Overkilt

Book excerpt: Thanksgiving finds a small-town Maine shop owner juggling her mother and a murder case in this cozy mystery by the author of X Marks the Scot. While Liss MacCrimmon preps the Scottish Emporium for November's inevitable shopping rush, other local businesses in Moosetookalook, Maine, aren't half as lucky. Year after year, her father-in-law's rustic hotel can barely turn a profit during the stretch between autumn's peak and ski season. Except this time, Mr. Ruskin realizes that the recipe for success lies in enticing an untapped niche clientele—childless couples desperate for a holiday away from family . . . The unusual marketing tactic has everyone in Moosetookalook talking. Unfortunately, it also inspires a scathing social media campaign aimed at persuading tourists to boycott the hotel for affronting family values. Liss dismisses the bad publicity as being totally “overkilt” —until angry mobs fill the streets, the troublemaker who started it all turns up dead, and her loved ones are suspected of murder . . . With so much at stake, Liss can't possibly follow police orders to stay out of the investigation. There's just one wee problem: saving her own clan could mean sending a friend or two behind bars. Now—partly helped, partly hindered by her difficult mother—Liss must digest a slew of unsettling clues and catch the real killer . . . or else everything she's ever been thankful for may vanish before her eyes. Praise for Overkilt “Dunnett provides small-town charm and a determined sleuth who does a great job uncovering clues in a tale that rings all too true.” —Kirkus Reviews “Winning . . . . Dunnett successfully keeps the mystery cozy while not shying away from thought-provoking cultural issues.” —Publishers Weekly