The Gathering of Clan McFee by Karen Baugh Menuhin Narrator: Sam Dewhurst-Phillips
Series: Heathcliff Lennox #14
Published by Little Dog Publishing Ltd on October 24, 2025
Source: Purchased
Genres: Historical Mystery
Length: 8 hrs 21 mins
Pages: 296
Format: Audiobook
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Spring 1924. Scotland. The ancient halls of Clan McFee’s castle echo with the whispers of history—and now, the stirrings of ambition and rivalry. The old Laird has passed away, leaving no will, no children, and no clear heir. The task of naming a successor falls to Lady Peggie, the widow of the reclusive Laird.
Summoned to the castle are ten distant cousins of the McFee family, hailing from England, Canada, America, and Sweden. As the castle fills with strangers bound by blood but divided by self-interest, tensions rise despite the efforts of Lady Peggie and Sir Richard Fitzroy, the Laird’s unflappable lawyer, to maintain order.
But then the fragile peace is shattered by a murder in the night—a body found at the foot of the grand stone staircase the stakes grow even deadlier.
Sir Richard calls DCI Billings of Scotland Yard, who calls Major Heathcliff Lennox and ex Inspector Jonathan Swift, and orders them to go and find out what the devil is going on.
Major Heathcliff Lennox - ex WW1 war pilot, 6feet 3inch, tousled dark blond hair, age around 30 – named after the hero of Wuthering Heights by his romantically minded mother – much to his great annoyance.
The Gathering of Clan McFee was not my favorite of the Heathcliff Lennox #14 but it was enjoyable enough. A Castle McFee, the laird has passed away without a clear heir. Descendants from across the globe had gathered at the castle, each hoping to prove they have the best claim to the inheritance – essentially a money pit of a castle and the land that goes with it. When one of the potential heirs ends up dead, Lennox and Swift are dispatched by Scotland Yard to investigate.
The group that has crowded the castle is an odd bunch, as are Lady Peggy and her staff. The potential motive is obvious and shared by all the guests, but when another body is found, the whole situation becomes more dangerous.
I found most, if not all, of the potential heirs annoying. Lady Peggy’s butler was overly eccentric. The plot moved along at a good pace, though, and I didn’t guess who the killer was. I enjoyed the letter at the end telling how everything was resolved after the murderer was caught and the future of the estate could be decided.
Lennox is charming, but I don’t know if I’m thrilled that his wife is pregnant. I don’t really need him dwelling on becoming a father. Fogg and Mr. Tubbs are along for the ride and as adorable as ever.
I listened to the audio and took me a minute to get used to the narrator’s voice again – I must have read the last few as ebooks.
About Karen Baugh Menuhin
At 60, Karen Baugh Menuhin decided to write, and suddenly the stories came pouring out, along with the characters. Eccentric Uncles, stalwart butlers, idiosyncratic servants, machinating Countesses, and the hapless Major Heathcliff Lennox.
An itinerate traveller all her life, she grew up in the military, often on RAF bases but preferring to be in the countryside when they could.
She is living and writing in the Cotswolds with her dear husband Krov. Krov is a professional writer, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, professional diver, pilot, ex US special forces soldier, and the eldest son of violinist, Yehudi Menuhin.
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