A special Christmas standalone story for all fans of Hamish Macbeth. And it could be Hamish's toughest case - to bring some festive cheer to a town long dampened by the spirit of Scrooge.

A double helping of Hamish Macbeth festive treats!

In dark, wintry Lochdubh, Christmas cheer is about as welcome as a flat tyre on a deserted road. The Calvinist element in town has always resisted what they view as secular frivolity, so for most folk there'll be no carols, feasting, gifts - or even whisky on Christmas Day!

And for PC Hamish Macbeth there's no holiday from crime - he finds himself hunting for a missing cat belonging to a lonely spinster. Curt and unfriendly, the woman is convinced her pet has been stolen, but once behind her heavily-bolted door, Hamish can spot her true problem - she lives in fear, though of who or what he cannot guess.

Then someone steals a Christmas tree and lights from the nearby village of Cnothan. Now the lanky policeman must use all his Highland charm and detective skills to make things right. And he had better do it quickly, for the church bells will soon toll for Christmas Eve.

Also features the first UK publication of a Hamish Macbeth short story, Knock, Knock, You're Dead!

Praise for M C Beaton:

'The books are a delight: clever, intricate, sardonic and amazingly true to the real Highlands' Kerry Greenwood

'It's always a special treat to return to Lochdubh' New York Times