Lucy
Connelly

She writes murder in the prettiest places she can find.

Next from Shamrock Cove · November 4, 2026

A Body at the Bakery

A Mercy McCarthy Mystery · Book Six

St. Patrick’s Day in Shamrock Cove has brought out countless Irish flags, streams of green bunting, lots of good-natured cheer… and the body of the local baker.

Pre-order now About this book

Cover of A Body at the Bakery by Lucy Connelly: a green Irish bakery front with a small black-and-white dog on the step.

50+Books published

4Mystery series

AwardBarbara Wilson winner

On screenAinsley McGregor films

The signature experience

Enter the worlds

Four villages, four sleuths, four very different kinds of trouble. Every book is a place you can go — a windswept Scottish isle, a rain-lit Irish bookshop, a Welsh valley, a Texas square at golden hour.

Cover of An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly.

An American in Scotland — Book One

Cover of Death at a Scottish Wedding by Lucy Connelly.

Death at a Scottish Wedding — Book Two

Cover of Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly.

Death at a Scottish Christmas — Book Three

Enter Sea Isle, Scotland

Scottish Isle Mysteries

Dr. Emilia McRoy

Rugged, windswept, dramatic — a cold coast and a warm welcome.

An American doctor takes the post of village physician on a Scottish isle, and discovers that a place this beautiful can be remarkably bad for your health.

Start with An American in Scotland · 5 books

Explore the Scottish Isle Mysteries

Cover of An Irish Bookshop Murder by Lucy Connelly.

An Irish Bookshop Murder — Book One

Cover of Death by the Book by Lucy Connelly.

Death by the Book — Book Two

Cover of Death at Inishmore Castle by Lucy Connelly.

Death at Inishmore Castle — Book Three

Enter Shamrock Cove, Ireland

Mercy McCarthy Mysteries

Mercy McCarthy & Mr. Poe

Intimate, rainy, bookish — lamplight on wet cobbles.

A bookshop on a rain-slicked Irish street, a small dog with strong opinions, and a village that keeps turning up bodies between the shelves.

Start with An Irish Bookshop Murder · 6 books

Explore the Mercy McCarthy Mysteries

Cover of The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor by Lucy Connelly.

The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor — Book One

Cover of The Curious Case of the Bludgeoned Birder by Lucy Connelly.

The Curious Case of the Bludgeoned Birder — Book Two

Enter Dillynaidd, Wales

Welsh Village Mysteries

Dr. Gwen Griffith

Pastoral, scholarly, quietly curious.

A journalism professor crosses the pond for a quiet Welsh valley, a university department of her own, and — inconveniently — a murder on her doorstep.

Start with The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor · 2 books

Explore the Welsh Village Mysteries

Cover of A Case for the Winemaker by Candace Havens.

A Case for the Winemaker — Book One

Cover of A Case for the Yarn Maker by Candace Havens.

A Case for the Yarn Maker — Book Two

Cover of A Case for the Toy Maker by Candace Havens.

A Case for the Toy Maker — Book Three

Enter Sweet River, Texas

Ainsley McGregor Mysteries

Ainsley McGregor Written as Candace Havens

Warm, polished, golden-hour small-town Texas.

Written as Candace Havens. A restored small-town square, a Great Dane, and characters who found a second life on screen.

Start with A Case for the Winemaker · 5 books

Explore the Ainsley McGregor Mysteries

New here?

Where should I start?

Any of the four. They stand alone — pick the place you would most like to visit.

See every book

Praise

Praise for An American in Scotland

“An atmospheric, character-driven debut . . . [For] fans of Carlene O’Connor’s Irish mysteries.”
Library Journal starred review

on An American in Scotland

“[A] promising debut and series launch . . . Jane Austen fans will relate.”
Publishers Weekly

“Stunning Scottish scenery provides the backdrop for an enjoyable mix of murder and romance.”
Kirkus Reviews

A new portrait of Lucy is on its way.

About Lucy

She writes murder in the prettiest places she can find.

Lucy Connelly — who also writes as Candace Havens — is a bestselling author of more than fifty books, and one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists. Her novels have been nominated for the RITAs, the Holt Medallion, the Write Touch Reader Awards and the National Readers’ Choice Awards, and she is a Barbara Wilson Award winner.

She runs online writing workshops, reviews film and television with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association. She travels for the settings and comes home for the dogs.

More about Lucy

From page to screen

Ainsley McGregor, on screen.

The Ainsley McGregor screen mysteries are inspired by characters created by Candace Havens. The franchise premiered on Great American Pure Flix in July 2024, and continues on Great American Family and GFAM+.

The fourth installment, Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: The Model Maker, arrives Early 2027, starring Candace Cameron Bure, Aaron Ashmore and Robin Dunne.

The screen mysteries Read the books