AUTHOR: M.C. Beaton
STARTED: January 1, 2012
FINISHED: January 7, 2012
PAGES: 131
GENRE: Mystery
FIRST SENTENCE: More and more people each year are going abroad for Christmas.
SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] In the dark, wintry highlands of
Lochdubh, Scotland, the spirit of Old St. Nick is about as welcome as a
flat tire on a deserted road. The Calvinist element in Lochdubh has
always resisted what they view as the secular trimmings of the holiday,
so for most of the townspeople, there's no pudding, carols, banquets,
gifts, or even whisky for Christmas.
Nor is crime taking a holiday, as
Hamish soon finds himself looking for a missing cat belonging to a
lonely spinster. Confrontational and curt, the unfriendly woman insists
her pet was stolen. Looking into her eyes behind her heavily bolted
door, Hamish can see her true problem-she lives in great fear...but what
is she afraid of?
Then some thieves make off with a
Christmas tree and lights in nearby Cnothan and Hamish must
investigate. As if that isn't enough on his holiday plate, Hamish's
romance of the new schoolteacher is going fine, until she mentions a
perfect little girl whose family abhors Christmas...and whose behavior
has recently become very imperfect.
THOUGHTS: The summary above is about as long as the story. Well, almost. This book, like all of M.C. Beaton's books, is a quick and enjoyable read.
This entry into the Hamish MacBeth series is a slight diversion from Beaton's usual affair. Hamish and all the characters of Lochdubh are still the same, but the mystery is much lighter. In the end, you don't care who committed the crime, you're just happy it's Christmas season in the Scottish highlands.
RATING:6/10
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