DEATH OF A POISON PEN

As the latest Hamish Macbeth mystery opens, tensions are mounting in Lochdubh over a series of poison pen letters received by residents. The Scottish constable fails to take the letters seriously until they lead to the murder of a postmistress and a schoolteacher. The real delight here is the interaction of the characters as Macbeth pines for a lost love while two new romantic possibilities appear on the horizon. Graeme Malcolm reads the story with a light touch, and emphasis on the offbeat characters. He gives the Lochdubh residents Highland accents that are recognizable but not heavy. Newcomers and longtime readers alike will enjoy this stop in M.C. Beaton's Lochdubh. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]