Bagpipes, Brides and Homicides

Praise for the Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries!

"Enjoyable. . .vivid descriptions of Maine during mud season and a quirky cast of characters lift this cozy." --Publishers Weekly on Scone Cold Dead

"High-kicking fun with characters as colorful as the tartans. . .a delightful new series." --Dorothy Cannell on Kilt Dead

The bagpipes are blaring at Moosetookalook's finest hotel, reopened just in time to host an annual celebration of Scotland's most beloved poet. But when the Scottish Heritage Appreciation Society arrives on the scene, they bring more than a hunger for haggis and a passion for plaid. The quarrelsome group harbors their share of long held grudges, and the animosity only grows as the whiskey flows. Then a fierce blizzard hits, trapping everyoneangry Scotsmen, hapless hotel staff, and Liss herselfindoors.

It isn't long before a body is discovered face down in a storage room, covered in tartanand blood. Now Liss will have to work fast to solve this crime before another body goes as cold as the snowstorm keeping her cooped up with a killer.

Liss's brainstorm focuses on Tiny Teddies, the new "hot" toy of the season. Every store across the country is out of stock--except a few wee establishments in good ol' Moosetookalook.

The first sign of something amiss occurs when the last Tiny Teddy is summarily executed: shot through the heart in the display window of greedy toy store owner Gavin Thorne. But the Teddy's demise is just a precursor to the eerily similar murder of Gavin himself. . .

Now, with the Twelve (or, in Scots terms, the Daft) Days of Christmas rapidly approaching, Liss has a plate full of things worse than haggis to contend with, starting with a stockroom packed with poultry (don't ask), and ending with a killer who'd like to see Liss's goose well and fully cooked. . .

"A picturesque location, a bit of romance, some suspense, and a cast of appealingly quirky characters." --Booklist

"The blend of romance and cozy mystery will please lovers of all things Scottish." --Kirkus Reviews

"Perfect for the holiday season." --Romantic Times

Switching to life without footlights or greasepaint has been easier than Liss MacCrimmon expected. After seven months in her hometown of Moosetookalook Maine, she's been able to keep her feet in the dance world by offering lessons to a few of the local children. Running the town's Scottish Emporium with her aunt, working on her physical therapy for her knee injury, and starting a budding romance with Dan Ruskin, a neighbor and former high school classmate, has kept her more than busy.

Still, she misses the life of a professional dancer with Strathspey, the Scottish dance company she belonged to before her knee injury forced her into early retirement. When the company goes on tour, Liss is instrumental in bringing the show to her hometown. Overjoyed at the prospect of seeing her old friends again, even if she can't dance with them, Liss arranges a reception for the troupe complete with a Scottish theme that includes a new spin on the classic Scottish Scone, her very own recipe for "cocktail scones."

Liss soon realizes that life in the group isn't all happy jigs and fancy stepping. Victor Owens, the company manager, has been making life miserable for every member of the company. She has no idea how miserable until Victor bites into one of Liss's prized cocktail scones, collapses and dies.

When the police set their sights on Liss and her best friends, it's up to Liss to find out whodunit before the killer makes an encore. With a missing ingénue, potential embezzlement, several secret romantic relationships, and a murderer in the mix, she'll have to work fast to uncover what is really going on backstage when the curtain falls on Strathspey.

Eleanor knows Gregg would never have lethally bashed his own brother in the head with a pizza-rolling pin. Sure, Wade was greedily claiming far more than his fair share of their family inheritance. And Gregg did catch his ex-girlfriend Katy smooching on the couch with Wade. It's no wonder that Timber Ridge's police chief--and Eleanor's ex-sweetheart--has his sights set on finding and arresting poor Gregg.

But as Eleanor and her saucy sister Maddy dig a little deeper into the mystery, they find Wade's enemies begin to outnumber the slices on a large pie. This is one mystery that's made to order, and if Eleanor and Maddy don't find out who killed Wade, Gregg's delivery days are over. But while finding the killer is one thing, escaping alive to dish the goods to the police is quite another.

It'll take all of Mattie's forensic skills to unravel the increasingly bizarre clues and find the killer. . .before she herself becomes just another cold case in a frigid Midwest winter!

"Has it all: suspense, laughter, a spicy dash of romance..." --Tess Gerritsen

"The funniest deputy coroner to cut up a corpse since, well, ever." --Laura Levine

"Mattie Winston is a likable, humorous heroine. . .lighthearted and fun." --Romantic Times

Single mom Hayley Powell is barely keeping her leaking roof over her head when her boss at the Island Times gives her a new assignment--taking over the paper's food column. Hayley's not sure she has the chops--she's an office manager, not a writer, even if her friends clamor for her mouth-watering potluck dishes. But the extra income is tempting, and Hayley's chatty first column is suddenly on everyone's menu--with one exception.

When rival food writer Karen Appelbaum is found face-down dead in a bowl of Hayley's creamy clam chowder, all signs point to Hayley. To clear her name, she'll have to enlist some help, including her BFFs, a perpetually pregnant lobster woman, and a glamorous real estate agent. As she whips up a list of suspects, Hayley discovers a juicy secret about the victim--and finds herself in a dangerous mix with a cold-blooded killer.

Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley's kitchen!

"What a delicious debut mystery!" Laura Levine

"A delicious read that I ate up in one sitting." Isis Crawford

More Mouth-Watering Praise For Lee Hollis And Hayley Powell!

"Sleuth Hayley Powell slides down as easily as one of her Lemon Drop Martinis (recipe included) and readers will be calling for a second round from author Lee Hollis." --Leslie Meier, author of Chocolate Covered Murder

"Delicious and satisfying. Another course, please." Carolyn Hart