I read this book courtesy of NetGalley. This was a quirky cozy mystery with an unusual cast of characters and events. Lexy is Scottish and very much a fish out of water in California. She is an almost broke, divorced therapist about to return to Scotland when she becomes involved in her client's arrest for murder. Lexy's client, Miz Vi, is accused of murdering her husband with fireworks. After co-signing her bail Lexy ends up at the Lassditch Motel amongst the bug and cleanliness phobics and their gay/lesbian counterparts. Todd (insect paranoia) is fabulous and flaming; he redecorates Lexy's room and wardrobe and becomes a fun friend/co-sleuth. The story seemed a bit garbled between infestations at the motel and firework business rivalries, but it all makes sense by the end of the book. Lexy is a likable character who is only investigating to help Miz Vi; she finds out that investigation and California heat are hard to deal with. There were some very funny scenes and the end of the book is wide open for a sequel.

From the moment I turned the first page, this book immediately grabbed my attention never letting go, even after the end. Written with great aplomb, the author took me on a hilarious ride where the demise of the victim and how it came to be kept the story moving along as step by step we got to explore the role each character played in the telling of this tale. Who wanted Mr. Bombarro dead? Was it the wife? The mistress? The competitor? The relative? A random person? You’ll have to read this book to find out. From Lexy to Mizz Vi to Mike to Noleen to Todd (who I adore) to Kathi and others, these characters kept me amused and had pivotal roles that enhanced how well this story was being told, especially with a few surprising twists, one of which I didn’t see coming. The author did a great job in staging this mystery keeping me enthralled in all aspect of this fascinating story, but it was the engagingly jocularity dialogue and the various character's interactions that kept me gloriously entertained. I'm so happy there will be a book #2 and I can't wait to see what situation Lexy finds herself involved in again.

While some of this is over the top, on balance, it's actually a funny variant on the cozy. Lexy might be a marriage counselor but she wasn't so smart about who she married- he turned out to be a creep. Who would expect an elderly woman to murder her husband, with fireworks no less? Well, that's the set up for this fish-out-of Scotland cozy which clips along with Lexy trying to prove her own innocence, then that of Mrs Bombarro, and then.. well she meets a whole cast of characters at the Last Ditch Motel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Actually 3.5 stars.
I love crime fiction, usually the grittier the better but, every so often I do like to slip into the lighter side of things. The more comic side of crime if you like. Having read and loved other darker books by this author, I thought I'd give this, her more lighter offering a try. Sadly it failed to really impress me on the whole. Although there were some elements that really worked, there was a little too much farce and slapstick to really be credible for me. I am all for books that don't take themselves too seriously but this one just went too far.
So, Lexy met and married an American in a whirlwind romance and ditched her life to live with him in California. Surprise surprise, that marriage didn't work out. Interesting concept being as she is a marriage guidance counsellor but, hey ho! She decides that slinking back to Scotland, tail firmly between her legs, is the way to go, just as soon as she wraps up her latest couple's needs. But then one of the couple is killed and the other, old Mrs Bombarro, is accused of his murder. Common sense would be she still gets out of dodge but no, she is sure that la femme Bombarro is innocent and that only she can prove it. Oh my!
Having relinquished all her leases, living and wokring, Lexy checks into a rather dubious motel where she meets an eclectic bunch of misfits and opens herself up to a whole world of other trouble.
I would imagine that it is hard for a comedy author to write characters that don't degenerate into the realms of caricatures. It's a fine line indeed but sadly here, the author has leapt over that line. Whether this was meant I'm not sure but suffice to say that it didn't quite work for me. I do need a bit of credibility with my characters and some of the main ones in this book didn't really instil this in me. This meant that I was rolling my eyes at them almost constantly throughout the book and that did distract me from what i was reading. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti OTT characters, I just don't need the quantity of them that I got in this book.
The plot was actually quite good. A bit on the convoluted and interconnected side at times but it interested me enough to keep reading and that's the main thing. There was all the usual tricks to be found; secrets, lies, duplicitous behaviour, you get the gist. But some of the plot points and directions in which it moved did seem a little contrived at times rather than being flowing.
All in all this was a book that fell short of what I need from a good read. It won't put me off the author as I did like her grittier stuff but I think I'll steer clear of this series.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I am usually a fan of Catriona McPherson's books, but this more light hearted humorous new crime fiction series featuring Lexy Campbell, a marriage counsellor who marries in haste, to what seems instantly like a narcissist man after meeting him in Scotland, felt more like hard working when it comes to reading it. You wonder just how good at marriage counselling Lexy is when her personal life is just so disastrous! There are times Lexy comes across as an airhead and the humour, often slapstick, missed its mark for me. It is well written, but the plotting, characterisation and storyline is not strong enough in my opinion. Lexy settles down in California, starting her counselling practice from scratch, living in a soulless clinically clean beige home, but finds herself short on funds when she gets divorced. She is heading home back to Scotland, when the wife of a couple she had been counselling, fragile elderly Mrs Bombarro, is arrested for murdering her husband. Lexy finds herself a suspect, until a police prostitution ring surveillance clears her. Lexy feels she cannot just abandon Mrs Bombarro to her fate and gets involved in trying to find out what is going on. Many may well find this an enjoyable, entertaining and comic cozy mystery. It just did not work so well for me. Many thanks to Midnight Ink for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for a digital galley of this book.

I'm sorry to say this book just did not do a thing for me. I have bought and read every Catriona McPherson book in the Dandy Gilver series and absolutely love them. This first book in a new series was completely the opposite of those novels and I was very disappointed. Perhaps the whole story was meant as a joke and a satire of the cozy mystery/amateur sleuth novel. If that is so, then the main character who is a marriage counselor that makes every mistake possible in her own marriage was a suitable leading lady. This one has lots of profanity and unnecessarily intimate social situations.

This story started so over the top I was instantly hooked! The issues that the main character was facing right at the beginning had me hooked. This book had some real laugh at loud moments which was such a nice surprise. They mystery was strong, the characters this side of crazy, and I just loved every part of it.

Reading McPherson's darker, more sinister novels, you could always feel a strong pulse of humor under the horror and suspense. Her characters always had an eccentric and witty flavor, and it was a joy to see her unleash the full force of her humor in this novel.

Featuring a Scottish expat divorcee thrust into a murder investigation with a truly unique and loveable cast of characters, she explores friendship and the meaning of home. All while solving a murder whose circumstances are so bizarre but hilariously described that you don't even feel guilty for laughing about it.

Of special note to me was how well she describes the expatriate "stranger in a strange land" experience of a Scottish woman in California. It's always refreshing to see a different perspective of the American dream, especially one so comically and honestly rendered. Her descriptive ability is uncanny and will make you laugh so hard your face hurts.

I recommend this for thriller fans who prefer a romp in the sun to a trudge through a tundra.

Didn't finish. There was nothing wrong with this, it just wasn't holding my attention at all. It felt very long and I really didn't care what happened, so I threw in the towel about halfway through. I would recommend this to fans of the Stephanie Plum books, as it's a very similar sort of zany mystery/adventure.