Name: Hop Scot
ISBN: 9781448307692

Catriona McPherson

The Last Ditch crew travel from California to an idyllic Scottish village for the holidays, but something very unmerry is lurking below the surface...The news that a man disappeared from the crumbling pile sixty years ago, along with an unsettling discovery in the bricked-up basement, means that Todd, Kathi and Lexy must solve another murder.

Hop Scot

I love a golf old fashioned whodunnit.  I love a small town setting.  I also love it when it's set in my own wee country but most of them tend to be written by Americans or Canadians.  That means things are always just a wee bit...off no matter how well researched.  So this was a breath of fresh air - a mystery written about an ex-pat Scot, coming to Scotland for the holidays, written by an actual ex-pat Scot!

I really enjoyed getting to know the indomitable Lexy and her clan of quirly family members - biological and found.  Learning more about her life pre-California and the stressed relationship with her parents over her change in careers and the breakdown of her marriage.

This family excels at keeping secrets, for good or ill, and they all have this notion of what their past relationship was like - if you blend all the versions together you'll probably get something approximating the truth.

The American branch of Lexy's family seem to think she's overegged the gruesome Scottish weather and the sheer bloody-mindedness of the locals.  But they are all spectacularly surprised to find that Lexy is not quite as wrong as they thought.  They all latch onto facets of the locals that they love and before you know it Lexy is not only trying to find a murderer but is also trying to tamp down all the new found Caledonophilia they have!

I've missed the previous books in the series but have now added them to my ever-growing TBR.  This story is a great mix of murder, locked room mystery, nostalgia and the subtle insults that only Scots can level at themselves and our country.  I had a giggle over all the "Greggs" and weather jokes and subtle taking the mickey out of Americans and their love affairs with castles, Outlander and all things Tartan.

Just the right length and mix of characters to enjoy but not get bogged down in trying to keep everyone straight.  I did feel the local police were the butt of too many jokes but as I do work for Police Scotland I can take offence and a joke at the same time!

Nicola Sarah Brooks

I love a golf old fashioned whodunnit.  I love a small town setting.  I also love it when it's set in my own wee country but most of them tend to be written by Americans or Canadians.  That means things are always just a wee bit...off no matter how well researched.  So this was a breath of fresh air - a mystery written about an ex-pat Scot, coming to Scotland for the holidays, written by an actual ex-pat Scot!

I really enjoyed getting to know the indomitable Lexy and her clan of quirly family members - biological and found.  Learning more about her life pre-California and the stressed relationship with her parents over her change in careers and the breakdown of her marriage.

This family excels at keeping secrets, for good or ill, and they all have this notion of what their past relationship was like - if you blend all the versions together you'll probably get something approximating the truth.

The American branch of Lexy's family seem to think she's overegged the gruesome Scottish weather and the sheer bloody-mindedness of the locals.  But they are all spectacularly surprised to find that Lexy is not quite as wrong as they thought.  They all latch onto facets of the locals that they love and before you know it Lexy is not only trying to find a murderer but is also trying to tamp down all the new found Caledonophilia they have!

I've missed the previous books in the series but have now added them to my ever-growing TBR.  This story is a great mix of murder, locked room mystery, nostalgia and the subtle insults that only Scots can level at themselves and our country.  I had a giggle over all the "Greggs" and weather jokes and subtle taking the mickey out of Americans and their love affairs with castles, Outlander and all things Tartan.

Just the right length and mix of characters to enjoy but not get bogged down in trying to keep everyone straight.  I did feel the local police were the butt of too many jokes but as I do work for Police Scotland I can take offence and a joke at the same time!

Hop Scot

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