Death of a Maid (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 23)
by M. C. Beaton
from Grand Central Publishing
Mrs. Gillespie is famous around the northwest of Sutherland for being the best charwoman ever. Of course, if anyone has any social pretensions one does not say charwoman, one talks about "my maid". Hamish Macbeth wins Mrs. Gillespie's services in a church raffle but spends most of the day trying to avoid her. She is a malicious gossip and she bangs around the furniture and clanks pots--he wonders how on earth she managed to get such a good reputation. Then she is found dead in a large house belonging to a retired professor who was out the day she was killed. She has been struck down by a metal bucket of water. Remembering Mrs. Gillespie's malicious gossip, Hamish is sure she delighted in finding out secrets and probably searched through the drawers of the houses she cleaned, which means everyone whose home she cleaned could be a suspect.
Death of a Gentle Lady (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 24)
by M. C. Beaton
from Grand Central Publishing
Gentle by name, gentle by nature. Everyone in the sleepy Scottish town of Lochdubh adores elderly Mrs. Gentle - everyone but Hamish Macbeth, that is. Hamish thinks the gentle lady is quite sly and vicious, and the citizens of Lochdubh think he is overly cranky. Perhaps it's time for him to get married, they say.
But who has time for marriage when there's a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story, and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior.
The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 1)
by M. C. Beaton
from St. Martin's Paperbacks
Agatha has never baked a thing in her life! In fact, she bought her entry ready-made from an upper crust London quicherie. Grating on the nerves of several Carsely residents, she is soon receiving sinister notes. Has her cheating and meddling landed her in hot water, or are the threats related to the suspicious death? It may mean the difference between egg on her face and a coroner’s tag on her toe…
Death of a Cad (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 2)
by M. C. Beaton
from Grand Central Publishing
A Constable Hamish Macbeth Mystery. When Priscilla Halburton-Smythe brings her London playwright fiance home to Lochdubh, the whole town is delighted -- save perhaps for love-smitten bobby Hamish Macbeth. But the morning after a posh engagement party, one of the guests, Captain Bartlett, is murdered on a grouse hunt.Unfortunately, the prime suspects are the party guests. And a second murder soon follows the first. Now Hamish Macbeth must cut through the alibis before the killer strikes again . . . all the while trying to woo the lovely Priscilla from her jealous boyfriend.
Love, Lies and Liquor (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 17)
by M. C. Beaton
from St. Martin's Minotaur
Kissing Christmas Goodbye (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 18)
by M. C. Beaton
from St. Martin's Minotaur
Agatha Raisin is bored. Her detective agency in the Cotswolds is thriving, but she’ll scream if she has to deal with another missing cat or dog. Only two things seem to offer potential excitement: the upcoming Christmas festivities and her ex, James Lacey. This year she is sure that if she invites James to a really splendid, old-fashioned Christmas dinner, their love will rekindle like a warm Yule log.
When a wealthy widow hires Agatha because she’s convinced a member of her family is trying to kill her, Agatha is intrigued---especially when the widow drops dead after high tea at the manor house. Who in this rather sterile house, complete with fake family portraits, could have hated the old lady enough to poison her?
Agatha sets out to find the murderer, all the while managing a pretty, teenage trainee who makes her feel old and planning for a picture-perfect Christmas, with James, all the trimmings, and perhaps even snow.
Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 4)
by M.C. Beaton
from Fawcett
"TRENCHANT AND DROLL."
--St. Petersburg Times
After six months in London, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village--and to her attractive neighbor, James Lacey. True, James is less than thrilled to see her, but Agatha is soon consoled by a sensational homicide.
The victim, found in a lonely field, is hiker Jessica Tartinck, who enraged wealthy landowners by insisting on her club's right to hike over their properties. Agatha lures James into helping with the investigation, and there are many leads to follow, for Jessica's fellow walkers seem able, even willing, to commit murder. But the trail of a slippery killer may also be the royal road to love--and death. . . .
"Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha."
--Chicago Sun-Times
Death of a Snob (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 6)
by M.C. Beaton
from Fawcett
"Pure bliss." Atlanta Journal & Constitution
A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by the author of "Death of a Hussy."
With a cold in his head and no place to go for Christmas, Hamish snaps up the invitation of drop-dead gorgeous Jane Wetherby to spend the holiday at her Scottish island health farm -- and figure out who is trying to kill her.
When Hamish arrives on the island of Eileencraig, he finds threatening locals and fellow guests barely more civil, especially a terrible snob named Heather Todd. It seems like everyone on the island has a grudge against Jane. How to choose among so many suspects?
But then one suspect is eliminated. Heather Todd is murdered. And suddenly Hamish's Christmas is looking very black indeed . . .
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 5)
by M. C. Beaton
from St. Martin's Paperbacks
Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 2)
by M. C. Beaton
from St. Martin's Paperbacks
A PURR-FECT CRIME IN THE COTSWOLDS
Former London PR agent, Agatha Raisin still hasn’t adjusted to village life where the only prospect for a hot evening out is a meeting of the Ladies Society. And since her overtures toward James Lacey—the retired military man next door—have failed, Agatha jumps at the chance to visit the new vet, who’s single and good-looking. Although Agatha’s tabby hasn’t a thing wrong with him, Hodge endures having a thermometer shoved up his bum in the name of romance. Unfortunately his sacrifice is all for naught when the vet is soon found dead next to a high-strung horse.
The police call the vet’s demise a freak accident, but Agatha convinces the hard-to-get James Lacey, who’s also bored in the Cotswolds, that playing amateur detective might be fun. Unfortunately, just like curiosity killed the cat, Agatha’s inept snooping is soon a motivation for murder...
“Anyone interested in a few hours’ worth of intelligent, amusing reading will want to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Agatha Raisin.”
—The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“I simply love mysteries that have all the requirements necessary to make them great—the characters, the action, the plots, and that thing we call humanity. Beaton has them all in
spades.”
--Tulsa World
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