Retired Texas law enforcement officer Alen and his wife Joan are on their way to Scotland for their first new job...house sitting. I had to laugh when Alen says "I am glad that our first job is somewhere where they speak English" ... I immediately thought "famous last words my friend... you Just you wait!" My grandfather was from Scotland, and I spent the first 12 or so years of my life literally translating his "English" to our neighbors. Joan and Alen arrive... settle in... and are thrilled with it all... the house...the dog, (especially the dog) ...even the weather. Quickly they are being asked for help by one of their neighbors. Seems he has become the victim of blackmail. Now this "mystery" which really wasn't much of one to start with...kind of takes a back burner...as is often the case with cozies. While sightseeing and taking several tours Alen & Joan are learning a lot about Scotland...the history and the various traditions. They actually start to understand the speech of the people. While doing these things and settling down, they take the opportunity to enjoy the things closer to home like taking long walks with the dog. I love the dog's name...meet Sherlock, a border collie that is sometimes smarter than the people around him. This book is truly a part of the "cozy" genera. You won't find any dead bodies lying around...or more bodies meeting their ends in various gory manners...no bloody knives or smoking guns. If you are waiting for these things, you may find this story.... boring...but the characters are very likeable, and the dog is so, so cute. The book also has a lot of information at the end about the history of Scotland and some recipes and a lot of pictures. It was good to quietly visit Scotland again as I used to do with my gramps. You can almost hear the drone of the pipes if you close your eyes and listen closely. ( )

Laboured style with some jarring choices. For example, a paragraph which starts in the third person then switches to first person without quotes or italics to denote a change from narration to thoughts.

Abandoned. ( )