Marsali Taylor

Marsali Taylor is a successful Scottish novelist, well known for her captivating mystery novels. She grew up near Edinburgh and later moved to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. Currently, she resides on the scenic west side of Shetland with her husband and two Shetland ponies, working as a part-time teacher.

Taylor is not only a talented writer but also a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is deeply fascinated by history. This fascination is evident in her writing, as she brings to life the environments and settings of her stories with great detail and accuracy. In addition to her mystery novels, she has also published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect and a history of women's suffrage in Shetland.

Taylor's love for the sea is also reflected in her work, as she is a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht. She is also an active member of her local drama group. These experiences and interests have shaped her writing, particularly her Cass Lynch series, which is mainly set across the Scottish Shetland Islands. The series has been successful in capturing the attention of readers worldwide, who have come to love the leading character of Cass Lynch and her mystery-solving adventures.
Cass Lynch Mysteries Books
# Title Year
1 Death on a Longship 2012
2 The Trowie Mound Murders 2014
3 A Handful of Ash 2014
4 The Body in the Bracken 2015
5 Ghosts of the Vikings 2016
6 Death in Shetland Waters 2018
7 Death on a Shetland Isle 2018
8 Death from a Shetland Cliff 2020
9 The Shetland Sea Murders 2021
10 A Shetland Winter Mystery 2021
11 Death in a Shetland Lane 2023