This
is the first novel I have read in this series and felt it was good on
its own. The female amateur sleuth writes a column on food so readers
who love descriptions of food and recipes included will like this
book. Most of the book takes place in Scotland so there is really
lots of information about their characteristic food. There is also
much about various locations, customs, celebrations, and history of a
number of interesting places in Scotland. I had not heard of the
Falkirk Wheel, for example, and found it an interesting feature to
which Burdette introduced me. The Kelpies, the huge horse-head
sculptures were pretty interesting too.
There
was one odd and wrong scientific fact in the novel. The festival of
the summer solstice is being described. It is the longest day of the
year and “the moment when the sun is closest to the earth”, a
character says. (1628/3895) Not true. A quick search will show that
perihelion, the point where the earth's orbit is closest to the sun,
is generally about two weeks after the winter solstice in the
Northern Hemisphere. Oops.
Scientific
error aside, this is an entertaining cozy mystery with lots of mouth
watering descriptions of food and interesting accounts of various
places in Scotland. The mystery is sufficient but I found the food
and setting much more engaging.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
Lucy
Burdette is the author of the popular Key West Food Critic mysteries
series. She has also published mysteries under her alter-ego,
clinical psychologist Roberta Isleib. Her books have been shortlisted
for a number of awards. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America
and Sisters in Crime, and a past president of the latter. Photo: Duke
Morse.
Crooked
Lane Books, 336 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
(My
star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it,
1-I hate it.)
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