Although Catriona McPherson is lauded as an excellent writer, I found that the story was not easy to follow and that the characters weren’t well enough developed for me to care about them. This novel, Scot & Soda, didn’t spark my interest, and I found myself getting bored with the scenarios rather than wanting to know what happened next. As a fan of cozies, I have found that there are other series that are more enjoyable and have a more friendly writing style.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying an ARC of this book.

Unfortunately, while the description seemed like something I would enjoy, I couldn't get past the gross descriptions on the first few pages. This just wasn't for me. Sorry!

Lexy lives on a houseboat, only one of the fun and quirky things about the story. There are a lot of references to her Scotch background and plenty of humor and secondary characters to carry the story.

Scot and Soda by Catriona McPherson is a zany cozy mystery filled with quirky bits of Lexi’s Scottish traditions clashing with American slang. Throw in a murder with a Burns Poem at its heart, park it behind the Last Ditch Motel in a houseboat, and you’ve got the 2nd Last Ditch Mystery book. Recommended.

When we last left Lexy Campbell, she is enjoying a parting gift from her former client - a houseboat moored behind the Last Ditch Motel. She has own office there, and lives relatively in peace and quiet. At a Halloween party she organizes in her houseboat, she and the Last Ditch crew finds a corpse. Without any identification except clues found on the victim and a few strange incidents, they guess a connection with a Robert Burns poem, "Tam O' Shanter". As they dive deeper, Lexy and the Last Ditch crew discover secrets hidden within the genteel homes of Cuento's upright and respectable citizens.

This is Book 2 of the Last Ditch Mystery series, and the gang is back again for more shenanigans and zaniness. This time, everyone (even Della!) gets involved in the newest murder, and Lexy, Todd and Kathi lead the charge. (They're also partners in an enterprise involving various therapies for clients seeking counseling, much to Lexy's chagrin.)

What I like the most about this series is that you'll never know what you're going to get. You think that with a new piece of information discovered, Event A is what had happened, but it turns out, it's not. And then you start all over again, and then you find out that there are some connections, and then it isn't, and you feel like you're going nowhere. Then the mystery is answered, but in the way you'd have thought. At times this is confusing, but this is why the story is filled with action. It's told in the first person point of view, and the character, Lexy, through whom we see everything going on is a person of action as well.

We read and experience all of these through Lexy's rambling narrative. She's still the cozy mystery protagonist who gets us to join her in this roller-coaster ride. And you can't help but love her. Lexy is adorable and charming with her enthusiastic sharing of her own Scottish culture, while being blissfully ignorant of the American lifestyle and thus committing faux pas most of the time. She's enabled and joined by the residents of the Last Ditch Motel who she had come to think of fondly as her family, and they in return has got her back in everything she does. I like how the different personalities of the supporting cast do not outshine the others or even outshine Lexy, but their group dynamics work well, and their quirks, phobias and flaws make for unique characters we can connect to.

There'd better be a Book 3. And I hope Lexy finds romance this time around, and that someone should be the person who can keep up with her as well as really love her.

*** I got a copy of this book from NetGalley. These are all my own opinions. #NGEW2019

Lexie Campbell is a Scottish ex-pat living at the Last Ditch Motel in an out-of-the-way town in California. She is a therapist living on and working from a houseboat in a dirty slough at the back of the hotel. Her friends are all long-term residents of the hotel - Gina,

Not having read the first one, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the full-on aspect of the characters, storyline and action. It took me a little while to sort things out in my head, although I liked the characters and how they involved themselves as a team to help solve the mystery of Tam Shatner. I think a bit of background would have helped me enjoy it a bit more than I did.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy, because I did, just that it felt like there was a lot going on and I couldn't quite get my attention or my head around it all. The humour felt slightly forced, like the author was trying to squeeze as much as possible into the story, although I didn't have a problem with it for the most part. I suppose I just got a bit overwhelmed/tired of it by the end.

Despite that little quibble, I did enjoy it and I think going to back to read the first one will help immensely to understand the dynamic of this group and how they came together a bit better.

Cleaver little cozy mystery! Lexy Campbell, a Scottish transplant, finds herself and her friends in the thralls of a murder on Halloween. I knew this would be good when the party is on her houseboat and a body in full Kilt is found in the ropes when she hauls up the cold beer from the water. It's humorous with likeable, quirky characters.

