The Lavender Butterfly Murders: A Scotia MacKinnon Mystery (Scotia MacKinnon Mystery Series) [Paperback]

Sharon Duncan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Scotia MacKinnon Mystery Series | Publication Date: August 3, 2004

At a yoga retreat on nearby Santa Maria Island, Scotia becomes embroiled in a nasty struggle between the spa's innkeeper and her rustic neighbors, a series of "accidents"-and what looks like murder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A solid mystery series with everything working for it: strong protagonist and well-crafted plot. -- Mystery Reader

Scotia MacKinnon is tough, clever, interesting, and believable. -- Carolyn Hart

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Signet; 1ST edition (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 045121269X
• ISBN-13: 978-0451212696
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,747,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent crime thriller, August 3, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lavender Butterfly Murders: A Scotia MacKinnon Mystery (Scotia MacKinnon Mystery Series) (Paperback)

After three marriages, two ending in death and one in divorce, Scotia Mackinnon is content having a relationship with renown maritime attorney Nicholas Arastazi. Right now, she is furious with her lover because after being with him for over a decade, she is not invited to his daughter's wedding. She decides to accept the invitation from the new owner of the hotel resort Dei Fiori on Santa Maria Island in the Pacific Northwest and forget about Nick for the time being.

From the time she steps foot on the island, she finds the atmosphere dark and foreboding. The local residents (double digits) are doing their best to get the resort closed down. A guest slips on wet steps requiring transport to the nearest trauma unit. A second guest, a California reporter, is found dead and the coroner rules it an accident. The owner finds out that her younger husband is making whoopee with one of the guests and Scotia puts certain clues together and realizes a murder is about to occur if she's not fast enough to stop it.

After three marriages, and twenty years in law enforcement, nothing surprises the protagonist. She is tough, independent and sticks up for what she believes in and is always willing to give a friend a helping hand. Sharon Duncan is a talented writer who describes the vacation from hell to perfection. Anything that can go wrong does and it is Scotia who finds herself picking up the pieces as everyone else has emotional breakdowns. THE LAVENDER BUTTERFLY MURDERS is an excellent crime thriller.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scotia is GREAT!!, October 9, 2004

By 

Richard Shekelle (Friday Harbor, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lavender Butterfly Murders: A Scotia MacKinnon Mystery (Scotia MacKinnon Mystery Series) (Paperback)

Scotia is a very real person. She is not some fabulously wealthy super-intellect. Nor is she an expert in martial arts or hacking into computers or whatever. She is intellectually curious, a pretty good sailor, and a very independent person out to make a life for herself in the San Juan Islands. Just the sort of person you would expect to find living on her sailboat in Friday Harbor. And she has some great stories to tell through the pen of Sharon Duncan.