Dollycas's Thoughts
Thanksgiving in Moosetookalook Maine should be delightful, right? Not this year. The Spruces', a rustic hotel owned by Liss' husband's family is facing an uphill battle. The new marketing director came up with an idea to fill the rooms this year with childless couples that don't want to join their own families over the holidays. It was a good idea and reservations were up until a fringe group decides to make trouble. Going so far as to truck people from away into town to boycott anyone supporting or connected to the Ruskin family claiming they are all against family values. Businesses were even vandalized to stir up trouble. But before the angry hoards have left the town square a member of the radical group is found dead and all clues lead to the Ruskin family. She can't just sit on her hands, she has to help, but if things go wrong there will be absolutely nothing to be thankful for this year or a long time to come.
This is my second visit to Moosetookalook and I enjoyed myself. The author takes on a hot topic and her approach was very stirring. A group with a very narrow viewpoint feels they can press their beliefs on an entire town. As the story continues we find the group isn't as tightly knit as we believed at first as the death of the member of the group brings cracks in their make up to the forefront.
Liss digs deep to solve this mystery, going back, again and again, to try to uncover the truth. The way the author wrote this was very gripping making it a hard book to put down. The way the community rallied together was heartwarming and at times hard to read because difficult questions had to be asked to clear people from the list of suspects.
The subplot of the family dynamics in Liss' family was captivating too. Her parents, Mac and Violet âViâ MacCrimmon, have just moved back to Maine from Arizona. Vi and Liss have a had a strained relationship but circumstances bring them closer in this story. I didn't like the way Vi kept a secret about her health from her daughter though. I believe it is things like that that put the strain in their relationship in the first place. I may have to go back and read the series from the beginning to see if my theory is correct.
This was an entertaining mystery that kept me guessing right up until the suspenseful conclusion. The characters were unique. I want to get to know the core characters better so I am excited about Ms. Dunnett next book in this series. For me, it was a 5 Starfish read and a Perfect Escape!
Thanksgiving in Moosetookalook Maine should be delightful, right? Not this year. The Spruces', a rustic hotel owned by Liss' husband's family is facing an uphill battle. The new marketing director came up with an idea to fill the rooms this year with childless couples that don't want to join their own families over the holidays. It was a good idea and reservations were up until a fringe group decides to make trouble. Going so far as to truck people from away into town to boycott anyone supporting or connected to the Ruskin family claiming they are all against family values. Businesses were even vandalized to stir up trouble. But before the angry hoards have left the town square a member of the radical group is found dead and all clues lead to the Ruskin family. She can't just sit on her hands, she has to help, but if things go wrong there will be absolutely nothing to be thankful for this year or a long time to come.
This is my second visit to Moosetookalook and I enjoyed myself. The author takes on a hot topic and her approach was very stirring. A group with a very narrow viewpoint feels they can press their beliefs on an entire town. As the story continues we find the group isn't as tightly knit as we believed at first as the death of the member of the group brings cracks in their make up to the forefront.
Liss digs deep to solve this mystery, going back, again and again, to try to uncover the truth. The way the author wrote this was very gripping making it a hard book to put down. The way the community rallied together was heartwarming and at times hard to read because difficult questions had to be asked to clear people from the list of suspects.
The subplot of the family dynamics in Liss' family was captivating too. Her parents, Mac and Violet âViâ MacCrimmon, have just moved back to Maine from Arizona. Vi and Liss have a had a strained relationship but circumstances bring them closer in this story. I didn't like the way Vi kept a secret about her health from her daughter though. I believe it is things like that that put the strain in their relationship in the first place. I may have to go back and read the series from the beginning to see if my theory is correct.
This was an entertaining mystery that kept me guessing right up until the suspenseful conclusion. The characters were unique. I want to get to know the core characters better so I am excited about Ms. Dunnett next book in this series. For me, it was a 5 Starfish read and a Perfect Escape!
