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Last Ditch Mystery #8
Scot’s Eggs
It’s egg-hunt season, but Lexy Campbell is spending Easter hunting a killer!
Not even Cuento’s Easter bonnet parade can distract Lexy Campbell from conception woes and missing tourists Bill and Billie Miller. The Millers’ vintage Mustang has been abandoned, its interior covered in blood.
Is this a double murder, and if so, where are the bodies? Why were the Millers spending the night in their car? Did they pitch up at the Last Ditch Motel only to be turned away? Are they really dead? The Trinity for Trouble are quickly on the case!
As they start to identify the guests staying at the motel the weekend before Easter – including a Goth and a barbershop singer on stilts – disturbing evidence comes to light. Can Lexy see though all the deception to unmask the truth and save the Last Ditch?
Fans of Janet Evanovich and Sarah Strohmeyer will fall head over heels for this addictive mystery that's full of twists and laugh out loud humour.
Not even Cuento’s Easter bonnet parade can distract Lexy Campbell from conception woes and missing tourists Bill and Billie Miller. The Millers’ vintage Mustang has been abandoned, its interior covered in blood.
Is this a double murder, and if so, where are the bodies? Why were the Millers spending the night in their car? Did they pitch up at the Last Ditch Motel only to be turned away? Are they really dead? The Trinity for Trouble are quickly on the case!
As they start to identify the guests staying at the motel the weekend before Easter – including a Goth and a barbershop singer on stilts – disturbing evidence comes to light. Can Lexy see though all the deception to unmask the truth and save the Last Ditch?
Fans of Janet Evanovich and Sarah Strohmeyer will fall head over heels for this addictive mystery that's full of twists and laugh out loud humour.
- GenresMystery
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2025
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Catriona McPherson
52 books526 followersCatriona McPherson (she/her) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the US in 2010. She writes: preposterous 1930s private-detective stories about a toff; realistic 1940s amateur-sleuth stories about an oik; and contemporary psychothriller standalones. These are all set in Scotland with a lot of Scottish weather. She also writes modern comedies about a Scot-out-of-water in a “fictional” college town in Northern California.
She has won multiple Anthonys, Agathas, Leftys and Macavitys for her work and been shortlisted for an Edgar, three Mary Higgins Clark awards and a UK dagger
Catriona is a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime.
She has won multiple Anthonys, Agathas, Leftys and Macavitys for her work and been shortlisted for an Edgar, three Mary Higgins Clark awards and a UK dagger
Catriona is a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 30, 2025
This isn’t a series you can blithely crash and hope to muddle your way through. Lexy, formerly from Scotland, lives on a barge on the edge of wetlands behind the Last Ditch Motel with her recently-married husband, Taylor. They are now trying for a baby and so far – are unsuccessful. McPherson’s warm humour manages to find the funny aspects of this stressful situation that at times had me laughing aloud, even while blinking away tears at Lexy’s distress. It takes a special writer to achieve that balance.
One of the main reasons why this book is not an ideal introduction to Lexy and friends, is that apparently, a murder has been committed – and it looks as if the Last Ditch Motel has been involved in some way. A married couple on the road and passing through Cuento attempted to find somewhere to stop when the wife became ill with a migraine, so she could manage the pain and get a night’s sleep. It so happens that the motel owners and part of Lexy’s found family – Noleen and Kathy – had taken the weekend off for a get-away of their own. And the locum managers that stepped in made a complete mess of the official paperwork, so no one can work out exactly which guests were staying where. So it’s down to those who live at the motel to describe and identify them.
The muddle continues, with a car found abandoned full of gore, but still no bodies; conflicting descriptions of weird individuals wandering around Last Ditch – and an increasingly exasperated local police officer. It’s hilarious and concerning at the same time. Especially as the motel’s reputation is also on the line. Publicity about a motel where no one exactly knows what happened to a nice, respectable middle-aged couple doesn’t bring extra guests flooding in, apparently. The situation is heightened when their son and daughter show up, traumatised and keen to prove that their parents are still alive. Just missing.
