Murder at a Scottish Social by Traci Hall

 

First Lines: Nairn, Scotland. Saturday morning Paisless Shaw left Cashmere Crush, her sweater and yarn shop, in the wrinkled but capable hands of her grandfather, Angus.

 

Paislee Shaw is so grateful for her life. Her bespoke knitwear and yarn shop, Cashmere Crush, provides a good living for herself, her ten-year-old son Brodie, Grandpa Angus, and their Scottish terrier, Wallace. To pay it forward for all her blessings, she participates wholeheartedly in a weekend-long charity event to raise money for the Nairn Food Bank. 

 

Paislee's weekend would have gone a lot better if she hadn't had to meet a group of competitive mothers who treat the baking competition as if it were life-and-death. When not concerned with baked goods, these divas spend their time roaming the area with their noses held high and their vicious comments flying thick and fast. 

 

Things take a turn for the worse when the queen bee of the group, Kirsten Buchanan, dies from anaphylactic shock. Who would poison Kirsten's shortbread? To be honest, nearly half the town, but when Paislee's friend Blaise makes her way to the top of the suspect list, Paislee swings into action to find a peanut-wielding killer.

 

~

 

I wish I could knit as fast as Paislee Shaw. Of course, my quality of life doesn't depend on how fast my own needles can fly. I've enjoyed Traci Hall's Scottish Shire cozy series for its depiction of life in small-town Nairn, Scotland, for its knitting, and for its characters, especially the core group of Paislee, her grandfather Angus, and her ten-year-old son Brodie. My enjoyment of Murder at a Scottish Social was diminished, undoubtedly due to the presence of the group of acid-tongued divas at the charity event. I dislike people like this so much that I don't want to spend even a second of my time with fictional ones, let alone real ones.

I was more interested in the newest developments in Paislee's family life. How Grandpa Angus' search for his missing son was progressing and how Brodie was dealing with problems at school. I would much rather have spent time knitting and chatting with Paislee and letting those divas take care of themselves. Ah well.

If you're in the mood for a puzzling mystery that's steeped in small-town Scottish life and focused on a charming mother, son, grandfather, and pup, you should pick up one of Traci Hall's Scottish Shire mysteries. And if you find divas amusing, Murder at a Scottish Social will definitely be your cup of tea.

 

Murder at a Scottish Social by Traci Hall

eISBN: 9781496726049

Kensington Books © 2022

eBook, 304 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #3 Scottish Shire mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley