A feel-good cozy. An easy read. ( )

"Nollaig chridhiel!"*: A Hamish Macbeth Christmas
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook (January 7, 2015) narrated by Graeme Malcolm of the Mysterious Press hardcover original (1999).

In parts of the Highlands, like Lochdubh, the old spirit of John Knox still wandered, blasting anyone with hellfire should they dare to celebrate this heathen festival. Hamish had often pointed out that none other than Luther was credited with the idea of the Christmas tree, having been struck by the sight of stars shining through the branches of an evergreen. But to no avail. Lochdubh lay silent and dark beside the black waters of the loch.

I binged virtually all of the Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin novels of M.C. Beaton (1936-2019) during the lockdown years of the pandemic. The mostly unchanging atmosphere of those cozies was a comfort during the uncertainty of 2020 & 2021. The added convenience was that most of them were freely available to Audible Plus members. A few went missing at the time though, and this Christmas novella was one of those which I only discovered in 2023.

A Highland Christmas takes us back to the truly cozy years of the series which turned somewhat nasty towards the end of Beaton's run. Continuation writer R.W. Green has done some course correction with the later outings. This seasonal novella finds the Lochdubh village constable struggling to bring some Christmas spirit to several of the Scrooge-like inhabitants of the Highlands.

Along the way he brings happiness to a seniors' care home, locates a missing cat, brings some joy into a young girl's life, tracks down a bunch of stolen Christmas decorations, finds yet another potential love interest, adopts a new family pet and hosts a Holiday meal for friends. All in a good day's work for the Lochdubh Secret Santa.

See cover at https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/...
Cover image of the Mysterious Press hardcover edition (1999). Image sourced from Goodreads.

The narration by series regular Graeme Malcolm was as entertaining as ever.

Footnote
* “Nollaig chridhiel” is Scots Gaelic for “A Happy Christmas”

Trivia and Link
The next current outing for the Lochdubh policeman is continuation writer R.W. Green's Death of a Spy (Hamish Macbeth #36 - expected publication February 22, 2024). The continuation books are still listed with M.C. Beaton as the main author, as all of the Highlands atmosphere and the main characters were first developed by her. ( )

This really is cosy crime, with nothing more threatening than a lost cat and some nicked christmas lights and a tree. The hero, PC MacBeth, has more to worry about from his unreasonable and nasty boss than any criminals, apart from one near mishap when apparently his spectral dog comes to the rescue. Having dropped into this, not realising it was so late in the series and just a novella, I found it rather light though it was easy enough to pick up on the situation - the PC unlucky in love and stuck on duty over Christmas in a community where the Calvinist spirit lingers and it is considered unseemly to celebrate in what is viewed a pagan manner. He manages to do some good on that front, helping both a little girl and a frightened and isolated old lady.

It was a light pre-Christmas read and at least didn't have the ghastly Agatha Raisin of the author's other series who screams instead of speaking. So an OK 2-star read for me. ( )

Filled with charm, laced with dark but hilarious social comedy, and sprinkled with Christmas warmth, A Highland Christmas is one of the most endearing entries in the Hamish Macbeth series. Having already firmly established with readers the tall, redheaded constable of Lochdubh with little ambition, and the quirky villagers he must contend with in the remote highlands, Beaton focuses on giving fans of the series a magical novella as a Christmas gift. Reading this is like listening to a breezy Dave Koz Christmas offering on the stereo while trimming the tree.

It’s dark and wintery in Lochdubh as Christmas approaches and the Calvinist element is sucking the spirit right out of the holiday for Hamish. His mother has won a soap slogan contest, and a free Christmas holiday, but Hamish can’t join his folks because he has to take over Constable McGregor’s patch in Cnothon as well as his own. McGregor has come down with a bad appendix, putting the kibosh on any Christmas plans for Hamish. And with no lights, no trees, no carols, no secular trimmings at all — except behind closed doors, so as not to get an earful from the pious — it isn’t feeling much like Christmas to our favorite Highland constable.

When a Christmas tree and lights slated for the nearby village is stolen, Hamish is in no mood to be trifled with. It does seem trifling, however, when an old biddy named Mrs. Gallager reports her cat missing and insists Hamish find it. Intuitive as ever, Hamish senses there’s more to her being frightened than she’s telling. He also senses she’s lonely. When a young schoolgirl named Morag, with parents so dogmatic she hasn’t any friends, may be the culprit in one of the cases, what’s Hamish to do but put two lonely people together for a very special Christmas.

There’s a lot more here, including Hamish’s romance with a local school teacher, a busload of carolers, and a big Christmas dinner that restores the holiday spirit. Hamish is still grieving over Towser in this one, but the ending offers more surprises in this charming and breezy Christmas in the Highlands with Hamish and all the regulars we’ve come to enjoy over the years. This novella is a wonderful Christmas bauble for fans of the series. If you’re not a fan already, this might make you one. Great fun, and highly recommended! ( )

I heartily agree with Suzy. This was certainly the coziest of cozy Mysteries. ( )