Death of a Maid [Hardcover]

At the start of Beaton's enjoyable 22nd Hamish Macbeth mystery (after 2006's Death of a Dreamer), the lovable Scottish constable stumbles over the body of a gossipy housecleaner, Mrs. Mavis Gillespie. She's been bludgeoned to death with her own pail, and there are plenty of suspects to go around in the Highlands village of Lochdubh. None of her clients liked her, but they insist she was a superb maid. Macbeth, noticing thick layers of dust in their homes, digs a little deeper and learns that Mrs. Gillespie was a more skilled blackmailer than housecleaner. His jealous senior colleagues try to thwart his investigation, but he's determined to get to the bottom of things. Meanwhile, the arrival of an erstwhile ladyfriend in town with a new beau makes lifelong bachelorhood appear not so appealing to Macbeth, who remains as charming a hero as ever in this funny, unpredictable read. (Feb.)
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The laid-back Hamish Macbeth police procedurals, set in the remote reaches of the Scottish Highlands, almost define the British cozy. The Atlantic rages at the borders of the tiny village of Lochdubh, while unseemly passions rage within the town's picturesque cottages, reliably spilling over into murder. Macbeth, the local constable, is responsible for cleaning up the messes. A conflict running through the series, which gives a bit of contemporary zest to the plots, is Macbeth's struggles to fight against promotion, which would entail leaving the trout streams and Highland paths of Lochdubh for the crime-ridden streets of Strathbane. In this twenty-second entry in the much-loved series, a mean-spirited local housecleaner is brained with her own bucket. Local feeling runs so high against the nasty, gossiping shrew that Macbeth's suspect card is overfull. Macbeth's investigation uncovers, as usual, secrets seemingly worth defending with murder. As usual, Beaton delivers a delightfully old-fashioned, absorbing village mystery. Connie Fletcher
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Mrs. Gillespie, the regions most famous maid, is violently struck down by a metal bucket. Knowing Mrs. Gillespies penchant for gossip, Hamish Macbeth is sure she delighted in finding out her clients secrets--which means that everyone whose home she cleaned is a suspect.

M.C. Beaton has written fourteen Hamish Macbeth mysteries. She is the author of the Agatha Raisin series and is a film commentator on BBC television. M. C. Beaton lives in a Cotswolds cottage with her husband.

Mrs. Gillespie, cleaning lady, gossip, and blackmailer, is found by Constable Hamish Macbeth conked dead by her own pail of water. There are many who might have killed her. Graeme Malcolm 's Scottish burrs are his finest accent, and he relishes Hamish and his doings with obvious delight. The story is filled with juicy eccentrics whom Malcolm has a field day bringing to life--from the rude "lady of the manor" to the cheerful widower, Mr. Gillespie, who just wants to watch videos. Part of a series, this mystery continues, with abundant subplots, to enlighten the listener about Hamish's confused love life, his dog and cat, and his never-ending battle to remain a simple copper. B.H.B. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.