| Title | : | A Wee Dose of Death (ScotShop Mystery #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 301 |
| Publication | : | First published January 5, 2016 |
While business is booming at the ScotShop in Hamelin, Vermont, proprietor Peggy Winn doesn’t have time to toast her good fortune thanks to her hot-tempered, fourteenth-century Scottish companion. Being thrust into the modern world hasn’t been easy for Dirk, but Peggy is at her wit’s end trying to keep the ghostie galoot in line.
But when the local police chief finds the body of Peggy’s friend Karaline’s college professor in a deserted mountain cabin, everyone is thrown for a loop. It seems the secretive professor may have been killed over his ecological work, an idea that’s only reinforced when Karaline herself is shot. Now Peggy and Dirk must set aside their differences to put the cold-blooded killer under loch and key...
A Wee Dose of Death (ScotShop Mystery #2) Reviews
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
Peggy and Dirk are back and have their hands full, well as much as a ghost can have his hands full. If you haven’t read the previous story you need to know that Dirk came home to Vermont after a trip Peggy took to England. She purchased a shawl and never knew it came with a ghost as a bonus item.
Cross country skiing is a big thing in Hamelin, Vermont, even the chief of police straps on his skis and grabs his poles every once in a while. His first trip of the season goes horribly wrong when he falls and breaks his leg. With no way to call for help and no one around, he uses his ski to splint his leg and crawls to a nearby cabin. He never expected to find a dead body there. Sadly the guy isn’t missed right away but when he is found he tries to wrap the case before he has all the information. Peggy and her friend Karaline along with a certain cranky 14th century Scotsman try to find out what really happened. When Karaline gets shot things get more than a wee bit serious but Peggy isn’t giving up.
I love that Dirk and Peggy are at odds through most of the story. It has to be hard having him around all the time and answering all his questions. The author keeps the Dirk’s way of speaking genuine to his time period and his reactions to modern day things may me laugh out loud several times. When he gets on her nerves Peggy just folds up the shawl and he disappears. We don’t know where he goes but he doesn’t appreciate being dismissed in that way at all, but it gives Peggy a bit of a breather.
The rest of the characters are fleshed out well and each holds their own in a twisted mystery that will keep the readers on their toes. We also meet a wonderful Scottish terrier named Scamp who seems to make himself right at home in the ScotShop. We are provided with plenty of suspects and several red herrings. I was kept guessing the whole way and figured it all out right along with Peggy.
Fran Stewart has given us a captivating cozy, with witty characters and top notch mystery. I look forward to the next installment, A Wee Homicide in the Hotel was released this month and I will be reading it soon. -
Ugh...I'm not sure what the motivation for the author was, but I found Peggy so unpleasant in the first few chapters that I was ready to give this one a miss. And it didn't get much better when the police chief was turned into such an ridiculous caricature of an inept, misogynistic buffoon that anything involving him was painful to read. By the end of the book, I was wishing that her friend Karaline was the main character instead of Peggy.
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What just happened, the first book was so good and the second is so awful.
The main character has turned into a self absorbed spiteful spoiled brat, choosing to do the wrong thing at every turn, half the time just to spite her ghost because she can't admit to being wrong.
In addition, the author completely changes her writing style, constantly jumping around between 5 or 6 other character's third person perspective, in addition to the main character's first person perspective.
Twice in the first book was fine, but this is just ridiculous.
Hopefully the author will get back on track in the next book.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP. -
Author Fran Stewart has penned a wonderful second installment to her Scotshop mystery series. If you like your cozy mysteries with cranky ghosts, you’re in for more than a wee bit of fun with this delightful story.
Rather you have read the first book in this series, A WEE MURDER IN MY SHOP, or you’re starting with this title, fans of para-cozies will be thrilled with this wonderful read.
Protagonist Peggy Winn and her gruff ghostly companion, Dirk, are back in another exciting story that is sure to delight readers. While I found Dirk’s way of speaking a little distracting at time (but that’s just me), I applaud author Stewart for keeping her fourteenth-century Scotsman ghost authentic. I look forward to seeing if twenty-first century speech will ever start to creep its way into his vocabulary.
