A Highland Christmas by M C Beaton is a Christmas read from the Hamish Macbeth Mysteries. This one-off standalone story is a special Christmas read that can be read at any point in the series.
The Plot
In dark, wintry Lochdubh, Christmas Cheer is about as welcome as a flat tyre on a deserted road. The Calvinist element in town has always resisted what they view as secular frivolity, so for most of the townsfolk there’ll be no carols, feasting, gifts – or even whisky on Christmas Day!
And for PC Hamish Macbeth there’s no holiday from crime – he finds himself hunting for a missing cat belonging to a lonely spinster. Curt and unfriendly, the woman is convinced her pet has been stolen but once behind her heavily-bolted door, Hamish can spot her true problem – she lives in fear, though of who or what he cannot guess.
Then someone steals a Christmas tree and lights from the nearby village of Cnothan. So it is up to Hamish to sort all these problems out – and he had better do it quickly, for the church bells will soon peal on the eve of Christmas.
Review
This is a quick Christmas easy to read book. You do not have to have read any of the Hamish Macbeth to appreciate the story. There is enough background about him and his community to become entranced. The book has some gentle humor as it tackles some difficult issues. In a place where the Christmassy atmosphere is strictly regulated, Hamish lights up the community, solving one crime after another and healing past hurts. This is a feel-good tale with lots of crimes but without the violence.
Available from
- City Adventurers Solve The Murder – https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3668/9781472124951
- Waterstones – https://tidd.ly/4rzrA8r
- Amazon – https://amzn.to/4itql6y
Available from