What do you think?
Rate this book
Rusty Gold
‘Find her,’ Agnes Donald begged. ‘Find my daughter.’
The words of a dying woman force Mirabelle to take on another case for the unofficial Missing Persons Bureau she runs from her Edinburgh flat.
Along with her assistant, Kay, she heads for the island of Skye where Esme Donald was last known to be. But is someone else looking for Esme too? And could Mirabelle’s own daughter, Summer, be in danger?
Mirabelle had thought they were happy. Being a single parent may not be ideal, but she had thought they coped well with their situation. Sure, bringing up a teenaged girl on her own was hard work, and they had their ups and downs, but they were pals as well as mother and daughter. She might not have planned her, but she was certainly glad she had Summer, and would not have liked to be without her. They’d built a life together, sorted out some kind of routine, and were happy. On a day to day basis, Mirabelle reckoned that’s all you could ask for.
Then Summer disappeared and Mirabelle's life was turned upside down.
Mirabelle is left not knowing if Summer is alive or dead, went of her own accord or was taken against her will.
In Book One of this series, Mirabelle takes to the streets of Edinburgh in search of her daughter, searching along wynds snaking behind old buildings, through ancient doors and tiny spiral stairways, showing Summer's photograph to everyone she meets in shops, museums and nightclubs, Mirabelle becomes a reluctant detective, gathering clues, trying to make sense of them in order to find her missing daughter.
While searching for Summer, she finds other people's missing children and builds a whole network of connections and helpers, and finds herself running an unofficial Missing Person’s Bureau from her kitchen.
In book Two, having been asked to find someone's husband, Mirabelle widens her search to the Scottish countryside further North.
Now in Rusty Gold, Book Three in the series, Mirabelle takes us to the beautiful Scottish Island of Skye.
"... an enthusiastic encouragement to read ... so much more than a mystery to be solved. It is an endorsement of life lived with determination and, most importantly, hope. 5 Stars." ~ Barbara A Martin
"... a character-driven story that draws the reader deep into Mirabelle’s complicated life from the outset. This well-written mystery delves long and hard into the emotional anguish of a mother searching for her missing teenage daughter ..." ~ Joanne Phillips
"... confounded all my pre-conceived ideas of what a book about a missing teenager would be like. Of course there is despair and self-blame, but Summer’s mother Mirabelle is such a large, intense personality that I was instantly involved with her search around the streets of Edinburgh, longing to find Summer and fully understanding Mirabelle’s obsession with discovering what had happened." ~ Lizanne Lloyd
"...a well-written, well thought out story with interesting, believable characters full of human flaws and bursting with personality." ~ Alana
"... descriptions ... so good I often stopped to re-read them. I loved the way I could easily imagine what was happening in the book; seeing the people and experiencing the city of Edinburgh along with the characters." ~ Alison Clifford
"... a fascinating and unexpected new heroine in Mirabelle, the bangle-bedecked main character in flowing skirts ... Mirabelle shines as a complicated woman who's made mistakes in her past and wants to fix them ... I predict a number of passionate Mirabelle fans in the future." ~ JDB
"All the characters ... are distinct and real ... seem to talk directly to the reader ...
The words of a dying woman force Mirabelle to take on another case for the unofficial Missing Persons Bureau she runs from her Edinburgh flat.
Along with her assistant, Kay, she heads for the island of Skye where Esme Donald was last known to be. But is someone else looking for Esme too? And could Mirabelle’s own daughter, Summer, be in danger?
Mirabelle had thought they were happy. Being a single parent may not be ideal, but she had thought they coped well with their situation. Sure, bringing up a teenaged girl on her own was hard work, and they had their ups and downs, but they were pals as well as mother and daughter. She might not have planned her, but she was certainly glad she had Summer, and would not have liked to be without her. They’d built a life together, sorted out some kind of routine, and were happy. On a day to day basis, Mirabelle reckoned that’s all you could ask for.
Then Summer disappeared and Mirabelle's life was turned upside down.
Mirabelle is left not knowing if Summer is alive or dead, went of her own accord or was taken against her will.
In Book One of this series, Mirabelle takes to the streets of Edinburgh in search of her daughter, searching along wynds snaking behind old buildings, through ancient doors and tiny spiral stairways, showing Summer's photograph to everyone she meets in shops, museums and nightclubs, Mirabelle becomes a reluctant detective, gathering clues, trying to make sense of them in order to find her missing daughter.
While searching for Summer, she finds other people's missing children and builds a whole network of connections and helpers, and finds herself running an unofficial Missing Person’s Bureau from her kitchen.
In book Two, having been asked to find someone's husband, Mirabelle widens her search to the Scottish countryside further North.