Overkilt by Kaitlyn Dunnett is the twelfth tale in A Liss MacCrimmon Mystery series. Amaryllis âLissâ MacCrimmon Ruskin lives in Moosetookalook, Maine with her husband, Dan. Liss is enjoying a quiet dinner with Dan at Spruce Lodge when she notices her father-in-law, Joe Ruskin talking with an oddly dressed man and two women in old fashioned lavender dresses. They are New Age Pilgrims and object to Joe's new promotion to bring in tourists during his slow period. The promotion appeals to childless couples who would like to get away for Thanksgiving. The New Age Pilgrims leader, Hadley Spencer states the special is affront to family values and organizes a protest in the town square. All the Ruskin family businesses are targeted by the group and threatening messages left on their doors. Thanks to Hadley's social media campaign, hundreds arrive for the demonstration preventing the scheduled bus of tourists from enjoying their day in Moosetookalook. Late in the day, Hadley is discovered by the merry-go-round with a knife sticking out of his back. With several of Liss's family members on the suspect list, Liss dons her sleuthing cap and sets out to bag a killer. Violet, Liss's mother, insists on helping her with the investigation. Liss is going to need the patience of Job to resolve this whodunit.
While Overkilt can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading this series in order. Liss has grown since we first met her in Kilt Dead. Liss is married to Dan Ruskin and manages the Moosetookalook Scottish Emporium. Liss is not her usual self in Overkilt which can be attributed to her mother, Violet returning to town. Liss and her mother do not get along which can be attributed to Violet's high-handed manor. An example would be that Liss does not like big parties nor does she want a birthday party. Violet, despite being told by Dan not to have one, organizes a surprise birthday party (she creates problems for Thanksgiving too). It seems to be Violet's way or Violet's way which is frustrating and unwanted in a cozy mystery. I thought Overkilt was easy to read thanks to the author relaxed writing style and steady pacing. I like the small town of Moosetookalook with its quaint shops and friendly townspeople (for the most part). There are also some adorable cats and dogs added into the mix. The mystery is straightforward. You can tell right away which person will die because of his behavior and attitude. There are multiple suspects and misdirection. The police tell Liss to quit meddling in the case (of course) multiple times. Liss has no intention of letting anyone in her family go down for a crime they did not commit. The situation with Hadley and the demonstration was realistic. It is easily a situation that could happen in our society (and probably has somewhere). I was surprised to see foul language in Overkilt. I like to read cozy mysteries because the do not have course language, extreme violence or intimate scenes. I am giving Overkilt 3.5 out of 5 stars. While Overkilt is not my favorite book in this series, I did enjoy my visit to Moosetookalook.
While Overkilt can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading this series in order. Liss has grown since we first met her in Kilt Dead. Liss is married to Dan Ruskin and manages the Moosetookalook Scottish Emporium. Liss is not her usual self in Overkilt which can be attributed to her mother, Violet returning to town. Liss and her mother do not get along which can be attributed to Violet's high-handed manor. An example would be that Liss does not like big parties nor does she want a birthday party. Violet, despite being told by Dan not to have one, organizes a surprise birthday party (she creates problems for Thanksgiving too). It seems to be Violet's way or Violet's way which is frustrating and unwanted in a cozy mystery. I thought Overkilt was easy to read thanks to the author relaxed writing style and steady pacing. I like the small town of Moosetookalook with its quaint shops and friendly townspeople (for the most part). There are also some adorable cats and dogs added into the mix. The mystery is straightforward. You can tell right away which person will die because of his behavior and attitude. There are multiple suspects and misdirection. The police tell Liss to quit meddling in the case (of course) multiple times. Liss has no intention of letting anyone in her family go down for a crime they did not commit. The situation with Hadley and the demonstration was realistic. It is easily a situation that could happen in our society (and probably has somewhere). I was surprised to see foul language in Overkilt. I like to read cozy mysteries because the do not have course language, extreme violence or intimate scenes. I am giving Overkilt 3.5 out of 5 stars. While Overkilt is not my favorite book in this series, I did enjoy my visit to Moosetookalook.
