In Death of a Cad, Hamish Macbeth's life takes a turn for the unpleasant. Hamish has long been smitten with Priscilla Halburton-Smythe but due to the disapproval of her parents, has never been able to express or act on that. It's part of what created some of the romantic tension for Hamish in Death of a Gossip. Unfortunately for Hamish, Priscilla comes back to town with a fiance in tow. Some of the local notables are invited up to the Halburton-Smythe estate for the engagement party but when one of the guests, Captain Bartlett (a notorious cad and all around boor), is found dead after a grouse hunt, Hamish gets drawn into the investigation. Together with his nemesis Inspector Blair, the Scottish policmen must find the killer at the party before he strikes again.

This story is much more focused on the impossible interest between Hamish and Priscilla that was present but less so in Death of a Gossip. The murder brings to life all of the parental ambitions that are pressuring Priscilla and Hamish must solve the murder while dealing with his own feelings about the engagement. Hamish's interaction with the local nobility are amusing, particularly since he can't cross certain lines but doesn't exactly go out of his way to avoid making people angry. That same imperturbable cleverness that made Hamish so enjoyable in Death of a Gossip is alive and well in this book and made the mystery highly enjoyable. I'm not normally a huge mystery fan but this series is too much fun, particularly given how quick and easy it is to read.