Bagpipes, Bridges and Homicides


Book Description

Lisa MacCrimmon and her fiancé, Dan Ruskin, find their impending nuptials threatened by the death of one of the re-enactors at the annual Western Maine Highland Games--and the arrest of Liss's father for his murder.




Ho-Ho-Homicide


Book Description

“It’s got two things that everyone likes: Christmas and Murder.” – Jimmy Fallon Business is booming at the Scottish Emporium in Moosetookalook, Maine, and Liss MacCrimmon Ruskin couldn't be happier--or busier. A romantic getaway at a rustic Christmas tree farm is just what she needs. But the property's mysterious past has her feeling less than merry. . . Liss is surprised when an old friend from high school asks her to spend a week at the Christmas tree farm she recently inherited from a great-uncle. Realizing it would be the perfect chance for her and her husband Dan to get away from work, Liss happily accepts the offer and packs her bags for the tiny town of New Boston. Upon their arrival, Liss and Dan are greeted by a ramshackle farmhouse and unfriendly townsfolk. It's hardly the idyllic vacation locale they'd hoped for, especially when needling neighbors start raising questions about the farm's dark history. Who was the man whose body was found neatly netted in a shipment of Scotch pine? Why did the owner vanish into thin air? And why are the trees growing so close together, forming a maze more twisted than a Celtic knot? The rumors pile up faster than snowdrifts in a blizzard, and as Liss starts un-wrapping the truth, she discovers something even more scandalous than murder hiding beneath the town's humdrum façade. When a series of "accidents" strikes the farm, she'll have to spring into action faster than a Highland Fling to find the killer who's been lurking among the pines--before she ends up in a pine box herself. . . Praise for Kaitlyn Dunnett and her Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries! Vampires, Bones, And Treacle Scones "Spooky. . .Cozy fans are in for a Halloween treat." --Publishers Weekly Bagpipes, Brides, And Homicides "Fans of Scottish lore or bookstore mysteries like Lorna Barrett's and Carolyn Hart's will enjoy this one." --Booklist Scotched "A satisfying entry in the series." --Booklist "This well-plotted novel provides pure entertainment." --RT Book Reviews A Wee Christmas Homicide "The blend of romance and cozy mystery will please lovers of all things Scottish." --Kirkus Reviews Scone Cold Dead "Enjoyable. . .vivid descriptions of Maine during mud season and a quirky cast of characters lift this cozy." --Publishers Weekly Kilt Dead "If you have an affinity for all things Scottish, this is the book for you." --Deadly Pleasures




Scotched


Book Description

“Lovely descriptions of a Maine spring, a fast-moving plot with unexpected twists, and well-drawn characters help make this cozy a winner.”—Publishers Weekly Liss MacCrimmon, purveyor of all things plaid at the Moosetookalook Scottish Emporium in Maine, can’t wait to cozy up to the town’s first annual mystery book conference. The outlook seems very bonnie indeed for all the local businesses, including her fiancé’s family-owned hotel. But when a reviewer with a grudge takes a swan dive off a scenic lookout, the crime scene is a bit too real. With a conference full of potential suspects—from a famous actress-turned-bestselling author to her power-broker agent to an overextended events coordinator with plenty to hide—it will take a killer instinct to figure out which writer belongs in the true crime section…before it’s The End for another innocent victim. “A delightful new series.”—Dorothy Cannell, award-winning author of The Thin Woman “A pleasant diversion with a wide choice of murder suspects.”—Kirkus Reviews “Well-plotted…pure entertainment.”—RT Book Reviews




Murder, She Edited


Book Description

The bestselling author of the Liss MacCrimmon mysteries continues her new booklovers mystery series featuring freelance editor Mikki Lincoln and her keen-eyed cat Calpurnia. When Mikki inherits a nearby farm from a woman she hasn’t seen in two decades, the unexpected arrangement comes with a big catch: forgotten diaries hidden in the neglected house must be recovered, edited, and published across the internet within one month. The lonely locale is like an untouched time capsule from the 1950s, and it was left behind for good reason While searching for the mysterious memoirs and clues about the former owners, Mikki discovers that the once peaceful place was punctuated by an unsolved homicide and other rumored crimes. Worse, suspicious activity in the creepy, dilapidated barn suggests it really hasn’t been abandoned at all . . . In a remote farmhouse with only her observant calico cat, Calpurnia, keeping her company, Mikki must swiftly crack an eerie cold case from the past and stop a clever culprit from leaving red markups on anything other than pages of revised copy . . .




Different Times, Different Crimes


Book Description

BLUTimes may change, but crime remains the same! Award-winning author Kathy Lynn Emerson has penned thirteen thrilling tales -- from medieval England to modern New England -- guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat! "A baker's dozen mysteries, delectable stories ranging from Elizabethan England to contemporary New England, every one intriguing, literate, and enriched by nicely observed details. For those who are Emerson's fans already, and for those who will be as soon as they finish this book." --Lillian Stewart Carl, author of the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron series "Mix mischief with murder from medieval to modern times and you have Kathy Lynn Emerson’s marvelous new collection. A must-read for historical mystery lovers!" -- Barb Goffman, Agatha and Macavity award-winning author of Don't Get Mad, Get Even RB




Overkilt


Book Description

Thanksgiving finds a small-town Maine shop owner juggling her mother and a murder case in this cozy mystery by the author of X Marks the Scot. While Liss MacCrimmon preps the Scottish Emporium for November's inevitable shopping rush, other local businesses in Moosetookalook, Maine, aren't half as lucky. Year after year, her father-in-law's rustic hotel can barely turn a profit during the stretch between autumn's peak and ski season. Except this time, Mr. Ruskin realizes that the recipe for success lies in enticing an untapped niche clientele—childless couples desperate for a holiday away from family . . . The unusual marketing tactic has everyone in Moosetookalook talking. Unfortunately, it also inspires a scathing social media campaign aimed at persuading tourists to boycott the hotel for affronting family values. Liss dismisses the bad publicity as being totally “overkilt” —until angry mobs fill the streets, the troublemaker who started it all turns up dead, and her loved ones are suspected of murder . . . With so much at stake, Liss can't possibly follow police orders to stay out of the investigation. There's just one wee problem: saving her own clan could mean sending a friend or two behind bars. Now—partly helped, partly hindered by her difficult mother—Liss must digest a slew of unsettling clues and catch the real killer . . . or else everything she's ever been thankful for may vanish before her eyes. Praise for Overkilt “Dunnett provides small-town charm and a determined sleuth who does a great job uncovering clues in a tale that rings all too true.” —Kirkus Reviews “Winning . . . . Dunnett successfully keeps the mystery cozy while not shying away from thought-provoking cultural issues.” —Publishers Weekly




Clause & Effect


Book Description

As a professional editor, Mikki Lincoln is used to crimes against the English language. As an amateur sleuth, she's finding catching criminals a lot more dangerous than catching typos . . . Nestled in the picturesque Catskills, the village of Lenape Hollow prepares to celebrate the 225th anniversary of its founding. Freelance book editor Mikki Lincoln has been drafted to update and correct the script, left over from the town's bicentennial, which is housed at the historical society. The building is being renovated for the first time since that last celebration. But when construction reveals a shocking discovery—human remains walled up in a fireplace—Mikki shifts focus from cold-reading to solving a cold case. Just as her investigation seems to have hit a brick wall, a new murder rattles the townspeople. Clearly, someone is hiding a few skeletons in the closet. Now Mikki will need to go off script to make a connection between the bicentennial bones and the current homicide. But if this book editor isn't careful, she may be the next one sentenced to death . . .




A View to a Kilt


Book Description

A series of blizzards have kept tourists away from Moosetookalook, Maine, and shoppers out of Liss MacCrimmon’s Scottish Emporium. But as warmer weather brings promises of tartan sales and new faces, melting snow reveals cold-blooded murder . . . Liss has suddenly found herself in charge of the March Madness Mud Season Sale, a town-wide celebration created to boost the local economy during the slushy weeks of early spring. With businesses ailing after a rough winter, the pressure is on to make this year’s effort the can’t-miss-event of the season. But before Liss can get her hands dirty, her husband makes a horrifying discovery. There’s a dead man on their property, and he didn't die of natural causes . . . Stunned by the murder mystery developing in her own backyard, Liss receives another shock. The victim is identified as Charlie MacCrimmon, an uncle believed to have died eleven years before Liss was born. No one has seen or heard from Charlie since he went off to fight in Vietnam. What secrets could he have been hiding for so many years, and who would want to kill a man long thought to be dead? Enlisting the help of her family, Liss uncovers more questions than answers as she delves into her uncle’s murky past. One thing is clear—before he met his end, Uncle Charlie was desperately trying to warn her about something sinister. And unless Liss can soon track down a maniacal criminal as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster, she just might be the next MacCrimmon to disappear . . .




A Fatal Fiction


Book Description

Freelance book editor Mikki Lincoln knows the makings of a well-written story. But she’ll need to choose her words wisely when a new assignment introduces a deadly plot twist . . . Forgotten on the outskirts of quaint Lenape Hollow, Feldman’s Catskill Resort Hotel has outlasted its heyday as a popular tourist destination and now awaits demolition. But once Mikki is hired to edit a revealing memoir by Sunny Feldman, the last living relative of its original owners, the doomed resort quickly ends up back in the spotlight . . . Unfortunately, everyone’s attention shifts to Mikki when a body is discovered at the demolition site. Seen arguing with deceptive entrepreneur Greg Onslow right before his shocking death, the editor has no choice but to spell out exactly why she isn’t guilty of murdering him . . . Mikki’s dash for answers brings Greg’s shady dealings into focus, along with an unsettling list of potential culprits. As false leads and dead ends force her to revise theories on who really did it, can Mikki separate fact from fiction before the investigation reaches a terrifying conclusion?




X Marks the Scot


Book Description

A treasure map leads a Scottish shop owner to a corpse in small-town Maine in this cozy mystery by the author of Kilt at the Highland Games. The old Chadwick mansion on the edge of Moosetookalook, Maine, has been shrouded in mystery for generations. But when Scottish Emporium owner Liss MacCrimmon uncovers a treasure map at the mansion's estate sale, she never expected her curiosity would lead to a dead body. It's clear Liss isn't alone on this treasure hunt. With her life in real peril and the map at risk of being stolen, she launches into full-scale investigation mode. But as she deciphers clues and inches toward the dangerous culprit, Liss quickly realizes she's only a step away from ending up like the Chadwick clan—permanently wiped out. Praise for X Marks the Scot “Forgotten secrets, a mysterious mansion, a family of thieves, you never know what's coming next in this new Liss MacCrimmon Scottish Mystery. Best advice? Sit back and enjoy the ride.” —Suspense Magazine “Plenty of small-town atmosphere and deliciously dubious suspects lift this entry.” —Kirkus Reviews “Well-paced.” —Publishers Weekly