A Wee Christmas Homicide

“The blend of romance and cozy mystery will please lovers of all things Scottish.” —Kirkus ‘Tis the season to be jolly, but in Moosetookalook, Maine, Christmas cheer is in short supply due to a snowless winter that’s keeping skiers and shoppers at a distance. Fortunately, Liss MacCrimmon of the Scottish Emporium has a plan . . . Liss’s brainstorm focuses on Tiny Teddies, the hot new toy of the season. Every store across the country is out of stock—except a few wee establishments in good ol’ Moosetookalook. The first sign of something amiss occurs when the last Tiny Teddy is summarily executed: shot through the heart in the display window of greedy toy store owner Gavin Thorne. But the Teddy’s demise is just a precursor to the eerily similar murder of Gavin himself. Now, with the Twelve (or, in Scots terms, the Daft) Days of Christmas rapidly approaching, Liss has a plate full of things worse than haggis to contend with, starting with a stockroom packed with poultry (don’t ask), and ending with a killer who’d like to see Liss’s goose well and fully cooked . . . “A picturesque location, a bit of romance, some suspense, and a cast of appealingly quirky characters.” —Booklist “Lively . . . A healthy helping of foul play.” —Publishers Weekly “Perfect for the holiday season.” —Romantic Times

“Fans of Scottish lore or bookstore mysteries like Lorna Barrett’s and Carolyn Hart’s will enjoy this one.”—Booklist Thanks to the Western Maine Highland Games, Moosetookalook, Maine, has never seen so many bare legs walking its streets. But instead of wondering who’ll win the hammer throw, everyone’s asking who got kilt. Especially Liss MacCrimmon, purveyor of the town’s Scottish Emporium, since it’s also her wedding weekend. And nothing scotches up nuptial bliss like a dead body. But who’d go medieval on a professor, no matter how nutty? As much as Liss tries to keep her fingers out of the sleuthing cake, she finds herself again dead center of a Moosetookalook murder mystery. If Liss doesn’t solve this one, and quick, she might never say “I do,” let alone “’til death do us part”… “Filled with gems of Scottish history and culture, this intelligent entry will appeal to newcomers and established fans alike.”—Publishers Weekly

'Tis the season to be jolly, but in Moosetookalook, Maine, Christmas cheer is in short supply due to a snowless winter that's keeping skiers and shoppers at a distance. Lisa has a plan involving Tiny Teddies, the hot toy of the season-- which turns out to be a toy to die for ...

This “enjoyable” Maine-set mystery “skillfully uses misdirection to keep the reader guessing to the end” (Publishers Weekly). 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 asks her to spend a week at the Christmas tree farm she just inherited. Realizing it’s a perfect chance for her and her husband, Dan, to get away, Liss happily accepts and packs her bags for the tiny town of New Boston. Upon their arrival, they’re greeted by a ramshackle farmhouse and unfriendly townsfolk. It’s hardly the idyllic vacation locale they hoped for, especially when needling neighbors raise 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 something even more scandalous than murder hides 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 lurking among the pines—before she ends up in a pine box herself . . . “An enjoyable small-town Christmas cozy.” —Library Journal “Fans of Carolyn Hart’s Death on Demand series will enjoy this.” —Booklist

A former Scottish dancer turned small-town shop owner must search for a killer among her former company in this cozy mystery by the author of Kilt Dead. After a knee injury forces professional Scottish dancer, Liss MacCrimmon to give up her life of performing strathspreys, reels, jigs and Highland flings she returns to her hometown of Moosetookalook, Maine, where she runs a Scottish Emporium. With one solved murder case under her dance belt, Liss has no idea she's about to spiral into another . . . Liss still misses the life of a professional dancer with Strathspey, the Scottish dance company she belonged to. So she arranges a reception for the troupe when they're on tour, complete with a Scottish theme that includes a new spin on the classic Scottish Scone. Liss soon realizes that life in the group isn't all happy jigs and fancy stepping. Victor Owens, the company manager, has been making life miserable for everyone. But she has no idea how miserable until Victor bites into one of Liss's prized cocktail scones, collapses and dies. When the police set their sights on Liss and her best friends, it's up to Liss to find out whodunit before this culinary killer makes an encore . . . Praise for Scone Cold Dead “Enjoyable . . . Vivid descriptions of Maine during mud season and a quirky cast of characters lift this cozy.” —Publishers Weekly

“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

Angry Scots and a blizzard lead to murder in a small town in Maine in this cozy mystery by the author of A Wee Christmas Homicide. Can there be such a thing as too many men in kilts? Normally Liss MacCrimmon, proprietor of Moosetookalook, Maine's one and only Scottish Emporium, would say no. But that's before one of them turns out to be murderous . . . The bagpipes are blaring at Moosetookalook's finest hotel, reopened just in time to host an annual celebration of Scotland's most beloved poet, Robert Burns. But when the Scottish Heritage Appreciation Society arrives on the scene, they bring more than a hunger for haggis and a passion for plaid. The quarrelsome group harbors their share of long held grudges, and the animosity only grows as the whiskey flows. Then a fierce blizzard hits, trapping everyone—angry Scotsmen, hapless hotel staff, and Liss herself—indoors. It isn't long before a body is discovered face down in a storage room, covered in tartan—and blood. Now Liss will have to work fast to solve this crime before another body goes as cold as the snowstorm keeping her cooped up with a killer. Praise for the Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries “This cozy mystery has it all—a picturesque location, a bit of romance, some suspense, and a cast of appealingly quirky characters.” —Booklist “A blithe and bonny mystery from Kaitlyn Dunnett! Cozy mystery readers should pour a cuppa and settle down to savor the flavor of the Highlands, the wee dram of Scottish folklore and the small town skullduggery that season this clever debut.” —Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries

Professional Scottish dancer Liss MacCrimmon jigs herself into the middle of a bizarre mystery when, after returning home to Moosetookalook, Maine, the town gossip is found dead under a special bolt of fabric called the Flower of Scotland in the stock room of her aunt's store.