Murder Most Scottish

by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz (Editor / Contributor), Walter Scott (Contributor), Catherine Sinclair (Contributor)

Classic fare such as The Two Drovers by Sir Walter Scott blend well with modern mysteries like Iceman by Peter Turnbull in this anthology of 20 blood-curdling murder stories set in the Scottish landscape -- from the Highland glens to the streets of Edinburgh. Challenge your mind as you follow the investigations of Inspector Colin Trane, reporter Jemima Shore, and other great detectives of fiction devised by Robert Louis Stevenson, Antonia Fraser, James Hogg, and others.

The dancing bear / Doug Allyn --
Vanishing point / Hugh B. Cave --
The adventure of the callous colonel / Basil Copper --
Our midnight visitor / Sir Arthur Conan Doyle --
The dreadful bell / Elizabeth Ferrars --
The case of the Parr children / Antonia Fraser --
McLean of Scotland Yard / George Goodchild --
The spy and the healing waters / Edward D. Hoch --
The Cameronian preacher's tale / James Hogg --
Leave it to the river / P.M. Hubbard --
The body in the Glen / Michael Innes --
The Milnathort murder / Christopher N. Johnston --
The killing game / Bill Knox --
Concrete evidence / Ian Rankin --
The night of Kirk O'Field: the murder of Darnley / Rafael Sabatini --
The two drovers / Sir Walter Scott --
The murder hole / Catherine Sinclair --
Murder so cool / Guy N. Smith --
The body-snatchers / Robert Louis Stevenson --
Iceman / Peter Turnbull

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Scotland, Fiction, Historical Fiction

556 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Born in 1957, Stefan Dziemianowicz works for the publisher Barnes & Noble as an editor.

Reviews

[Jill H.]

This book is comprised of one short novella and 19 short stories, all of which take place in Scotland. The authors varied from Robert Louis Stevenson to Ian Rankin and the quality varied as well. Some good, some mediocre, and some pretty bad. This book certainly isn't a waste of time but it is nothing special.

[Shauna]

Three stars for the quality of the stories and only one star for the selection. Most of these stories are not whodunnits but more about people on the trail of a known murderer. Whilst I did enjoy reading contributions which I would not otherwise select, such as the well-written 'The Killing Game', they did seem out of place . The Ian Rankin, Elizabeth Ferrars and Antonia Fraser were my favourites.

[Kyrie]

Murder and Scotland - what more could I ask for in a book? Okay a kilted vampire or shapeshifter, but still, it's pretty good.

[William Howle]

Very tiring! Why did I ever start this book? Once I start a book, I feel obligated to finish, this is one that almost made me change my mine.

[Terrie Ware]

Hard to read - did not hold my interest. Really a waste of time.

[Bill Borre]

The Two Drovers is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror

[Don]

Not much mystery but a lot of murder

[Gwen Kubberness]

Wonderful tales from the Highland, I would re-read this several more times.

[Kate]

"Backed by a tradition as ancient and ambitious as Macbeth himself, the Scottish murder mystery has been a challenge to our best and brightest bards. Murder Most Scottish contains twenty tales that span the Scottish landscape from the Highland glens to the mean streets of modern Edinburgh, offering the full complement of kilted killers and locked-room mysteries on the lochs.

"Classic fare by Sir Walter Scott, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Robert Louis Stevenson is served up alongside a swashbuckling dash of blood and thunder by Rafael Sabatini. Scotland's Highland airs have also inspired some of our most adventurous homicide detectives, represented here by Bill Knox's Chief Detective Inspector Colin Thane (featured in the full-length espionage novel The Killing Game), Antonia Fraser's investigative reporter Jemima Shore, and George Goodchild's McLean of Scotland Yard.

" 'Every Corpse tells a story, and no two stories are ever the same,' Peter Turnbull writes in 'Iceman.' Each of these selections is a masterpiece of intrigue and proof. Together they constitute a veritable catalog of blunt objects and blunter motives, ranging from the death by dogcart that puts Victorian sleuth Solar Pons on the trail of a criminal mastermind in Basil Cooper's 'The Adventure of the Callous Colonel,' to a killing further complicated by Cold War conspiracy in Edward D. Hoch's 'The Spy and the Healing Waters.'

"Whether you're usually transported by classic cozies, hard-boiled contemporary tales, or mysteries laced with a wee dram of superstition, take the high rod to homicide. And let Murder Most Scottish by your Baedeker."
~~front and back flaps

I was disappointed, as I had high hopes for this anthology. But most of the stories seemed murky, and hard to follow, except for "The Killing Game," which was a page turner and well-written.

[Bettie]

mp3

1 - The Dancing Bear by Doug Allyn. The inn was a sorry place with walls of wattle and daub and a lice ridden thatch roof in dire need of repair.

2 - Vanishing Point by Hugh B. Cave. When this Adrian Budd Colby fellow first came to our little mountain village of Wendel, none of us knew who he was.

3 - The Adventure of the Callous Colonel by Basil Copper. What on earth are you doing there, Pons?

Fab story first published in The Exploits of Solar Pons' (1993); a welcome treat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Pons

4 - Our Midnight Visitor by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. On the western side of the Isle of Arran, seldom visited, and almost unknown to tourists, is the little island named Uffa. (http://www.evo.org/sherlock/asia/uffa...)

5 - The Dreadful Bell by Elizabeth Ferrars - good and spooky

6 - The Case of the Parr Children by Antonia Fraser. A Jemima Shaw Mystery which was a lovely series on TV but atrocious to read.

[Suzanne Bordwell]

The Dancing Bear - Doug Allyn
Vanishing Point - Hugh Cave
The Adventure of the Callous Colonel - Basil Copper
The Midnight Visitor - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Dreadful Bell - Elizabeth Ferrars
The Case of the Parr Children - Antonia Frasier
McLean of Scotland Yard - George Goodchild
The Spy and the Healing Waters - Edward Hoch
The Cameronian Preacher's Tale
Leave It to the River
The Body in the Glen
The Milnathort Murder
The Killing Game
Concrete Evidence
The Night of Kirk o' Field
The Two Drovers
The Murder Hole
Murder so Cool
The Body Snatchers
Iceman

[Stuart]

An anthology of crime stories, all taking place in Scotland, or by Scottish writers, or both. Don't expect any of the stories to be mysteries; the criminal is either immediately apparent, or you follow them as they carry out their crime. A mixed bag, as you might expect, with respect to the quality. Some are very well written some are tedious. The Ian Rankin, Peter Turnbull and Elizabeth Ferrars stories are good, conjuring the atmospheres of Edinburgh and Glasgow very well.

[Patty]

Very good stories.

[Amy Beth]

3.5-ish stars. Enjoyable, but a mixed bag, as most of these collections usually are.