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.