Lexy Campbell sets aside her feelings to investigate the sudden disappearance of her ex-husband’s current wife. Well, sort of sets aside—she can’t help snidely referring to the irritating Brandee as “Brandeee" with 3 e’s. Lexy is a smart and funny, and my favorite part of these stories is her repartee with her buddies. They all sound like they would be lots of fun at a dinner party. As an immigrant from Scotland, Lexy engages in plenty of amusing and spot-on commentary on American English and culture. The investigation itself is light and not terribly plausible, but everyone seems to be having such a good time (even when they get into various scrapes) that it is hard to split hairs about that. The mystery feels like an excuse for the group to hang out. I’d happily go on more adventures with this gang.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

Catriona McPherson never disappoints and this is a highly entertaining and gripping story that made me laugh and kept me turning pages.
Great cast of characters, lots of humor and a solid plot that kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next book, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

It really is amazing how the author can have you laughing so hard from just a line. It was a true pleasure to revisit Lexi and her crew again,

“Scot on the Rocks” is Lexy Campbell’s story; it is told from her point of view, so readers get to know her well. She talks directly to readers, “Hear me out;” but mostly, she scrutinizes herself, “In retrospect, I could have picked a different thing to say.” She is sarcastic and humorous with a “take no prisoners” attitude. As a marriage and family counsellor at Trinity Solutions Therapy Clinic, she helps others with identity crises of every shape, size, and cause. However, her own relationships are inconsistent to put it mildly. She likes her men like she like her coffee -- average but with free refills.

Into this pleasingly wacky atmosphere, a little “rain” falls; actually a giant social thunderstorm occurs when an historic statue is stolen from the city square, and a ransom is demanded. If that were not traumatic and bewildering enough, the first ex-wife and current third wife of Lexy’s ex-husband, her being ex-wife number two, is either been kidnapped or has gone off to a spa somewhere, never to return. Certainly not wanting to miss an opportunity to serve the public and to make more money, “Trinity for Life” adds “Trinity for Trouble” to its title, thus expanding services to include finding anything and anyone from long-lost loved ones to stray cats.

McPherson created an entertaining, even hilarious, group of characters who are not detectives, but certainly could go to a costume party as detectives if someone provided the raincoats and fedoras. The book is easy to read and filled with lots of laughs, a little mystery, and many unexpected plot turns. I received a review copy of “Scot on the Rocks” from Catriona McPherson and Severn House Publishers. There was comedy on every page, and to quote Roger, “You can’t stay angry all the time; it’s bad for the digestion.”

Scot on the Rocks is my first in Catriona McPherson's Last Ditch Mystery series featuring Lexy Campbell. Though it is book three, I jumped into it with abandonment, having recently read and loved another of Catriona McPherson's books from her Dandy Gilver series.

In Scot on the Rocks set in California, it's Valentine's day and a bronze statue of a local legend has been stolen. In its place is a large bronze toe with a ransom note attached. Meanwhile, Lexy has been contacted by her ex-husband as his current wife, Brandee has vanished. Arriving at her exes home, she finds a false nail, also with a ransom demand notice stuck on it. So, are the cases linked?

Catriona McPherson's writing is wonderfully absorbing and totally drew me in. A family counsellor from Dundee, Scotland, Lexy lives on a houseboat near The Latch Ditch Motel in California after following her husband, now her ex, Bran who is a dentist there. Lexy and her group of friends and residents from the motel have had some success in solving mysteries. I took great enjoyment from spending a few hours in the pockets of Lexy, trying to look for clues, amongst the r misdirections. Packed to the rafters with side-splitting humour, I found Scot on the Rocks a great read as a stand-alone, although with hindsight and if time had allowed, I would have read books one and two, Scot Free and Scot & Soda first. A mad, incredibly funny, zany, if slightly OTT read. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Severn House Publishers via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I did not enjoy this book. Characters were just that characters on a page, they had no substance or depth to them. Setting was contrived and expected. Mystery was mundane and plodding.

This was my first exposure to Lexy Campbell of the A Last Ditch Mystery series. Talk about quirky, this completely filled that bill. At time I felt as if I was in an alternate Universe. 'Scot on the Rocks' involves theft of statues, kidnappings, ex- husbands, a cult and a budding romance, all tied together with the wittiest and most delightful ex-Pat Scot. I think I need to go start at the beginning of the series. I look forward to more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Lexy Campbell, protagonist of Catriona McPherson's Last Ditch series (named for the Last Ditch Motel, where the colorful cast of characters is housed) has a unique voice: bright, irreverent, glib and facile. Lexy offers a running commentary on culture clash -- and not just Scottish-American culture, but California culture, with which a majority of Americans also frequently clash.

So there's a light, funny tone. I wish I had read the first two in the series before tackling this one, because I sometimes felt left out of the joke. Still, these are good characters (in every sense of the word), and I liked the sense of family they created.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance readers copy

Lexy Campbell, a transplanted Scotsman, is a therapist/counselor and sometimes amateur sleuth, living on a houseboat behind the Last Ditch motel in California. Shortly after a bronze statue is stolen from the town square, Lexy receives a visit from her ex-husband, Bran. His wife, Brandee is missing and Bran wants to hire Lexy and her rag-tag friends (and fellow sleuths) to find her.

