Scot on the Rocks

Last Ditch Mystery #3

by Catriona McPherson

Lexy Campbell's ex-husband begs for her help finding his current wife, whose disappearance mirrors that of a number of statues around California - menacing ransom note and all.

A community is devastated when the bronze statue of local legend Mama Cuento is stolen on Valentine's Day. When Lexy Campbell arrives on the scene, a big bronze toe is found along with a ransom note - Listen to our demands or you will never see her again. There are nine more where this came from.

Then, Lexy's ex-husband Bran turns up begging for help to find his wife, Brandee, who has disappeared. Lexy agrees to pitch in, but when she shows up at Bran's house he has just discovered one of Brandee's false nails and another ransom note with the same grisly message.

Are the two cases linked or is a copycat on the loose? Who would want to kidnap a bronze statue or, come to that, Brandee? And can Lexy put aside her hatred for Bran long enough to find out?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Friendship, Fiction, Humor

240 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2021

About the author

Catriona McPherson (she/her) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the US in 2010. She writes: preposterous 1930s private-detective stories about a toff; realistic 1940s amateur-sleuth stories about an oik; and contemporary psychothriller standalones. These are all set in Scotland with a lot of Scottish weather. She also writes modern comedies about a Scot-out-of-water in a “fictional” college town in Northern California.

She has won multiple Anthonys, Agathas, Leftys and Macavitys for her work and been shortlisted for an Edgar, three Mary Higgins Clark awards and a UK dagger

Catriona is a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime.

Reviews

[3 no 7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Scott on the Rocks” is Lexy Campbell’s story; it is told from her point of view, so readers get to know her well. She talks directly to readers, “Hear me out;” but mostly, she scrutinizes herself, “In retrospect, I could have picked a different thing to say.” She is sarcastic and humorous with a “take no prisoners” attitude. As a marriage and family counsellor at Trinity Solutions Therapy Clinic, she helps others with identity crises of every shape, size, and cause. However, her own relationships are inconsistent to put it mildly. She likes her men like she like her coffee -- average but with free refills.

Into this pleasingly wacky atmosphere, a little “rain” falls; actually a giant social thunderstorm occurs when an historic statue is stolen from the city square, and a ransom is demanded. If that were not traumatic and bewildering enough, the first ex-wife and current third wife of Lexy’s ex-husband, her being ex-wife number two, is either been kidnapped or has gone off to a spa somewhere, never to return. Certainly not wanting to miss an opportunity to serve the public and to make more money, “Trinity for Life” adds “Trinity for Trouble” to its title, thus expanding services to include finding anything and anyone from long-lost loved ones to stray cats.

McPherson created an entertaining, even hilarious, group of characters who are not detectives, but certainly could go to a costume party as detectives if someone provided the raincoats and fedoras. The book is easy to read and filled with lots of laughs, a little mystery, and many unexpected plot turns. I received a review copy of “Scott on the Rocks” from Catriona McPherson and Severn House Publishers. There was comedy on every page, and to quote Roger, “You can’t stay angry all the time; it’s bad for the digestion.”

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catriona McPherson is wily, as well as witty. You may think that the Last Ditch Motel series is funny and a hoot to read, and you would be right. But, it has a depth that exceeds its humor. By this third book in the series, readers are hooked on the extended family of the Last Ditch Motel, a group of what may at first appear to be misfits, but who are joined at the heart and compliment one another’s quirkiness. Lexy Campbell, the Scottish transplant who lives on a boat in the slough beside the motel is the focus of the action, but her cohorts in chaos are never far behind. Family redefined for the residents of this less than stellar motel is family redefined by all who read the series’ books. See how wily Catriona makes that happen. Impressive.

In Scot on the Rocks, Lexy and her crew/family become entangled in her ex-husband's case of his missing wife, Brandee, who was the #1 wife and now the #3 wife. Lexy only held the wife #2 position for 7 months. Since Todd, the insectophobiac anesthetist who lives at the motel with his pediatrician husband Roger, and germophobic Kathi, who is married to the motel’s live-in manager Noleen, have inserted themselves into Lexy’s counseling business, they are involved in any business that comes Lexy’s way. So, when Lexy’s ex-husband Bran shows up begging Lexy to help find his missing wife, the three of them start investigating to see if Brandee was kidnapped, or if she took off on her own. Did I mention that Lexy’s counseling business also does investigations, which usually end up putting her at odds with the police, especially a female cop named Mike?

