It was Valentine’s Day and Annie Flemming had stayed home from work, unbeknownst to her parents, to see what Valentines would arrive for her. She received six cards and a package. She’d met someone and had hopes of his sending her a Valentine.

Police Sergeant Hamish MacBeth has been assigned Constable Josie McSween as his assistant. Hamish prefers to work alone, but his superiors think otherwise.

The village of Lochdubh is tiny and rural, which is just fine with Hamish, whose style is very laid back. There isn’t a need for more than one policeman, so Josie finds herself with the boring job of checking on the isolated inhabitants of the area. Something to keep her busy. Hamish is suspicious of Josie’s assignment to his area, and he isn’t far off. Josie has set her capt to become Mrs. Hamish Macbeth. Seems she has been greatly influenced by too many romance novels.

The two find themselves working together on a murder case. The list of suspects is long, meaning more time of the two working together. More time for Josie to set her trap for Hamish.

Hamish Macbeth books are an enjoyable quick-read series. Set in the Scottish countryside with a cast of characters — some constant, some changing. This did not disappoint. ( )

Macbeth and the Conniving Copper
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2010) of the original Grand Central Publishing hardcover edition (2009)

Hamish Macbeth is bedeviled by both a murder and a troublesome female constable who has her sights set on him as a marriage prospect. The local Lammas Queen is murdered and Hamish discovers that the supposed saintly girl had plenty of enemies. Meanwhile Hamish has to keep conniving Josie McSween at a distance as she attempts to maneuver herself into the long-time bachelor's affections. I felt that the failed romantic subplot was distracting and also rather sad and the book could have done without it. Otherwise, this was a reasonable entry in the series.

I've exhausted the availability of free audiobooks for the series from the Audible Plus option so I'm now seeking out the rest of the series from the Toronto Public Library. I'm still hoping to read them in order as much as possible. Fortunately, the Library also offers the books in their audiobook formats as there is always an extra pleasure to hear the dialogue read in a Scottish accent. This one was read by Graeme Malcolm is the regular narrator for the last half of the series. ( )

Hoping for a Highland Adam Dalgliesh, I found instead a sort of Highland Inspector Clouseau. ( )

The Lammas Queen has been brutally murdered with a exploding Valentine...Hamish has a new deputy, Josie McSween, under him and she is hell bent on marrying him (the man of her dreams).

Hamish does his best to keep her far away from him and busy with her duties and she is equally busy daydreaming and conniving....she WILL marry Hamish No Matter What.

This was a quick and enjoyable read.... ( )

This only the second book of the Hamish Macbeth Mystery series that I have had read so far. I love this book. I am sure that the other one that I read was written after this one because it mentions what happens in this book. I remember not understanding why Hamish Macbeth did what he did. But now I do and I agree totally with his actions!

M.C. Beaton make me laugh so much, there are dark murders in this story but only this author could make a mystery so funny. It all starts with Hamish Macbeth about to be married and wishing there was something that could save him. Then there is a flashback and you learn the whole story. Even though he would rather work by himself, a new constable will be arriving to work with him. He doesn’t know that Josie McSween has wormed her way into the job and totally wrapped up with an overly romantic idea of Hamish Macbeth. That she has plans to marry him and have his children. She pictures herself as the perfect heroine as if in a romance. She is also a manipulator and will go to the deep end to trap him.
Of course that is not all, a beautiful young woman is murdered. As Hamish and Josie work on the case, they find out it is no wonder that this beauty queen was taken out.

This book is not for the truly timid cozy reader. There are short scenes of violence, and a true darkness of character so pass it up if you cannot take that. But it was perfect for me. I loved the humor, the twists and turns of the murder mystery and Hamish Macbeth’s big problem, the wee policewoman who will stop at nothing to marry him. I loved his cat and dog, both faithful to Hamish. I cannot think of anything I did not like!

I highly recommend this dark and funny mystery. ( )