Death of a Travelling Man (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 9)

From Publishers Weekly In this excellent, eighth Hamish Macbeth mystery, the slightly lethargic, tousle-haired village copper in the Scottish Highlands has been promoted against his will. As Sergeant, he makes more money, but must suffer more work as well, not to mention the enthusiasm of his new helper, Police Constable Willie Lamont. Hamish rescues a young boy from the river and saves some stranded mountain climbers; he listens to a minister confess wavering faith, is plagued by a superior who resents his promotion and has repeated run-ins with a drifter who parks his van behind the minister's manse. The "devastatingly handsome" drifter charms four women out of their money and harasses Hamish's ladylove, Priscilla. When the bounder's body is found after a fatal bludgeoning, Hamish seeks out the young man's rock-singer girlfriend and unhappily discovers a blackmailing scheme that incriminates some locals. Beaton ( Death of a Glutton ) pens a cast of winning characters, even the pesky, malaprop Willie (whose aunt lives "in a condom in San Francisco"). But the star, as always, is the slow-moving, quick-witted Hamish. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Beaton's eighth mystery featuring Scottish police constable Hamish MacBeth is every bit as charming, humorous, and clever as the first seven. This time MacBeth acquires a new sidekick, P. C. Willie Lamont, who has less talent for police work than for cleaning, polishing, and scrubbing. His insistence on keeping the police station spotless is driving MacBeth mad. But Hamish has other troubles: his lady friend, Priscilla, is being standoffish, and a handsome drifter named Sean has arrived in Lochdubh and seems to be a catalyst for evil. When Sean is brutally murdered, Hamish has the difficult task of finding his killer without upsetting Lochdubh's placid way of life or his police superiors in Strathbane. As usual, Beaton makes Lochdubh and its inhabitants come alive; the characters are wonderfully original; the plot is cleverly crafted and intriguing to the end; there's lots of laugh-aloud humor; and even the darker, bleaker parts of the story (and there are some) only add to its overall appeal. Emily Melton "ENTRANCING . . . A GEM."--Ocala Star-BannerHamish Macbeth's life is going to pot. He's been promoted (horrors!), his boss is a dunce, and--to add insult to injury--a sinister self-proclaimed gypsy and his girlfriend have parked their rusty, eye-sore-of-a-van in the village.Hamish smells trouble and as usual he's right. The doctor's drugs go missing. Money vanishes. Neighbors grow suddenly unneighborly. And when the unsavory newcomer is murdered, Hamish regrets it only because his bones tell him the killer may be one of his friends.Nobody wants to volunteer even a scrap of useful information, so canny Hamish single-handedly sets about the delicate work of worming the facts out of his neighbors. Yet in the process he uncovers a story so bizarre that neither he nor the villagers may ever recover from it. . . . "EXCELLENT.. . . A cast of winning characters."--Publishers Weekly"Scottish writer M. C. Beaton develops the locals with humor and verve."--The Christian Science Monitor Bonne et mauvaise pioche pour Hamish Macbeth. La bonne : il est promu. La mauvaise : son nouvel adjoint est un crtin. Dommage, car notre fin limier va avoir besoin de soutien. peine dbarqu dans leur affreux van Lochdubh, Sean et Cheryl, un couple de routards un peu fl, inquite la population du village. Et pour cause : du jour au lendemain, les sermons du prtre deviennent apocalyptiques ; le cabinet du mdecin est dvalis ; l'argent disparat ; les voisins, autrefois amis, veulent s'entretuer... Il y a dcidment quelque chose de pourri au royaume de Lochdubh ! Quand Sean est retrouv le crne dfonc, la guerre menace vraiment. Pour rtablir la paix dans les foyers, Hamish, paul par Priscilla, tente le tout pour le tout... Sergeant Hamish Macbeth finds Sean Gourlay too handsome. The agent of evil pretends to be gypsy traveller with gutter-mouth Cheryl, disrupts Lochdubh village. The doctor is missing drugs. The Ladies' Club is missing money. Spinsters Nessie and Jessie want to move. Did one of the ladies kill Sean? When Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth, Along With A New Promotion And More Money, Is Given A New Partner--young, Eager P.c. Willis Lamont--he And Lamont Race To Solve A Mystery Involving A Handsome Young Drifter. By M.c. Beaton. Originally Published: New York : St. Martin's Press, 1993.