About the book
Photojournalist by trade, distillery owner by blood, and amateur sleuth by necessity, Abigail Logan learns that murder can’t stay bottled up forever in this charming Whisky Business Mystery.
It’s been three months since Abi Logan last checked in on Abbey Glen, the celebrated whisky distillery she inherited. With her oversize wheaten terrier, Liam, by her side, Abi returns to the quaint Scottish village of Balfour. But her relaxing Highland homecoming takes a stressful turn when she unearths an unseemly bit of village history, welcomes a group of Japanese whisky enthusiasts, and becomes shepherdess to an unexpected flock of sheep—all within the first twenty-four hours. Still, nothing’s more stressful than murder. . . .
Local celebrity Rory Hendricks is the hotheaded, hard-rocking former frontman of the Rebels—and Abi’s girlhood crush. After meeting him in person, Abi can’t say no to anything he asks, like photographing his upcoming show . . . or figuring out who’s trying to kill him. Turns out someone’s been bumping off his old bandmates, with the drummer dead under mysterious circumstances and the keyboardist in a coma following a hit-and-run. Now a series of threatening messages leads Rory to think he’s next on the chopping block. And the band has a devil’s share of broken hearts and bitter disputes in their past, leaving Abi a huge batch of suspects to sift through—all before the killer takes another shot.
Melinda Mullet’s delightful Whisky Business mysteries can be read together or separately. Enjoy responsibly:
SINGLE MALT MURDER | DEATH DISTILLED
SINGLE MALT MURDER | DEATH DISTILLED
Available
Author interview
Connect with Melinda
I admit I am a Cover Junkie. I am the kind of reader that chooses a book by it's cover. If the cover doesn't grab me I probably won't pick it up!
Death Distilled is one I would pick up based on the cover.
But, I had the chance to read the first book and I was glad to have the chance to read book 2 in the series!
They keep getting better! Book 1 Single Malt Murder (my review is here. Was a great beginning with great characters and a great fast twisty/turney plot.
Death Distilled did no not disappoint. I was glad to see a few characters coming back. Patrick returned and a few others.
Grant returns as head distiller and romantic interest.
Abi's dog Liam of course is back and opens the door for more mystery when he digs up some old bones.
This is alot of history about the area and about Whisky which is
interesting.
The plot is full of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of
your seat and looking forward to the end and filling in the blanks.
But, almost sad to see it end. Book 3 can't be released soon enough!
I have enjoyed this series and look forward to many more!
I received a complimentary copy from Great Escape Tours.
This review will appear on all retail sites where available.
This review will appear on Net Galley and Good Reads.
Available
Visit the tour
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hello
Melinda. Welcome to the blog. I am delighted to get the
chance to meet
you and chat! I loved Single
Malt Murder and I can’t
wait to
read Death Distilled.
Hi Sherry. Thanks for inviting me along to chat.
My first
question because I am dying to know. Why Whiskey? Well my father was
Scottish and a lover of Single Malt Whiskies so my attraction comes naturally I
suppose. Beyond the obvious appeal of
Scotch as a beverage, I love that Scottish whisky has such an intimate
connection to the history and lifeblood of the Scottish people. Along with the contemporary mystery in Death Distilled there is a secondary
mystery that explores the fate of the smugglers and bootleggers of the
past. History, mystery and rock and roll
all in one!
Did Abi come
along before or after you knew you were going to write the Whiskey Business Mysteries? At one point while touring a distillery in
Scotland I looked at the huge wooden vat that holds the barley water as it
ferments and it occurred to me, as these things do to mystery lovers, that it
would be a great place to find a body.
Abi really came along after.
Until recently whisky making in Scotland at least was very much a
male dominated profession in large part because the prevailing wisdom was that
women didn’t like whisky. Now there are
so many women enjoying Scottish whisky and Irish whiskey ( BTW - Scottish
whisky is spelled without the “e” – Irish and American use the “e” ;) and
American bourbons and as a result more and more women are staking out their
place in the industry. Abi was kind of a
trail blazer and faced some of the same issues faced by other women in the
early days as they made their way into the business.
How did you
decide on Abi’s profession prior to Distillery owner? I wanted Abi to have had some experience in a
male dominated profession before coming to Scotland . I also wanted her to have a strong instinct
about people and a compulsive attention to detail that would serve her well as
a sleuth. I also liked the idea that as
a former war correspondent she had seen a lot and was a bit world weary. Ready for a new challenge and a change of
life style.
