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At the village of Lochdubh, in the Scottish Highlands, policeman Hamish Macbeth has his hands full solving a slew of crimes that occur on his usually quiet beat. Whilst working on a case of spousal abuse, he follows the husband who has moved to a nearby house in the very isolated town of Stoyre. When Hamish gets there, he finds the small town too quiet to be normal. The streets are empty but the church is full, and the people are all unusually subdued and no one will talk to him. Leaving the Stoyre mystery for a while, Hamish returns home to find that the rest of the police force has been called into his small town trying to solve the cases of a missing child, a theft of stolen spirits, and an uncomfortable feeling by an elderly woman that there are wrong doings afoot in the nearby old folks' home. Hamish makes the mistake of doing such a fine job of police work that in order to remain in his beloved small police station that also serves as his home, he must think up ruses to get out of being promoted. When the home of an ex-British officer is blown up in Stoyre, the mystery in the town is brought to the forefront as rumors of terrorism abound. Hamish thinks the rest of the police are on the wrong track, and he investigates in his own inimitable fashion. Up to his neck in puzzles of a criminal kind, Hamish -- along with help from his faithful dog, an attractive female reporter, and a too-helpful octogenarian with her new beau -- delves into the problems that haunt his Highland domain. M C Beaton has created an engaging and thoroughly likable hero in quiet, unassuming, natural sleuth Hamish. Though brilliant when it comes to matters criminal, Hamish is charmingly clueless when it comes to dealing in matters personal. DEATH OF A VILLAGE is as much fun as the other books in the Hamish Macbeth series. It's fast paced, chock full of quirky Highland characters, and completely solid in the investigation and outcome of the mysteries in the story. But do not misunderstand me, anyone not already acquainted with this series could read and thoroughly enjoy this book. But be warned, if you read one Hamish Macbeth mystery, you will develop an unquenchable desire to read the rest -- all 18 of them!
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, March 2004
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