- Tish
- The Stark Munro Letters
- Murder Is Easy
- Graveyard for Lunatics: Another Tale of Two Cities, a
- The Forgotten Man
- Busman's Honeymoon
- Havoc
- The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece
- BAD BOY
- More Tish
- The Witness For The Prosecution And Other Stories
- If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O
- Essential Writings
- Adventures of Gerard
Paying the Piper
US publication: 1988
Author: Sharyn McCrumb
Detective: Elizabeth MacPherson, forensic anthropologist
Genre: Novel
Plot
summary and comments: On an isolated Scottish island, nine archaeologists are digging. Eight are digging ruins. One is digging graves. Among the dwindling, yet still diligent diggers is Elizabeth MacPherson, part graduate student, part sleuth. She is the first to suspect something--but can her skills save her life? Original.
::READERS REVIEWS::
not her best - I have a lot of Elizabeth MacPherson Novels & I liked them so when I found this I bought it. It was really boring. It took until the last 8 pages to get interesting. And that wasn't that interesting. It just explained what had been going on through the whole book. This is one of her older books. Written in 1988.
Completely Engrossed - This was the first McCrumb novel I ever read and it was worth it... Good plot, suspenseful, and a love story in a way. I loved the setting, it makes me want to pack my bags and travel to far off lands and explore. Thank goodness for books like this one. I'm a fan for life.
Good entertainment! - I really enjoyed this mystery, and while it followed (in a satisfying way) some of the traditions of the genre, it also avoided a lot of the cliches through the depiction of interesting, non-stereotypical characters and relationships. Strangers stuck on an inhospitable island together, unexplained accidents and mysterious deaths, the haunting sound of bag pipes coming across the water, a brewing storm - these all come together to provide pleasantly shivery reading. The reader of the audio version has a lovely lilting voice, and while it's a little odd to have her speaking in the voice of the American female protagonist's diary, she does a great job with the Scottish accents!
Sharyn McCrumb is wonderful! - I recently re-read this book and enjoyed it thoroughly. I really like the Elizabeth McPherson stories. She's an anthropologist, not a detective, but she can add two and two.
This time she joins an archeological group on a remote Scottish island, and her companions are quite diverse. You never know quite where anyone stands, and when people start dying of some unknown cause, it doesn't occur to anyone that it might be murder.
Ms. McCrumb has a wonderful sense of humor and uses it appropriately in her stories. My favorite McCrumb story (and title) is "If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him..."
A NICE LIGHT TOUCH - Elizabeth MacPherson is a delightful, clever lady who is a very likable character. She does not pretend to have full knowledge and she does not come across as being pretentious. She also has a nice sense of humor. Like all the books that feature her, this one also has that nice, light touch that will certainly evoke laughter. Sharyn McCrumb has a delightfully lyric voice and she breathes life and freshness into her characters. This is a book I would gladly recommend to anyone. This is excellent.
::AMAZON REVIEWS::
not her bestI have a lot of Elizabeth MacPherson Novels & I liked them so when I found this I bought it. It was really boring. It took until the last 8 pages to get interesting. And that wasn't that interesting. It just explained what had been going on through the whole book. This is one of her older books. Written in 1988.
Completely EngrossedThis was the first McCrumb novel I ever read and it was worth it... Good plot, suspenseful, and a love story in a way. I loved the setting, it makes me want to pack my bags and travel to far off lands and explore. Thank goodness for books like this one. I'm a fan for life.
Good entertainment!I really enjoyed this mystery, and while it followed (in a satisfying way) some of the traditions of the genre, it also avoided a lot of the cliches through the depiction of interesting, non-stereotypical characters and relationships. Strangers stuck on an inhospitable island together, unexplained accidents and mysterious deaths, the haunting sound of bag pipes coming across the water, a brewing storm - these all come together to provide pleasantly shivery reading. The reader of the audio version has a lovely lilting voice, and while it's a little odd to have her speaking in the voice of the American female protagonist's diary, she does a great job with the Scottish accents!
Sharyn McCrumb is wonderful!I recently re-read this book and enjoyed it thoroughly. I really like the Elizabeth McPherson stories. She's an anthropologist, not a detective, but she can add two and two.
This time she joins an archeological group on a remote Scottish island, and her companions are quite diverse. You never know quite where anyone stands, and when people start dying of some unknown cause, it doesn't occur to anyone that it might be murder.
Ms. McCrumb has a wonderful sense of humor and uses it appropriately in her stories. My favorite McCrumb story (and title) is "If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him..."
A NICE LIGHT TOUCHElizabeth MacPherson is a delightful, clever lady who is a very likable character. She does not pretend to have full knowledge and she does not come across as being pretentious. She also has a nice sense of humor. Like all the books that feature her, this one also has that nice, light touch that will certainly evoke laughter. Sharyn McCrumb has a delightfully lyric voice and she breathes life and freshness into her characters. This is a book I would gladly recommend to anyone. This is excellent.