I loved every bit of this one. The twisty plot, the ongoing warmth and generosity of spirit displayed by the Last Ditch families and the constant snarky asides the have me sniggering aloud and prevent this from descending into sentimentalised mush. I’ll be honest – I had sort of guessed who the murderers were about two-thirds through the book. But it didn’t really matter – because these books are about so much more than the hunting of a murderer. They’re about the lives of people who wouldn’t necessarily be welcomed into ‘respectable’ neighbourhoods – not because they’re dishonest or disruptive, but because of their differences – of ethnicity, of sexual preferences, of neurodiversity. McPherson provides us with insights into this disparate group – warts and all – while coping with the challenge of daily life.
I was sorry to come the end, but put the book down with a smile on my face. Because the affectionate tolerance, coupled with laugh-aloud humour, left me warm and happy. I’d love to see McPherson’s books become huge best-sellers – she is a tonic. This series is very highly recommended for fans who enjoy quirky, humorous whodunits. While I obtained a copy of Scot’s Eggs from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10
One of the main reasons why this book is not an ideal introduction to Lexy and friends, is that apparently, a murder has been committed – and it looks as if the Last Ditch Motel has been involved in some way. A married couple on the road and passing through Cuento attempted to find somewhere to stop when the wife became ill with a migraine, so she could manage the pain and get a night’s sleep. It so happens that the motel owners and part of Lexy’s found family – Noleen and Kathy – had taken the weekend off for a get-away of their own. And the locum managers that stepped in made a complete mess of the official paperwork, so no one can work out exactly which guests were staying where. So it’s down to those who live at the motel to describe and identify them.
The muddle continues, with a car found abandoned full of gore, but still no bodies; conflicting descriptions of weird individuals wandering around Last Ditch – and an increasingly exasperated local police officer. It’s hilarious and concerning at the same time. Especially as the motel’s reputation is also on the line. Publicity about a motel where no one exactly knows what happened to a nice, respectable middle-aged couple doesn’t bring extra guests flooding in, apparently. The situation is heightened when their son and daughter show up, traumatised and keen to prove that their parents are still alive. Just missing.
I loved every bit of this one. The twisty plot, the ongoing warmth and generosity of spirit displayed by the Last Ditch families and the constant snarky asides the have me sniggering aloud and prevent this from descending into sentimentalised mush. I’ll be honest – I had sort of guessed who the murderers were about two-thirds through the book. But it didn’t really matter – because these books are about so much more than the hunting of a murderer. They’re about the lives of people who wouldn’t necessarily be welcomed into ‘respectable’ neighbourhoods – not because they’re dishonest or disruptive, but because of their differences – of ethnicity, of sexual preferences, of neurodiversity. McPherson provides us with insights into this disparate group – warts and all – while coping with the challenge of daily life.
I was sorry to come the end, but put the book down with a smile on my face. Because the affectionate tolerance, coupled with laugh-aloud humour, left me warm and happy. I’d love to see McPherson’s books become huge best-sellers – she is a tonic. This series is very highly recommended for fans who enjoy quirky, humorous whodunits. While I obtained a copy of Scot’s Eggs from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10
December 2, 2025
This is book 8 of this most quirky series featuring the inhabitants of the Last Ditch Motel. They are a bit of an eclectic mix and all have rather colourful backstories so, although the main story is self contained, you might fare better if you have read the previous books...
So... it's Easter (well, makes a change from a Christmas story at this time of year) and there is a parade going on. But this isn't everything though... there's also a missing tourist couple whose hire car was found abandoned, covered with blood. It appears that the couple might have stayed at the motel, or tried to, at least, although no one can confirm this as it was left in the hands of caretaker managers, or was it? It all gets a little (rather) convoluted, especially when the tourists' adult children turn up asking their own questions...
I love this series, it is delightfully bonkers and has the best characters. I tried to describe it to someone once but, I think you have to be there (read it yourself) to understand and to make it all make sense! But as well as the motel, three of the characters, have also formed their own detective agency - Trinity. And together they have their work cut out for them as they try and narrow down who was actually staying at the motel on that week end and whether they saw something, or worse... did something?
