The Singing Sleuth Goes Home [Paperback]

D.B. Barton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2009

On returning to his birthplace in the Scottish Highlands, Alec DunBarton expected to see his family, visit local attractions, enjoy traditional fare, and marry his sweetheart. He didn't anticipate that a killer would disturb those plans.

From the moment Alec set eyes upon Ian Griffin, he knew there would be trouble. The man bore an extraordinary resemblance to Henry VIII and had the poor manners to match. Griffin had been invited to the annual conference of the Caledonian Writer's Association to critique the work of its members. As the busy weekend gets underway, Alec is none too surprised to discover the literary agent's egotistical head severed from his portly body.

Any one of the CWA committee members could have beheaded him. Was it: Edward Coleman, the sophisticated history professor; Skye Duncan, the Highlands' "Lady of Mystery;" Robbie MacGregor, the hotel's executive chef; Hattie Boyle, the dowdy whisky-distillery manager; Tim O'Reilly, the adulterous American travel writer; or Luann O'Reilly, his wealthy browbeaten wife

Alec soon discovers that murder is the least of his problems. His mother, a constant reminder of his painful past and the biggest obstacle to his plans to marry Paige Anderson has caused Alec to ask himself-Can you ever go home again?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A tale never loses in the telling" is a Scottish Proverb that came to mind as I read The Singing Sleuth Goes Home.  Author D. B. Barton had a murder mystery to tell and it was, indeed, told well without losing anything at all.  The book begins with a trip to Alec Dunbarton’s birthplace in the Scottish Highlands.  He is bringing his bride-to-be home to meet his family for the first time.  On the plane trip, they are unfortunate enough to encounter a most vile man named Ian Griffin. Being unwittingly prophetic, Alec finds himself realizing that he is "afraid that the odious man won’t survive the weekend."
Alec’s cheerful and beautiful fiancée, Paige, has words with the soon-to-be-late Ian Griffin herself; her usually kind demeanor is transformed by her strong defense of Alec to the lout.  As the story progresses it is easy to see that absolutely no one can stomach the man.
The descriptions of Scotland are lovely, and vivid mental images of the scenery are evoked. The mystery in itself could have many possible solutions, and the interactions of Paige, Alec and the Senior Investigative Office as they try to suss out the culprit are engaging.
What really sets the book apart are the song lyrics.  Each chapter is headed by a Song Title and the name of the Lyricist(s).  Within the chapter, at one point or another, our hero Alec will break into a little bit of the song as a situation or person reminds him of the ditty.
Some abbreviated Scottish history lessons are also sprinkled throughout the book and these serve to make this an even more well-rounded effort by the author.  The reader is treated to romance, some family squabbling, a rather gruesome murder, a plethora of suspects, a virtual vacation to the Scottish Highlands, a cozy mystery, music and even a full selection of authentic Scottish recipes!  The recipes range from porridge and soup, to main courses and specialty desserts.
A very good read. I think most mystery lovers will enjoy it, but those with a penchant for all things Scottish, and those who love good music are in for an extra good read! --Laura Hinds: MyShelf 2009

On the face of it, this is a "whodunnit" - but it has so much more... First of all there's the major Scottish element -and not just that it's set in Scotland and includes Scottish characters. The author has clearly done a lot of local research so there's plenty of local colour from around Inverness as well as the Scottish legal system and local culture, tourism and whisky distilling. Then there's the romantic element, as Alec DunBarton takes his American fiancée back to his Scottish home - a hotel where a writers' conference is taking place. Then Alec's mother creates problems for the couple with her Presbyterian objections to them sharing a bedroom while planning their wedding. Award-winning American author D.B. Barton also uses her experiences of writers' conferences and the motley collection of characters who turn up at such a gathering - in this book, any one of them could be the perpetrator of the murder of an egotistical literary agent. It's a while since I've read a detective story, but all the various elements resulted in me rattling through the pages, wanting to find out what happens next. Of course, I ended up being surprised by "whodunnit"! --Alan Scott: Rampant Scotland 2009

From the Author

This book contains 20 authentic, Scottish recipes. Each one is more delicious (and fattening) than the other!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse.com (January 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440112797
• ISBN-13: 978-1440112799
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,271,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

D.B Barton is the award-winning author of The Singing Sleuth series. When she's not cooking up "delicious" murder mysteries or visiting exotic locales, she conducts writing workshops at local libraries. D. B. Barton is currently writing The Singing Sleuth Does Vegas. She was born in New York City and now lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband Lee Roy and Siamese cat Venus.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick read, March 5, 2011

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Beverly J. Magel "bj" (Federal Way, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Singing Sleuth Goes Home (Paperback)

Very fast read and interesting twist to the sleuth character. Well described Scottish setting for anyone wanting a glimpse of a weekend visit to a Scottish hotel ... simple characters in an interesting who-done-it plot.