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 - usually boredom dampness and nosy locals drive them out. But it looks as if artist Effie Garrard has come to stay. When Hamish Macbeth calls on her he's amazed to find the woman in residence after a particularly harsh winter. Unfortunately Effie is also quite delusional having convinced herself that fellow local artist Jock Fleming is in love with her and that they are engaged. But after a lover's scrap with Jock Effie is found dead poisoned by hemlock.
Suicide or murder? It's up to Hamish to find out whether the dreamer's death is the result of something much more serious than a broken heart . . .
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
'The books are a delight: clever intricate sardonic and amazingly true to the real Highlands' Kerry Greenwood
'It's always a special treat to return to Lochdubh' New York Times
The page-turning new mystery in the bestselling
Hamish Macbeth series set in the Scottish highlands
All Hamish Macbeth ever really wants is a quiet life in the peaceful surroundings of his home in the Highland village of Lochdubh. Unfortunately for him, the time he would normally find most relaxing, after the tourists have gone and before the winter sets in, turns out to be far from peaceful.
The new love in his life, Claire, is keen for them to take a holiday and Hamish is mulling over the idea when his newly-assigned constable arrives, presenting Hamish with both a surprise and a secret. Getting to the bottom of the secret becomes the least of Hamish's problems when, at the opening of the revamped village pub, he meets a family who have a score to settle with a sinister man who has mysteriously gone missing. Discovering a murdered woman's body puts further pressure on Hamish, especially when it becomes clear that the murdered woman and the missing man were linked, although their true identities become yet another mystery.
To Hamish's horror, he then finds himself working on the murder case with the despicable Detective Chief Inspector Blair, his sworn enemy, who has been drafted in under curious circumstances. With a growing list of suspects, ever more bewildering circumstances and Blair hindering him at every turn, Hamish must find the murderer before anyone else falls victim.
Never has a quiet life seemed further from his grasp!
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Praise for the Hamish Macbeth series . . .
'It's always a treat to return to Lochdubh' New York Times
'Unmissable!' Peterborough Telegraph
'First rate ... deft social comedy and wonderfully realized atmosphere' Booklist
'Beaton catches the beauty of the area's natural geography and succinctly describes its distinct flavour' Library Journal
'Befuddled, earnest and utterly endearing, Hamish makes his triumphs sweetly satisfying' Publishers Weekly
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