A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

This first in the Last Ditch Mystery series by Catriona McPherson is a light, fun romp involving the characters staying at the Last Ditch Motel. Their zany antics, combined with McPherson's fresh take on an amateur sleuth, provides a humorous and pleasurable diversion from her usually dark and haunting thrillers. There are several more books in this series--and you could do worse if you're looking to fill a few hours with just pure fun. That is, unless YOU too have been accused of murdering your husband with a fireworks rocket!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher, and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I have read other books by Cat McPherson, and she's a good writer who puts out generally good books. I really couldn't get into this one, however. Lexy Campbell is a Scot transplant in Northern California, which should make for some interesting stories that don't work out here. When she's accused of murder, she has to clear herself.

It was just OK. Thanks to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for the ARC of this book.

Catriona McPherson NEVER disappoints, but I was unprepared for just how perfectly delightful I'd find Scot Free.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Lexy is the proverbial fish out of water. A Scottish lass who has endured a whirlwind marriage and equally whirlwind divorce, cannot wait to return to Scotland from Southern California. She has one final job to do with her only therapy clients and then she is headed off to the airport.
What do they say about best laid plans? It seems the elderly husband of the couple will not make the appointment as he has been blown up by a firecracker placed in a rather uncomfortable place. His equally elderly wife is arrested for the murder even though she has an iron clad alibi for the time of the explosion. It gets wilder and wilder from here on.
If you are a fan of black humour and sardonic wit, which I am, you will be chuckling through one oddball adventure after another. Lexy becomes friends with an array of bizarre Californians who aid and assist her as she tries to keep Miss Viz, the old girl, out of jail. She wants to find who decided to use the old gent’s own product to launch him into the next world. She has her work cut out for her because there are lots of twists and turns and surprises.
It is quite a romp and a blast, if you will forgive the pun.
I give it five purrs and two paws up.

I enjoyed reading Scot Free very much as I am a Native Californian and lover of all things Scottish. It was my first book by McPherson and I look forward to the next installment. I liked the comedy in this novel as well as Lexy, the main character. The plot was fun and I will be adopting this book into my curriculum.

This is a fun cozy mystery. Lexy is Scottish, and leaves Scotland for her new love in California. Lexy quickly realizes that California folks are a different breed. Lexy is divorced from her husband before we meet her. Sometimes, I laughed out loud at the antics and outlook Lexy has on her California neighbors. Lexy is a marriage counselor, who is closing up shop. She plans on returning to Scotland after her only clients, the Bombaro's come in to sign their divorce agreement.

Instead of meeting the couple, Lexy is met by police at her office, as one of her clients is found dead. Lexy tries to support and stand by her other client, Mrs. Bombardo. Because Lexy must remain in the US during the investigation, she ends up staying a motel where she meets a fun cast of characters that I hope to see again. I really enjoyed this book! It was a great cozy mystery.

Lexy Campbell left Scotland for a new life in Cuento, California with a hunky dentist husband and her marriage counseling business. But 6 months later, Lexy is divorced, broke, and planning on going back to Scotland. But on the Fourth of July, Lexy's client, elderly Mrs. Bombarro is arrested for murdering her husband with a fireworks rocket. Lexy co-signs her bond and is determined to prove her client is innocent. Lexy ends up in the Last Ditch Motel where she encounters some kooky characters that both help and hinder her investigation. This was a light, zany debut mystery.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Midnight Ink with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Best laid plans and all of that, Lexy's plans of life with her hunky husband in California blow up...in more ways than one. She has left everything back in Scotland and moved to a strange new world. She settles down to start her marriage counseling business and that would have been her future if her husband hadn't two timed her. Time to pack her bags and return to Scotland but just one last couple to finish up with. That goes pear shaped, fast, when the police come knocking at her door on the 4th of July, fireworks freaking her out. They see her packed bags and jump to the conclusion that she is going to do a runner. They find it hard to wrap their heads around her explanation and, yes, it's strange but then this is a bit of a wacky mystery. Bottom line (yes, I meant to write that) fireworks are not a common murder weapon. But they do seem fitting in this case as the family business is fireworks. Did his wife bump him off despite her seemingly amicable divorce from him? Who did hate him enough to send him off in a blaze of glory? I needed a laugh or two and, in this mystery, I got a boat load of them.