In concurrence with Brandee’s disappearance is the baffling abduction of one of the town’s beloved statues, Mama Cuento. In an even more wacky turn of events, one of Mama Cuento‘s bronze toes has been broken off and left behind with a sinister note. When Bran shows Lexy and crew a similar kidnapping note he receives with an acrylic nail enclosed, it’s anybody’s guess as to what is going on, what’s connected and what’s not. Of course, as fans of this series know, the entire motel family will become participants in this wild and wooly chase for answers, although being the standing members of Trinity services, it will be Lexy and Todd and Kathi who take the most dangerous risks and find themselves on a road trip to Patriarchyville. There are lots of surprises in this tale of who or what went where and why. Readers will be entertained without pause.

There is no doubt in any reader’s mind that Catriona McPherson knows how to tell a tale, and in this series, readers also can depend on McPherson to make them laugh. But who says you can’t broaden your horizons while you’re laughing? Scot on the Rocks and the previous two books in this series are invitations to explore, to color outside the lines and think outside the box. The Last Ditch Motel is a living, breathing example of diversity and how much better it makes one’s life. Catriona McPherson has created a magnificent cast of characters to lead us all into a better place.

A note here that Scot on the Rocks is only available on e-book presently. It will be out in print in February or 2021.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so loving this series! Displaced Dundee family counsellor Lexy is asked by her ex-husband, the dentist who lured her to California, to find his recently disappeared wife (wife both before and after Lexy). With her usual posse of eccentric characters from the Last Ditch Motel, plus the terrible blind dates that pal Todd keeps insisting she try, Lexy tries to find the too-perfect Brandeee, hindered by the presence of under-age Blaike, Brandeee's son by her first marriage or artificial insemination, depending on which story you believe, who has run away from his expensive, exclusive, and abusive prep school. The ending is not as great as the rest of this laugh-aloud book, but by the time you get there, you'll be willing to cut McPherson a little--or even a lot--of slack.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catriona McPherson never disappoints and this is a highly entertaining and gripping story that made me laugh and kept me turning pages.
Great cast of characters, lots of humor and a solid plot that kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next book, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Kellye]

Soooooo funny. Like every other line.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty, clever, character-driven mystery with a fun twisted puzzle to solve by an equally likeable pile of quirky characters.
Perfect smart read for any day of the week.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scot on the Rocks is my first in Catriona McPherson's Last Ditch Mystery series featuring Lexy Campbell. Though it is book three, I jumped into it with abandonment, having recently read and loved another of Catriona McPherson's books from her Dandy Gilver series.

In Scot on the Rocks set in California, it's Valentine's day and a bronze statue of a local legend has been stolen. In its place is a large bronze toe with a ransom note attached. Meanwhile, Lexy has been contacted by her ex-husband as his current wife, Brandee has vanished. Arriving at her exes home, she finds a false nail, also with a ransom demand notice stuck on it. So, are the cases linked?

Catriona McPherson's writing is wonderfully absorbing and totally drew me in. A family counsellor from Dundee, Scotland, Lexy lives on a houseboat near The Latch Ditch Motel in California after following her husband, now her ex, Bran who is a dentist there. Lexy and her group of friends and residents from the motel have had some success in solving mysteries. I took great enjoyment from spending a few hours in the pockets of Lexy, trying to look for clues, amongst the r misdirections. Packed to the rafters with side-splitting humour, I found Scot on the Rocks a great read as a stand-alone, although with hindsight and if time had allowed, I would have read books one and two, Scot Free and Scot & Soda first. A mad, incredibly funny, zany, if slightly OTT read. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Severn House Publishers via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discovered the Dandy Gilver series accidentally: library book sale while attending a wedding on San Juan Island in May. I have devoured each of McPherson’s 1920s-era books I’ve encountered since, and it took me noticeably longer to really bond with/care about the key characters of the Last Ditch Mysteries (probably didn’t help that I started with book #3 this time, whereas a happy accident led me to snag After the Armistice Ball, not even checking whether it was the first in the series (it is) after finding a fun auxiliary wedding gift at SJI’s library sale before skedaddling back to my B&B to write a card and wrap the book. So… yeah… I felt this crew was more annoyingly clichéd just like McPherson’s not terribly extensive knowledge about the enormous diversity of CA climates (including some seriously rural and/or conservative regions — so, you really didn’t need to set an important latter component of the action in rural Oregon). Also, it was cute-ish, at first, but Idaho isn’t really such a difficult state name. It’s not as podunk a flyover state as is obviously assumed here — to say the least — an as a Native Californian — I didn’t fully understand that until I lived there briefly during med school. Overall: ultimately redeemed by the as-usual mostly satisfying storytelling/mystery format achieved. Could’ve done with a few fewer unexamined clichés. Hence my waffling between choosing 3 and 4 stars.

[Patricia Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Last Ditch Mystery #3

What is our favorite Scot up to now?

