When society widow and gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joined the fishing class, she wasted no time in ruffling the feathers--or was it the fins?--of those around her. Among the victims of her sharp tongue and unladylike manner was Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet not even Hamish thought someone would permanently silence Lady Jane's shrills--until her strangled body is fished out of the river.Now with the help of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe,...

The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or - more accurately - has been dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remains of the murdered victim are his bones. But once the lobsters have been shipped off to Britain's best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth. Exiled to the dreary outpost of Cnothan, Macbeth sorely misses his beloved Lochdubh, but before...

Wealthy Maggie Baird is neither nice nor kind nor generous. Once she was beautiful, but now, although middle-aged, she retains the appetites of a beautiful woman. When Maggie's car catches fire with her inside it, suspicion focuses on the five houseguests staying at Maggie's luxurious Highlands cottage: her timid niece and four former lovers, once of whom Maggie had intended to pick for a husband. All five are impecunious. All five had ample opportunity...

Called on to investigate the death of wealthy baby food magnate and perennial prankster Arthur Trent, Hamish Macbeth finds himself faced with a list of suspects that includes Trent's greedy relations.

In a Scottish seaside resort, policeman Hamish MacBeth, is having a depressing holiday. The food is dreadful and the man in the adjoining room won't stop nagging his wife. Things liven up, however, when strolling on the beach MacBeth discovers the husband's body floating in the water.

Everybody in Lochdubh knew about the pro who dubbed himself the Macho Man. The huge, tattooed, mean-looking stranger won a willing audience for his bragging and tall tales by buying round after round at the local pub. But his nasty insults led to some vicious fights. His sneaking about the village aroused angry suspicions that he was fooling with some Lochdubh wives. And his sneering challenge to policeman Hamish Macbeth to a public bout triggered...

"Ever since a British television crew began filming a mystery series at nearby Castle Drim, Hamish has watched tension building. Middle-aged townsfolk and flashy filmmakers are clashing, the younger locals are vying for bit parts, and rumors are flying about vicious quarrels among the crew. But trouble really escalates after one of the scriptwriters is found dead, and Hamish discovers a full cast of suspects lurking behind the scenes."

A mystery without a murder featuring the series hero, Scottish constable Hamish MacBeth. The Christmas season brings him two cases, in one a woman reports her cat stolen, in another someone has stolen the village Christmas tree.