Gunns & Roses

Annie's Attic Mysteries #19

by Karen Kelly

Annie Dawson is hard to intimidate. She has stood up to thieves, con men and murderers in the three years since she came to live in Stony Point, Maine. But even she has to shudder when an eagle attacks her and her friends. It seems someone is intent on scaring her away from the solution to her latest mystery.

While looking for a basket in the attic of Grey Gables -- the Victorian home she inherited from her maternal grandmother, Betsy Holden -- Annie discovers a Scottish sporran containing several ferrules, the silver fittings of a set of bagpipes.

Annie takes her latest mystery to the Hook and Needle Club, the needlecraft group that has helped her many times in the past. The thread of the mystery leads Annie and several of her friends to the Highland Games, but the tight-knit clans the group finds close ranks when Annie and Ian Butler, the mayor of Stony Point, ask too many questions.

What is the mysterious link that puts everyone on edge? The answer is as mournful as the drone of the bagpipes. Join Annie and her Hook and Needle Club friends as they take the high road while someone else is taking the low road in this latest mystery from Annie's attic.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Josephine Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off to the Maine Highland Games. On a trip to the attic on a hot August day, Annie Dawson finds a purse, a strange purse containing a number of silver bands. What could all this be or mean? Annie is curious, she loves a mystery, solving mysteries. Her sidekick, Alice MacFarlane, also liked being involved finding out what these artifacts mean or are about. Off to another case.

The little purse looks Scottish, a Celtic sporran. Which Clan? Annie goes to the library looking for different engravings, different clans. She asks people who she thinks will know. She goes to the Hook and Needle Club asking members. She decides to go to the Maine Highland Games, held in August. Annie will never give up on a mystery.

Six people will go to the Highland Games. Annie and Alice, of course, Stony Point's Mayor, Ian Butler, who likes Annie. Annie is still grieving for her deceased husband. The Carson family, Peggy of Hook and Needle Club, husband Wally, eight year old daughter, Emily, who loves to dance and watching dancing. The group spends the whole day at the games that Emily enjoys. She is amused at everything, haggis, bagpipes, men wearing kilts. So many gifts of Scotland, tartans, pins, spinning are for sale. So much to see and do. The ladies are looking for a hawk and rose or juniper sprig pin. Clan pins for which clan? Annie's grandmother was a MacTavish.

The group watches the falconry exhibit, the men want to watch the sports, the caber toss, haggis hurling, during the hammer toss, Ian saves Annie's life, the group tries Scottish food, listen to Scottish songs and music. The group is frightened by a golden eagle. Emily gets to see the Highland dancers, one young girl is a fantastic dancer who Emily loves to watch. The two meet and become friends. The group goes to watch the sheep herding dogs, the ladies watch the kilt making, the teacher is good. The day ends at the Main Highland Games. Fun was had by all.

Mayor Ian Butler is talked into wearing a kilt at the Robert Burns Dinner. The mystery is solved.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and especially enjoyed Karen Kelly's writing style. Her writing just flows so much better and the book feels like it was mean to adults. Some of the other books feel like they were meant for children. I also enjoyed Boxed In, Annie's Attic #8, and A Man of his Word, #15, which were also written by Karen Kelly. Her books are always so interesting and full of fun detail that I really get sucked in. This book was especially interesting to me because I found from working on my genealogy that I am part Scottish.

In this book Annie is looking around in her attic for her grandmother's garden basket when she sees something grey and furry. She thought it was a mouse but instead she found what looked like a grey purse made of grey fur. When she was talking to her friend Alice she showed her what she found and Alice knew what it was. She explained that it is called a sporran and is meant to be worn with a kilt. The sporran was made of seal skin and inside she found several silver rings engraved with hawks and roses. When Annie told Ian, the mayor of Stony Point, about her discovery he said she should join him in attending the Highland games in a nearby town where she could possibly learn more about the items she found. Peggy's family and Alice went with them and they had a great time except for a few odd accidents...or were they accidents? When a trained Eagle harried them they were beginning to think someone was trying to scare them away.

[ABookAddictHere · Rating 4 out of 5]

It sort of starts off slow with the story and a mystery, but maybe it was because of the story line subject and not the writer. Annie finds another mystery and tries to find out more about it by going ro aome highland games. She comes across some similiar pieces and also some surprised looks that leaves her feeling suspicious when she is told they know nothing about the piece . Finally Annie hits the jack pot at the end of the story when the mayor gets a phone call about her note she left for some people she asked questions about. Gunn was a last name and Rose was a neighbor and a woman who performed. They had been fighting for yeara but always had a prize for the games for whoever entered .

[Linda Klager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book # 19 of this series is read. I learned so much about a certain nationality when I read this book. I do not want to mention the area or what I found out because I don't want to give anything away. You need to read this book and see if you have gotten an education about this country and its traditions. I wasn't sure what was on the cover of this book. It had me guessing, for sure. Can't wait to see what book # 20 has in store for me.

Again, Annie and her friends from the Hook and Needle Club needed to solve a mystery. Subjects like danger, beauty, a bit of romance, kindness and forgiveness were included in this story.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories of the treasures in Annie's attic are great reading. They revolve around items found in the house Annie inherited from her grandmother. I learn about things I never heard of before. This story revolves around the purse and silver etched pieces inside. You are then taken on a journey into the history of a couple of local Scottish families and the annual Highland Games as well as the story of how the items landed in the attic..

[Choeofpleirn Press · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of these mysteries have similar plots, but I enjoyed this one more than some of the others because of so much time spent in the book at a Scottish festival, where the main character and her friends look for explanations about why Annie Dawson's grandparents would have a seal skin sporran hidden in their old house's attic. The weakest part of the book comes from the explanation about why the Scots at the festival tried to dissuade the friends from learning more about the sporran--the reasoning is weak, so hard to believe.

[Fawn Pender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie Dawson finds another mystery in her grandmother's attic, and solving it puts her friends in harms way at the annual Highland Games. Who did the sporran belong to, and why was it hiding in Betsy's attic?

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book and series. A cozy mystery that involves items found in Annie's attic. This time a sealskin sporran with fancy furrels inside. I enjoyed reading about the highland games. Easy to read and steady pace. Probably better for older readers.

[Paula Shreckhise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always enjoy Annie and her friends and their mysteries. This one is just plain fun and has nice information about Scottish Games. Great read!

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK- this was probably the weakest book in the series that I've read so far (and I've read every book before this one). The mystery just wasn't as compelling.

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the worst in the series. I just couldn't get into it. Making sweaters for chickens and it was just hard fro me to get interested in.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed how this story unfolded around one event. I also learned some interesting tidbits about Scottish kilts.

[A.K. Frailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read. So glad there are healthy books that soften the blows of a world that often seeks to shock rather than entertain while engaging the mind and soul.

[Rita Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these mysteries!!!

[Anna Stokkeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this mystery rather interesting due to the Scottish information woven throughout. When the mystery is solved, the items that Annie found in the attic at Grey Gables are returned to the rightful owners.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful Annie's Attic Mystery. This one follows just a few of the people we have come to know in Stoney Point as they spend a day at a Scottish competition trying to figure out the answer to the latest mystery.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

#19 in Annie's Attic Mysteries. Annie finds a sealskin sporran containing 8 silver ferrules, the fittings for a bagpipe. Are they a they from someone in Annie's family or someone else's family?

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one of the Annie's Attic Series. Unlike others, it seemed to be anticlimactic at the ending, as if it fell short.

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this series