Murder mystery? Check. Whisky? Double check. Scotland? Triple check.
Melinda Mullet's Single Malt Mystery checks a lot of my favorite boxes, so I knew I had to read it. I love cozy mysteries, and I have neglected them in recent years. That stops now. And for very good reason.
When award-winning photojournalist Abigail Logan hears that her uncle Ben, the man who raised her after the death of her parents, has died and left her his beloved project, his single malt whisky distillery, Abi is devastated. But she has no interest in taking over the business.
Until she starts getting death threats.
Then. with her best friend and whisky connoisseur Patrick and her dog Liam by her side, she's determined to go to Scotland and see what it was that Ben was so passionate about. What she finds surprises her. Not only did her uncle recreate the warmth of the home she grew up in, he has also developed his little craft distillery into one of the most renowned whiskys in Scotland, Abbey Glen. And someone wants to make sure that Abi has nothing to do with it.
There were sabotages to equipment that stopped production before Abi and Peter got to the distillery, but it's not until young Duff, distillery employee and local bartender, is found floating in one of the washbacks (a large tank that creates the alcohol in the whisky) that Abi gets the local police involved. But that's not enough for her. She wants to make sure that her uncle's hard work and reputation are not compromised. She goes to look for the killer herself.
The first in the new Whisky Business Mystery series, Single Malt Murder has all the charm of bagpipes, kilts, and William Wallace; and if you're a fan of cozies and Scotland, this is a lot of fun.
Galleys for Single Malt Murder were provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.