Scot on the Rocks is quite a romp. Make no mistake, there are puns, wordplays, and the usual cast of quirky characters. The writing is somewhat unusual, so it might take a reader a little time (as it did for me) to get used to the cadence and vocabulary. Also, since I haven’t read the previous books in the series (Scot on the Rocks is #3), there was a bit of a learning curve to figure out the backstories. But, overall, it is an enjoyable read, plenty of laughs, and a somewhat over-the-top plot that will keep many readers entertained.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Lexy, who followed Bran to the US from Scotland for a short marriage, is still living here on a houseboat moored next to the Last Ditch Motel. She's running her marriage counseling business but also does investigations and now she's got a conundrum. Bran has come to her for help in finding Brandee, his first wife and now his third wife, who has gone missing. AND, a statue of Mama Cute has been taken- except that one toe has been left behind with a note. A menacing note that will be echoed in one sent to Bran. Can Lexy find both of them? Are they linked? No spoilers from me but this rises and falls on the characters. The denizens of the motel are a hoot, Lexy's a fish out of water in the US and Bran, well, Bran's still a rat. This sometimes gets a little much but it's still a good read that will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The cover alludes to a simply cozy but this is so much more. More depth and an author's voice that creates various atmosphere s and characters to create a true not to read. The relationips, especially Todd & Lex, are funny, charming and never full. Todd is a blast! The motel & houseboat act as perfect backgrounds for our hapless hero's to be in love it
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Could not get through 2 chapters. Had no idea where story was taking place, jumped around and couldn’t folllow where characters came into the plot.

The Fun Begins.....
Lexy Campbell is back in this latest enjoyable romp. When Lexy’s ex husband asks for help in finding his present wife, the fun begins. The case appears to mirror the disappearance of statues around the town. Can Lexy get to the bottom of the mystery? An entertaining, engaging and fun read.

A Last Ditch Mystery #3

What is our favorite Scot up to now?

The town is up in arms after the bronze statue of Mama Cuento is stolen. And on Valentine’s Day! While everyone is scratching their heads over how such a large statue could just be gone, someone finds one bronze toe and a ransom note. Give them what they want or the other nine toes will follow.

As if that wasn’t enough, Bran turns up. Bran being the ex-husband of Lexy for all of five minutes before he went back to his Brandee. So there is no love lost there. He gives her a pitiful story of Brandee being kidnapped, along with one fake fingernail and a sketchy ransom note.

A very odd coincidence? Or is there a serial kidnapper on the loose?

Does she even want to find Brandee? Probably not.

Lexy is still getting used to the language, which is always fun and her band of merry (okay, some not so merry) helpers are determined to find out who did what and why?!

This series is so funny. But also it’s about fitting in, this group of crime solvers is all a bit outside of the norm, and that only makes them more lovable.

What in the world will happen next?

Well Done!

NetGalley Review/ February 2nd. 2021 by Severn House Publishers

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Severn House, in return for an honest review. This is the third book in this series and easily read as a stand-alone. Ms. McPherson is a well- respected writer of a long-running historical series, stand alone thrillers, and this modern-day ‘fish out of water’ series.
Set in California, Lexie Campbell is a transplanted, divorced Scotswoman. She lives on a small houseboat behind the Last Ditch Motel, which houses some of her best & funniest friends. She is a therapist/life coach and amateur sleuth. There are puns, wordplay and commentaries on the differences between American and UK words that are comical to realize.
When Lexie’s ex-husband hires her to find his wife, Brandee, things turn even odder than usual. Add the mysterious kidnapping of a famous and massive local statue of ‘Mama Cuento’ and Lexie has her hands full of strange happenings. Added by her friends, Lexie solves it all and survives to thrive another day!

Lexy and co are back!
Lexy Campbell, Scottish therapist/life coach/amateur sleuth, lives on her wee houseboat at the back of a motel in a small Californian city, The motel is populated by a small cast of long term residents with big dreams and their own problems. Lexy's ex, Bran, hires her to find current wife Brandeee.
A statue goes missing. The patriarchy may be involved somehow. Mayhem ensues.
This is a total romp of a book, full of fun, some genuine laughs and no end of wry smiles.
It's the third in this fish-out-of-water caper series by a versatile writer who is also responsible for a superb golden age pastiche series and stand alone contemporary thrillers.
It can easily be read on its own merits, but once you've met Lexy and her emotional support humans you will be tempted to read the first two.

Lexy Campbell is an amateur sleuth that I would like to follow around! The bronze statue of local legend Mama Cuento is stolen on Valentine's Day. Lexy discovers a clue and ransom note. As she starts on the case her ex husband asks her to find his current wife. The clues are almost the same as the statue. This was a fun cozy with great characters. I enjoyed the mystery and all the twist and turns.
#ScotontheRocks #NetGalley

This is the third in the hilarious Last Ditch mystery series following Scot Free and Scot and Soda, and featuring zany therapist Lexy Campbell. Set in California, Lexy is asked by her ex husband to find his current wife, now missing perhaps kidnapped. The result is a riot of dry humor, featuring the usual cast of characters inhabiting the Last Ditch Motel, with appalling puns and wordplay mingling with avid detection work mostly in harmony with a trio of police officers who at times resemble the Keystone Cops. Huge fun, and not a bad mystery. I look forward to more.