Hamish Macbeth #25 January 2010 On Sale: January 12, 2010 Featuring: Josie McSween; Hamish Macbeth 256 pages ISBN: 0446547387 EAN: 9780446547383 Paperback (reprint) $6.99 Add to Wish List Mystery Private Eye Buy at Amazon.com Exploding Valentine parcel sets the scene for a murder Death Of A Valentine by M. C. Beaton Hamish suspects love is blind, deaf and deadly. Amazing news has spread across the Scottish countryside. The most famous of highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth, may actually marry at last. The entire village of Lochdubh adores Macbeth’s bride-to-be. Josie McSween is Hamish’s new constable, and she is a pretty little thing, with glossy brown hair and big brown eyes. The local folk think that Josie is quite a catch, but Hamish couldn’t be more miserable. The wedding wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for the murder of a beautiful woman in a nearby village. After the gorgeous woman receives a deadly Valentine’s Day gift, Hamish and Josie take on the case. However, they soon discover that the list of the victim’s admirers is endless. The case confirms Hamish’s belief that love is extremely dangerous, but he still can’t avoid the events that lead up to his celebrated engagement….

I have a story to tell you about having a dream and not giving up, no matter how many times you get knocked down. Most of you know me as a historical romance writer.  Over the past 11 years, I’ve written 15 historicals for three different publishers, so I think it’s safe to say I’ve been branded as a certain kind of writer. Occasionally, however, a writer needs to step out of the box, and it can be both exciting and nerve-wracking to venture into risky, untried territory.  I know this for a fact, because I have just released my first women’s fiction mainstream contemporary novel, THE COLOR OF HEAVEN – and let me tell you, it was a good lesson about perseverance, because I had a very hard time selling it. I first came up with the concept for the book six years ago, because I’ve always been fascinated by near-death experiences and the question about what lies on the other side of this life. My interest in the subject grew after a serious car accident at the age of twenty-five.  Somehow, miraculously, I survived a horrendous wreck and walked away without a scratch. I’m still not sure why…