Blog Tour: Rum Affair – Dorothy Dunnett

Tina Rossi, the world’s leading coloratura soprano has travelled to Edinburgh, ostensibly to sing in the Festival, but in reality to meet her lover, top scientist Kenneth Holmes. But instead of finding Kenneth at their rendezvous, she discovers an unknown corpse. Enter Johnson Johnson, a famous but enigmatic portrait painter, whose yacht Dolly is about to sail in a race to the Hebrides where Holmes was conducting his top-secret research. Soon Tina and Johnson are sailing the high seas together to investigate his disappearance, but as the Dolly nears Rum, the race becomes one for life rather than prize money…

Dorothy Dunnett (1923-2001) gained an international reputation as a writer of historical fiction. She later turned to crime writing with the acclaimed Dolly books, aka the Johnson Johnson series. She was a trustee of the National Library of Scotland, and a board member of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 1992 she was awarded an OBE for her services to literature. A leading light in the Scottish arts world and a renaissance woman, Dunnett was also a professional portrait painter and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy on many occasions.

My thoughts: Johnson Johnson and his beloved yacht Dolly are back. This time they’re in a race around the Scottish Hebrides. On board is opera singer Tina Rossi and her slimy manager. Ostensibly on holiday, Tina is trying to track down her absentee lover, Dr Kenneth Holmes, a government scientist. He might be on the isle of Rum, but she’s not sure.

Along the way Tina will have to avoid the clutches of a amorous yacht owner, learn to help sail Dolly, keep a lot of secrets to herself and pose for one of Johnson’s famous and brilliant portraits. But what else is the painter, and possible spy, up to? Who is he, and his team, watching on this adventure around the Scottish coast?

All sorts of capers ensue, some of the other racers aren’t exactly as they appear either, and there’s islands to visit, a five grand bet to win and a submarine blows up. Great fun.

This series is very enjoyable and I am delighted it’s all being reprinted, as I’d never come across Dorothy Dunnett (perfect name for a crime writer too) before.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.