The Scottie Barked at Midnight

September 28, 2015
In Dunnett’s uneven ninth Liss MacCrimmon mystery (after 2014’s Ho Ho Homicide), Liss, the owner of the Scottish Emporium in Moosetookalook, Maine, becomes a contestant on Variety Live, a national TV show. One stormy night on an icy mountain road, Liss rescues a Scottish terrier, which she succeeds in reuniting with its owner, Deidre Amendole, who’s scheduled to compete on Variety Live with her dog act. When elderly Deirde dies suddenly of unknown causes, her daughter persuades Liss to fill in. During the show’s filming at an upscale ski resort, destroyed props and other acts of sabotage suggest that someone will go to any lengths to win. Dunnett (the pseudonym of Kathy Lynn Emerson) deftly sketches the secondary characters, though they’re an unpleasant lot, full of petty jealousies and given to backbiting. The mischief fails to generate much tension, and the action builds to a contrived denouement. Still, readers should enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at the TV show. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

August 15, 2015
A chance encounter on a stormy Maine night involves Liss Ruskin, nee MacCrimmon, in yet another murder. Liss, the owner of the Scottish Emporium in Moosetookalook, is on her way home in a sudden downpour when something furry darts in front of her and she swerves off the road. The furry beast turns out to be an obviously well-cared-for Scottish terrier whom Liss rushes to a veterinary clinic. After the Scottie is diagnosed with only bumps and bruises, Liss takes her home, annoying her cats, until she can discover the owner, who turns out to be the exceedingly grateful Deidre Amendole. Deirdre uses the precious Dandy and her brother Dondi in a dancing-dog act that is currently favored to win a reality television competition, Variety Live. When Deidre, who insists that Dandy was dognapped, turns up dead, apparently from an accidental overdose, her daughter, Desdemona, begs Liss, formerly a professional Scottish dancer, to finish the show, which is about to anoint the champion of champions. With her business in the winter doldrums, Liss agrees and moves into the hotel at the Five Mountains Ski Resort along with the other contestants, a jealous bunch vying with each other to win. When someone starts playing dirty tricks on the group, Liss goes into sleuthing mode and carefully guards the Scotties. Discovering that Deidre's death was indeed murder makes her wonder whom she can trust while she attempts to find the killer. Dunnett's latest (Ho-Ho-Homicide, 2014, etc.) is full of local color, suspicious characters, and adorable fur-babies. What's not to like?

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December 1, 2015

In Moosetookalook, ME, Liss MacCrimmon almost hits a Scottish terrier on an icy road but is able to reunite the lost dog with his owner, Deirdre Amendole. Turns out the Scottie was dognapped owing to its celebrity as a dancing dog. When Deirdre turns up dead, Liss and Deirdre's daughter go into investigation mode. This is the ninth cozy outing (after Ho-Ho Homicide) featuring a professional Scottish dancer.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2015
During a late-winter storm in Moosetookalook, Maine, Liss MacCrimmon slides off the road to avoid hitting a small animal that turns out to be a well-cared-for Scottie. Liss catches the dog and proceeds to look for its owner, determining eventually that the dog is called Dandy and belongs to Deidre Amendole, an entertainer whose act is called Deidre and her Dancing Doggies. Deidre and her two Scotties are participating in the reality TV show Variety Live at the time Dandy was dognapped. When Deidre unexpectedly dies, her daughter convinces Liss, a former professional dancer, to take Deidre's place on the show. Business is slow at Liss' Scottish Emporium so she agrees, only to realize that someone is messing with the other contestants, which prompts concern that Deidre may have been murdered. There's a lot going on here, but Liss makes a good lead for a cozy, the small-town Maine setting works well, and the shopkeeper frame story provides added interest. A good choice for readers of Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)