of the three victims.
I also had issues with constant little irritants. I can't call them mistakes precisely but it was everything from a sentence on the first page whose tenses hadn't been reconciled through to a saucer smashing on a carpet (only if there are stone tiles and no underlay!) to oddities in clothing/jewellry/habits. And while I may hate dialect writing, there was very little difference in the speech of either Highlanders or visiting Americans.
I did finish the book because I wanted to know how it ended. It was sort of ok, but it needed far more structural foreshadowing.
Maybe if you've read the whole series you are engaged with the characters, but as it is the main characters were all a bit flat, and the walk ons were ciphers. I had no engagement at all with two of the three victims.
I also had issues with constant little irritants. I can't call them mistakes precisely but it was everything from a sentence on the first page whose tenses hadn't been reconciled through to a saucer smashing on a carpet (only if there are stone tiles and no underlay!) to oddities in clothing/jewellry/habits. And while I may hate dialect writing, there was very little difference in the speech of either Highlanders or visiting Americans.
I did finish the book because I wanted to know how it ended. It was sort of ok, but it needed far more structural foreshadowing.
September 13, 2022
3.5 Stars
I'm loving this series with a big love, but this was one of the weaker ones for me. It was set in the Highlands, away from Brighton and I think really missed Vesta. I have to confess too, that I found the chemistry between Mirabelle and Alan a bit lacking- could it be because they were for the first time, on the page, in love? Mirabelle is a cold fish, and I've commented in several other of the books in this series how well done that is, and how brave of the author to stick to keeping her this way. But in this book, I did feel she should have thawed a little bit more - because in essence this was a romance and not a mystery. On saying that, as ever it was pacy, it kept me turning the pages, and I'm definitely coming back for more.
I'm loving this series with a big love, but this was one of the weaker ones for me. It was set in the Highlands, away from Brighton and I think really missed Vesta. I have to confess too, that I found the chemistry between Mirabelle and Alan a bit lacking- could it be because they were for the first time, on the page, in love? Mirabelle is a cold fish, and I've commented in several other of the books in this series how well done that is, and how brave of the author to stick to keeping her this way. But in this book, I did feel she should have thawed a little bit more - because in essence this was a romance and not a mystery. On saying that, as ever it was pacy, it kept me turning the pages, and I'm definitely coming back for more.
June 11, 2020
I LOVE these books! Mirabelle Bevan does not disappoint in this the latest story. Off to the Scottish Highlands with her, now, fiance Macgregor, the pair soon become embroiled in a spate of murders. What is going on? Is there a Russian cold war connection? Very Christie-esque, the characters are all living on a remote estate in the midst of the Highlands, and the twists and turns in this plot just keep coming. I loved the previous books Brighton settings but was equally enthralled by the beautiful descriptions of the Scottish setting in this novel. This book will not disappoint , a brilliant read, I couldn't put it down. A full 5 stars!
July 28, 2020
It's the first book I read in this series and won't surely be the last because I loved it.
Great cast of characters and setting, a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I couldn't put this book down.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Great cast of characters and setting, a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I couldn't put this book down.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
October 16, 2022
Incredible book. Politics, romance, plot twists. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Every change of path, every question. The display of the societal rules being superficial, women’s sexuality and independence. Clearly a female writer, undoubtably.
June 13, 2020
Just love these books. Can't wait for the next one.
November 21, 2020
This started quite costly, but soon darkened into a diverting mystery set in the Cold War when threats of the bomb were very real.
Read
March 2, 2023Interesting, historical murder mystery. Well written
January 25, 2025
3.5 for the graphic descriptions of dead animals and shooting content
April 11, 2021
Great read
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews