Book 11, 2026

[chez_jae]

Hooked on Ewe by Hannah Reed

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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After cleaning house today, I sat down and finished my spare book, Hooked on Ewe by Hannah Reed. It’s the second in her “Scottish Highlands” mystery series. The main character is Eden Elliott, an American author who’s moved to Scotland for inspiration.

Eden is putting the finishing touches on her book and wibbling about sending it to a publisher. In the meantime, there’s the local sheepdog competition to raise money for the hospice to keep her occupied. Eden has nominally been assisting with the volunteer committee, but she isn’t fond of the woman who runs it with an iron fist. When Isla is found dead at the end of the competition, the constable appoints Eden as a special constable so she can assist with the investigation. Soon Eden is putting her keen mind to sifting through clues and questioning those who may have information about Isla’s whereabouts before she was murdered. The trick will be getting the notoriously close-mouthed locals to share what they know.

A fun book. I wasn’t lost for starting with the second in the series. Characters were three-dimensional. I did find Eden to be impulsive at times. I definitely thought there were some things she should have shared with the Inspector, rather than haring off on her own to investigate. The plot moved quickly and in a sensible fashion.

Favorite lines:
♦ Life is too short to let others drag you down.
♦ “Perhaps ye should accompany me tae the loo. Ye could hold me private parts so the aim is more tae yer liking.”
♦ “What Harry saw in the likes o’ her, I donnae have a Scooby.”


And, the infamous ‘holding my breath line’: The breath I hadn’t realized I was holding rushed out.

Interesting and entertaining; four stars


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? No, she’s an author
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? Not really; she takes her laptop to the pub to write.
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) No, he runs a fishing charter
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? No, she has no pets
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No, her local BFF is sensible
6. Did the mc find the body? Yes
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes, she’s dead
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? No
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes