If you love a good mystery and all things Scottish, you’ll want to immerse yourself in the imaginary world of “Loch Lonach” with Virginia Ann (Ginny) Forbes. The six books of the Loch Lonach Scottish Mystery Series were created by “Maggie Foster,” the nom de plume (or nom de crime) of a long-time Clan Forbes Society member.
Maggie herself is a seventh-generation Texan of Scottish descent. In addition to enjoying Scottish traditions and culture, she has gained a lifetime of experience in as a nurse, lawyer, and educator. Her interests include history, genealogy, music, Scottish country dancing, and travel. In fact, the idea for the Loch Lonach series began when she was traveling in Scotland and visited the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games, whose patron is Sir James Forbes of Newe, 8th Baronet.
The protagonist of the series is ICU nurse Ginny Forbes, who becomes an amateur sleuth. She is curious, meticulous, and stubborn in uncovering the truth.
Book 1: The Arms of Death (2017)
In the first book, one of Ginny’s patients, a man known to her through her genealogy connections, dies unexpectedly. There is a chance that what killed him will also kill her so she is motivated to do a bit of digging. After an engineered “accident” that lands her in the hospital, she retires from investigation, but is not allowed to give it up completely. It is Ginny who uncovers the truth and Ginny who helps the police solve the mystery.
Book 2: The Swick and the Dead (2018)
In the second installment of the series, Ginny finds the body of hospital colleague and friend. While she herself is cleared of suspicion by the police detective assigned to the case, Ginny learns that she now poses a threat to some person or organization unknown and who seems to have unlimited resources for tracking her down and attempting to eliminate her. It’s enough for the Laird of Loch Lonach to assign her a bodyguard. In the end she manages to escape sudden death, point the finger at the guilty party, and turn the clean-up of the streets of Loch Lonach over to the Feds.
Book 3: Viking Vengeance (2019)
The third installment is more action-adventure than mystery. Ginny is assigned to escort a miscreant from Texas to Canada and the mystery is whether she and the others will succeed or die in the attempt. It’s a tale of redemption and readers may find themselves rooting for the murderer before it’s over.
Book 4: Final Fling (2020)
In this book, Ginny Forbes should be celebrating her upcoming wedding to Jim, laird-in-training, but instead, she's investigating another murder. When her maid of honor is accused of murder, Ginny attempts to prove her best friend's innocence. During a trip to New Orleans to retrieve some evidence, Ginny is kidnapped finds herself part of a voodoo ceremony. She races to find the killer while avoiding to become the next victim.
Book 5: Incarnadine (2021)
Book five starts only days after Ginny Forbes becomes Ginny Mackenzie. Among the wedding presents is the murder weapon from a very cold case. Somebody has decided that Ginny is the right person to unravel this mystery and there are reasons why Ginny cannot decline the honor. With help from the cast of “The Scottish Play” by William Shakespeare, she does her duty and retires from the stage with cracked ribs, but her reputation for catching killers intact.
Book 6: The Ghillie Knot (2022)
In book six an act of kindness on Ginny’s part comes back to haunt her. Detective Tran, the Dallas Police liaison to the clan, shows Ginny a photo of a dead woman and asks for help in finding four more missing women, all of whom look like Ginny. She agrees to act as bait for a trap the police have devised. The bait is taken, but the fish gets away, leaving Ginny with a stalker who does more than just make threatening phone calls. No one has to die to unravel this mystery, but human beings sometimes make very strange choices.
You can purchase hardcover, softcover, and e-book (Kindle) versions at you favorite online or bricks & mortar bookstore. You can learn more about the these and other books at Maggie Foster’s website https://www.maggiesmysteries.com/.
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