June Book Club: A Corpse at the Castle by R.B. Marshall
A Corpse at the Castle by R.B. Marshall (The Highland Horse Whisperer Mysteries Book 1)
Murder at Balmoral Castle. A horse as the only witness. A cyber security freelancer turned part-time horse trainer who chats with the Queen. Yes, this mystery has a lot going on. My editors have warned me more than once to stop cramming in subplots, so I personally love complicated characters and tangled webs of lies. But if you prefer your mysteries straightforward and your protagonists laser-focused, this one might not be your cup of tea. Totally up to you.
Izzy Paterson is new to the small Scottish Highland town of Glengowrie, and somehow lands not one but two exciting jobs, plus a detour to the royal stables. While I wish we’d gotten more backstory about why she left London, or how she became besties with her roommate Trinity, it’s clear Izzy is smart, no-nonsense, and a bit of a mystery herself. Also, the local men are instantly interested, despite her seemingly low-key vibes. (Which left me wondering if Glengowrie’s dating pool is just very… shallow.)
The setting was a standout for me. If you’ve ever watched The Crown and daydreamed about the Queen’s countryside retreat, you’ll enjoy the royal intrigue, stable secrets, and upper-crust gossip. The mystery was layered, with enough suspects to keep me flipping pages, though I guessed the culprit early. I stuck around for the horses and the behind-the-scenes royal peek.
This is the first in a series, and while I had questions, I’m intrigued enough to see where Izzy trots off to next. If you like cozy mysteries with a dash of British royalty, behind-the-scenes horse knowledge, and a heroine who can muck a stall and spot a digital footprint, give this one a try.
Neigh-sayers beware: there are five books (and a prequel that somehow got labeled as #5 —go figure) in the The Highland Horse Whisperer Mysteries, so plenty more stable drama awaits. Author R.B. Marshall is a dressage-riding computer geek herself and brings that unique blend to the page. She also writes under the names Roz Marshall and Belle McInnes, but Izzy’s Scottish crime-solving is where the saddle meets the sleuthing.
Fun fact: my audiobook narrator, Rosemary Cline, also rides horses, pictured here with Joker. She does English-style riding, specifically hunter/jumper, which involves guiding horses over fences with both grace and precision. No royal stables in her version, but it still made this mystery feel like a neat connection.
Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
In 2025, two of her children’s books were selected for the CBC Favorites Award Lists, honored by teachers and librarians nationwide for excellence in children’s literature. Parents, kids, and educators love the Duke the Deaf Dog books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through engaging stories.
And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project thrown together the night before it’s due.
A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.