Review by Booklist Review
Tousle-haired village bobby Hamish Macbeth finds himself at loose ends over Christmas and foolishly agrees to a trip to a health farm on a remote island. The voluptuous owner is worried about mysterious threats and adds Macbeth to the ragtag bunch of distant friends she has staying for the season. You know the sort: ex-husbands, fervent left-wingers, vain philanderers, a plump, besotted couple--in short, a prime batch of murder suspects. Death arrives on cue, leaving the ever-beleaguered Hamish to set the world right. Beaton mishandles the plot a bit in this sixth Macbeth adventure, adding her crime scenario far too late for absolute fairness, but the characters and atmosphere are as irresistible as ever: dour Scots aplenty, slovenly sleuthing, frighteningly foul weather, the occasional bad pint imbibed at the local, and, of course, romantic misfires all over the place. Seldom a dull moment; in fact, there's even a truck determined to kill its owner. ~--Peter Robertson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
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. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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 (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
