In the Scottish village of Inversgail, retired librarian Janet Marsh and her colleagues keep busy running Yon Bonnie Books and solving mysteries. They're still catching their breath from their last murder investigation (Thistles and Thieves) when Heather Kilbride, an eccentric true-crime writer, shows up, claiming she's researching the case for a book. Janet's curiosity and frustration are piqued, especially when Heather leaves a dummy dressed in her own clothes near the scene of the previous murder for any passersby to find, claiming it's "research." But when Heather herself is found dead at a nearby circle of standing stones, Janet and her daughter Tallie, plus their colleagues Christine and Summer, begin to investigate.
Heather and Homicide, MacRae's fourth Highland Bookshop mystery, mixes a sometimes confusing murder case with plenty of scones, local gossip and an interesting subplot involving miniature books. Familiar village characters, including Christine's elderly parents and kindhearted shop owner Basant, make appearances. An attack on the local priest and the presence of several "mystery men," including Heather's fiancé, provide further confusion and complications. Janet and her compatriots do their best to pursue clues in between selling books and brewing tea, though their sleuthing sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. Meanwhile, the bookshop plays host to a new writers' group, and the women do a bit of digging into local history for an upcoming bookshop event. Full of atmosphere, wry humor and red herrings, Heather and Homicide is a cozy companion for a dreich evening. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams