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The latest in the Hamish Macbeth Series starts with Mrs. Margaret Gentle moving into an old mock castle outside Braikie. It's also known as the Folly because it is built far too close to the edge of the cliff. Mrs. Gentle acts like a proper, lovely lady but the local bobby, Hamish Macbeth, sees through her facade and doesn't like or trust her one bit. So he isn't too surprised when Mrs. Gentle's maid, a beautiful foreign girl, comes to him and to say that her employer is mean to her and is blackmailing her to stay as her poorly paid maid or else Mrs. Gentle will call the police and have the girl thrown out of the country. Hamish feels sorry for the lovely girl and, thinking of his own problems with his superiors who always want to close his small police station down and send him to the city, he suddenly comes up with a plan. He asks the girl to marry him, assuring her it would be in name only. He reckons that she'd be married and so she won't need to be afraid of Mrs. Gentle's nasty ways and the girl can remain safely in Scotland. And because his superiors in the police wouldn't put a married policeman out of his home, he's certain that his small station would be safe and remain open. When on his wedding day his fiancée turns up missing, Hamish isn't too unhappy. In fact, the moment he asked for the maid's hand he regretted it. His good common sense makes him question the story of her life that she tells. Fearing that Mrs. Gentle has done the girl in, he begins to investigate his missing bride starting at The Folly, but to Hamish's surprise, before long, Mrs. Gentle herself is found dead. It's up to Hamish to find out what happened to both women and how the violence might be connected. On top of the missing person and the murder cases, Hamish has his usual problem with his boss, Detective Chief Inspector Blair. Since Hamish is an exceptional bobby and Blair is a total fool, Blair has had it in for Hamish for years. But now Blair is even worse - he's sober because of health concerns, and because of that for some reason he no longer has any restraint about how far he will go to bring Hamish down. Sobriety has made him an even harsher enemy. And when Hamish's two ex-girlfriends show up at once, and they are joined by a visiting female Russian cop who also has an interest in the red-haired Hamish, there's almost more tension around town than the policeman can take. With all that happening, when an attempt is made on his life it comes almost as a relief. Hamish soon finds himself dreaming of an even more isolated place to live. M. C. Beaton's DEATH OF A GENTLE LADY once again proves that this series deserves to be as popular as it is. Cozy fans will happily devour this latest installment and enjoy every minute and twist in the tale. As usual, the story is much more than just a murder mystery. It also includes many humorous moments that come from all the continuing characters. The book also does a great job of making the reader feel included in every aspect of the town's life as Hamish works to solve all his problems, which this time includes a boss completely off his rocker and a town a bit too amused that Hamish, the well known bachelor, has been stood up on his wedding day. If you're a fan of the series, you will be delighted that the writer M. C. Beaton has produced yet another fine yarn. If you're new to the series, you can still enjoy the tale, but beware; you will not be able to read another book until you've picked up more with Hamish Macbeth as the leading character. The worst part of this book is that it ends. I had such a rollicking good time reading it, I would have loved another five hundred pages or so!
Reviewed by A.L. Katz, April 2008
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