Family Drama

A Falcon for a Queen by Catherine Gaskin
4 stars

Summary From the Book:
Kirsty Howard has traveled a long way to find what is behind her brother, William’s death. Her brother had left China where they were raised to seek out their grandfather in Scotland hoping to establish a relationship with the not very outgoing or friendly old man that had had little to do with their side of the family. William’s death makes Kirsty determined that she must find out more. She has his letters, and a scroll he sent which contains strange Chinese symbols. She knows what the characters say: “she has killed” but they don’t make sense to her. Surprisingly the grandfather and William seemed to have gotten along very well but the old man sees no use for Kristy whatsoever. A woman can’t run the distillery and he has no heir to leave his estate to. Mairi Sinclair, the enigmatic housekeeper, can’t see much use for Kirsty either, and from the moment she first steps foot on the property, makes Kirsty feel very unwelcome.

Despite all the opposition she faces, Kirsty is determined to make a place for herself at Cluain. Angus is her only remaining relative, and Cluain is her destiny. Enlisting the help of Callum Sinclair, Mairi’s equally enigmatic son, she takes a tour of the whiskey brewery and begins learning all she can about the process. But why is she continually being blocked in her quest to find out what really happened to her brother?

My Thoughts:
A beautifully written book with rich imagery. I visited the Highlands of Scotland with my grandfather as a child many times when he returned to what he always considered his home. The words on these pages made me wish to hop a plane and return again to what I thought of as a "magical" land. This was my Blind Date With A Book but it is also a "snowy-day, grab a blanket and a cuppa tea and loose yourself in the story" kind of read. ( )

This was light but entertaining.  Scotland settings always interest me, and this is set in a remote area with lots of description of the countryside.  The main character, Kirsty, was born in Scotland but her father is a Catholic missionary who is assigned to China.  This book takes place after her childhood in China, when she comes to Scotland after her father passes away.  She wants to solve the mystery surrounding her brother's death after he travelled to Scotland to meet their grandfather and never returned.  The ending is a bit obvious but still enjoyable, and the characters are engaging. ( )