Death of a Perfect Wife: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery, Book 4

Hamish Macbeth, the laid-back constable of Lochdubh, Scotland, has a new Land Rover to drive and a Highland summer to savor, but as fast as rain rolls in from the loch, his happy life goes to hell in a hand basket.

The trouble begins when his beloved Priscilla Halburton-Smythe returns from London - with a fiancé on her arm. His miseries multiply when clouds of midges, the diabolical Scottish mosquito, descend on the town. Then a paragon of housewifery named Trixie Thomas moves into Lochdubh with her lapdog husband in tow. The newcomer quickly convinces the local ladies to embrace low-cholesterol meals, ban tobacco, and begin bird-watching. Soon the town's fish-and-chips-loving men are up in arms.

Now faced with the trials of his own soul, Macbeth must solve Lochdubh's newest crime: the mysterious poisoning of the perfect wife.

Read more FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Constable Hamish Macbeth of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands returns to beguile readers in Beaton's fourth whodunit. With the arrival of Trixie and Paul Thomas from England, life in the tranquil village becomes chaotic, as brash Trixie establishes the Thomas house as headquarters for militant feminism. A "perfect wife," Trixie subjugates her husband Paul and teaches the local women to follow her example. Obeying Trixie's dicta, the wives begin serving their spouses health food instead of "harmful" hearty meals, and campaign vigorously against smoking. It is no wonder that someone eventually murders Trixie; Hamish's problem is whittling down the number of suspects. As the pace of the merry tale quickens, gentle Hamish draws nearer to exposing the surprising killer whose motive is far different from what he expects. He is also gratified to find the male residents of Lochdubh admitting that they feel better--although not smoking and eating nutritiously--now that they are relieved of Trixie's domineering presence.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. REVIEW
''Beaton, a Scot herself, excels at giving readers a taste of Highland life and creating a believable character in the lonely, brilliant, continually frustrated-in-love Macbeth.'' --BOOKLIST

''Superb entertainment, as rich and warming as a fine malt whisky, and every bit as addictive.'' --Houston Chronicle

''It's always a special treat to return to Lochdubh.'' --New York Times

''As usual, Beaton delivers a delightfully old-fashioned, absorbing village mystery'' --Booklist

''This fictional world - part cozy, part unsparing - can be highly addictive.'' --School Library Journal FROM THE INSIDE FLAP
t, utterly endearing . . ." Booklist.
A Hamish Macbeth Mystery.
When Paul and Trixie Thomas move to the village of Lochdubh, Trixie jumps into things with a vengeance. She organizes an anti-smoking league, promotes vegetarian cooking, even starts a birdwatching society. It's too much . . . too perfect. It doesn't feel like the old Lochdubh anymore. So when Trixie is murdered, not everyone is exactly devastated.
Constable Macbeth, head over heels in love with beautiful Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, must interrupt his romance at the most inopportune time to solve the mystery. But how to do that when the list of suspects includes the entire town? ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M. C. Beaton worked as a Fleet Street journalist. She is the author of the 'Agatha Raisin' novels, the 'Hamish Macbeth' series and an 'Edwardian' murder-mystery series. She divides her time between Paris and the Cotswolds, where she lives in a village very much like Agatha's beloved Carsely. Read more