Dressed to Kilt

Happy Sunday!  The beginning of another week.  My Mother had a very nice birthday.  She received pj's, sock monkey night light, money to get her hair cut, a quilt hanging with a sock monkey on it, a Raggedy Ann doll with dress (and accessories) from sock monkey fabric (see below), two shirts, and a book on the history of sock monkeys.  Her favorite was the book!  It made her laugh.  The cake was a big hit (my daughter loves it).  I hope all of you have had a fabulous weekend!

Dressed to Kilt by Hannah Reed is the third book in A Scottish Highlands Mystery series.  Eden Elliott is in Glenkillen, Scotland (in the Scottish Highlands) to work on her Highlands Desire Series (new romance series).  Her friend, Ami Penderson, convinced her to go to Scotland and work to add authenticity to her books.  Eden has been staying in a cottage on MacBride Farm.  Eden met Vicki MacBride on the airplane from London.  Eden’s six-month tourist visa is getting ready to expire (but Eden really does not want to leave), so she has little time left spend with friends and explore the area.  Leith Cameron is a local barley supplier and Eden’s romantic interest.  Leith invites Eden to a whiskey tasting at Glenkillen Distillery.  It is a special event for a select few hosted by Bridie Dougal, the owner of Glenkillen Distillery (and chieftain of the Dougal clan).  Eden is getting a tour of the distillery when she sees an arm sticking out of a washback.  Eden rushes over to see if she can help.  Eden finds Henrietta dead.  Henrietta McCloud is Bridie’s long-time companion.  Detective Inspector Kevin Jamieson soon arrives on the scene along with Sean Stevens.  Who would want to hurt Henrietta and why did she want to speak with Eden (asked to meet with her after the whiskey tasting event)?  Eden assists with the case as the local Special Constable (a volunteer position).  It turns out that Bridie knew Eden’s grandfather and father.  Eden has not heard from her father since she was six years old (when he went to Scotland to attend his father’s funeral).  Being in Scotland is Eden’s chance to find out about her family and what happened to her father, but Eden has resisted.  It looks like the door to the past has swung open and Eden has no choice but to enter.  Join Eden as she sets out to find Henrietta’s killer and why her father never returned to his family.

Dressed to Kilt may be the third book in the series, but you can read it alone (I have not had a chance to read the other books in the series yet).  The book is nicely written and easy to read (has a good pace for the most part).  I had some trouble liking Eden (I will probably warm up to her).  I thought Eden spent too much time thinking and analyzing (and complaining).  We are subject to her rambling thoughts (pages and pages of them).  I wish the writer had provided more clues to the mystery (instead of complaints about Eden’s father which dominated the story).  The mystery was twisty and curvy which was enjoyable.  Is the mystery solvable? Definitely.  While the author did not provide many clues, I thought that the killer was easy to figure out.  Some of the characters speak with a Scottish accent (of course), but it is difficult to read (comprehend).  I give Dressed to Kilt 4 out of 5 stars (the mystery improved the rating).  I will be reading the next book in the series.  I believe Eden will improve (I hope) now that her daddy issues have been resolved.

The first two books in A Scottish Highlands Mystery series are Off Kilter and Hooked on Ewe.  You can follow Hannah Reed on Amazon and Facebook.  Hannah Reed also writes A Queen Bee Mystery series (which I enjoy reading).  I received a complimentary copy of Dressed to Kilt from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the book.  The opinions and comments expressed are strictly my own.

I want to thank all of you for visiting. I really do appreciate it and I hope you like my review.  I am currently enjoying A Bee in Her Bonnet by Jennifer Beckstrand (taking a break from mysteries).  I am off to enjoy Home Fires and dinner.  I will be back tomorrow with another book review.  Take care, have a lovely evening, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader