The Christmas Puzzle is the 8th book in the Pitkirtly series and I think they just get better and better. This series is my favourite as I just love the characters and the cosiness of their mysteries.
This time Amaryllis is a Christmas elf and she's persuaded, I mean told, Jock he has to be Santa for the up and coming Christmas festivities in Pitkirtly. Amaryllis seems to be growing up (a bit) in that she is thinking of running for a place on the council. Probably so she can keep a better eye on things.
As usual there is a dead body. You'd think the local police station would have longer opening hours with all the murders that happen round here. All the favourite characters appear with a few newcomers. But which of the newcomers is the murderer? Is there actually a murderer or was it just an accident?
I find these books a gentle read, with more characterisation than action and that suits me just fine. As the series goes on, I get to know the characters deeper and deeper and I have hopes for what they do and don't do in the story.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OKZIE8G?tag=jookuf-21
There is a cat killer operating in the Glasgow area. Eddie the vet is asked to look into this, but he has suspicions that the killer might go onto humans. Nobody in the police takes him seriously, even when the coincidences are too great to ignore.
This is the second book by this author and whilst I thoroughly recommended the first one to my father-in-law, I'm not sure I would recommend this one. The first book was a more gentle tale. This one is rather explicit, and at times nasty, in the murder scenes.
As an overall serial killer story, it was well set out with the reader being just a step ahead of Eddie and Catherine, the young policewoman who is helping him. Even when the story was particularly nasty, I wanted to keep on reading to make sure that the killer got his justice.
I struggled a bit with the Glaswegian vernacular, but there was a glossary at the end for if I wasn't sure of anything. Luckily there wasn't too much so it didn't take me out of the story.
I preferred the first story (The Cabinetmaker) but this is definitely an author I'd like to read more of.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OM3UVCI/?tag=jookuf-21