A real page turner, A WEE DOSE OF DEATH is filled with mystery and intrigue that carries through the entire story right up to the last chapter. With an exciting ending that will find you holding your breath the whole way through, you’ll be looking forward to the next installment before you’re even finished this story. -
Grabs and doesn't let go. Complex mystery and murder plot that keeps you guessing until the final reveal. Peggy Win owns the ScotShop and during her last visit to Scotland to acquire merchandise, she picked up a beautiful ancient shawl. The shawl came with the ghost of a 14th century Scotsman who was learning about the modern world, while Peggy learned about his. The characters are well developed. An early snow storm covers a murder in a local cabin and the Chief of Police is stranded with the body after breaking his leg while skiing. Peggy becomes involved because her closest friend knew the victim. Peggy is in a snarky mood with her resident ghost and everyone else. We have revenge, greed and identity theft vying for the solution to the murder. It will be interesting to see where the author takes the characters and story line next.
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Since I loved the first book so much, I was expecting to like the second book even more. I was disappointed that I did not. For the first 200 pages, Peggy was just too mean to Dirk for enjoyable reading. The real problem from my viewpoint with A Wee Dose of Death was the ending--there were too many loose ends. I do not want to say more, because that would spoil the reading of what is otherwise a clever story. I am hoping the storylines continue in Book 3. I will still be visiting the Scotshop!
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While I enjoyed visiting with the characters from the first book I did find I missed Peggy's twin brother in this book and hope he is in book three. I don't think that the write up about the book does the story much justice. This story was very complex and more intense a murder then the first story. The Scotshop Mystery Series has the type of inviting covers I just love! Also spoiler alert, you may be reaching for more then a few cups of hot chocolate while reading this chilling tale.
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I don't know what to think about this book. The main characters are just oblivious to everything. Even Harper (does he have a first name?) doesn't seem to catch on to anything.
Again the reason the person was murdered just seemed so far fetched.
What I would like to see is Dirk find his Peigi and they somehow go back to their proper time and Peggy is left all alone with her bad attitude. -
I DNF this - twice. I really tried to read it because I thought the first book was entertaining and amusing, but this story is just dull, dull. I forced myself to read but finally gave up. There's nothing happening here, no plot at all and just the MC talking about the same things over and over. I'm giving up, sadly.
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4 stelle e mezza
Un'altra piacevole lettura, con tante risate quando interagivano Peggy e il fantasma Dick. Sono stata un po' fuorviata dai molti punti di vista usati per raccontare la storia: quello in prima persona della protagonista e quello in terza persona della vittima, di sua moglie, del capo della polizia (personaggio odioso, per la cronaca) e del detective principale. Sarà per questo che non ho proprio capito chi fosse il colpevole? O per essere più precisi, l'ho scartato dopo una breve riflessione? -
http://openbooksociety.com/article/a-...
A Wee Dose of Death
A ScotShop Mystery, Book #2
By Fran Stewart
ISBN 9780425270325
Author’s website:
www.franstewart.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
While business is booming at the ScotShop in Hamelin, Vermont, proprietor Peggy Winn doesn’t have time to toast her good fortune thanks to her hot-tempered, fourteenth-century Scottish companion. Being thrust into the modern world hasn’t been easy for Dirk, but Peggy is at her wit’s end trying to keep the ghostie galoot in line.
But when the local police chief finds the body of Peggy’s friend Karaline’s college professor in a deserted mountain cabin, everyone is thrown for a loop. It seems the secretive professor may have been killed over his ecological work, an idea that’s only reinforced when Karaline herself is shot. Now Peggy and Dirk must set aside their differences to put the cold-blooded killer under loch and key…
Review:
What a fascinating mystery! A Wee Dose of Death is second in A ScotShop Mystery Series, and can be read as a standalone. If you haven’t read the first-in-series, ‘A Wee Murder in My Shop’, the 14th-century Scottish companion referred to in the synopsis is Dirk Farquharson, the ghost of a Scotsman who died in Scotland. What is a bit quirky here is that the ghost died in the 1300’s! The author weaves the background into this mystery very well. Peggy Winn owns a lovely store in Vermont called the ScotShop, which carries Scottish merchandise that both the locals and the tourists appreciate.
