Review: Scotzilla

Scotzilla by Catriona McPherson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Our favourite Scottish marriage counsellor Lexy Campbell is marrying keen ornithologist (and younger guy) Taylor. Unfortunately, this has turned her into Bridezilla but she's Scottish, so Scotzilla. She's completely oblivious while her friends and family are quietly despairing, especially when she hires someone called Sister Sunshine as her wedding planner.

Meanwhile, Trinity for Life (the detective/counselling/designer service she Kathi and Todd set up) has been engaged by a wacky group of four cemetery volunteers who call themselves The Sexton Beetles, but because of Todd and Kathi's phobias Trinity rename them the Sex Volunteers (because that sounds better?). Anyway the volunteers have come for help because someone/a group of someones is decorating graves, often in an unkind way, highlighting physical characteristics of the deceased or implying things about them. The volunteers have gone to the Police and the local press but no-one will take them seriously. Cue a lot of skulking around graveyards.

Then, just before the ceremony, Lexy's wedding planner is found murdered by a string of fairy lights. Can the gang solve the crime?

I'll be honest I wasn't feeling this AT ALL as you can guess because I have only just finished this over a month after it was published. It felt like the cemetery capers and Bridezilla went on for over half the book and frankly the murder of Sister Sunshine felt like an afterthought. The running round in circles got old quick and I didn't get the same vibe from the other inhabitants of the Last Ditch Motel. Maybe its because its the seventh book in the series and by the time everyone has done their special 'thing' half the book has gone and there's not enough room for plot. Maybe its because I could see some things coming a mile off. IDK. Hopefully this is just a 'it's not you it's me' thing because I loved the last book. Also I see from the acknowledgements that the book was written during a difficult time for the author so maybe that had some influence?

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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