KILT AT THE HIGHLAND GAMES by Kaitlyn Dunnett

With a catchy title, we can see that all Scots lovers are going to be drawn to this book by Kaitlyn Dunnett. KILT AT THE HIGHLAND GAMES is tenth in the Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries but I had not read any earlier installments. Liss MacCrimmon turns out to be a resident of Maine, in a town called Moosetookalook. She has a big furry Maine Coon cat and a capable husband named Dan, a custom woodworker, who is a member of the volunteer fire department. One night Dan is required when a bookstore goes up in flames.

Luckily Angie Hogencamp and her children were not in Angie's bookstore or the overhead apartment - or where are they? Liss is just a town citizen, but Sherri Campbell is the chief of police whose job it now is to find the little family. Her questions take her around all the other central shopkeepers, including Liss in the Scottish Gift Shop. With a large Scots derived population, a Western Maine Highland Festival is about to get under way and Liss has been preparing for it; she hasn't seen the Hogencamps for days. They appear to have vanished deliberately. The burnt shell of a building isn't going to look good for the festival.

I absolutely hated the town official who decides to close down the public library to save money. What a villain! The librarian Dolores is furious and determined to fight back. As it happens she collects antique weapons. A visitor, Mr Grant, is a real stickler for accuracy in all matters Gaelic, and he and Liss swap opinions. With this book well down the series we find a host of interesting characters populating the busy town; I had no trouble keeping track of them. That's a sign of a good author. When the exciting fireworks display almost conceals the sound of a gunshot, everyone has to be questioned all over again - this time about a murder.

I enjoyed reading about the Highland Games and the piping, dancing, kilts and Scots-themed T-shirts. Liss has decided not to stock any tacky goods, which lends an air of quality to her display stall. So much is going on that the murder mystery is almost icing on the cake. Keep your eye on the weapons collection, though. Something that tasty has to be put to good use further down the plot. KILT AT THE HIGHLAND GAMES is tremendous fun and I'll certainly be keen to read the earlier books by Kaitlyn Dunnett.

It's July in Moosetookalook, Maine, and Scottish Emporium
proprietress Liss MacCrimmon Ruskin is prepping her wares
for the annual Celtic heritage festival. But as a sinister
crime wave washes over the quiet town, this year's
celebration might prove a wee bit more eventful--and
deadly--than tartan and bagpipes . . .

When a fire ravages the local bookstore late one evening,
Liss immediately fears the worst for owner Angie Hogencamp
and the two young children who live above the shop. After
the terrible blaze dies down, however, the family is nowhere
to be found among the ruins. It's as if the three just
vanished into smoke. Or even stranger--like they never
existed at all.

Disturbed by Angie's disappearance and suspecting arson,
Liss counts on the weekend-long Western Maine Highland
Games--complete with a parade and fireworks display--to
offer a temporary distraction from the countless questions
filling her head. But when the sound of a gunshot leads Liss
to selectman Jason Graye's dead body on opening day, she's
drawn into a full-blown homicide investigation like a moth
to a flame.

Is Moosetookalook suffering from a streak of bad luck, or
are the two grim incidents connected? Unable to shake the
notion that new victims are being targeted around town--and
despite her worried husband's best protests--Liss races to
nab the killer. And with her own life on the line, she'll
need to act swiftly. Because when it comes to this kind of
game, somebody has to lose . . .