Product Description

When Police Constable Hamish Macbeth is offered a holiday at Jane Wetherby's "Happy Wanderer" health farm on the Isle of Eileencraig, he accepts. Unfortunately it is not the holiday he hoped for. When one of the guests, stuck-up Morag, is found dead, Hamish must solve the death of a snob.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #598523 in Books
• Published on: 1991-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 151 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Like the pleasures of "a wee dram," reading about the adventures of Scottish policeman Hamish Macbeth is an experience delicious, stimulating and cozy. Previously seen in Death of a Cad , Hamish here departs from the sleepy precincts of his native Lochdub for a health farm on the gale-swept isle of Eileencraig to spend Christmas as guest of owner Jane Weatherby, who is upset by recent accidents that have befallen her since a local soothsayer saw death in Jane's tea leaves. Beset by assorted emotions, including his attraction to a fellow guest, widowed cookbook author Harriet Shaw, and occasionally nasty interactions among the others of the group, the normally lugubrious Hamish is at first inclined to blame the owner's troubles on coincidence. But when another guest, a snobbish, pontificating Glaswegian, turns up dead on a shoreline crag, Hamish, accompanied by Harriet, leaves no stone unturned to find the solution to the crime. As Christmas puddings--and yuletide mysteries--go, this one is a plum--a perfectly paced tale, told with just the right light touch.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Series detective Hamish Macbeth, with more couth and tenacity than the usual Scottish villager, visits a health farm on the Hebridean island of Eileencraig to investigate a woman's suspicions that someone wants her dead. He joins a holiday house party there, and meets an unconscionable snob who ends up with a broken neck. Hamish suspects more than an accident, and with the aid of an attractive cookbook writer, he nails the culprit. This efficient little caper, full of gentle humor, quick character sketches, and easy movement, will endear itself to Hamish fans and newcomers as well.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
It's Christmastime in Lochdubh village, where Hamish Macbeth continues to serve as the town's only policeman. Feeling lonely and put upon as usual, (Death of an Outsider, etc.), Hamish accepts the invitation of Jane Wetherby to spend the holiday at her health farm on the remote island of Eileencraig, perhaps to find what's behind two nasty accidents Jane has recently survived. The islanders are hostile, the other guests mostly a trial. When one of them--insufferable Heather Todd, wearing Jane's slicker--is found dead on the shoreline in what appears to be an accident, Hamish's instincts go into overdrive. With the help of fellow guest Harriet Shaw, he discovers a not-too-convincing motive and modus operandi for a rather unlikely killer. Lively pictures of insular island characters and Jane's sometimes difficult, narcissistic friends, along with Hamish's enduring charm, make the disjointed plotting here secondary--at least for Beaton's devoted fans. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Murderous Mooching
The Happy Wanderer health farm on the weird little island of Eileencraig is the setting for an odd cast of characters and (of course) a murder. Hamish MacBeth, police constable of the Highland village of Lochdubh, is implored by ex-fiancé Priscilla to come to the rescue of an acquaintance who runs and owns the health farm and has found herself the victim of a couple of "accidents." Hamish finds it a excellent excuse to mooch a free holiday. A wee fey truck along with Beaton's usual delightful dialogue, well drawn characters and starkly vivid landscape are only part of the charm of this story. The murder victim, is as always, totally unlikable, the suspects numerous, and the plot twists and turns but never loses its pace. Will this be the turning point for the unlucky in love Hamish? Or the final straw in the career of this ever un-ambitious police constable? A clever whodunit, with all the wonderful bits and pieces Ms. Beaton formulaically delivers in an artfully distinct manner.

Very Entertaining
This book is one of the best in the whole Hamish Macbeth series. I highly recommend it!

It's a Merry -- and murderous -- MacBeth Christmas...
Beaton continues to delight with her quaint Hamish MacBeth series.

This time around, Hamish spends Christmas on a tiny Scottish Island to help the friend of a friend... who's worried that she'll soon be harmed. Soon enough, there's a dead body, all right, but it's not who you expect and Hamish must solve the crime.

As with other stories early in this series, the incidental characters are paper-thin, but MacBeth, Priscilla and the Lochdubh regulars are nicely fleshed out and Beaton's writing makes for a fast yet fun read.