When the townspeople of Lochdubh begin receiving poison-pen letters, no one takes them very seriously, even if they are full of wild accusations. But Hamish Macbeth fears that they might lead to something deadly.
His instincts prove correct when the town's postmistress is found hanging from a rope with a poison-pen letter at her feet. Though it appears to be a suicide, Hamish suspects something more sinister. Attempting to trace the letters, the last thing Hamish needs is any distractions, but soon Jenny Ogilvie arrives in Lochdubh determined to seduce him. Realizing that she is unable to take Hamish's mind off his case, Jenny decides to do a little investigating of her own. Hamish finds himself in a race to solve the mystery of the poison-pen letters before someone else dies, including one likely target—Jenny.
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“Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth series remains reliable on several fronts: her Scots police officer Hamish will solve the crimes in an appropriately heroic and entertaining way; he will be as clueless as ever in regard to the women who set their caps for him; and he will continue to resist both promotion out of his remote village of Lochdubh and restrictions imposed by his nominal superiors…The author adeptly limns her village characters’ foibles and frailties, and the poisoned-pen letters set them off in high relief.”
— Publishers Weekly
Great characters, spot-on dialogue, scenes full of tension, and humor—these staples of Beaton’s mysteries are all part of Scottish cop Hamish Macbeth’s latest adventure…when the locals of Lochdubh begin receiving poison-pen letters.”
— RT Reviews (4 stars)“Readers unfamiliar with the series can easily begin with this volume, but if they do, they are likely to seek out the earlier novels. This fictional world—part cozy, part unsparing—can be highly addictive.”
— Library Journal“A spate of letters (including one accusing the stolid rector’s wife of having an affair with the much younger Macbeth) spreads bad will, uncovers old secrets, and leads directly to two homicides…Macbeth’s quirks, the deft social comedy, and the wonderfully realized Highlands atmosphere…[make for] a first-rate cozy.”
— BooklistBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
M. C. Beaton (1936–2019), hailed as the “Queen of Crime” by the Globe and Mail, was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels—the basis for the hit series on Acorn TV—as well as the Hamish Macbeth series. Born in Scotland, Beaton also wrote nearly one hundred historical romances under several pseudonyms. Her books have been translated into nineteen languages and sold more than twenty-two million copies worldwide.
Graeme Malcolm was an actor and winning audiobook narrator who earned twelve AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has performed on Broadway as Pharaoh in Aida and as Sir Edward Ramsay in The King and I. His television appearances include Law & Order, Follow the River, and Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (with Laurence Olivier). His film credits include A Further Gesture, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, and Reunion.