Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth's new promotion means more money, but it also means that an eager beaver of a policeman, P.C. Willie Lamont, has been thrust upon him, interfering with Hamish's easygoing way of life. On a walk escaping his new sidekick's bloodhound efficiency, Hamish sees a battered camper parked next to the Lochdubh Hotel. The man Hamish meets inside the camper would have been called a hippie not so long ago and a beatnik a long time before that. Now he belongs to a crowd who refer to themselves as travellers : people who live like gypsies and try to demand the same rights. But Hamish knows real gypsies and is tolerant of them; they have rights and privileges that date back centuries. Hamish has no time for these so-called travellers, especially not this one, with his good looks and disturbingly smooth manner. Hamish takes an instant disliking to him, but the man manages to endear himself to several villagers. Only Hamish seems to realize the trouble this drifter is stirring up - until the man is found murdered in his camper. Nothing ever happens in the sleepy Scottish town of Lochdubh - nothing except murder. And where there's murder there's Hamish Macbeth to lend his unique brand of charm and wit to the proceedings. Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth's new promotion means more money, but it also means that an eager beaver of a policeman has been thrust upon him, interfering with Hamish's easygoing way of life. Fans of the lazy Hamish will delight in seeing him pitted against a zealous young officer while solving a disturbing murder. 7/12 - not available as an e-book