I have to say I
love the cover of this book. I’m guessing that is Liam pictured. I am
wondering is there a dog in your life that gives ideas and helps you develop Liam’s character? Absolutely!
He’s a ten-year old Wheaten terrier named Macallan. In fact the cover artists were having trouble
finding the right picture of a Wheaten terrier and so they ended up using a
picture of Macallan. He feels famous now
and has quite a swollen head. He is very
much an inspiration and Liam does many things that Mac does but Liam also does
things I wish Mac would do and doesn’t!
I love the cozy
feel of the cover. Except maybe for the bloody hand print!
I am curious
how much input do you have as an author in the cover(s) design of your books? I’m sure I could veto a cover if I really
hated it, but for the most part the artists have their own vision and I work to
tweak what they come up with until we narrow in on a winner. I have to say titles can be the most
frustrating thing for an author.
Publishers often reject the author’s title choice. They focus on what works best from a
marketing standpoint. For example the
original title of Single Malt Murder
was Spirit of the Dead. I was quite fond of that title, but the
publisher felt it might be mistaken for a paranormal mystery. Don’t get me wrong paranormal is a great
genre, but disappointing for a reader if they bought the book expecting one
thing and got another. In the end we
settled on Single Malt Murder. No
confusion there!
I noticed in
your bio that you spent some time in Dallas
Hmm. Tough one. I love Dallas . The people are so outgoing and friendly. I love that and I miss having people strike
up conversations anywhere and everywhere.
I love talking to people and even though DC is technically in the South
people here tend to be more reticent. I love all there is to do in DC and how
close it is to NY and Boston ,
but the politics and the traffic drive me crazy. I guess on balance I’d have to go with Dallas .
If I
remember correctly from Single Malt Murder Abi is a bit of a Jet setter. Can we
maybe find her sleuthing in Big D or D.C? That
could be a possibility eventually, but for now she’s pretty tied up closer to
home. Although I can say she may find
herself in Japan
at some point in the near future. The
Japanese are mad for single malt whiskies and it is such a beautiful and
fascinating country.
Will we be
seeing any of the towns people from book 1 and, will Patrick be joining Abi to
solve who the villain(s) is? We definitely have reoccurring characters. Floss
and Harold Robinson from the Chocolate Bar will be back, as will Furgie and
Abi’s resident handyman, Hunter. We also
have a new vicar and a librarian to get to know. As for Patrick he will definitely be
back. In fact, he has just relocated to Edinburgh to become the
editor in chief of the Whisky Journal.
It’s a short drive from there to Balfour where Abi lives and he’ll be popping in and out. Our old friend DI Michaelson will show up
again, too.
Well I really
do have a bunch of questions but I heard you are leaving shortly on holiday soon so let’s cut it short.
Maybe when you
return and after I’ve had a chance to read
Death Distilled we can get together
again and share a glass and
another
chat.
Would love to!
Until next time
have a great holiday and Best Wishes on the tour!
Webpage – http://melindamullet.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/mulletmysteries/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mulletmysteries
And I thoughtI admit I am a Cover Junkie. I am the kind of reader that chooses a book by it's cover. If the cover doesn't grab me I probably won't pick it up!
Death Distilled is one I would pick up based on the cover.
But, I had the chance to read the first book and I was glad to have the chance to read book 2 in the series!
They keep getting better! Book 1 Single Malt Murder (my review is here. Was a great beginning with great characters and a great fast twisty/turney plot.
Death Distilled did no not disappoint. I was glad to see a few characters coming back. Patrick returned and a few others.
Grant returns as head distiller and romantic interest.
Abi's dog Liam of course is back and opens the door for more mystery when he digs up some old bones.
This is alot of history about the area and about Whisky which is
interesting.
The plot is full of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of
your seat and looking forward to the end and filling in the blanks.
But, almost sad to see it end. Book 3 can't be released soon enough!
I have enjoyed this series and look forward to many more!
I received a complimentary copy from Great Escape Tours.
This review will appear on all retail sites where available.
This review will appear on Net Galley and Good Reads.
Available
Visit the tour
Visit the tour to read more reviews and interviews.
Click here
Giveaway
I was raised in Dallas, but lived for several years in D.C. -- they're both wonderful in their own ways ~
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