Hoping for a Highland Adam Dalgliesh, I found instead a sort of Highland Inspector Clouseau. ( )

It was Valentine’s Day and Annie Flemming had stayed home from work, unbeknownst to her parents, to see what Valentines would arrive for her. She received six cards and a package. She’d met someone and had hopes of his sending her a Valentine.

Police Sergeant Hamish MacBeth has been assigned Constable Josie McSween as his assistant. Hamish prefers to work alone, but his superiors think otherwise.

The village of Lochdubh is tiny and rural, which is just fine with Hamish, whose style is very laid back. There isn’t a need for more than one policeman, so Josie finds herself with the boring job of checking on the isolated inhabitants of the area. Something to keep her busy. Hamish is suspicious of Josie’s assignment to his area, and he isn’t far off. Josie has set her capt to become Mrs. Hamish Macbeth. Seems she has been greatly influenced by too many romance novels.

The two find themselves working together on a murder case. The list of suspects is long, meaning more time of the two working together. More time for Josie to set her trap for Hamish.

Hamish Macbeth books are an enjoyable quick-read series. Set in the Scottish countryside with a cast of characters — some constant, some changing. This did not disappoint. ( )

Macbeth and the Conniving Copper
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2010) of the original Grand Central Publishing hardcover edition (2009)

Hamish Macbeth is bedeviled by both a murder and a troublesome female constable who has her sights set on him as a marriage prospect. The local Lammas Queen is murdered and Hamish discovers that the supposed saintly girl had plenty of enemies. Meanwhile Hamish has to keep conniving Josie McSween at a distance as she attempts to maneuver herself into the long-time bachelor's affections. I felt that the failed romantic subplot was distracting and also rather sad and the book could have done without it. Otherwise, this was a reasonable entry in the series.

I've exhausted the availability of free audiobooks for the series from the Audible Plus option so I'm now seeking out the rest of the series from the Toronto Public Library. I'm still hoping to read them in order as much as possible. Fortunately, the Library also offers the books in their audiobook formats as there is always an extra pleasure to hear the dialogue read in a Scottish accent. This one was read by Graeme Malcolm is the regular narrator for the last half of the series. ( )

Hoping for a Highland Adam Dalgliesh, I found instead a sort of Highland Inspector Clouseau. ( )

The Lammas Queen has been brutally murdered with a exploding Valentine...Hamish has a new deputy, Josie McSween, under him and she is hell bent on marrying him (the man of her dreams).

Hamish does his best to keep her far away from him and busy with her duties and she is equally busy daydreaming and conniving....she WILL marry Hamish No Matter What.

This was a quick and enjoyable read.... ( )