Kilt Dead
Kaitlyn Dunnett
Reviewed by Barb Radmore
Liss MacCrimmon is devastated when a knee injury ends her dream job as
a Scottish dancer. With her future up in the air, she returns to her
hometown, the small Moosetookalook, Maine. Her aunt has asked her to
take care of her business while she is gone, a Scottish store. But
instead of the relaxing refuge she hoped to find, Liss is caught up in
murder. She discovers the body of her elderly neighbor in the
storage room of the shop. It is hard to imagine who would want to kill
the retired third grade teacher, even if she is by far the nosiest
woman in town. Liss is drawn into the investigation to clear her name
by finding the real killer.
Ms Dunnett is an experienced, professional author. She weaves the
tartan plaid of suspense into a bolt of solid mystery bound by a strong
character thread. Her setting is detailed and realistic (as makes sense
since she just has to step outside her door to see matching
surroundings.) The small world of rural Maine lends itself well to the
cozy genre. This is the first of what should prove to be a long running
Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries. Ms Dunnett has created Liss as a character
that can develop over time; she lays the foundation for Liss to grow
and progress without skimping on her character's strength in this
debut. First books in a planned series can often feel like just
an advertisement for the future. Ms Dunnett has not done that, she has
written a solid mystery that could stand alone if desired. She paces
the action with a structured rhythm that draws the reader into the
story from the introduction to the truly surprise ending without pause.
The second and third books in the series will be Scone Cold Dead
in August, 2008 and A Wee Christmas Homicide in October, 2009. It
will be interesting to see what is planned for Liss in the future. The
character is clearly enough defined in Kilt Dead that readers will care
what happens to her. There is also enough romance left hanging to leave
the curious reader dangling and coming back for more.
Kaitlyn Dunnett is best knows as Kathy Lynn Emerson, the author of the
successful series of "Face Down in' historical mystery series, and many
other works of fiction.