Reviewed By: Carl Brookins - RAM
Death of a Travelling Man
Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
M. C. Beaton
Class/Genre: Mystery Cozy Police Procedural
Series: Hamish MacBeth # 9
1996, Ballantine, 167 pages, [PB]
M.C. Beaton has produced nine or ten of these little jewels and she writes the Agatha Raisin series as well. They are classic English cozies. This one again features Hamish Macbeth, a village policeman who so far has managed to avoid taking on a whole lot of work, and cadges meals and other favors from the villagers at the drop of a hint. As often as not, Hamish doesn't even wait for the hint.
In the Scots Highland village of Lochdubh, Hamish has been promoted to Sergeant, which means more pay but also more responsibility. What's even more worrisome, he could be transferred. His immediate problem however, is his new police constable, an anal-retentive cleanliness freak named Willie Lamont. Easy-going Macbeth is being driven slowly out of his mind by Willie when who should show up but a traveling man in a rusted out caravan. With him comes his doxie, Cheryl Higgins. Peace and calm in the village immediately turns away from a calm and even boring climate to turbulence and murder.
Although we're never in doubt as to a victim, the whys and solutions to myriad crimes that attend, keep our attention, as do the many and varied secondary characters. Altogether this is a pleasant, enjoyable, excursion in a small Scots village, and one not to be missed.
Carl Brookins - RAM
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Carl Brookins - RAM
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