The town is up in arms after the bronze statue of Mama Cuento is stolen. And on Valentine’s Day! While everyone is scratching their heads over how such a large statue could just be gone, someone finds one bronze toe and a ransom note. Give them what they want or the other nine toes will follow.

As if that wasn’t enough, Bran turns up. Bran being the ex-husband of Lexy for all of five minutes before he went back to his Brandee. So there is no love lost there. He gives her a pitiful story of Brandee being kidnapped, along with one fake fingernail and a sketchy ransom note.

A very odd coincidence? Or is there a serial kidnapper on the loose?

Does she even want to find Brandee? Probably not.

Lexy is still getting used to the language, which is always fun and her band of merry (okay, some not so merry) helpers are determined to find out who did what and why?!

This series is so funny. But also it’s about fitting in, this group of crime solvers is all a bit outside of the norm, and that only makes them more lovable.

What in the world will happen next?

Well Done!

NetGalley Review/ February 2nd. 2021 by Severn House Publishers

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lexy Campbell, a transplanted Scotsman, is a therapist/counselor and sometimes amateur sleuth, living on a houseboat behind the Last Ditch motel in California. Shortly after a bronze statue is stolen from the town square, Lexy receives a visit from her ex-husband, Bran. His wife, Brandee is missing and Bran wants to hire Lexy and her rag-tag friends (and fellow sleuths) to find her.

Scot on the Rocks is quite a romp. Make no mistake, there are puns, wordplays, and the usual cast of quirky characters. The writing is somewhat unusual, so it might take a reader a little time (as it did for me) to get used to the cadence and vocabulary. Also, since I haven’t read the previous books in the series (Scot on the Rocks is #3), there was a bit of a learning curve to figure out the backstories. But, overall, it is an enjoyable read, plenty of laughs, and a somewhat over-the-top plot that will keep many readers entertained.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lexy, who followed Bran to the US from Scotland for a short marriage, is still living here on a houseboat moored next to the Last Ditch Motel. She's running her marriage counseling business but also does investigations and now she's got a conundrum. Bran has come to her for help in finding Brandee, his first wife and now his third wife, who has gone missing. AND, a statue of Mama Cute has been taken- except that one toe has been left behind with a note. A menacing note that will be echoed in one sent to Bran. Can Lexy find both of them? Are they linked? No spoilers from me but this rises and falls on the characters. The denizens of the motel are a hoot, Lexy's a fish out of water in the US and Bran, well, Bran's still a rat. This sometimes gets a little much but it's still a good read that will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lexy Campbell, protagonist of Catriona McPherson's Last Ditch series (named for the Last Ditch Motel, where the colorful cast of characters is housed) has a unique voice: bright, irreverent, glib and facile. Lexy offers a running commentary on culture clash -- and not just Scottish-American culture, but California culture, with which a majority of Americans also frequently clash.

So there's a light, funny tone. I wish I had read the first two in the series before tackling this one, because I sometimes felt left out of the joke. Still, these are good characters (in every sense of the word), and I liked the sense of family they created.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance readers copy.

[ME · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is hilarious and fun... but it makes me crazy. Unless you are FAR FAR Left in your politics OR you don't mind reading from that perspective, don't even try it. No one in the world can draw more attention to the differences in humanity than those who constantly insist that there are none. I don't know why we can't just accept that there ARE differences, and learn to respect people regardless. You can respect a bigot in their ignorance just the same as you demand respect by everyone who thinks YOU are ignorant. This book... there's a lot of hate going on here in spite of its demands for love and acceptance.
Besides that... the wrap-up was hasty and unsatisfying for what I suspect is the series' conclusion. But there were some LOL moments as usual.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I love the characters. So well developed and their dialogue is so funny. Dry and sarcastic humor is great. The plot was good. Not very intricate but there was enough going on in it to keep me guessing. It just occurred to me that the aphid theft and sabotage at the Lode market was never explained. The plot definitely played the men's cult, Patriarchyville, for laughs as a bunch of fairly incompetent idiots, led astray by Brandeee. I appreciated that Todd and Lexy did not do anything too stupid add put themselves in danger when they crawling around the compound at night and instead left when they saw the entrance sign. I'm already looking forward to reading more in this series but will wait a while since I think there's only 5 books in the series right now.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author is versatile and writes in several different styles (this is the twenty first book of hers which I have read) and this book is the third of a humorous series (six books so far) and the second one I have read.

Set in California the story is told from the first person perspective of Lexy Campbell who is from Dundee in Scotland. The plot is pretty silly and if you think too much about it does not actually make sense. Lexy is hired by her ex-husband to find his current wife who has gone missing. There is also a subplot about statues being stolen. There is an interesting cast of characters and the story is actually laugh aloud funny. I am hoping to read the other four books in this series.

