A Highland Christmas
It’s the week of Christmas in Lochdubh, Scotland where because of the strong Calvinist background in the village there are no outward signs that it’s even the holiday season. Constable Hamish MacBeth is called upon to investigate the complaint of a cranky old resident about her “stolen” cat and the theft of the town square Christmas tree and all the light in a neighbouring village. Somehow is the midst of all this he also finds himself the defender of a lonely young girl. The attractive new schoolmistress only complicates matters further.At 130 pages this can barely be called a “book”, but I received it as part of a Secret Santa gift, so felt I should read it. I had never read any M.C. Beaton books before, although I understand this is #16 in a series. That didn’t matter as it did fine as a self-standing story. Surprisingly, it was a charming little Christmas story perfect for a couple of hours spent away from the insanity of preparing for the holiday season. And really, a couple of hours were all it took to read this book. I don’t know if it intrigued me enough to go back and start on the series … but never say never.
