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 of the townsfolk there'll be no carols, feasting, gifts - or even whiskey 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. So it is up to Hamish to sort all these problems out - and he had better do it quickly, for the church bells will soon be tolling on the eve of Christmas. Praise for the Hamish Macbeth series: 'First rate...deft social comedy and wonderfully realized atmosphere' - Booklist. 'It's always a treat to return to Lochdubh' - New York Times. 'Readers will enjoy the quirks and unique qualities of the cast...Beaton catches the beauty of the area's natural geography and succinctly describes its distinct flavor' - Library Journal. 'Befuddled, earnest and utterly endearing, Hamish makes his triumphs sweetly satisfying' - Publishers Weekly.