Death of a Maid: A Hamish Macbeth \t\t Mystery

At the start of Beaton's enjoyable 22nd Hamish Macbeth mystery (after \t\t 2006's Death of a Dreamer), the lovable \t\t Scottish constable stumbles over the body of a gossipy housecleaner, Mrs. Mavis \t\t Gillespie. She's been bludgeoned to death with her own pail, and there are \t\t plenty of suspects to go around in the Highlands village of Lochdubh. None of \t\t her clients liked her, but they insist she was a superb maid. Macbeth, noticing \t\t thick layers of dust in their homes, digs a little deeper and learns that Mrs. \t\t Gillespie was a more skilled blackmailer than housecleaner. His jealous senior \t\t colleagues try to thwart his investigation, but he's determined to get to the \t\t bottom of things. Meanwhile, the arrival of an erstwhile ladyfriend in town \t\t with a new beau makes lifelong bachelorhood appear not so appealing to Macbeth, \t\t who remains as charming a hero as ever in this funny, unpredictable read. \t\t (Feb.)