title: Pig of Cold Poison: A Gil Cunningham Murder Mystery (Gil Cunningham Murder Mysteries)
author:  Pat McIntosh 
description: In McIntosh's busy seventh Gil Cunningham mystery (after 2009's <i>The Stolen Voice</i>), the 15th-century Scottish constable investigates a series of poisonings. When actor Dan Gibson falls down deathly sick at the end of a mummer's play performed on All Hallow's Eve at Gil's sister's house in Glasgow, it appears Dan was poisoned by the drops of medicine fellow actor Nanty Bothwell, who was playing an apothecary, gave him. Many of those present saw Dan and Nanty, who were rivals in love over the actress playing the apothecary's daughter, quarrel beforehand. Since Nanty is as distraught as everyone else at Dan's demise, Gil isn't so sure of Nanty's guilt. Soon more victims fall prey to the unknown poisoner. While the action gets off to a fast start, the onslaught of characters and conversation makes the plot somewhat difficult to follow. Series fans will be pleased to revisit old friends, but newcomers may find themselves lost in the Scottish hills. <i>(July)</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  The Boiled Ham Mystery  
    
  
  This page formatted 2004 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com
  
  
  # The Boiled Ham Mystery
  
  
  ### Ellis Parker Butler
  
  
  This page formatted 2004 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com  
    
  
  Our Detective Club was having its regular Thursday afternoon meeting
  
  
  in our yard, but it was not much of a meeting because only two of us
  
  
  were there, and we had no mysteries to solve anyway. Dot Carver had
  
  
  been away with her family, visiting Dot's uncle, so Betty Bliss and I
  
  
  were alone.
  
  
  “Well, Inspector,” Betty said, “there doesn't seem to be any crime
  
  
  today, so we might as well read a little more in The Mystery of Hedge
  
  
  Hill.”
  
  
  That was the mystery story Betty's father had picked for us to read,
  
  
  and when we had no crimes or mysteries of our own to solve, we took
  
  
  turns reading chapters of it at our meetings. So I found our place in
  
  
  the book, and I had just begun to read when Dot Carver came ru