Peggy is not the favorite person of Mac Campbell, CHIEF of police in Hamelin since she helped solve the murder that occurred earlier that year. A crabby curmudgeon, he took some time from the force and went skiing. After breaking his leg on a slope, he hobbled to a typically-vacant cabin nearby to find the dead body of one of the professors from the local college. By the time he gave up on being rescued and hobbled away, it would be harder to find the victim’s killer. The plot twists begin quickly: Emily, the professor’s widow and a friend of Peggy’s,is one of the suspects, but odd things were beginning to occur around town. Some of the things that the professor had taken with him were not in his personal effects. With Mac in traction in the hospital, Peggy’s BFF Karaline to go up to the cabin where the victim had been found because she knew him quite well from college. Off Peggy went, searching for the murderer, with the help of Karaline (who was the only other person who could see Dirk) and the Scotsman. Their investigation did open up evidence and questions, and gave the murder more targets to aim for.
Whew! This mystery required a little thought when reading, and I think that the reason why also produced the most humor. The conversations between Peggy and the Scotsman, Dirk were not only a source of language and cultural differences, but also the differences that over 600 years of change and the last century’s technological advances. Even watching him try to pronounce the things he didn’t understand was funny, yet it had to be a challenge for Peggy to explain to Dirk in terms he could understand what various items, concepts or studies are. No wonder the lovable Scot is a bit cantankerous! My tamoshanter is off to the author for her creativity and clearly thinking through what a 14th-century Scot would find unusual in 21st-century America! And what Peggy sees as unusual in his 1300’s mindset and ideas! I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what history and technology he will be introduced to in future tales!
Peggy and Karaline are three-dimensional; through the course of the book, Emily becomes much more so. Each of the three ladies are people we could enjoy meeting, possessing a depth of character that helped them endure through good and tough times. I think we will learn more and more about Dirk in successive novels, but there is enough seen to show his ability to adapt, even if rolled up in the scarf or challenging Peggy’s belief systems. Peggy also finds more situations in which Dirk can be of help. The police CHIEF provides sufficient comic relief for the townspeople. I do hope to see much more of Scamp in the future!
The plot is interesting, the reader can’t assume anything about anybody as to whether they are the bad guy or gal. Harper, Peggy’s potential sweetie, is one of the wiser people in the police department; he is diligently trying to solve the murder in spite of his personal troubles. For Peggy and Karaline, business still had to continue even as they searched and brainstormed the who and the why. I couldn’t identify the individual responsible, even though the motive was at least partially revealed. This cozy keeps one guessing until almost the end. I highly recommend A Wee Dose of Death to anyone enjoying a cozy mystery chock-full of humor and suspense, one that aids the reader to use imagination with Dirk and wisdom to solve a challenging mystery. It is a real treat!
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour* -
Fascinating second book in series! What a premise, to have one's very own personal 1300's Scottish ghost! The author's imagination and intelligence makes her plot a worthy cozy mystery. The characters are delightful, even Dirk! While I figured out only part of the motive, finding the bad guys or gals was more challenging. The plot twists kept me guessing, after grabbing my attention at the beginning and keeping it throughout. A very talented author; I will look forward to reading more.
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I really enjoyed the first book and I think I would have enjoyed this more if it hadn't jumped viewpoints so much. In the first hundred pages it jumped to about 4 or 5 different viewpoints, sometimes even multiple times. I thought the love story was also a bit simplistic but the main problem for myself was the jumping around to points of view, even when it wasn't necessary.
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Not completely through with the book, but wanted to give my two cents worth. The premise of the book is good, but I find Peggy, the main character is totally unlikable. Between her and the Chief of Police, Mac Campbell, there is so much grumbling it takes away from the story. I will probably not read another in the series.
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I didn’t care for the main character, she’s an immature brat, which for a successful small business owner, is surprising and annoying. I enjoyed the ghost, best friend and love interest. I don’t know if I’ll read another one from this author or series.
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A Wee Dose of Death is book two in the Scotshop Mystery series. In the first book Peggy went to Scotland to get some things for her Vermont shop and bought a shawl that contained a ghost. Dirk is a Highlander from a long time ago and has no clue what all this modern stuff is so he is always full of questions.
