Death of a Maid

M.C. Beaton

3/4/2007

Mrs. Gillespie cleaned Hamish Macbeth's police station after he had a winning raffle ticket for her services. But she appears to have taken a private note and did not do a good cleaning job. So the Highland policeman goes looking for her to get his note and tell her not to return. Instead he finds her body not long after someone swung her bucket into her head.

A television crew is in the region to film the local police. Wanting to avoid notice, Hamish has them follow Inspector Blair. Blair is running Mrs. Gillespie's murder investigation with his usual bluff and bluster. Inspector Gannan, a policewoman, is also involved. Hamish tries to stay under their radar as he follows his intuition to find who killed Mrs. Gillespie. He quickly discovers that the cleaning woman spent her time blackmailing people. Which one has a secret so deep it is worth killing for?

To add confusion to his life, Elspeth Grant is returning the Lochdubh for a vacation. He still feels guilty about how they broke up when they had seen each other before. She says she's not there to see him, just the countryside where she had lived. Hamish still feels an attraction for Elspeth. Should he make their relationship permanent?

Death of a Maid is the newest novel in this delightful cozy mystery series. Hamish likes being a policeman in his small community of Lochdubh and avoids promotion. As the community police are disappearing and the regional force is taking over, he feels his community still needs someone who knows them well and can smooth out problems before they can become official police matters. Despite his laid back manner, he has the cleverness and intuition to follow through when he suspects a story isn't complete.

M.C. Beaton has a mystery with an unsuspected murderer in this novel but that's only half. It is also Hamish' personal story as he deals with his feelings for Elspeth, his own life, and his wish to stay right where he is. If you're looking for a deep mystery, this isn't it. If you're looking for a mystery and a couple hours entertainment, you'll like Death of a Maid.

You can find more about this book at .

Death of a Gossip
Death of a Cad
Death of an Outsider
Death of a Perfect Wife
Death of a Hussy
Death of a Snob
Death of a Prankster
Death of a Glutton
Death of a Travelling Man
Death of a Charming Man
Death of a Nag
Death of a Macho Man
Death of a Dentist
Death of a Scriptwriter
Death of an Addict
A Highland Christmas
Death of a Dustman
Death of a Celebrity
Death of a Village
Death of a Poison Pen
Death of a Bore
Death of a Dreamer
Death of a Maid
Death of a Gentle Lady

Provided for review