Meanwhile Lexy is also going for her US citizenship, and if that wasn't enough, also trying for a baby with new husband, Taylor. Both of these side stories add quite a lot of humour to the mix, which, along with the banter and bickering between all the characters is one of the main selling points of this series for me. That and stories that keep me guessing...
It's always nice reconnecting with the characters at the start of each new book, but also sad when I approach the end and know that soon I have to say goodbye to them once again which makes the wholly satisfying ending bittersweet... Until next time...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
So... it's Easter (well, makes a change from a Christmas story at this time of year) and there is a parade going on. But this isn't everything though... there's also a missing tourist couple whose hire car was found abandoned, covered with blood. It appears that the couple might have stayed at the motel, or tried to, at least, although no one can confirm this as it was left in the hands of caretaker managers, or was it? It all gets a little (rather) convoluted, especially when the tourists' adult children turn up asking their own questions...
I love this series, it is delightfully bonkers and has the best characters. I tried to describe it to someone once but, I think you have to be there (read it yourself) to understand and to make it all make sense! But as well as the motel, three of the characters, have also formed their own detective agency - Trinity. And together they have their work cut out for them as they try and narrow down who was actually staying at the motel on that week end and whether they saw something, or worse... did something?
Meanwhile Lexy is also going for her US citizenship, and if that wasn't enough, also trying for a baby with new husband, Taylor. Both of these side stories add quite a lot of humour to the mix, which, along with the banter and bickering between all the characters is one of the main selling points of this series for me. That and stories that keep me guessing...
It's always nice reconnecting with the characters at the start of each new book, but also sad when I approach the end and know that soon I have to say goodbye to them once again which makes the wholly satisfying ending bittersweet... Until next time...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
October 28, 2025
This one isn't for me. I was having siri read it to me and thought I had to be nearly done. There's been so much going on already. Nope, only 35% into the book. It's just constantly throwing more at you. There's several pages that could have been weeded out since it's just the main three investigators bickering back and forth for multiple pages about a tiny detail.
Also, I was expecting it to be a bit more cozy. It was barely cozy. The main characters were really quite abrasive. This could just be because I didn't read the previous books. However, constant bickering, the occasional swearing, and lot of menstruation talk isn't what I'm looking for. I'm all for being able to freely talk about our bodies. How else can one be truly aware of what's normal if we don't know what everyone else is also experiencing.
However, the main character is using it as an excuse to be rude, abrasive, and disrespectful (I know they're synonyms). Seriously, it's not funny to trick someone into seeing you naked with a tampon string sticking to your leg when he's being nice enough to hand you a towel without looking at you. How can she be constantly mention women's rights and equality type comments but then treats a man the way she wouldn't want to be treated. Again, I only got 35% into this book and already that's something that's gone on.
If you like a bit more aggressive but not full on hardcore thrills mystery, maybe this is for more. If you're looking for a classic cozy mystery, this probably isn't going to fit the bill.
Also, I was expecting it to be a bit more cozy. It was barely cozy. The main characters were really quite abrasive. This could just be because I didn't read the previous books. However, constant bickering, the occasional swearing, and lot of menstruation talk isn't what I'm looking for. I'm all for being able to freely talk about our bodies. How else can one be truly aware of what's normal if we don't know what everyone else is also experiencing.
However, the main character is using it as an excuse to be rude, abrasive, and disrespectful (I know they're synonyms). Seriously, it's not funny to trick someone into seeing you naked with a tampon string sticking to your leg when he's being nice enough to hand you a towel without looking at you. How can she be constantly mention women's rights and equality type comments but then treats a man the way she wouldn't want to be treated. Again, I only got 35% into this book and already that's something that's gone on.
If you like a bit more aggressive but not full on hardcore thrills mystery, maybe this is for more. If you're looking for a classic cozy mystery, this probably isn't going to fit the bill.