Peggy is getting use to her ghost and her friend Karaline can also see him. Peggy went out skiing and took Dirk along with her (he can only go where the shawl goes). The see a cabin and Peggy can her the sheriff in there and since they don't get along she doesn't go and see what was going on. Dirk thinks they should have but she ignores him. Later they find out that the sheriff was hurt and that he found a dead body.
The body is an old professor friend of her friend Karaline and so they are naturally curious about what might have happened to him. Then her friend is shot and things get a bit intense for Peggy. She needs to find out who the killer is before anyone else, herself included gets hurt.
Peggy is a decent character but she kind of annoyed me a bit this go around. Mainly because of how she treated Dirk, the ghost. See if she doesn't want him around she can roll him up in his shawl and he disappears. Yes, he is chatty and full of questions but he also makes comments on things she does. Mostly, she gets tired of him being right and being aggravated because she doesn't' want to admit it so she ignores him and I thought it a bit petty. I like Dirk. There is a love interest, at least Harper thinks he is, and I think Peggy likes him but not much is going on there, so at times I wasn't sure. :)
Despite Peggy annoying me at times I really enjoyed this installment and thought it had a pretty good mystery as I really wasn't sure who the killer was. I like the setting and the Scottish theme. -
Marcus Wantstring wasn't looking for a place to die.
A university professor is murdered in a cabin on a cross country ski trail. The police chief breaks his leg on the trail and seeks refuge in the cabin and discovers the body. ScotShop owner, Peggy is skiing the same trail and hears the Chief cursing and does not approach the cabin much to the dismay of her resident ghost, Dirk. The ScotShop acquires a new mascot when Gilda brings in her new Scottish Terrier, Scamp. It is only after the paper reports Chief Campbell missing that Peggy lets the police know where he is.
This book seemed a little disjointed compared to the first one. Peggy seemed a little petty about folding the shawl and sending Dirk to whatever void he inhabits when the shawl is not in use. We meet the murder victim without knowing much about him. We learn more of his life through his wife who has befriended Peggy and Peggy's friend Karaline who was one of his graduate students. Harper has been gone and learn that his father died in South America.
There are all sorts of twists and turns about the professor, Harper's dad and the various graduate students. The story did not flow as well although it was an enjoyable read,
I still appreciate when Peggy is trying to explain 21st century things to Dirk. I missed Peggy's brother this round. I really didn't like how dismissive Peggy could be with Dirk. I'm hoping the next book focuses more on the shop and the lore of Scotland. -
Wee Dose Of Death is the second book in the A ScotsShop Mystery series.
Peggy Winn, who owns ScotShop, a Scottish apparel shop in Hamelin, VT., decides to do a little cross country skiing and sets out on her favorite trail. As she nears a cabin where she plans to turn around and head back, she notices an area in snow that looks as if someone has fallen and has dragged their selves to the cabin. As she nears the cabin she hears Mac Campbell swearing and figures that he must be all right. She then turns around and heads back to town. Everything is not all right, as Mac had broken his leg and there is a dead body in the cabin.
A day or two later, Peggy hears that Campbell is supposedly missing and she lets the police know where he is. Soon after Mac is rescued, the body is identified as a biology professor that had gone to the cabin for some solitude and to work on a secret paper.
Peggy and Karaline Logg, a former student of the professor, visit the campus to talk with some of his grad students to gather information as to who might have wanted the professor dead.
Gilda who works in Peggy's store has returned after being in an alcohol abuse center and has returned with an adorable Scottie pup who has set residence in the shop. This is an enjoyable series with interesting and believable characters. Of course her Dirk, her ghost, is back to provide some humor.
Looking forward to the next book in the series to what mischief Dirk and the Scottie, Scamp, will get into and visit with the other residents of Hamelin. -
4.25 Stars
Sexual Content: None
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content: None
Violent Content: Minimal
A Wee Dose of Death by Fran Stewart is the second book in the Scotshop Mystery series. Peggy Winn owns the ScotShop an apparel shop in Hamelin, Vermont. After returning from an overseas trip where she picked up items for her shop, Peggy finds herself dealing with a long dead Scotish companion who came along with a beautiful tartan shawl she had purchased. But “Dirk” as she calls him is the least of her problems, as she, her best friend Karaline, the local police and Dirk have to deal with the death of a local professor.
