Now that Priscilla Halburton-Smythe has agreed to marry him Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth cant imagine a more perfect life. Theres not much crime in his remote Scottish village of Lochdubh nothing much at all to do but fish drink coffee & slouch around. & now to spend time with lovely Priscilla. But his days arent as tranquil as his dreams. For one thing Priscillas renovation schemes are driving him out of his cottage. Not to mention her ambitious plans for his career as a policeman away from Lochdubh. This might be a good time to find out why Peter Hynds arrival in nearby Drim was causing so much trouble. An attractive unmarried man with an independent income would always attract attention in such a small place. But this time Hynds arrival seems to have caused bitter rivalry among the women of Drim. Hamish finds their petty fights amusing & a clever excuse to avoid Priscilla & her schemes for a new electric stove (to replace his beloved woodburning appliance) a posh new bathroom & virtuous nutrition. Amusing that is until death threats physical abuse & murder make statistical history in one of Scotlands most picture postcard-perfect towns. 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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She couldnt paint to save her life
- so someones given her a lesson by taking it! Most newcomers dont stay long in remote Lochdubh
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She couldn't paint to save her life
- so someone's given her a lesson by taking it! Most newcomers don't stay long in remote Lochdubh
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When Fergus Macleod Lochdubh's abusive drunk dustman is put in charge of the local recycling centre & is dubbed the ' Environment Officer' Hamish Macbeth smells trouble. Sure enough Fergus imbued with his new powers becomes a bullying tyrant & when his body is found stuffed in a recycling bin no one is sorry
- including his long-suffering family. But Macbeth is surprised to find that many of the despicable dustman's victims refuse to talk
- & when violence strikes again the lanky lawman must quickly unearth the culprit among a litter of suspects...before the killer makes a clean getaway!

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Mrs Gentle has fooled everyone into thinking she is as sweet as she sounds
- Gentle by name & gentle by nature. But local constable
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Her table manners were a crime. But she didn't deserve to die! There's not a cloud in Hamish Macbeth's sky
- just plenty of warm
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When society widow & gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joins the local fishing class she wastes no time in ruffling feathers
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When society widow & gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joins the local fishing class she wastes no time in ruffling feathers
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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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