CRIME writer Val McDermid sponsors Raith Rovers, her home-town team, but it was eye-catching goals from Greg Stewart, Paul McGinn, Peter MacDonald and Martin Boyle whodunnit for Dundee and left the Fifers as victims in this League Cup second-round tie with Grant Murray, their manager, accepting that his side had, indeed, been murdered.

The home side made six changes from the side that beat St Mirren in Paisley at the weekend while Raith, still reeling from their 4-0 home defeat to Hearts on Saturday, offered starts to Kevin Moon and Lewis Vaughan. Their line-up also featured Ryan Conroy and Christian Nade whose last appearances at Dens Park came last May when they helped the Dark Blues to the Championship title.

They were as shocked as their current team-mates, however, when Greg Stewart gave Dundee a third-minute opener with a header from Phil Roberts's corner kick.

The visitors were prevented from equalising moments later as Scott Bain, the home side's stand-in goalkeeper, produced an acrobatic save from Conroy's 25-yard free-kick.

Dundee's passing game was admirable and in Roberts they had a winger with pace and crossing that was incisive and dangerous while Stewart's threat from midfield was evident on several occasions.

Two minutes before the break it was Paul McGinn who impressed, meandering with the ball, almost, before firing home a breathtaking strike from 25 yards.

Raith's hopes were swept away after an hour when Peter MacDonald finished a well-worked manoeuvre, aided by Martin Boyle, who also found the target ten minutes later.

Kevin Cuthbert did some sterling work with a series of save to prevent further embarrassment to Ms McDermid and her fellow Raith disciples.

There was no twist in this story and the only mystery was how Dundee's Iain Davidson managed to reach Mark Stewart's shot and clear it off the line as the Dark Blues kept another clean sheet.