Paying the Piper
It's hard to say which is my favorite of McCrumb's Elizabeth MacPherson murder mysteries.  She's a funny lady and every one of her very well-plotted MacPherson novels is full of all manner of zany characters.  In some ways, though, this early one -- 1988 -- is one I'd recommend first to a reader new to Sharyn McCrumb.  It's set on a small Scottish island, full of ominous atmosphere, naturally, where Elizabeth, a forensic anthropologist, and a crew of archaeologists are looking into prehistoric burial rites.  And then, of course, a crew member dies.  I tried to play detective while I read, but Paying the Piper totally faked me out -- McCrumb used one of the most ingenious murder methods I've ever come across in a lifetime of reading mysteries.--Margaret Sanborn, Senior Publicity Copywriter