My dear great aunt in Caldwell was kind enough to let us borrow some audio books on her account for the drive to Bend and then on home to LV. I love listening to the Hamish Macbeth books by M.C. Beaton because the readers have such wonderful accents. This one had a good plot dealing with, not surprisingly, a cleaning woman--Mrs. Gillespie-- who nobody liked but kept employing nevertheless, until someone hit her over the head with her own mop bucket. Her husband was joyous and immediately went into remission from his cancer. Her daughter was reunited with a husband after a divorce which her mother had precipitated. Hamish is pursuing leads and hunches, joined occasionally by former flame Elspeth who has come home for a visit. At the same time he is trying to avoid anyone figuring out that he is the one making progress, because to be noticed means potentially to be promoted, which would mean leaving his beloved Lochdubh. The suspects are thick on the ground for it turns out that not only was she an unpleasant woman, but she was also a nosy person who used what she found to blackmail her clients. Hamish remains resolutely a bachelor even though at one point he goes out and buys Elspeth an engagement ring. Poor Elspeth, having despaired of Hamish ever asking, accepts a marriage proposal from a fellow reporter who jilts her at the altar. Hamish's cat and dog, Lugs and Sonsie play a central role in Hamish's life and always add a quirky element to the tales of this quirky anti-hero. There is a rather distracting side plot in this book, after the main murder is solved, involving a crime lord trying to have Hamish killed. Of course Hamish turns this to advantage, too, capturing the criminal and several of his henchmen--but giving the credit to another inspector from Inverness. A fun listen/read as are all the books inthis series.
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