MURDER AT THE SCOTTISH GAMES

A young woman’s business is in better shape than her private life.

In addition to dealing with her moody teen son, Brody, and her stubborn granddad, Paislee Shaw finds her shop, Cashmere Crush, busy with the summer influx of tourists to Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands. As a volunteer for the upcoming Highland Games, she’s lucky to have part-time help: Her newest hire, Rhona Smythe, is working to repay her parents for the speeding tickets she’s amassed. Rhona’s into Highland Dance, and her boyfriend, Artie Whittle, is involved in several events, including the caber toss, which involves throwing a tapered log of about 16 feet long. At the games, all kinds of last-minute problems arise, including rumors of steroid use. When someone gives Artie a bit of slippery oil instead of resin for his hands, his toss ends in disaster and his caber splits. Artie’s older brother was on his way to becoming a professional strongman before he died in a car accident, and their father is a rage-filled taskmaster who constantly puts Artie down. A couple of days later, Paislee takes Rhona to Artie’s house when he fails to answer repeated phone calls, and they find him unconscious on the lawn, covered in the blood of his father, who’s dead in the kitchen. Artie is naturally a suspect, but he has plenty of competition, for Joseph was not only a bad father but also a serial cheater and a seller of steroids. DI Mack Zeffer, who’s met Paislee on other murder cases, listens attentively when she says that Artie’s innocent. Although Paislee’s in love with the handsome, wealthy detective, she refuses to become involved until Brody turns 18. Unexpected revelations long before then break the case and change her life.

Scots lore, a bit of humor, and plenty of suspects make for a lively mystery.