Death Of A Liar - M.C. Beaton

Death Of A Liar

A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
M.C. Beaton
Grand Central Publishing

 

Mystery
 
There’s a certain type of romantic person who thinks that living in the Scottish Highlands would be something out of a storybook.  It usually takes those people less than one winter to see the error of their ways, and return to more southern climes, where reading about the Highlands is just fine.  When Frank and Bessie Leigh move into the area, Police Sargent Hamish Macbeth figures them to be the romantic-notion sort.  They claim to be from London, and, although they’re living in a small village where everyone knows everyone, they don’t care to mix much, or discuss what they did before arriving.  Everyone figures they’ll be gone by the first snow.
 
They’re gone much sooner than that.  A child finds a foot sticking out of a newly-turned garden.  That’s Bessie.  Frank is found, miles away, his bound and gagged body in the trunk of his car.  It looks like he was tortured.  Not long after, Liz Bentley, a woman infamous for making up outrageous stories (then weeping when caught out) is discovered in her own back garden, dead.  Hamish believes that the crimes are linked, but there’s no hard evidence to tie them together.  That doesn’t mean it’s time to stop looking.

 

If you’re a fan of this long-running series, settle in for quite a treat.  Over the course of the series, there have been many recurring characters.  Many of them make appearances here; and there’s one fairly large change in store.  If you’re new to the series, everything is explained, and you have a huge backlist to enjoy.  The mystery this time seems a bit more labyrinthine that usual, but that just adds interesting layers to what is always a treat.  It’s really almost enough to drop in on Hamish and his sidekick, Dick, in their police station, and wander about the Highlands with them.  The fascinating mysteries almost feel like a bonus.

 
 
Rating: 8
March 2015
ISBN# 978-1-4555-0478-7 (hardcover)