A pleasant read, but a disappointing mystery. It relies on someone killing to keep a secret that could not plausibly have survived even this far, and one certainly doomed by its repetition to hundreds of interested buffs. ( )

Forensic anthropology student Elizabeth MacPherson agrees to serve as “Maid of the Cat” at a Highland Games festival in Virginia, bringing along her flamboyant cousin Geoffrey. In addition to tending Cluny, a bobcat, she meets a bewildered Scottish marine biologist (who had no idea what tartan he should be wearing) with a charming accent… and gets involved in a murder, of course. The mystery itself was simple even for me, but a last-minute twist puts a new spin on how it was solved. The cast of characters and the setting are highly entertaining. ( )

Elizabeth MacPherson, forensic anthropology grad student and amateur sleuth, continues her mystery-solving adventures among the loony subcultures of the American South. The real attraction of the story is McCrumb's depiction of heritage-mad Scots-Americans who go to extraordinary lengths to "authentically" recreate a mostly imaginary past. It's played mostly for laughs (and they are numerous) but you can see her beginning to play with themes that she'll give serious attention in her more substantial "Ballad Novels." The rest of the book is mostly perfunctory: The mystery is sketchy, the plot has too many loose ends, and few of the characters (Elizabeth included) escape from two-dimensionality for very long. You can see flashes of the writer McCrumb would later become, however, in the deftly sketched character of the sheriff and in a bravura scene where an old man flashes back to his service as a WWII bomber crew member. ( )

Interesting juxtaposition of a real Scot set next to those who are enthusiastic about a "Scottish" world that doesn't really exist anymore. Having the sheriff be part of a Civil War re-enactment group underscored that theme. Still Elizabeth is kind of bugging me. She is too naive and somehow not very believable. The mystery seemed almost an afterthought and not very convincing. ( )

I don't think I even finished this one. The tape (I listen to audio) was SOOOOO bad I couldn't even finish it. Didn't break my heart though. ( )