A Highland Christmas

M. C. Beaton delivers a Christmas tale worthy of Dickens in this delightful departure from the Death of A series. Ever hassled by headquarters, always tormented by a villager or two, plagued by petty crimes, Hamish MacBeth manages to create a Highland Christmas celebration you will never forget. This slim volume contains more Christmas magic than a huge department store, all of it delivered with delightfully understated Highland humor, and (a gift from the author?) decorated with some marvelous illustrations. Looking for a perfect Christmas gift? Put this first on your list, it will suit all ages (and particularly a pet lover). And no need to wait for Christmas - the cool, fresh Highland air and Hamish's gentle spirit were even able to blow away the heat and humidity of June in Dallas. Highly recommended!Note: The Reader is finally permitted a glimpse of this author. And the mischievous twinkle is right there, just as I knew it would be.

Ach, Hamish will grow on ye. It is always a braw bricht moonlicht nicht when Mcbeth is aboot. Read the whole series and start with the first one since there is some continuity in the series. Then, when you've read 'em all, start over for what you missed the first time. Have a happy haggis and a single malt, folks. Am jealous of first time readers to the series, but one must start somewhere...Aloha

A gem of a Hamish book! Fans of the cozy village mystery series will find all the beloved elements. The series and life of Hamish does progress from book to book, and those who care about the struggles of "our Hamish" will note several important developments in Hamish's life. But this book, of all of them, is well suited for the first time reader, as it stands alone as a really lovely piece of holiday writing, with Hamish playing Santa to a group of cranky highlanders, and brightening the life of a small girl named Morag. Sentimental...yes. But who doesn't love the sweet pleasure of sentimentality at holiday time? An easy afternoon read, about one-third the length of a regular Hamish mystery. Plus, uncharacteristically, the author allows Hamish some small bit of triumph at the end. Merry Christmas Ms. Beaton, Merry Christmas Hamish!

I was enchanted by this charming Christmas tale. As always in the Hamish McBeth series, the primary focus of this novella was not the mystery, but a visit to the Scottish Highlands. After following the series since the first book, I felt that I was vising old friends-- this time at Christmas. Although the focus was not on the mystery, this aspect was still credible, with Hamish using his Highland intuition to recover a town's stolen Christmas lights. The book's short length made it a quick read for the busy holiday season. Highland Christmas had a fairy tale feeling and happy ending. Hamish plays Santa to a lonely little girl and an old folks home, foils Blair's attempt to get him in trouble, and gets a new friend. There are laugh-out-loud moments in this touching, feel-good story for the holidays.

It may be the season to be jolly, but to Police Constable Hamish Macbeth it is a time of loneliness and plenty of criminal activity. Though most of the country has gone commercial starting in October, Hamish's hometown of Lochdubh remains sober as the religious leaders have always felt Christmas is a Roman holiday. Hamish has no time to worry about his town's gloomy outlook. Instead, he searches for the missing cat of crabby Mrs. Gallagher. The elderly person is the perfect individual to send anyone into a depression. On top of that, he must uncover the caper of the stolen Christmas tree and lights at the neighboring town of Cnothan. Then there is the miserable little girl, who needs special cheering up, as her family does not celebrate the holiday. A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS is an entertaining Hamish MacBeth cozy that fans of the series will enjoy. The story line consists of several subplots that bring out Hamish's caring personality. None of these cases require any incredible who-done-it investigative abilities. Instead, they all need human relations' skills. M.C Beaton provides a warm season's greeting, but fans of Scottish police tales and cozies need to decide if the cost is worth a novella.Harriet Klausner