Scot Free by Catriona McPherson is the first book in the NEW “Last Ditch” mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, coming April 8, 2018

FOR SCOTTISH-BORN MARRIAGE COUNSELOR LEXY CAMPBELL, THE AMERICAN DREAM BECOMES A CALIFORNIA NIGHTMARE

Lexy Campbell fell in love and left her native Scotland for a golden life in California―hitched to a hunk, building her marriage counseling practice, living the dream. Six months later she’s divorced, broke, and headed home. There’s just one last thing. Lexy’s only client―sweet little old Mrs. Bombarro―is in jail for murdering her husband with a fireworks rocket.

Lexy knows the cops have got it wrong; all she needs is a few days to prove it and somewhere cheap to sleep at night. But checking into the Last Ditch Motel brings an unexpected slice of life and a whole world of trouble.

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What happens when a transplanted Scottish woman finds herself in California, divorced and nowhere to go? She lands at the Last Ditch Motel when her marriage counseling gig is interrupted by murder. Believing the missus is innocent, Lexy in her own indubitably way, investigates to clear her client’s name and finds herself surrounded by an eccentrically quirky cast of characters.

From the moment I turned the first page, this book immediately grabbed my attention never letting go, even after the end. Written with great aplomb, the author took me on a hilarious ride where the demise of the victim and how it came to be kept the story moving along as step by step we got to explore the role each character played in the telling of this tale. Who wanted Mr. Bombarro dead? Was it the wife? The mistress? The competitor? The relative? A random person? You’ll have to read this book to find out. From Lexy to Mizz Vi to Mike to Noleen to Todd (who I adore) to Kathi and others, these characters kept me amused and had pivotal roles that enhanced how well this story was being told, especially with a few surprising twists, one of which I didn’t see coming. The author did a great job in staging this mystery keeping me enthralled in all aspect of this fascinating story, but it was the engagingly jocularity dialogue and the various character’s interactions that kept me gloriously entertained. I’m so happy there will be a book #2 and I can’t wait to see what situation Lexy finds herself involved in again.
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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.