Scots on the Rocks
A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
When Judith and her cousin Renie go on vacation in a remote and possibly haunted Scottish castle owned by a rich whiskey distillery baron strange things start occurring. They meet Harry Gibbs, a dissolute young man who is estranged from his wife and is found smothered to death shortly after Judith and Renie arrive. His widow, Moira, is suspect No. 1, of course, but there are plenty to go around since Harry was a real jerk and wanted to run the petrol company Moira inherited from dear old dad. Suspects include Moira's bastard half-brother, Blackwell Petroleum's sleazy CEO, the wily comptroller, an even wilier corporate attorney, the whisky baron, Moira's former mother-in-law who mixes delicious jams along with her not-so-delicious poisons, Moira's apparent lover, and, last but not least, Chuckie, the dwarfish epileptic who runs around castle. There's a ghost, some goofy villagers, and enough suspects to overwhelm any police force, but no challenge is too daunting for the cousins.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Daheim's enjoyable 23rd B&B mystery (after 2006's Saks and Violins) takes Judith McMonigle Flynn, her cousin Serena "Renie" Jones and their husbands to a remote town in Scotland. The idea is to get away from the stresses of running an inn, and from Judith's pesky habit of stumbling over corpses and solving murders, but when a new Scottish acquaintance mysteriously dies, Judith can't help poking around. Why would anyone kill Harry Gibbs? Perhaps his wife, now twice widowed, had developed a romantic relationship with someone else, or perhaps a complex business deal lies behind Harry's demise. The tight-knit locals aren't always willing to open up to Judith, and soon more people die. The many eccentric Scottish characters aren't especially well developed, but the local color fine wool, romantic castles, freely flowing whiskey and tea is charming. This cozy makes a good vacation read, whether or not your destination is Scotland.
Customer Reviews
Unbelievable
How can anyone board a plane and have no clue where they're going? Especially when they are the heroic sleuths of the story? Old cars in the UK must pass an annual inspection - the MOT. Just two glaring flaws among a legion in this book which make me think the author knows Scotland only third or fourth hand.
If you know Scotland, this tale will have you writhing in disbelief. If you don't know Scotland, please just pretend the setting is California, where clearly such fantasy will be so much more at home.