Death of a Bore

When John Heppel, a visiting writer to Lochdubh, first proposes forming a writers' circle, the idea is met with much enthusiasm from local residents. However, once the classes get underway, attendance quickly falters due to one undeniable fact: John Heppel is a long-winded, consummate bore. But is dullness a motive for murder? Hamish Macbeth wouldn't ordinarily think so, therefore when Heppel is found dead, Hamish begins looking for deeper meaning in the writer's stories, including a strange, unfinished soap opera script that seems to suggest a more sinister motive behind its author's unhappy ending.
"Graeme Malcolm's cool, dry chameleon voice moves from one well-thought-out choice for a character to the next, giving not just their many different lilts but also their personalities, with the deftest of touches."
"Once again M. C. Beaton has concocted an amusing brew of mystery and romance that will keep her fans turning the pages."
"Well-plotted. Hamish's twentieth offers humor, intrigue, and local color galore."
"Macbeth's stolid character serves as perfect counterpoint to both the scheming, sneering higher-ups in the police and his sometimes hysterical villagers…Delightful."
"Beaton continues her well-loved Hamish Macbeth series with a crafty tale of murder in a small Scottish Highlands town…A smoothly plotted mystery."