Loch Down Abbey: Downton Abbey meets locked-room mystery in this playful, humorous novel set in 1930s Scotland

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I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Loch Down Abbey, a stand-alone novel set in the Highlands in 1930. EXCLUSIVE: Loch Down Abbey, the debut novel by Beth Cowan-Erskine, is headed for the small screen. Madison Wells, Gigi Pritzker’s company behind Nat Geo’s Genius and 21 Bridges, is developing the book as a series after optioning the rights.

But that week he had exams and took the overnight mail boat MV Loch Seaforth, which left Lochboisdale on South Uist around 10pm, stopped in Barra after midnight, and arrived in Oban at 8am the next morning. Those seeking humour with their historical fiction ought to read this. It is well worth it, utterly absorbing. Love the details which elevate a good read to a great one. The salvage operation was praised by Colonel Thomas: ‘The men have done an absolutely fantastic job. They moved the boat in 48 hours flat. We cannot stress how grateful we are to them.’ Gotham Awards: 'Anatomy Of A Fall' An Early Double Winner; 'Four Daughters' Best Doc - Updating Live We were on the pier that morning,” remembered Donald Iain Kennedy in 2012. “We were supposed to [take off] half a million [pounds worth] of clams, shellfish and prawns on it, and we were all preparing to sling it off, and the next thing, she just went, right against the pier. The bulkhead gave way, the front part of the engine. The water just gushed in. Brand new Jeeps, and vans. They were all over the place. Gordon Donald made a song about it.”

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Mr Little told The Oban Times then: “While no-one expected this to happen, it was an enlightening experience to be present and see for ourselves the magnificent manner in which our crew reacted to the situation.” Then Lord Inverkillen, Earl and head of the family, is found dead in mysterious circumstances. The inspector declares it an accident but Mrs MacBain, the head housekeeper, isn't so convinced." A family Saga, comedy, pain, love and betrayal titles plus privilege and an epademik sweeping the nation, just your average family, they have 125 rooms plus the servant parts obviously. Those reports match up with further comments made by May earlier this year: “In the short term, we might have to reduce our travel ambitions, and we’ll have a better chance of [filming]. The Grand Tour may become a little more domestic. But it will still be us three which is the important thing. And cars." May I sit?’ he asked. ‘Yes, You’re very welcome,’ I said. He had this smile on his face. He’d be about my own age at that time. And he turned round eventually. ‘I suppose,’ he said. His English was a wee bit broken but still he was very good just the same.

I am actually always stunned how it takes such a short time for some atrocious series of events in the world to come to such a complex medium as a book. And sometimes I'm just bored to death by it. Not with Loch Down Abbey. The thing I respect about this book is that, although it does use some current events, it simply does not revolve the whole novel around it, it is used just as a pinch of spice to the whole story. Cleverly plotted, peopled with a cast of unforgettable characters and written with an uproarious mix of Anglo-American humor, this very funny and unputdownable novel is a sure winner from start to finish! To be enjoyed without moderation.There were four lifeboats on the boat. At least three were in the water. We were behind one of the lifeboats. The front boat had an outboard motor. We were being towed by the boat in front, in heavy seas. They headed the boat into the wind to prevent it capsizing, and that was all they could do. We were using the oars just to keep the boat stable. It was built in 1905 for Scottish textile manufacturer, historian and landscape photographer Erskine Beveridge, one of the heirs to the estate of an internationally-renowned tableware manufacturer. After his passing in 1920, the property was inherited by his son George, who drowned in 1944 while attempting to make the crossing from North Uist to Vallay at high tide. The Scarinish Hotel took us for a shower, a bath. We were soaked to the skin. There was not a dry part of your body. At 12, I got dry clothes to put on. It was like a scrum with reporters there. How they got there I do not know. In truth, Clarkson was right about one thing in his life: the worst car in the world is American. In a field, six cars including two Chryslers and a Pontiac Aztek raced in circles in a kind of ground-based balloon race cum demolition derby. The loser would be the first car to crash out. It was the Pontiac (a car so terrible it figured in Breaking Bad as Walter White’s ride of choice to show what a loser he was) that was proven – scientifically, mind – to be the world’s worst car. Throughout the night the list to port worsened and at breakfast time it was no longer safe for the crew to remain aboard. The crew had gathered belongings and equipment and were watching from the pier when the ship rolled over.

She served the Mallaig-Kyle-Stornoway run until 1972, when she was replaced by the car ferry, the MV Iona, and assigned to the Oban-Coll-Tiree-Barra-Lochboisdale run, with occasional visits to Colonsay. Tthis very funny and unputdownable novel is a sure winner from start to finish! To be enjoyed without moderation.' - 5 STARS

The characters have relatively little personality and are more defined by their roles than anything else. So it takes a while to sort them out and remember who is who. The Loch Seaforth was beginning to suffer from decay of the poor quality steel used in her construction, which was all that had been available in post-war Britain when she had been built.” The Loch Seaforth and the puffer Glencloy carrying cargo. Photograph courtesy of Peter Knapman. Why must he always try to do things? He isn’t good at doing things. Doing Things is what servants are for.” I have really mixed feelings about this book. I loved the word-play in the title and the concept of bringing current events into a fictional past. But some things just didn't work for me. If you are expecting a serious murder mystery, you may be disappointed. My general feeling is that this is meant to be a parody of 1920s/30s mysteries. You have the very large cast of characters, mysterious events and secrets, and every thing is revealed at the end. As a parody, it was well done. The references to toilet paper shortages and other circumstances familiar to all of us who have lived through 2020 were hilarious. However the mystery itself felt a little flat. Much of the plot was predictable and the characters were all pretty one-dimensional with very little done to flesh out their motives. That being said, there were a few characters who had enough personality for me to care a little about them, but not enough for me to feel attached or particularly invested in them. In many ways, this story would make a great movie- something along the lines of the 1980s Clue. But as a book, it just had something missing that I can't quite put my finger on. All in all, I did enjoy reading it, but I don't see myself revisiting it.

The first vessel in the fleet to be fitted out with radar, she was also the biggest MacBrayne ship until car ferries came in 1964. The show starts with gorgeous shots of Scottish landscape. The trio introduce their cars and find out they must travel from Edinburgh to the Outer Hebrides. The trio struggle through the cobbled streets of the city but eventually find their way out.There's a lot of characters to try and remember. Most of the family members aren't very likable and hardly any of them can do anything without their maids. The story is told from multiple perspectives but the sudden switches of perspective makes it a bit confusing. Filled with secrets, betrayals, lies and some humour, this is an enjoyable read. We could not do anything. They were open rowing boats, totally exposed to the weather, and everything that the sea was going to throw at you. One moment you are on the crest of a wave and the next moment at the bottom, and then the next one is on top of you. You could not see anything because the seas were so rough.