Backstage at the Causton Amateur Dramatic Socirty's production of Amadeus nerves are fraying. On top of the fractious cast hierarchy imposed by Harold Winstanley director & would-be impresario cast member Esslyn Carmichael suspects his wife is having an affair with the leading man. & where better to settle scores than the stage? On opening night Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby attends purely as a member of the audience. But when someone turns Esslyn's final grand gesture into a very gruesome coup de theatre Barnaby suddeny finds himself centre stage... ...

A tart with a heart of stone... Maggie Baird is neither kind or generous but she is very very rich. So when her car catches fire with her inside it there are five likely candidates for the role of murderer. All five had been houseguests at her luxurious Highlands home
- Maggie's timid niece & four former lovers one of whom Maggie had intended to pick for a husb&. All five are utterly broke & all had ample opportunity to tamper with Maggie's car. So finding out who did it will require all of PC Hamish Macbeth's extraordinary common sense & insight into human nature; especially when the killer appears to be the wrong person entirely...
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PC Hamish Macbeth cant help but admire the resourcefulness of the Highlanders during the Recession
- in tough times they have to
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PC Hamish Macbeth can't help but admire the resourcefulness of the Highlanders during the Recession
- in tough times they have
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By day Charlie Bain is the schools most inspiring teacher. By night he prowls the stylish bars of Glasgow seducing women. Fuelled by art drugs & fantasies of being an indie star Charlie journeys further into hedonism unable to see the destruction his desires are leading everyone towards... One of Scotlands dazzling young writing talents tackles the modern phenomenon of sex addiction. Dark funny & deliciously erotic DEATH OF A LADIES MAN is an intense portrait of male vanity written with verve & emotional rawness. ...

A bomb explodes in the centre of Florence hitting the car of Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara of the elite Squadra Mobile. The attack rocks the ancient city to its foundations. Ferrara was clearly the target
- & he did after all just controversially imprison notorious Mafia boss Salvatore Laprua. A week later another bomb explodes
- bringing tragedy for Ferrara & a determination to find the culprit. But that same morning Salvatore Laprua is found dead in his prison cell. So who is the mysterious influence behind the bombings
- someone even the Mafia fear? An ingenious gripping mystery The Death of a Mafia Don has been a bestseller in Italy & across Europe. Written by former Florence police chief Michele Giuttari it offers a fascinating insight into the secret world of the Mafia & life in Florence.


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Done dusted...and dead! Armed with a bucket & mop Mrs Gillespie is destined to bring misery into the life of Hamish Macbeth when he wins her maid services in a church raffle knowing she is likely to do more snooping than actual cleaning. Yet Hamish has more upsetting issues to ponder
- his former girlfriend Elspeth Grant is back in Lochdubh for a holiday with her new boyfriend. Hamish feels an ill wind coming & sure enough Mrs Gillespie is soon found dead under suspicious circumstances. & as he investigates the case Elspeth's presence torments the red-haired bobby making him resort to foolish antics instead of concentrating on the murder in h&. Praise for The Hamish Macbeth Series": ' First rate...deft social comedy & wonderfully realized atmosphere'
- " Booklist". ' The detective novels of M C Beaton a master of outrageous black comedy have reached cult status'
- Anne Robinson " The Times". ' It's always a treat to return to Lochdubh'
- " New York Times". ' Readers will enjoy the quirks & unique qualities of the cast... Beaton catches the beauty of the area's natural geography & succinctly describes its distinct flavour'
- " Library Journal". ' Befuddled earnest & utterly endearing Hamish makes his triumphs sweetly satisfying'
- " Publishers Weekly". ' The much-loved " Hamish Macbeth Series"...beguiling blend of wry humour & sharp observations about rural life'
- " Good Book Guide"."






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After a romantic disappointment & an undeserved demotion Scots village bobby Hamish Macbeth decides a week's holiday at the coastal village of Skag might be just the ticket. He's dead wrong of course: the food is dire & the man in the next room nags his wife so loudly & continuously that more than one person at the Friendly House bed-&-breakfast wishes him dead though only Hamish is heard threatening him. When this chap's body is found floating in the river Skag Hamish is the prime suspect. While clearing his name the lanky Scot has to deal with the widow who's suddenly making eyes at a refined bachelor two leather-skirted Glaswegian beauties intent on raising disco hell & the rude revelation of one family man's secret life. Some holiday! Praise for M.C. Beaton: ' The detective novels of M. C. Beaton a master of outrageous black comedy have reached cult status'
- Anne Robinson The Times"."
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Hamish Macbeth is savouring the delights of a Highland summer but as fast as the rain rolls in from the loch his happy life goes to hell in a handbasket. The trouble begins when his beloved Priscilla Halburton-Smythe returns to Lochdubh with a new fiance on her arm. His miseries multiply when clouds of midges descend on the town. & then a paragon of housewife perfection named Trixie Thomas moves into Lochdubh with her cowed husband in tow. The newcomer quickly convinces the local ladies to embrace low-cholesterol meals ban alcohol & begin bird-watching. Soon the town's menfolk are up in arms & Macbeth must solve Lochdubh's newest crime
- the mysterious poisoning of the perfect wife.
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Stabbed & stuffed in a closet... When police constable Hamish Macbeth receives the news that there has been a murder at Arrat House home of the relentless practical joker Arthur Trent he doesnt race to the scene of the crime. After all last time he was called to investigate a death at the isolated Scottish manor the victim turned out to be Trents manservant covered in fake blood. Thus prepared for another prank Hamish arrives to find that Trent has been most decidedly murdered & for suspects there is a houseful of greedy relatives all of whom are more than interested in the contents of the will rather than the crime at h&. & when the Chief Inspector arrives on the scene & his former flame Priscilla Halburton-Smythe gets involved as well Hamish quite clearly has his hands full. ...