It's Halloween and transplanted Scot, Lexy Campbell is hosting a Halloween party for her friends from the Last Ditch Motel and the Skweeky Kleen launderette. Lexy lives on a house boat moored in the local slough that runs behind the motel. As the party progresses and themed food is consumed - some of them very creative if not also very creepy....but following the rule of no insects - beer is needed. It has been cooling in the slough, tethered to the houseboat. Beer, however, does no need a dead body chaser. When the line is pulled in, a surprise comes along with it. All eyes turn to Lexy when the body is wearing Scottish apparel and has a tam (known as a jimmy wig) stapled to his noggin. She's the only Scot for miles around, after all. Well, one thing leads to another, the cops tell her to stay out of their investigation but that falls on deaf ears and Lexy and her very funny motley crew are off and running to catch a killer.
While this book can be read as a stand alone, reading them in order will make for a better read as the second book can become a confusing with so much back story thrown in at the beginning. The humor appeals to me and yes, it can be a bit over the top but I like zany and I really like quirky characters in my mysteries. The mystery itself was satisfying and I will happily read more books in this series.

Scot & Soda by Catriona McPherson is the 2nd book in the Last Ditch Mystery series, and my first book by this author. Lexy Campbell moved from Scotland to California, and is now living on a houseboat. When Lexy and her friends find a dead body in the water, the mystery begins. I found this book to be funny with unique characters. I plan on going back and reading the first book in the series. If you like funny cozy mystery give this book a try.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Midnight Ink Publishing. Thank you.

Scot & Soda is a humorous fish-out-of-water tale and the second in the Last Ditch Mystery series.

Lexy Campbell is a Scottish therapist in rural Northern California. During a small Halloween party on her houseboat home, a body is found caught on the rope holding the party’s cold beers in the slough, or swamp, where the houseboat was parked. The shooting victim had a tam o’shanter stapled to his head so it was hard for Lexy not to take it personally. With the help of her odd friends at the nearby “Last Ditch” motel, Lexy can’t help but investigate especially when a ring seen on the body in the slough is missing after its retrieval.

The characterizations of the unique denizens of the hotel are varied and refreshingly different from the usual cozy mystery sidekicks. As a matter of fact, this wacky tale seems almost like a cross between a cozy and a Serge Storm novel. However, the mystery followed a convoluted course with a dearth of clues until right before the conclusion. The witty one-liners and unusual characters helped raise Scot & Soda to 3 stars despite the disappointing mystery.

Thanks to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book actually has its own description: "Word Salat". In the first part, the language seemed too messy for my liking, but it actually grew on me, and there are several very funny points. The plot seems very complicated, but it's quite OK, and the characters are excellent.

3.5 stars

After reading Scot Free, I was really looking forward to this book's release. That book was such a hoot! Scot & Soda was enjoyable but I didn't laugh out loud as often. Still a good book though and well worth the read

Lexy's back - she came to the US because of a guy, who turned out to be a rat, and now she's living on a houseboat and planning a Halloween party (oh and trying to build up her business). Things go wacky when Lexy and her friends fish a dead body out of the water- and when they investigate. This is quirky to be sure but its also a bit more over the top than the last one (which I noted at the time was a bit too much in spots). Paring away some of the joke about Scotland and language and so on would have increased the humor in the better ones. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. The mystery itself is fine and readers of cozys might enjoy this unique heroine.

What can be weirder than Halloween in America? You have to admit, we have some pretty odd traditions surrounding the holiday! BUT murder isn't one of them! But when it literally lands on Lexy's door (boat floor), she can't help to be involved, when the lead detective discounts what she knows she saw fall off the body. With her crew of friends (who take motley to a new level), they snoop and try to figure out if a long ago missing person case is tied into the body pulled onto her boat. It's a fun, quick read, that will leave you wanting to go back and read book 1 (Scot Free) in the series too! So, check it out!

Scot and Soda by Catriona McPherson is the second book in Last Ditch Mystery series but can be read as a standalone.