A Wee Dose of Death was a great read. I loved the interactions between Peg, Karaline and Dirk (who only Peg and Karaline can see). Peg is a little harsh on her resident ghost at times, but I think that is because he is right more often than she cares to admit. Secondary characters including Karaline, Harper (a possible love interest), and Mac (a police chief) add a lot to the story. The mystery is tightly woven and it kept me guessing until the very end. The descriptions of Vermont weather and scenery make things easy to visualize and make reading this novel more enjoyable. While reading the first book in the series might tie things up more completely, this book still works well as a standalone novel.
-- WENDY -
The wife of the murder victim is treated abominably by everyone. Oh no!! Is the woman bothering you by talking and having needs of her own? *horrified emoji* Massive amounts of mental health abuse, by the characters and the author.
Our living protagonist is HATEFUL in this book. Just flat out a jerk. It's really bad. To our victim's wife, but others too.
Our dead protagonist is hateful in this book. Abusive and controlling. That's not okay!!!
The plot holes and hanging threads greatly resemble my early knitting attempts. The killer is obvious from the start. Most of the book involves people abusing the widow, and ignoring actual clues. It's EXTREMELY frustrating.
Romance: our "love interest?" declares to himself "I'm going to marry this woman one day". They've never gone on a date. They kissed once in the first book, then he disappeared for 2 months without contacting her. So yeah. It's weird.
As with the first book it's a White cis-het world. There's a lot of Black people in Vermont. Trans people exist. Just saying.
The exclusions existed in the first book but it was a fun read that I marked down for the "White woman refuses to accept that the world isn't White cis-het.". This is a terribly written hateful book which is also racist and Queer phobic. So really there's nothing worth reading it for. Go read some Nnedi Okorafor. Better in every single way. -
This second book in the series was very quick and enjoyable reading.
We are back in the Scottish Town of Hamelin, Vermont with the owner of The ScotShop, Peggy.
Peggy lives alone with her cat, Shorty, and a ghost, nicknamed Dirk from the 14th Century. Dirk arrived via a hand-woven scarf that Peggy purchased on a trip to Scotland prior opening her shop.
Dirk is attached to the scarf but anxious and eager to learn everything he can of this new country. His eagerness often gets on Peggy's last nerve. Luckily, one other person can see and talk with him...Karaline Logg of Logg Cabin Restaurant.
In this volume we learn that Karaline was a microbiologist. Why is that important? Because, it is her former mentor Professor Wantstring who is found dead in a cabin with the Chief of Police, Mac who is severely injured from a skiing accident.
But, why would someone kill a Microbiologist and steal all of his papers? What is the secret the man was striving to keep even from his wife? And, his wife...why is she so negative?
This was a well-written novel. -
Peggy Winn runs a shop selling Scottish wares in Vermont. She also has a 600 year old ghost who haunts a shawl she bought in Scotland.
Personally, I didn't like Peggy. She was childish, self-centered, and irritating. Several of the other characters weren't much better, in particular the sheriff. The whole mystery seemed far-fetched and unbelievable.
The only reason I've giving it a two instead of one star is because I liked the dog. -
3.5 stars -- The "You hurt the ones you love" adage is apropos.
Maybe it is how the author wanted Peggy to (inappropriately) cope with her on-hold love interest with Harper and her feelings for Dirk...but Peggy was kind of a jerk in this story. Aside from the accumulation of spiders wherever Dirk is present, I think it'd be cool to have a Scottish ghost hanging around.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the mystery plotline and - woohoo! - now there's Scamp the Scottie! -
When I first started this mystery, She found myself becoming irritated with the main character, Peggy. She seemed quite rude at times and very abrupt. As the story went on, she seemed more mellow. I found the story line quite good.
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This book wasn't as strong as the first one. There was much more ... character work in this one that I didn't think pushed the plot forward. If it has been with one of the four major characters I might have been ok with it be the story took a deep dive into an unlikable character that I just didn't have fun reading and I didn't feel moved the story.
Also, there was a lot of interesting character work with the wife of the murder victim that felt like it never got resolved or at least explained.
I am going to try the third book just to see if the story is part of the third book so it will make more sense.
Also, the murder mystery felt a little tacked on. This was disappointing because the ones in the first book was so completing even if didn't start until halfway through.
