Publisher's Weekly Review
November in Moosetookalook, Maine, can be a slow time for tourists, as shown by Dunnett's winning 12th Liss MacCrimmon Scottish mystery (after 2017's X Marks the Scot). To drum up business, the Spruces, a Victorian-era hotel owned by Liss's father-in-law, advertises a kids-free Thanksgiving special for parents, which immediately creates a social media storm. The conservative New Age Pilgrims, who regard this decision as an affront to family values, plan to march in protest. When someone fatally stabs one of the pilgrims during a large demonstration, too many clues point to Liss's aunt, who has a secret past with the group, as the prime suspect. Cautious Liss, the proprietor of the scenic town's Scottish Emporium, joins her spunky mom, Vi, in trying to identify the real culprit. Against her better judgment, she confronts the pilgrims multiple times on their own turf. En route to the surprising solution, Dunnett successfully keeps the mystery cozy while not shying away from thought-provoking cultural issues. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Nov.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A quiet Maine town is beset by a series of disastrous happenings.Liss MacCrimmon Ruskin is paying a visit to The Spruces, her father-in-law Joe's hotel, when she spots a man and two women dressed in a decidedly old-fashioned way. They're members of a group calling themselves the New Age Pilgrims whose leader, Hadley Spinner, is a dangerous bigot with crackpot ideas. He hires out the subservient women in the group as housecleaners and is furious when Joe refuses to hire them. Spinner gets back at Joe by starting a campaign accusing the hotel and other businesses in town of fostering immoral acts. His group and the allies he recruits picket the business area, and vandals paint vicious messages on several doors, including that of Liss' Scottish Emporium. Liss' husband, Dan Ruskin, is furious enough to go out to the Pilgrims' farm, confront Skinner, and nearly strangle him after his nasty verbal attack on Liss, who, along with their friend Sherri, the police chief, manages to pull him off. So it's no wonder that when Liss' mother, Vi, finds Spinner stabbed to death in the middle of a big demonstration, Dan is a suspect. Vi, who knows how good Liss is at solving crimes (X Marks The Scot, 2017, etc.), wants to team up with her to prove that neither Dan nor any of their friends did the deed. Although even Liss' beloved aunt has a motive for killing Spinner, it turns out that nobody killed him; the dead man is his look-alike cousin, Jasper. As almost everyone, including members of his own cult, continues to wish the victim had been Hadley, Liss investigates the past to identify a killer in the present.Dunnett provides small-town charm and a determined sleuth who does a great job uncovering clues in a tale that rings all too true. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Liss MacCrimmon, owner of the Moosetookalook Scottish Emporium in Maine, is angry when Hadley Spinner, leader of the cultlike New Age Pilgrims, targets her business and those of her family, as well as a lesbian-owned coffee house. Spinner is encouraging people to boycott the businesses due to Liss' father-in-law's couples-weekend promotion at his inn, which Spinner perceives as against family values. Soon the group's picketing begins to drive away customers from the shops during one of their busiest seasons, angering the shopkeepers. When one of the New Age Pilgrims is murdered, Liss' family members and friends are suspects, especially her husband, who earlier attacked the murder victim as he was unleashing his vitriol on Liss and her beloved aunt. The fabric of small-town Maine life provides much of the appeal in this cozy, which features details about the operation of a small business and the way hatred of intolerant groups can affect innocent people.--Sue O'Brien Copyright 2018 Booklist
