"On a scale of one to ten, M. C. Beaton's Constable Hamish Macbeth merits a ten-plus."
BUFFALO NEWS

"The detective novels of M. C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy ... have reached cult status in the United States."
THE TIMES MAGAZINE (LONDON)

"An intimate look at life in a small Scottish village, striking insights into human nature, carefully detailed, highly accurate descriptions of police work, splendid dry humor ... as pleasantly satisfying as a cozy cup of tea."
BOOKLIST

"Macbeth is the sort of character who slyly grows on you ... as you realize that beneath his unassuming exterior, he's a whiz at cutting through all the hokum."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

"[Beaton has] a touch for understated compassion and, as always, Hamish and his highland cohorts are lovingly rendered."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)

"The story is brisk ... Hamish's native villagers, charming without being precious, are memorably sharp-edged, and ultimately, in a moving fashion, prove their friendship.... Hamish Macbeth is a policeman to be reckoned with."
MOSTLY MURDER

"Imaginative sleuthing...

A new mystery in M. C. Beaton's Constable Hamish Macbeth mystery series -- lauded in both Britain and America for its authentic local color and appealing, detective, "that laconic lad from Lochdubh" (Christian Science Monitor) -- is as delicious a treat as Devon cream and scones. This time out the red-haired, irascible Macbeth has left his tiny Scottish village for a holiday with his dog, Towser. True to form, Macbeth doesn't venture far from the highlands he loves, just a few hours away to Skag, a forgotten North Sea resort town that offers run-down guest houses, a fish-and-chips shop, the haunting sound of its "singing sands," and murder. Until his recent demotion from sergeant back to constable and the end of his engagement to the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Hamish Macbeth had been a contented man. Now every face he meets in Lochdubh is dour with disapproval at the man "who broke that poor girl's heart." Escaping to Skag is meant to raise Macbeth's sagging spirits. Instead, he finds that "Friendly House," described as a charming inn a stone's throw from the sea, is not as advertised. The ambiance is dismal, the food inedible, and his fellow guests an unpromising lot that includes the spinster Miss Gunnery, two tarty girls, a retired military man, a London family, and Bob Harris, who so nags his wife, Doris, that everyone wants to kill him. And then somebody does. Unfortunately, Macbeth himself is overheard threatening, the man -- right before he is seen punching him in the nose. As the leading suspect, Macbeth must now clear his name by finding, out who at Friendly House is the real killer. But this vacation taken on the cheap will cost Macbeth dearly. The secrets each of the guests wants to hide will provoke desperate deceptions, and another unexpected death will touch Macbeth's own life with tragedy. Before he knows it, our doughty Lochdubh lad is once again ensnared in the entanglements of desire and their inescapable ties to murder. And M. C. Beaton is expertly using the characters gathered at Friendly House to sardonically update the classic English Manor House mystery. The result makes Death of a Nag superb entertainment, complete with a clever, final twist. M. C. Beaton has written eleven books in her popular Hamish Macbeth series. She is also the author of the Agatha Raisin series. Scottish by birth, M. C. Beaton now lives in England with her husband. Even on holiday by the North Sea, Hamish can't escape the visions of murder that Angus Macdonald, the town soothsayer, foretold in his future. Or check out an earlier book featuring the plucky Hamish Macbeth, Death of a Charming Man.