Death of a Ghost

November 28, 2016
When Hanover “Handy” Ebrington, the new owner of ramshackle Castle Drim, hears ghostly noises, Sgt. Hamish Macbeth investigates, in Beaton’s atmospheric 33rd mystery featuring the Lochdubh, Scotland, policeman (after 2016’s Death of a Nurse). Hamish is inclined to think that Handy is being “haunted” by vandals, so he and his partner, Constable Charlie Carter, arrange to spend the night in the castle tower to catch the miscreants red-handed. Instead they find a body and a likely smugglers’ drop. When more bodies turn up, Hamish’s superiors are eager to seize upon easy solutions. But as usual, Hamish’s senses tell him the answer is far more complicated than it seems. Few fictional detectives are more appealing than fey, redheaded Hamish with his taste for unsuitable women and no desire to leave his peaceful Scottish Highland home. Series fans and newcomers alike will enjoy spending time with Hamish and the beguiling inhabitants of Lochdubh. Agent: Barbara Lowenstein, Lowenstein Associates.

This is the 32nd installment in the Hamish Macbeth series--yet listeners can jump right in. Graeme Malcolm's narration fits the somewhat crabby but brilliant Scottish police sergeant perfectly. As Macbeth investigates ghostly noises at an old castle, discovering a corpse in the process, Malcolm captures the voice of every character, male and female, without overplaying the Scottish accents. Experiencing this book on audio presents a wonderful advantage as listeners don't need to wonder how Gaelic words like "Lochdubh" are pronounced. The murders keep occurring, and Macbeth keeps solving them with the help, and hindrance, of his colleagues, friends, and acquaintances. Malcolm's evenly paced narration offers a lovely vehicle for the story. M.M.G. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine