Death of a Snob by M. C. Beaton

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Death of a Snob
Hamish Macbeth - Book VI

by M. C. Beaton

Hamish Macbeth is feeling sorry for himself; it is almost Christmas, he has a bad cold and nobody, not even his family, seems to want him. But Priscilla arrives to offer him hope in the shape of the voluptuous Jane Wetherby, owner of a health farm on the Isle of Eileencraig. Jane thinks somebody is trying to kill her, and thus Hamish finds himself invited to spend Christmas at The Happy Wanderer. Instead of paying guests he finds a small group of Jane’s closest friends—or are they distant acquaintances—and it isn’t long before somebody gets killed.

I do like series that manage to include at least one Christmas-set story, and this one is a modern twist on the house party murder. Warring guests and suspicious islanders make for lively suspects, and there is the usual sense of delightful satire. I didn’t guess who did it or why and, as ever, was impressed by Ms Beaton’s talent for cramming a good yarn into a small number of pages. Depictions of wild, raging seas vie for attention with a hilarious description of a man with a "haunted" van and an unexpected denouement in Glasgow. If you thought that all the novels were going to be set in Lochdubh this makes for a pleasant diversion. As usual, well worth reading for a number of excellent reasons.

Reviews of other titles in this series

Death of a Gossip #1

Death of a Cad #2

Death of an Outsider #3

Death of a Perfect Wife #4

Death of a Hussy #5

Death of a Snob