Thank you Netgalley and Midnight Ink for this ARC.

This book was the type I consider "fluff". Nothing wrong with "fluff." I need "fluff" from time to time. Fluff= zany characters indulging in mad-cap antics with a completely bizarre story. a la Stephanie Plum.

I did enjoy the Scot's views/social commentary on the somewhat idiotic California lifestyle and practices.

Being a Scottish blogger I always enjoy the chance to read about Scottish characters who have left these glorious lands to find pastures new. So when I read the description for Catriona McPherson's Scot Free I could not resist the chance to read about Lexy Campbell.

Lexy has left Dundee and moved to California where she is married to a hunky American guy and building up her business as a marriage counselor. Life seems rosy for Lexy (well apart from contending with extremely warm Californian days) until it all starts to go wrong. Catching her hubby in a functional clinch with another woman soon brings her married life to an abrupt end.

A return to Scotland seems inevitable but there is just one small matter commanding Lexy's attention - one of her clients has been jailed for murdering her husband with a firework. As a lady in her vintage years, Mrs Bombarro seems a quite unlikely killer - not least because she was just about to divorce (amicably) the man she is accused of blowing up. Lexy cannot sit by and watch this poor lady take the rap for this horrible crime so an impromptu investigative career is born.

What follows is a wonderfully fun story of fireworks, friendships and families (with lots more of the fun and a lot less alliteration). Catriona McPherson absolutely nails the humour throughout and I cannot remember a book which has made me laugh as often as I did while reading Scot Free. Lexy is fabulous and brings Scotland to California exactly how I had hoped - she has the caustic wit, nails the one liners and takes a delightful down to earth viewpoint to her American colleagues.

There is a good murder mystery to enjoy in Scot Free and I loved watching Lexy piecing together clues and trying to interrogate possible witnesses. As she bumbles her way towards the truth she will cross paths with the local cops who also seem somewhat bemused by the unpredictable Scottish lass in their midst.

Reading should be fun and I can honestly say that Scot Free was one of the most fun reads I have picked up for quite some time. Scot Free feels like a perfect summer holiday read. Sunshine and laughs - ideal.

Usually I am a fan of Catriona McPherson's books, but her foray into lighthearted cozy didn't work for me. While the hilarity was over the top, the characterizations and plot were underwhelming. Still McPherson's technique and ability to wordsmith shine through and add some enjoyable elements. I'm sure some readers will enjoy this one more than I did.

West coast fans of Janet Evanovich' Stephanie Plum series would probably enjoy this book. The Scottish terms added humor and a challenge. I kept a list of English to American words (phrases) while I was in England. I bought an English to American dictionary eventually. An advance reader copy was provided via NetGalley. This is one time I would have preferred to read it after all the typos were removed. Many amusing characters!

I've had a hit-or-miss affair with Catriona McPherson's writing. Her Dandy Gilver historical series is so period correct that the one book of the series that I read reminded me too much of those Golden Age mysteries, which I really don't care for all that much. On the other hand, I loved the one standalone psychological suspense novel of hers that I read, The Child Garden. When I learned of Scot Free, which appeared to be written for laughs, I simply had to try it because I've witnessed McPherson's humor firsthand. This woman is a riot, and she kept us all laughing at Left Coast Crime in 2016.

Scot Free was a tad uneven, staggering a little between the humor and solving the mystery, but I still enjoyed it a lot. The residents of the Lassditch Motel are a quirky bunch who rapidly became Lexy's family. And-- wonder of wonders-- as a first-time amateur sleuth, Lexy's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Her gullibility muddles her investigation more than once. At first, this annoyed me, but it finally dawned on me that most first-timers are going to be gullible and not know what to do from one step to the next. Silly me!

What's more, I loved the humor-- especially Lexy's comparisons between the California lifestyle (which is where McPherson lives now) and that of her native Scotland (where she grew up). Some readers may find these comparisons off-putting and anti-American but it's spot-on social commentary, plain and simple.

