DEATH OF A GENTLE LADY: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
M. C. Beaton
Grand Central Publishing
Mystery
Hardcover: 9780446582605
Paperback: 9780446615488

In M. C. Beaton’s 14th Hamish Macbeth mystery, the Scottish constable is getting married, much to the chagrin of two of his previous loves. Don’t get too excited, though. Rather than finding the girl of his dreams, Hamish has become entangled with Mrs. Gentle’s servant, Ayesha Tahir, a Turkish beauty who is not at all what she seems.

When Hamish proposed a marriage in name only to the gorgeous foreign maid, he had no idea that she was really Russian, not Turkish, as well as a hooker, a lesbian and a sneaky blackmailer. His only thought was to allow the tearful woman to stay in the country and save his police station from being closed. However, as they often say, no good deed goes unpunished. Hamish is living proof of that.

When Ayesha (or whoever she is) fails to show up at the wedding, the villagers are aghast at poor Hamish’s public humiliation. Hamish, however, is filled with nothing but relief, as are two of his previous paramours, Patricia Halburton-Smythe and Elspeth Grant. Since Ayesha left her passport and $10,000 in cash, it’s anybody’s guess as to where she has disappeared to.

The lovely Mrs. Gentle --- an elderly woman whom everyone, except those closest to her, believes lives up to her name --- is throwing the wedding reception. But Hamish is not fooled by her appearance of sweetness. He knows that she is a vile, vindictive troublemaker, but getting anyone else to see that is nigh-on impossible.

One person obviously knew it though because Mrs. Gentle turns up dead. As her family is gathered in the ugly faux castle she called home, the truth comes to light that Mrs. Gentle was everything Hamish saw in her and more. She managed to make the lives of her son, daughter, grandchildren and nephew miserable.

Shortly after Mrs. Gentle is murdered, Ayesha is found in the castle, also a victim of murder. While Ayesha would have been the prime suspect in Mrs. Gentle’s death, it’s obvious that she was killed first. Who would have wanted these two women dead? Is Hamish dealing with just one assailant, or possibly two?

The Highlands are thrown into turmoil as Hamish races against time to find the culprit or culprits, even starting a rumor to draw out the murderer that places his own life in danger. With his cat and dog the only ones he can trust, Hamish is between a rock and a hard place. Can he solve the murders quickly and keep others, including himself, from dying?

As if all of this turmoil wasn’t enough, there is a production of Macbeth in the works, a Russian inspector to deal with, Hamish’s superiors and still the challenge of keeping his police station open.

DEATH OF A GENTLE LADY is a pleasant cozy mystery with plenty of twists and turns and a cast of interesting characters that make one long for a holiday in Lochdubh.

    --- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

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