Murder on Mull

Many Mull legends are featured in Helen Fields’ new murder book – including Lochbuie stone circle and Mackinnon’s Cave

Award-winning crime writer Helen Fields returns to Mull as the murder scene for her 12th book, The Last Girl To Die, due out in September.

The Last Girl to Die explores every worst parent’s nightmare, as teenage girls go missing from their homes on Mull in the middle of the night, only to be discovered the next day brutally murdered in an ancient pagan ritual.

Helen discovered a number of legends about the Isle of Mull during her research, many to do with the witches of Mull which she uses in the book, including the legendary Mull witch Doideag, who was said to be more powerful than the clan chief and responsible for the sinking of a Spanish galleon.

Also at the heart of the novel is the ancient Lochbuie stone circle: nine granite rocks that sit silently in their own natural amphitheatre, overlooked by the slopes of Ben Buie. Although most visitors fi nd it a place of tranquillity, legend has it that the area is haunted.

Helen, who has background as a criminal and a family barrister working for both the prosecution and the defence, sets murder in the novel in Mull’s famous

With a background as both a prosecutor and defence counsel, Helen Fields has a depth of knowledge about crime that lends to her writing.

Mackinnon’s Cave – one of the deepest sea caves in the Hebrides, where legend tells of a piper who was walking his dog in the cave and came to a sticky end when a female ogre became unimpressed with his performance. The dog survived but emerged crazed and hairless with fright. Deep inside the cave lies a large, fl at slab of rock, which is known as Fingal’s Table, which was used as an altar by hermits and early followers of the Christian church and also features in the novel.

Eleven of Helen’s other books have all been set in Scotland, her previous bestselling titles have been against the backdrop of Edinburgh, Glasgow,

Braemar and “the Cairngorms, Roslin Glen, North Berwick, Tantallon Castle, Old Pentland Cemetery, and Eilean Donan Castle.

Twice shortlisted for the McIllvanney Scottish Crime Book of the Year and a published author in 22 countries, Helen will be appearing at international crime writing festival Bloody Scotland in Stirling this September. Selling in the USA, Canada and Australasia, Helen’s books have won global recognition. In 2020 Helen’s novel, Perfect Kill was longlisted for the Crime Writers Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.

In 2020 Perfect Remains was shortlisted for the

Bronze Bat, Dutch one of the deepest sea debut crime novel of the year. where legend tells of a Helen also writes as piper who was walking HS Chandler, and has his dog in the cave and released legal thriller Degrees of Guilt. Her audio book Perfect Crime knocked Michelle Obama off the number one spot. The Last Girl To Die is out in paperback on September 1, published by Avon and priced £7.99 In this latest book, 16-year-old Adriana Clark’s American family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull in search of a new life. Then she goes tries, missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque. Sadie is the best at what The deeper she she does. digs into the island’s secrets, But when she fi nds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully the closer danger arranged on her head, she creeps – and the knows she’s dealing with more urgent her something she’s never enquest to find the killer grows countered before. The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to fi nd the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?

Bronze Bat, Dutch debut crime novel of the year.

HS Chandler, and has released legal thriller

Degrees of Guilt. Her audio book Perfect

Crime knocked Michelle

Obama off the number one spot.

The Last Girl To Die is out in paperback on

September 1, published by Avon and priced £7.99

In this latest book, 16-year-old Adriana Clark’s American family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull in search of a new life. Then she goes missing.