Now in Rusty Gold, Book Three in the series, Mirabelle takes us to the beautiful Scottish Island of Skye.
"... an enthusiastic encouragement to read ... so much more than a mystery to be solved. It is an endorsement of life lived with determination and, most importantly, hope. 5 Stars." ~ Barbara A Martin
"... a character-driven story that draws the reader deep into Mirabelle’s complicated life from the outset. This well-written mystery delves long and hard into the emotional anguish of a mother searching for her missing teenage daughter ..." ~ Joanne Phillips
"... confounded all my pre-conceived ideas of what a book about a missing teenager would be like. Of course there is despair and self-blame, but Summer’s mother Mirabelle is such a large, intense personality that I was instantly involved with her search around the streets of Edinburgh, longing to find Summer and fully understanding Mirabelle’s obsession with discovering what had happened." ~ Lizanne Lloyd
"...a well-written, well thought out story with interesting, believable characters full of human flaws and bursting with personality." ~ Alana
"... descriptions ... so good I often stopped to re-read them. I loved the way I could easily imagine what was happening in the book; seeing the people and experiencing the city of Edinburgh along with the characters." ~ Alison Clifford
"... a fascinating and unexpected new heroine in Mirabelle, the bangle-bedecked main character in flowing skirts ... Mirabelle shines as a complicated woman who's made mistakes in her past and wants to fix them ... I predict a number of passionate Mirabelle fans in the future." ~ JDB
"All the characters ... are distinct and real ... seem to talk directly to the reader ...
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2016
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 30, 2017
A Scottish mother searching for her runaway daughter becomes a reluctant detective for other parents. Set in Scotland Mirabelle uses her snooping and compassion to help reunite families.
This follows “Traces of Red”. Not as enjoyable as “Traces of Red” as the characters are becoming over-the-top characterizations, while the runaway daughter is given story lines that do not make sense or fit logic. A great travelogue for the Isle of Skye.
This follows “Traces of Red”. Not as enjoyable as “Traces of Red” as the characters are becoming over-the-top characterizations, while the runaway daughter is given story lines that do not make sense or fit logic. A great travelogue for the Isle of Skye.
September 16, 2020
Bravo! Loved the whole series, read it very quickly.
July 1, 2016
Rusty Gold is Book 3 of the stories of Mirabelle, the Reluctant Detective. In Book 1 we had seen, Mirabelle’s daughter, Summer, choose to leave home without warning. We followed the search for her all over Edinburgh and Mirabelle’s determination to find her daughter despite her sorrow and fears. In the second book, Mirabelle has become the person, people in the area seek out, when they are searching for missing family members but in Rusty Gold, after four and a half years have passed, she has lost the confidence and wish to go on investigating for others. She sacks her volunteer assistant, Kay, and wallows in her loneliness.
But other people don’t give up on Mirabelle. Her larger than life determination and personality need to be revived and the turning point is when she hears that the dying mother of her long lost friend, Esme, needs her help. Esme and her young friend, are in great danger, travelling around the island of Skye in an old campervan, unaware that dangerous criminals are after them. Encouraged by the return of Detective Inspector Sam Burns into her life, Mirabelle asks Kay to accompany her and the two unlikely heroines try to save the day.
This book draws many threads from the earlier books together and we finally learn the full story of Summer’s conception and birth and how much Mirabelle loved her, despite her inability to be a good mother. But the last few chapters are a thrilling adventure among the beautiful countryside of Skye, where all the women in this character driven series come into their own. There is definitely a conclusion but there are also hints of further investigations for Mirabelle. It is difficult to think of any other books quite like these and they could ideally be turned into a TV series.
But other people don’t give up on Mirabelle. Her larger than life determination and personality need to be revived and the turning point is when she hears that the dying mother of her long lost friend, Esme, needs her help. Esme and her young friend, are in great danger, travelling around the island of Skye in an old campervan, unaware that dangerous criminals are after them. Encouraged by the return of Detective Inspector Sam Burns into her life, Mirabelle asks Kay to accompany her and the two unlikely heroines try to save the day.
This book draws many threads from the earlier books together and we finally learn the full story of Summer’s conception and birth and how much Mirabelle loved her, despite her inability to be a good mother. But the last few chapters are a thrilling adventure among the beautiful countryside of Skye, where all the women in this character driven series come into their own. There is definitely a conclusion but there are also hints of further investigations for Mirabelle. It is difficult to think of any other books quite like these and they could ideally be turned into a TV series.
August 8, 2016
Loved it! This is the third book of the Reluctant Detective series, and it just keeps getting better. I laughed, treated up, and held my breath in suspense as the story unfolded with its twists and surprises. I highly recommend the series.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews