Death of a Dreamer
by M.C. Beaton
Published by Mysterious Press, Time Warner Book Group
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Reviewed by Jackie Baumgarten
M.C. Beaton fans will not be disappointed in this latest Hamish MacBeth novel! Hamish MacBeth is the crusty bachelor constable in the village of Luchdubh in the remote Scottish Highlands. He solves crimes the old-fashioned way, with an ear to the local gossip net rather than the Internet!
Effie Garrard, a dreamer with a dark side, moves into a cottage outside Luchdubh. Her altered reality includes plans to marry another newcomer in the village, only he doesn't know anything about it. Effie's body is discovered and the evidence points to a romantic encounter gone bad.
Just about everyone connected to Effie has something to hide, but not all of it is connected to her death. Hamish goes about sorting through the clues and connecting the evidence in the easy-going style that some mistake for laziness--while trying to sort out his mismanaged love life. His past is littered with a variety of love interests, but he has only one true love who recently returned to Luchdubh to reassess her life.
Luckily Hamish is more successful solving crime than sifting thru his love life. Despite the lack of forensic cooperation or peer support, Hamish uses his keen villager instinct to peel back the layers and reveal the hidden secrets that help him solve the crime.
Armchair Interviews says: Everyone should read at least one Hamish MacBeth novel for the sheer pleasure of spending a few hours in the Scottish Highlands with a cast of loveable, zany character.