Paislee Shaw volunteers to chaperone her son’s class field trip to Leery Estate. The trip includes a tour of the gardens and time to spend in the circular maze.  One of Paislee’s assigned students begins to fidget while awaiting their group’s time for the maze. Recognizing the dance, Paislee takes the girl to the restroom. Imagine Paislee’s surprise when she hears a noise and then witnesses a man’s body falling through the hedge as she waited on her student to finish her toilet. In an effort to ensure the student’s safety, and prevent her from being afraid at the sight of the body, Paislee holds the bathroom door to keep the girl inside until help arrives. She manages to get the girl safely to the bus without seeing the body by challenging her to a race. However, Paislee soon finds herself right in the thick of the murder investigation. 

MURDER IN A SCOTTISH GARDEN is an excellent murder mystery. With the word “Scottish “ in the title, I was pretty sure I would love it, as I tend to enjoy all things Scottish. The plot is intriguing and moves along at a good pace. The suspense is well done. I had no idea who the murderer was until it was revealed in the story. The sub plots are also well done, but I won’t reveal them here as I wouldn’t want to spoil the read for you. 

This is the second book of a series, though it can definitely be read as a stand alone. I have not read the first book, and I did not feel as though I was missing any important information or parts of the backstory. There are a few things that were not wrapped up in this book, so I am sure there will be another novel in this series to follow. I will look forward to reading it as well. 

I would recommend this book to the reader who enjoys cozy mysteries. Because of a few occurrences of profanity within the book, I would hesitate to recommend it for the younger reader.