Death Of A Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton

The small village of Brikie is in Police Constable Hamish Macbeth's territory.  Not much goes on there and the economy has hit hard with unemployment.  So there is a lot of excitement when a beautiful woman manager turns the local forested land into what she calls a 'fairy glen' and the tourists start pouring in, bringing their money.  Everyone seems thrilled, that is, except for an old widow who lives near, is wealthy enough to have great sway, and doesn't like the increased traffic. 

One of the major attractions of the glen is a family of beautiful kingfishers.  Macbeth is not amused when he is called out on an emergency to a death at the glen, and it turns out to be the kingfisher.  He is interested in the gorgeous Mary who runs the place, and she seems interested in him even though she is married.  Still and all, he is there for crimes against persons, not birds.

No fears.  Within days, the older woman creating dissension is found murdered in a horrendous fashion.  There are tons of suspects.  It turns out that Mary has been given half the estate in a new will.  The woman's disagreeable family are suspects, along with their strange teenage children.  Many of the villagers who have found work are just as happy that the old woman is gone.  Hamish struggles to make sense of it all while adjusting to his new helper, Dick.  Soon, bodies start to pile up and the mystery deepens.  Can Hamish unravel the mystery and restore the peaceful village?

Death Of A Kingfisher is the twenty-seventh book in Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series.  New readers will be interested to read to discover while the series is so beloved while established M.C. Beaton fans will enjoy another visit with Macbeth.  This book is recommended for cozy mystery readers.