Annie's still the general manager at the County Hotel but she has her doubts about her new boss, Ian Macmillan. The Canadian seems genial on the surface but she has a suspicion that there's more to him than meets the eye. Then Hamish - her most loyal customer - goes missing at sea when he finds himself in the wrong place - and greeting some very dodgy sailors. And Jim and Brian? Well, Jim's marriage is still in the doldrums and Brian's son, Will, is back home but what's he doing with himself and where's his money coming from?
It's book nine in the series with the old regulars making further appearances: everyone's worried about Hamish - and Annie particularly so. Life feels very difficult for her with Ian MacMillan being unpredictable. She's worried that Hamish is dead but it's the uncertainty she can't stand.
It's easy to forget just how close coastal southwest Scotland is to Northern Ireland and the province and the associated troubles play a large part in the story. It brings a new dimension to the series. For the first time, I felt that the series needed something of a lift. It was a good read, an interesting read - but it didn't give me the buzz that earlier books have delivered. I'll still be interested to see what the next in the series unveils, though!
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.