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Summary
Summary
"[McPherson's] character-driven romp is sparked by the larger-than-life, quirky residents of the Last Ditch Motel, putting this laugh-out-loud whodunit on a par with the early Janet Evanovich."--Library Journal (starred review)
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.
Praise:
A 2019 Lefty Award Winner
"McPherson, a master of creepy psychological mysteries, shows an utterly different side of herself in this zany series kickoff."--Kirkus Reviews
"McPherson gives the fish-out-of-water theme a hilarious and original spin with Lexy Campbell, a Scottish therapist who falls for and marries a sexy California dentist who turns out to be more horndog than hero. Throw in a sweet old lady accused of blowing up her pyrotechnic husband and a hilariously bumbling supporting cast, and you have the perfect comic caper. Lexy is my new favorite unwitting detective and her cultural observations and mistakes are laugh-out-loud funny. Scot Freeis a little sexy and a lot funny, with a heart and a bang."--Jess Lourey, Anthony and Lefty-nominated author
"The only times I stopped turning the pages were when I was laughing so hard it took both hands just to hold the book. McPherson is an ace plotter, a vivid, original stylist, and great company. A greatbeginning to a new series."--Timothy Hallinan, author of the Junior Bender series
"Everyone who knows me knows that I don't throw the word 'hoot' around lightly. So if I were to say that Catriona McPherson's new novel was a hoot, believe me, I would mean it. Filled with an entertaining cast of eccentric characters, Scot Free is a funny and original mystery. Quite frankly, it's a hoot. There, I said it."--Johnny Shaw, author of Big Mariaand Imperial Valley
"Scot Freeis a proper cuppa Scottish mystery served under harsh California sunshine--and everyone's a little crazy from the heat. Lexy and her Last Ditch friends are charming, weird, and laugh-out-loud funny. A real treat."--Lori Rader-Day, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of Little Pretty Things
"Lexy's snide observations about the California lifestyle can't cover up her affection for her friends, who are as warm-hearted as they are weird. Readers will look forward to Lexy's further adventures."--Publishers Weekly
"McPherson, who has earned acclaim for her dark thrillers and Dandy Gilver period cozies, blends jaunty pacing, a comically rendered Southern California setting, and quirky characters in this series starter. A sure bet for fans of Janet Evanovich and Sarah Strohmeyer."--Booklist
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Homeless and broke after leaving her cheating American husband, Scottish marriage counselor Lexy Campbell finds her life in a mess, but it's a delightful mess, which aptly describes this series launch from McPherson (House. Tree. Person.). Lexy intended to leave California for Edinburgh immediately after her last therapy session with Clovis and Visalia Bombaro, the octogenarian owners of the biggest fireworks company west of the Mississippi, who were calling it quits after decades together. But the police show up instead to tell Lexy that Clovis is dead, killed by a firework explosion in a most unfortunate bodily orifice, and Visalia is their prime suspect. Lexy's return home is put on hold while she tries to prove that "Mizz Vi" is innocent with the dubious help of several eccentric friends, who intruded into her life when Lexy took up temporary residence at the Lassditch Motel. Lexy's snide observations about the California lifestyle can't cover up her affection for her friends, who are as warm-hearted as they are weird. Readers will look forward to Lexy's further adventures. Agent: Lisa Moylett, Coombs Moylett Literary Agency. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A Scottish lass comes to California, where murder, mishaps, and misunderstandings ensue.Leagsaidh "Lexy" Campbell, clinical psychologist, met dentist Branston Lancer at a golf resort in Scotland, followed him to California, married in haste, and is repenting big time. Their vastly different expectations and linguistic misunderstandings might have been overcome if Lexy hadn't caught Bran in bed with his second ex-wife, leading to a quickie Nevada divorce. Lexy's about to fly back to Scotland when the police arrive on the Fourth of July and accuse her of helping Visalia Bombaro, her one and only marriage-counseling client, of murdering her husband, whom she calls Cousin Clovis because that's who he is. Even after 67 years of marriage, the Bombaros had constantly fought. Lexy and Visalia both have alibis of a sort, but the police think they may have been in it together. The highly successful Bombaro fireworks business is in competition with Dolshikov's Pyrotasia, another big family-owned company into which Clovis' niece just married. Forced to stay local, Lexy moves into the Lassditch Motel, where she makes several new friends. Her next-door neighbors, doctors Todd and Roger, are living in a highly decorated and upgraded room because Todd's severe case of cleptoparasitosis has driven them from their home to Lassditch, where the owner and her dirt-averse partner keep everything spotlessly clean. Todd and Roger redecorate Lexy's room to their standards, cut her hair, buy her proper underwear, and try to help her find the real killer so that Visalia can go off to her Italian dream retreat and Lexy to Scotland. Meanwhile, Lexy's friends are under attack by someone who leaves all manner of rare and disgusting bugs in their bathrooms. Plenty of plausible motives for Clovis' murder force the unlikely sleuths to use everything at their disposal to come up with the killer.McPherson, a master of creepy psychological mysteries (House.Tree.Person, 2017, etc.), shows an utterly different side of herself in this zany series kickoff. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
After ending her ill-conceived marriage to a philandering doctor, Lexy Campbell is all set to leave Cuento, California, for her native Scotland. She's just waiting for her marriage-counseling clients, Mr. and Mrs. Bombarro, to pop in for their last session when the police come knocking and announce that Mrs. Bombarro has been arrested for murdering Mr. Bombarro with stock from their pyrotechnics empire. Lexy is adamant that sweet Visalia Bombarro is no murderer. Plus, she's just helped the octogenarian lovebirds reconcile and knows they planned to make a fresh start in Sicily. Lexy's efforts to clear Visalia's name make for a madcap romp, as she and her insect-phobic sidekick, Todd, run up against hostile detectives, a vermin-planting vandal, and the Bombarros' niece Sparky and her hulking Russian bodyguards. McPherson, who has earned acclaim for her dark thrillers and Dandy Gilver period cozies, blends jaunty pacing, a comically rendered Southern California setting, and quirky characters in this series starter. A sure bet for fans of Janet Evanovich and Sarah Strohmeyer.--Tran, Christine Copyright 2018 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In an impulsive moment, Lexy Campbell left her native Scotland, married her American dentist boyfriend, and started her marriage counseling practice in California. Six months later, the marriage has fallen apart, and Lexy has one more final session with her clients, the Bombaros, before she returns to Scotland. But Lexy's clients don't show. Mr. Bombaro is in the morgue, and his wife is in jail, suspected of killing him. Lexy can't let that sweet old lady take the rap, so she finds a room down the street at the Last Ditch Motel. An invasion of bugs, an influx of Mrs. Bombaro's relatives, and a suspicious cop can't keep Lexy and her new friends from the motel from investigating. VERDICT The award-winning author of the historical "Dandy Gilver" mysteries launches a new contemporary series with a bang. Her character-driven romp is sparked by the larger-than-life, quirky residents of the Last Ditch Motel, putting this laugh-out-loud whodunit on a par with the early Janet -Evanovich.-Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.