Mass Market Paperback. Warner Books 2006-07-01.
ISBN: 0446614734 / 0-446-61473-4
EAN: 9780446614733
A Satisfied Man Looks for the Murderer of the Perfect Wife (Rating 4 of 5)
» Donald Mitchell
Death of a Perfect Wife is my introduction to the Hamish Macbeth mysteries. Having enjoyed the book, I look forward to reading more in the series.
Unambitious, but happy, Police Constable Hamish Macbeth is the one-man police force in the village of Lockdubh in the Scottish Highlands. He has his dog, his sheep, friends and all the time in the world to enjoy life. The hardworking citizens there usually think of their relaxed Bobby as a bit of a goof-off. All that changes when an actual crime occurs that threatens the domestic happiness of many of the village's households.
When Hamish is not out poaching salmon or game, he's given to dreamily considering the delights of Priscilla, daughter of the snooty, hyphenated castle-owning family. He's obsessed with her . . . or his imagination of her . . . and finds it disturbing when Priscilla is seen being friendly with a new man.
Into this idyll comes Trixie Thomas, the new wife of reformed overeater, Paul Thomas. Trixie is the White Tornado of cleanliness. She also advocates healthy living, saving the environment and many other good purposes. Soon, all the husbands in Lockdubh are having salads and fiber instead of steak and potatoes, giving up smoking and being hectored to give up other bad habits at Trixie's instigation to their wives.
Trixie also makes no bones about needing money and is constantly scrounging up old furniture to furnish a bed and breakfast establishment. The uproar becomes even stronger when Trixie leads a group to stop a local farmer from knocking over a building with bats in it.
Then, the uproar takes a new turn when Trixie turns up dead. Blair, Hamish's sarcastic superior, takes over . . . but Hamish plods away on his own. The investigation is complicated when Blair's new superior decides that Hamish is the route to Priscilla's hospitality for his wife.
The mystery isn't very mysterious, but the novel does a fine job of exploring the ways that we mis-mate ourselves by the expectations we bring to relationships and marriage. Those misperceptions can cause a lot of harm.
I listened to the Recorded Books version of the book as portrayed by Davina Porter and found my enjoyment greatly enhanced by her imaginative use of Highland accents and verbal pacing.
(Rating 4 of 5)
