DEATH OF A WITCH

The picture-postcard village of Lochdubh once more becomes a mecca for murder.

Police Constable Hamish Macbeth (Death of a Gentle Lady, 2008, etc.) returns from a disappointing holiday in Spain to discover his beloved Highland village sunk in a miasma apparently caused by newcomer Catriona Beldame, dispenser of herbal potions and suspected witch. Fighting an unwanted attraction to Catriona, Hamish is furious when the local doctor tells him that she’s been dispensing Spanish fly to many of the town’s menfolk, and even threatens her when she won’t heed his warning to stop. After Hamish discovers Catriona stabbed to death, her house goes up in smoke while he’s waiting outside for the forensics team. The newest member of the team, smitten by him, joins the long line of women who want to further his career, not knowing that Hamish constantly weasels out of promotions in order to stay in his beloved Lochdubh, where he’s now officially a murder suspect. As the bodies pile up, Hamish gets help from another of his ex-loves, reporter Elspeth Grant. Hoping against hope the murderer is not one of his villagers, he learns a lot more than he wants to know about the sex lives of the residents before he can figure out who’s been on a killing spree.

A sound mystery featuring a generous portion of Hamish’s complicated relationships and the usual delightful Highland descriptions.