In the south of Scotland residents get their chimneys vacuum-cleaned. But in the isolated villages in the very north of Scotland the villagers rely on the services of the itinerant sweep Pete Ray & his old-fashioned brushes. Pete is always able to find work in the Scottish highlands until one day when Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices blood dripping onto the floor of a villager's fireplace & a dead body stuffed inside the chimney. The entire town of Lochdubh is certain Pete is the culprit but Hamish doesn't believe that the affable chimney sweep is capable of committing murder. Then Pete's body is found on the Scottish moors & the mystery deepens. Once again it's up to Hamish to discover who's responsible for the dirty deed
- & this time the murderer may be closer than he realizes. Praise for the Hamish Macbeth" series: " The much-loved " Hamish Macbeth" series beguiling blend of wry humour & sharp observations about rural life." (" Good Book Guide"). " It's always a special treat to return to Lochdubh". (" New York Times Book Review"). " 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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Its springtime in the Highlands but storms are brewing for Hamish Macbeth. His life is going to pot. He has
- horrors!
- been

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Amazing news is spreading like wildfire across the Scottish countryside: the most famous of all Highland bachelors police sergeant Hamish Macbeth is planning to marry at last! Everyone in the village of Lochdubh adores Josie Mc Sween Hamishs newest constable & blushing bride-to-be. While locals think she is quite a catch Hamish has a severe case of pre-nuptial jitters...after all if it wasnt for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighbouring village there wouldnt be a wedding in the first place. For it was a mysterious Valentines Day card
- delivered to the victim before her death
- which initially drew Hamish & Josie together in the investigation. & now as they work side by side they soon discover that the womans list of admirers was endless
- confirming Hamishs suspicion that love can be deaf blind...and deadly.


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Amazing news is spreading like wildfire across the Scottish countryside: the most famous of all Highland bachelors police sergeant Hamish Macbeth is planning to marry at last! Everyone in the village of Lochdubh adores Josie Mc Sween Hamish's newest constable & blushing bride-to-be. While locals think she is quite a catch Hamish has a severe case of pre-nuptial jitters.. .after all if it wasn't for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighbouring village there wouldn't be a wedding in the first place. For it was a mysterious Valentine's Day card
- delivered to the victim before her death
- which initially drew Hamish & Josie together in the investigation. & now as they work side by side they soon discover that the woman's list of admirers was endless
- confirming Hamish's suspicion that love can be deaf blind.. .and deadly!


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An unwelcome guest
- Death
- gatecrashes a society wedding & Lord Francis Powerscourt is summoned by his barrister friend Charles

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Erast Fandorin returns to Moscow after an absence of six years only to find himself instantly embroiled in court politics & scandal. His old friend General Sobolev
- the famous Russian Achilles
- has been found dead in a hotel room & Fandorin suspects foul play. Using his now-famous powers of detection
- powers that belie his twenty-six years
- Fandorin embarks on an investigation during which the political & the personal may become dangerously blurred. With the assistance of some formidable martial arts skills acquired whilst Fandorin was in Japan our eccentric & ingenious hero must endeavour to discover not so much whodunit as why...



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Recovering addict Tommy Jarret has rented a chalet to check out reports of a sea monster near the village of Drim. Then he turns up dead apparently from a drug overdose & constable Hamish Macbeth finds the lads demise particularly fishy. Deciding to go undercover Hamish infiltrates the local drug dealing trade. But his plans looks doomed when hes teamed up with a tough Glaswegian detective inspector named Olivia Chater aka Concrete Knickers. For the Lochdubh lawman it would be equally dangerous to flounder.. .or fall in love. Praise for the Hamish Macbeth" series include: An enchanting series.. .M C Beaton has a foolproof plot for the village mystery
- " New York Times Book Review". Readers will enjoy the quirks & unique qualities of the cast.. . Beaton catches the beauty of the areas natural geography & succinctly describes its distinct flavour
- " Library Journal"."

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When a young girl is found strangled in a field in the Fens it looks like a routine job for the staff of the East Anglian Forensic Laboratory. But then the senior biologist is found dead in his lab & murder comes closer to home. Commander Adam Dalgliesh faces the most baffling inquiry of his career as the startling evidence begins to point to an unexpected conclusion."" ...

When a young girl is found murdered in a field the scientific examination of the exhibits is just a routine job for the staff of Hoggatts forensic science laboratory. But nothing could have prepared them for the brutal death of one of their own. When the senior biologist is found dead in his laboratory Commander Dalgliesh is called to the bleak fens of East Anglia where the murderer is lying in wait to strike again. ...

The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes or
- more accurately
- has been dumped into

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