[Nancy Haddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I started with the most recent book, SCOT MIST, loved it, and went on to get books 1-3 from the library as well. Books 1 & 2 were good but not as much so as #4.

Then comes Book 3. I loved it! The characters are more fun the more I get to know them, and the story seems to move along better. Not as much back and forth-ing to interview people I think was the key. There's still lots of humor, quirkiness, good plot twists and action, but more forward movement in the sleuthing than going in circles.

Now I want to grab SCOT MIST from the library and read it again. Lexy and her extended family make me happy! Bring on Book 5 - soon!

[LInda L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was adorable. A Scottish young woman moves to California and forms a kind of detective agency with some friends. This was the 3rd in a series and I'll look for the first two. There was a lot about ex-husbands and local statues. And cults. I thought the business about the statues could have been left out, but that's just me. The rest of it was just the cutest cozy I've read -- ever. Oh, and Lexy's friends are all trying to get her to hook up with a new man, mostly unsuccessfully. She is still getting used to American slang, habits, etc. Funny and charming.

[Lauren Stoker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexy and her buds never fail to make me laugh out freakin' loud. See also my reviews of SCOT FREE and SCOT AND SODA.
But SCOT ON THE ROCKS has thrown in some too-believable-for-comfort creeps you'll love to loathe. I adore how McPherson takes on our American obsession with hyping up holidays for fun (not) and profit. And this time it's everyone's most dreaded one: Valentine's Day. For those times you're sitting out the 4th of July, Halloween and VD, you'll want the complete set. (Can't wait to see what McPherson makes of Thanksgiving and Ground Hog Day.)

[Soozee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lexy is a Scot who has washed up in California, been married, divorced and running a counselling business. But her friends have also enveigled her into doing some investigations on the side. When her ex-husband's wife disappears, she is called in to find her, but there are similarities with the kidnapping and the disappearance of some large statues around the area.

The result is very amusing - her friends are very funny and there are some great one-liners as she tries to make Americans understand common English expressions.

I enjoyed the book, it was lightweight but fun to read.

[Lacey Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lexy Campbell is an amateur sleuth that I would like to follow around! The bronze statue of local legend Mama Cuento is stolen on Valentine's Day. Lexy discovers a clue and ransom note. As she starts on the case her ex husband asks her to find his current wife. The clues are almost the same as the statue. This was a fun cozy with great characters. I enjoyed the mystery and all the twist and turns.
#ScotontheRocks #NetGalley

[Randal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three of the series and still going strong. Without getting spoilerish, I can say the series is moving away from the standard murder genre (this one involves a kidnapping) and is becoming more of a series about a group of friends who solve crimes (and decorate your house, clean your clothes and sooth your psyche). Still a well-built puzzle to solve, although I confess to missing the murder.

Also worth noting is the variety / ingenuity that goes into the crimes. No body found face-down on the parlor rug with a gunshot would here.
Recommended.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure why, but I just didn't like this book as much as the first two. It still has the same quirky characters but the investigation into the disappearance was strange, convoluted, and just not that interesting by the time they got it all straightened out. Since I have already ready 3 of 4 books, I will move on to the next one and hope that the mystery itself is going to be better.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first two books and found them really funny. I didn't laugh or smile once in this one.

I will say the story takes more than one twist and turn and is originally presented, but ultimately we don't get 100% resolution to the plot lines at the end.

[Rachel Ronning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is entertaining. However, it should be noted that when Lexy points out weird things about "Americans" she really means "Californians". I related much better to Lexy and her view of things. California is like a whole other planet.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the snarky humor and the supportive family being formed by these Last Ditch friends. The end was a bit anticlimactic but satisfying and LOL funny. So good to see characters being smart about potentially dangerous situations and yet the scene where they were crawling through the desert was very intense.

I just love hanging out with these great friends. Can't wait for the next book!

The whole bit about kidnapped (or should that be statuenapped?) statues was an intriguing and hilarious side story.

"Say that again," he commanded. "Say it on tape that you want to get involved in this and see if we can help find Mama Cuento."
"Why are you being so weird?" …
"Because," Todd said, "after we solved that murder that time, you did nothing but bitch and whine. And then after we solved another murder that other time, you did nothing but bitch and whine."
"This. Isn't. A. Murder." I said. "It's. A. Statue."

Well it is until it isn't.

[Linda Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catriona Mcpherson is an extremely talented and versatile writer. This book is light and a little silly; just what I was in the mood for.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok just not a book you want to read all the way through in 1 sitting.

[Marilyn]

I did not enjoy this book. It was horrible!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whip-fast writing that left me a little dizzy, but loved the many treats for Davisites, whoops I mean Cuentites. But where are the bikes?

[Joyce Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can take the girl out of Scotland but you can't take Scotland out of the girl.