cover image The Whisky Murders

The Whisky Murders

Richard Grindal. Walker & Company, $15.95 (192pp) ISBN 978-0-8027-5661-9

Grindal's seventh mystery is straightforward and engrossing in true British fashion, as were his earlier books Death Stalk, The Monterant Affair, etc. On a hike through the Scottish Highlands, Bruce Sanderson meets Iain MacNair, whose family's famous whisky distillery is now owned by outsiders. Sanderson is startled but skeptical when MacNair says that someone is trying to kill him. But Iain is killed later, and his daughter Katriona hires Sanderson to investigate. As a result, they both are stalked by a hired gunman who has murdered others to protect the interests of a person operating an international whisky scam. At the novel's decisive moment, Sanderson and Katriona are at bay, in a woodland cabin where the murderer follows them. The author's experiences as an official of the Scottish Whisky Distillers' Association add ""spirit'' to the tale. (April 6)