I however not having read the first book found it confusing, especially at the beginning when all the characters were being introduced all at once as they arrived for the party. Again it could be only me not having read the previous installment. References to previous happenings are made but rarely well explained.

Although there were many tries at humor I found them overwhelming and too much. I usually enjoy and prefer humor in my mysteries but found this kind hard to relate to.

I constantly had a feeling of too much being hurtled at me too often without sufficient time to get to know the characters and develop the empathy towards the victim. I found comments about differences between US and Scotland too frequent and annoying.

Lexi has settled on her boat and is enjoying life in California and even looking for a possible suitor. She is also hosting a Halloween party for her friend. However all fun stops when a dead body is found. Though warned by the detective in charge of the investigation Lexi and her friends still continue to ask question and conduct their own private inquiry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for providing me with an advance digital copy of SCOT AND SODA by Catriona McPherson in exchange for an unbiased review. This is the second book and my first read in the “Last Ditch” mystery series. While the mystery is complete within the book, many of the secondary storylines between characters are continuations from the first book in the series and are referenced here without explanation, which made it more difficult to fully understand relationships between them.
The characters in this book are broadly written with substantial quirks, so broadly that they lean toward being verbal caricatures rather actual characters in a novel. The attempts at humor are also very broad and, for me, were not so much funny as overdone. Humor is a personal thing, and others may find the humor in this novel to be to their liking.
In this entry for the series, the characters, who live in the Last Ditch motel or, in the case of the protagonist, Lexi, on a tiny houseboat anchored in the slough behind the motel. She is a native of Scotland who has emigrated to the United States. Much of the conversational sniping between characters is based on the language and lifestyle differences between those born in America and Lexi, who was born in Scotland.
The book opens with preparations for a halloween party being hosted by Lexi on her houseboat, although the celebration is significantly different from her experience with Halloween in Scotland. As the party progresses they start to pull up a box of beer cooling by being immersed in the slough, only to pull up a corpse instead.
Although Lexi and her friends are instructed not to investigate by the detective in charge, with many references to the murder in the previous novel in the series, they ignore her instructions and launch their own investigation. The civilian’s investigation makes much of the vicitm’s name, Tam Shatner, and the fact he was dressed in the Halloween version of traditional Scottish dress, including a tam o-shanter that was stapled to his head postmortem.
It was difficult for me to develop interest in following these characters or in learning who had killed the victim. I also did not develop any empathy for the victim which made it difficult to care who had committed the murder.
This may be a book that is more enjoyed by people who have read the first book in the series and already have an affinity for the characters. For those who enjoy this particular brand of humor, there may also be some appeal. The book is well-written and can be enjoyed by the segment of readers who enjoy this particular brand of humor and quirkiness.

Finally plowed my way through this weird, quirky book. I can't say I enjoyed it. Too much local knowledge among the characters and as I haven't read the first in the series, it was difficult to know what the backstory was. I have read other Catriona McPherson books and have enjoyed them very much. This one, not so much

The 2nd book in the Last Ditch mystery series. Lexy is Scottish and has settled on a houseboat behind the Last Ditch Motel. Lexy has found a family with the residents of this hotel and when they plan a Halloween party on her houseboat they never expected the night would end in murder. They discover a body of a man dressed in a Scottish costume tangled up in their beer line. They feel honor bound to help find the killer of this man. Are the Scottish references imply that Lexy is involved or perhaps the killer means for some of the events to involve her. Fun and zany read. Can’t wait to see what comes next with this group of characters.

The 2nd book in the Last Ditch mystery series. Lexy is Scottish and has settled on a houseboat behind the Last Ditch Motel. Lexy has found a family with the residents of this hotel and when they plan a Halloween party on her houseboat they never expected the night would end in murder. They discover a body of a man dressed in a Scottish costume tangled up in their beer line. They feel honor bound to help find the killer of this man. Are the Scottish references imply that Lexy is involved or perhaps the killer means for some of the events to involve her. Fun and zany read. Can’t wait to see what comes next with this group of characters.

I had previously associated Catriona McPherson with creepy, atmospheric books like "Quiet Neighbors," so it was a nice surprise to find she had written a light-hearted mystery with a Scottish main character. "Scot & Soda" is cozy, quirky and funny. I'll be on the look out for more of this series.