In bestseller Beaton's by-the-numbers 32nd Hamish Macbeth mystery (after 2015's Death of a Liar), the Lochdubh, Scotland, police sergeant meets Gloria Dainty, a beautiful private nurse, and arranges a date with her. Hamish doesn't understand why Gloria doesn't show, until he stumbles on her body at the bottom of a cliff. Det. Jimmy Anderson answers Hamish's call to the crime scene, followed almost immediately by brusque Insp. Fiona Herring, who takes charge. Hamish conducts his own investigation parallel to the official one, which focuses on elderly Percy Harrison, Gloria's patient, and Percy's housekeepers, Juris and Inga Janson. Complications run from the expected (Detective Chief Inspector Blair seeks to embarrass Hamish) to the unexpected (Col. George Halburton-Smythe tries to play detective). Hamish nimbly avoids bureaucratic pitfalls and shrewdly sniffs out deceptions as one murder leads to another, but this entry lacks the author's usual sparkle. Series fans will hope for its return in Hamish's next outing. Agent: Barbara Lowenstein, Lowenstein Associates. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Hamish Macbeth, who runs the constabulary in the village of Lochdubh, in the Scottish Highlands, is probably better suited to being a squire or a gamekeeper than a cop. All Hamish wants is time enough to amble about, enjoying the beauty of loch, sky, and speckled trout. But he very rarely gets what he wants, in life or in love. Dead bodies are always popping up in his tiny jurisdiction. In this, the thirty-first Macbeth mystery, the lovelorn cop becomes infatuated with Gloria Dainty, a nurse who dresses like a soft-porn fantasy and who is tending to the very acerbic invalid James Harrison, owner of a restored Victorian hunting lodge. Macbeth asks for a date but is stood up. Turns out Dainty had a good reason: a few days later, Macbeth discovers her body wedged between rocks on the coast. Suspects abound, from rejected or manipulated lovers to the old man she was tending. More murder follows. Macbeth, when roused to action, is very canny at solving mysteries, and the Highlands setting is always satisfying. A fine mix of eccentric characters, vivid landscape, and engaging mystery.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2016 Booklist

Beaton's unambitious but talented police hero continues to be attracted to all the wrong women. Sgt. Hamish Macbeth has hidden his talents in order to stay in the village of Lochdubh with his beloved dog and wild cat. His current officemate in the tiny police house is Charlie Carter, a large, likable, clumsy man who seems bent on destroying many of Hamish's meager possessions. Hamish's former fiancee Priscilla Halburton-Smythe's father, owner of the Tommel Castle Hotel, despises Hamish but has taken a shine to Charlie, whom Priscilla invites to stay in the hotel butler's suite. Hamish's latest unsuitable crush, stunning nurse Gloria Dainty, cares for wealthy, irascible, wheelchair-bound Mr. Harrison. Soon after Gloria stands Hamish up for a dinner date, her body is found at the bottom of a cliff. Hamish and Charlie, assigned to the case, are supervised by Inspector Fiona Herring, a tough-as-nails woman, married to a judge, who seems intent on ensnaring Charlie in an affair. Hamish soon learns that Gloria was plotting to manipulate Harrison into bequeathing her money. Since his son and daughter-in-law would do anything to thwart her scheme, is one of them Gloria's killer? Hamish's bosses are happy to pin the murder on a druggie and close the case. Not Hamish. The latest appearance by the charming Scot (Death of a Liar, 2015, etc.) provides all the quirky characters and striking Highlands scenery you could want, along with one of Beaton's most successful mysteries. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.