The Scottie Barked at Midnight

In Dunnett’s uneven ninth Liss MacCrimmon mystery (after 2014’s Ho Ho Homicide), Liss, the owner of the Scottish Emporium in Moosetookalook, Maine, becomes a contestant on Variety Live, a national TV show. One stormy night on an icy mountain road, Liss rescues a Scottish terrier, which she succeeds in reuniting with its owner, Deidre Amendole, who’s scheduled to compete on Variety Live with her dog act. When elderly Deirde dies suddenly of unknown causes, her daughter persuades Liss to fill in. During the show’s filming at an upscale ski resort, destroyed props and other acts of sabotage suggest that someone will go to any lengths to win. Dunnett (the pseudonym of Kathy Lynn Emerson) deftly sketches the secondary characters, though they’re an unpleasant lot, full of petty jealousies and given to backbiting. The mischief fails to generate much tension, and the action builds to a contrived denouement. Still, readers should enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at the TV show. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Nov.)