September 21, 2025
There are moments in this book when I had tears running down my face and I was doubled over from laughing so hard. There were other moments when I wanted to tear my hair out trying to keep track of the characters! I really did need an Excel spreadsheet to track, not just the suspects but the rest of the crew! (You have to read the book to really get this reference!) All that said, I need to say, this was the first book in this series I have read and it was probably not be best one to start with. I will find earlier entries in the series just so I can really wrap my head around some of the apparent regulars. This crew is pretty off the wall and a bit ribald at times, but the writing is hysterically funny and the plot had me holding my head in my hands trying to figure out what Lexy, Kathi and Todd were thinking at times and just where they were going next. I was surprised when I reached the point of apparent arrest. it felt a bit cut off to me, but the finale was the perfect end to the rest of the story.
If you have read prior books in this series, I would definitely recommend this one, but if you have not, I would suggest reading at least one or two earlier books in the series before jumping into this one.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an early copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
If you have read prior books in this series, I would definitely recommend this one, but if you have not, I would suggest reading at least one or two earlier books in the series before jumping into this one.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an early copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
January 4, 2026
Newlywed Lexy and Taylor are still enjoying that "just-married" bliss. They're still finding their feet as a married couple whilst living on a boat at the moorings of their friends Hotel, The Last Ditch. Lexy is entrenched in her citizenship studies and spouting random constitutional facts at all and sundry! But a fresh mystery lands in the collective laps of Trinity and now she, Noleen and Kathi and Co are on the trail of a missing middle aged couple who appear to have stayed at the hotel!
This was a great balance and mystery, found family goodness and the emotional upheaval of deciding to try for a baby. Lexy loves her life in the USA but continues to educate her new family on the wealth of Scottish adjectives and expletives! Many authors try to get the lingo and pacing right but it takes an actual Scot to pop everything in the right place.
Muddling locum managers, Easter parades, grieving adult children and a harassed CPD Sergeant just add to the oodles of red herrings and misdirects.
Snarky and sarcastic the Last Ditch crew may be but they see each other as family and woe betide anyone who tries to take done one of the crew because they'll all come at you! The mystery being solved has always been secondary for me in these books (and very good mysteries they are too!), the found family is what keeps me coming back. The diverse nature of the friends and family at the Last Ditch, the solidarity between them - I just get happy feelings when I visit with them.
This was a great balance and mystery, found family goodness and the emotional upheaval of deciding to try for a baby. Lexy loves her life in the USA but continues to educate her new family on the wealth of Scottish adjectives and expletives! Many authors try to get the lingo and pacing right but it takes an actual Scot to pop everything in the right place.
Muddling locum managers, Easter parades, grieving adult children and a harassed CPD Sergeant just add to the oodles of red herrings and misdirects.
Snarky and sarcastic the Last Ditch crew may be but they see each other as family and woe betide anyone who tries to take done one of the crew because they'll all come at you! The mystery being solved has always been secondary for me in these books (and very good mysteries they are too!), the found family is what keeps me coming back. The diverse nature of the friends and family at the Last Ditch, the solidarity between them - I just get happy feelings when I visit with them.
November 11, 2025
This was a quick read for me, but that’s because it was so well written and the writing is so well done. A little bit of snark, a solid whodunit, red herrings, and a whole bunch of twists and turns kept me reading until the very end. The home combination made this one of the best books. I have read this week.
November 12, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A blood-soaked Mustang, missing tourists, and a parade of eccentric motel guests set the stage for another quirky mystery in Cuento. Lexy juggles personal woes with a case that’s more chaotic than compelling. The Trinity for Trouble bring charm, but the plot stalls in places. Fun in spirit, but the emotional payoff felt thin. Cozy fans may still enjoy the ride.
A blood-soaked Mustang, missing tourists, and a parade of eccentric motel guests set the stage for another quirky mystery in Cuento. Lexy juggles personal woes with a case that’s more chaotic than compelling. The Trinity for Trouble bring charm, but the plot stalls in places. Fun in spirit, but the emotional payoff felt thin. Cozy fans may still enjoy the ride.
December 30, 2025
Scot’s Eggs is the eighth in the series. I have not read any previous titles in this series. I found this book hard to follow probably as I was not familiar with the characters. The result was predictable to me-not completely but 90% was obvious to me.