With a brilliant cast of characters and the oftentimes hilarious social commentary, I'm really looking forward to the next Last Ditch mystery. You will be, too.

Scot Free by Catriona McPherson is the first book in the new cozy Last Ditch Mystery series. Lexy Campbell is the new leading lady is this cozy series. She’s originally from Scotland but had married and moved to California where she’s been working as a marriage counselor.

Unfortunately for Lexy though her own marriage has failed and she plans on returning to Scotland right after meeting with a couple she has been counseling. Instead of the couple turning up at the meeting though the police are at her door with questions when the husband is found murdered.

When Lexy finds out that her sweet little client, Mrs. Bombarro, is in jail for the crime she puts her own plans on hold to help her out. Lexy believes that the police are on the wrong track with her aging client and helps her bond out of jail but with no place now to stay after postponing her trip she finds herself at the Last Ditch Motel.

One thing I always hope to find in a cozy mystery is some unique and quirky characters that bring humor to the book, Scot Free is full of quirkiness and humor but with this one it brought to mind the saying of too much of a good thing for me. The book felt a bit scattered at times and I had a hard time reminding myself the main character was a therapist with her a bit all over the place. If this one gets tightened up a bit it could grow into a series I’d love but so far this was only an Ok beginning to me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5 stars

First off, if you are reading this because you are a fan of the author's Dandy Gilver mysteries, stop and adjust your expectations. This one is totally different, contemporary and more closely akin to a 40's screwball comedy.

There are mysteries upon mysteries, a hilarious contingent of core characters including a newly-divorced Scottish marriage therapist, a pair of gay doctors, a fireworks company owner and his wife, and more. The fireworks guy dies and the rest of the book is spent trying to figure out how and why. There is a Sicilian mafia thread running through which results in a lot of extra plot machinations.

Often over the top funny, this is a quirky but enjoyable light read. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A very funny book. I don''t understand if it's a cozy mystery or the satire of a cozy but I really enjoyed.
It was really entertaining, with an interesting plot, full of funny characters.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Midnight Ink

Cozy mystery Scot Free is my #FrugalFriday short review this week!

Marriage counselor Lexy Campbell moves to California to marry and quickly divorce. The husband of her client, Visalia, is murdered by fireworks. Visalia is arrested. Lexy decides to solve the crime since she co-signed Visalia’s bail bond.

Born and living in California all my life, I hoped this series would be a Elmore Leonard/Tim Dorsey-type book about California. Unfortunately, it is neither zany nor California-specific enough. However, the characters, mystery and ending were good so 3 ½ stars rounded to 4.

Thanks to the publisher, Midnight Ink, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

#ScotFree #NetGalley
I want to thank Midnight Ink and NetGalley for providing me a copy for an honest review.
I tried real hard but this just didn’t do it for me. The beginning seemed kind of slow to me but maybe I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. So I put it down and picked it back up a few days later. It did get better and I was curious to find out who actually murdered Mr Bombaro. There were all kinds of eccentric characters but none of them really did much for me. They all felt sinister in a way. The dialog at times seemed confusing. Again, some of that could’ve been me because the main character is British and I don’t understand some of the expressions, for lack of a better term. I did like Todd, the gay next door neighbor at the Lassditch Motel. He is every girls dream. What more could you ask for? He did Lexy’s Shopping for clothes and had her correct size in bras, which up until then, had been wearing the incorrect size. He also decorated her room. I would love my house decorated by someone who knew how. I think my main complaint is that the majority of the book was unnecessary ramblings. Sometimes so much so that I couldn’t understand what was being said. It seemed to need condensing. There were some funny times, don’t get me wrong. And I loved the main character, but other times it seemed the author was trying too hard. The middle part of the book seemed to be the main part that needs condensing. As far as the story plot, I liked it and all the side characters that made you think of other possibilities but at times it seemed convoluted. I hate saying anything negative in a review. Authors work so hard writing. Others will love this I’m sure. It does give the reader a relaxed feeling. And I’m sure if you’re British you will understand the writing better than me. I am going to read some of the author’s other work because I’ve heard so many good things about it. And I will still try another one of her books written in this genre. This was a good first attempt and I can tell she knows how to line up a great mystery.