Rum Affair by Dorothy Dunnett

In the witty and suspenseful Dolly novels by Dorothy Dunnett, Dolly is a private yacht. Her owner is Johnson Johnson, an enigmatic bifocal wearing portrait painter and secret agent. In the Dolly series of cosy mysteries he is always a leading character, but never the protagonist. Each of the books is narrated by a different strong female amateur sleuth with a murder to solve. I recently reviewed Tropical Issues, the first in the series to be re-released by Farrago Books, and I was delighted to receive a copy of Rum Affair in return for an honest review. Honestly, I love the Dolly series.

In Rum Affair the narrator is Tina Rossi, an internationally renowned opera singer. Accompanied by her controlling manager Michael Twiss, Tina travels to Edinburgh to sing at the Festival. After the concert she slips away to meet her lover, government scientist Kenneth Holmes, but he is not in the flat he borrowed for their rendezvous. When Tina uncovers an unknown corpse, Johnson Johnson appears and whisks her away to safety on board Dolly. Soon she finds herself taking part in a week-long yacht race around the Inner Hebrides.

The Royal Highland Club yacht race is not so much a competition as a floating street party. There are regular stopovers in scenic island harbours when the participants meet socially and display a surprising amount of community spirit. They are all wealthy eccentrics with a passion for sailing and their antics are truly hilarious. My favourite is Ogden who keeps his crumbling yacht afloat by pilfering equipment wherever he goes. Dunnett's knowledge of life on board a yacht is impressive and her descriptions of the ocean and landscape are enticing. By the time the little fleet arrives at the island of Rum, where Kenneth’s research laboratory is located, the prize money has been forgotten and the race has become a matter of life and death. The plot held my interest from the surprisingfirst page to the astonishing twist at the end.