December 31, 2025
It seemed a bit strange to be reading an Easter novel this time of year, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I love this series, and the wacky, wonderful characters. There hasn't been a bad one yet.
I love this series, and the wacky, wonderful characters. There hasn't been a bad one yet.
December 4, 2025
Three and a half stars.
It's Easter in Cuento, Lexy and Taylor are trying (unsuccessfully) to get pregnant. Todd is doing his best to help them (no, eugh, by offering advice).
A retired couple have gone missing, their rented Mustang has been found abandoned in a museum parking lot, liberally splattered with blood. It seems the couple, the improbably named Bill and Billie Miller, were on the trip of a lifetime, staying in five star hotels, but Bill got a migraine and they tried to find a room to stay in Cuento, not realising all the hotels were full.
Of course, this occurred when most of the regular residents of the Last Ditch Motel were away for some or all of the weekend and a pair of locums were supposed to be looking after the motel. Kathi and Noleen are desperate to prove that there is no way that the Millers could have stayed at the motel, but the generally chaotic way in which the locums appear to have left the place and the lack of record-keeping isn't making life easy.
As usual, this is a completely bonkers detective story featuring variously: a Scottish therapist; a germophobe who runs a cleaning company; an aesthetician on semi-permanent sick leave who is also a germ/creature-phobe; collectively known as Trinity who solve crimes, as well as a rag-tag assortment of lesser but no less bonkers characters.
Lexy is trying for her citizenship (as well as a baby), so expect lots of references to the constitution alongside the inevitable US/UK confusion of two countries speaking the same language with different cultural backgrounds.
I don't know whether its just me, but this book almost made sense to me, not quite, but nearly - its like always being just that one step behind everyone else ...
Anyway, it was funny, mad, silly, and an enjoyable read.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Bumped for release.
It's Easter in Cuento, Lexy and Taylor are trying (unsuccessfully) to get pregnant. Todd is doing his best to help them (no, eugh, by offering advice).
A retired couple have gone missing, their rented Mustang has been found abandoned in a museum parking lot, liberally splattered with blood. It seems the couple, the improbably named Bill and Billie Miller, were on the trip of a lifetime, staying in five star hotels, but Bill got a migraine and they tried to find a room to stay in Cuento, not realising all the hotels were full.
Of course, this occurred when most of the regular residents of the Last Ditch Motel were away for some or all of the weekend and a pair of locums were supposed to be looking after the motel. Kathi and Noleen are desperate to prove that there is no way that the Millers could have stayed at the motel, but the generally chaotic way in which the locums appear to have left the place and the lack of record-keeping isn't making life easy.
As usual, this is a completely bonkers detective story featuring variously: a Scottish therapist; a germophobe who runs a cleaning company; an aesthetician on semi-permanent sick leave who is also a germ/creature-phobe; collectively known as Trinity who solve crimes, as well as a rag-tag assortment of lesser but no less bonkers characters.
Lexy is trying for her citizenship (as well as a baby), so expect lots of references to the constitution alongside the inevitable US/UK confusion of two countries speaking the same language with different cultural backgrounds.
I don't know whether its just me, but this book almost made sense to me, not quite, but nearly - its like always being just that one step behind everyone else ...
Anyway, it was funny, mad, silly, and an enjoyable read.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Bumped for release.
December 1, 2025
Easter time in Cuento should have been a fun time but tourists Bill and Billie Miller have gone missing. Their vintage Mustang is found abandoned at an art gallery parking lot, covered in blood.
But where are the Millers? Lexy & the gang start to ID which guests were staying at the Last Ditch motel during the fatal weekend. But Lexy is distracted by preparing for her US citizenship exam and her efforts at getting pregnant with her new hubby.
This book missed the mark for me. The humor was ribald, a bit forced and wacky plot did not work.
I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House. All opinions are my own.
But where are the Millers? Lexy & the gang start to ID which guests were staying at the Last Ditch motel during the fatal weekend. But Lexy is distracted by preparing for her US citizenship exam and her efforts at getting pregnant with her new hubby.
This book missed the mark for me. The humor was ribald, a bit forced and wacky plot did not work.
I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House. All opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews