“Death of a Witch”   by M.C. Beaton

 

Review #174

A Hamish Macbeth Mystery

Police constable Hamish Macbeth (the Scottish Highlands' most stubborn and romantically challenged) bachelor returns to his home village of Lochdubh from a disappointing vacation to discover a witch stirring up trouble. To Macbeth's annoyance, the sex-starved local men have fallen under the spell of Catriona Beldame, who turns out to be a runaway bride with a shady past.

Hamish longs to prove she's selling illegal (and bogus) remedies for sexual dysfunction, and warns her to stop if she is. He gets a shock when someone murders Beldame and sets her house on fire...soon after Macbeth is overheard to say he'd like to kill her. Three more murders of other women quickly follow. Could a serial killer be loose in sleepy Lochdubh?

As usual, Beaton's crisp plotting and effervescent humor complement Macbeth's deft crime solving.