"Visions o' God, Holy Grail, shipwreck, murder and mayhem, and all you lot can find to talk about is a mythical affair." — An exasperated Hamish

Highland charm and humor make for another winner from M.C. Beaton. Visiting Hamish Macbeth in his beloved Lochdubh is the cure for whatever ails you, its quirky residents and their strange ways sure to bring a smile and a laugh. Cleverly squirming out of the promotion Daviot wants to give our favorite village bobby so he can remain in Lochdubh, Hamish keeps finding ways to be a hero and calling unwanted attention to himself, prompting more schemes to avoid city life.

Still pining for Priscilla and in a state of irritation with Elspeth, Hamish and his dog Lugs have a lot on their plate. A husband beater, a dog killer who may be escalating in violence, and an entire village with a very strange atmosphere - even for the Highlands - add to his list of duties. A more pressing concern, however, is the nursing home on his beat, which might be helping patients cross over a little prematurely. Mrs. Docherty checks in, and together with Mr. Jefferson, help a very worried Hamish discover what's afoot.

Before this one ends, a house blows up, someone is frightened to death by a ghostly apparition, Lugs is conked on the noggin, and Hamish tangles with pirates during a hurricane! But, not to worry. Lugs still finds time to stretch out by the fire and, in spite of his heroic deeds, Hamish manages to remain in Lochdubh so that we can look forward to another visit. This one is great fun, with a near perfect ending. Never about plot but rather about atmosphere, this is a fine entry in a most charming mystery series. ( )

Macbeth and the Haunting of a Village
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2015) of the Mysterious Press hardcover original (2003)

Death of a Village finds Lochdubh village constable Hamish Macbeth investigating the apparent shutdown of Stoyre fishing village where all of the inhabitants seem to be living under a religious fear. Journalist and sometime seer Elspeth Grant helps Hamish solve the case.

This edition on Audible Audio has narrator Graeme Malcolm in place of series regular Shaun Grindell. Malcolm does an excellent job as well. ( )

A great short Hamish Macbeth mystery. I was delighted by the number of mysteries he was able to solve in this one. Wonderful cozy mystery. Great for curling up by the fire to read. Grahame Malcolm does a fabulous job narrating. I always look for him when listening to Hamish stories. ( )

Another wonderful mystery with Hamish! Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin are my guilty pleasures. ( )

Constable Hamish Macbeth enjoys the small village life he lives in Lochdubh. Even though he has solved some well publicized crimes, he has no desire for any promotion. If that happened he'd be transferred to either Strathbane or Glasgow, and Detective Chief Inspector Blair, his superior, would be delighted. Blair isn't the best detective and frequently takes the credit in solving the mysteries Hamish actually does.

This time out, it seems there is something going on in the fishing village of Stoyre. When Hamish makes one of his regular visits he finds the pub empty and businesses closed on a regular business day. Seems all are up at the church. It seems that the village has 'gotten religion' and also are in fear. Fear of what is what Hamish needs to find out.

Elspeth Grant, a local journalist with an eye on making it big in the newspaper world, helps Hamish with his investigation. She also may have a crush on Hamish, but they seem to be out of synch.

I enjoy Beaton's writing and this is in the category of a quick read for me. ( )