Dark Ness by Tabitca Cope - first of the Dark Trilogy

Laura, a middle aged, overweight, academic, comes into an unexpected inheritance. As she is enthralled with the legends of Merlin and believes there is a chance he spent time in Scotland around the Loch Ness area, she decides to use the money to fund further research by leaving her job and moving to Loch Ness. Her daughter who is at university backs her project so off she sets.

On arrival at the wee cottage she has rented, she discovers there are a couple of groups of university people doing different studies in the area. In one group is an old friend, John, with whom she soon ends up in cahoots as strange things and strange people are spotted.

Being an outsider in the village, she soon comes to the attention of the local Laird, Henry, who lives in the Big House and has an extensive library which he makes available to her. And then more strange and disturbing events occur and you are drawn into the murder, mystery, myth, or is it magic???

I loved the book and could not put it down. I enjoyed having a main character who is nearer my own age, I enjoyed the story being set in Scotland (obviously) and I just found it to be so easy to read, from paragraph 1 of chapter 2, I was in that village with them and living the story. (chapter 1 was setting the scene from the past!!) It was one of those books you can’t stop reading, but don’t want it to end…….. Now Tabitca, please hurry up with book 2!!!!!