Don't Be Afraid of the Dork

Kept me well-entertained on a long car trip - the reader was very good. These are not intellectual who-dunnits and the mystery is rarely what kept my interest. The mystery just adds a dash of spice to what is otherwise a pleasantly mundane story of what is likely a charicaturesque Scottish highland village. I actually really relished reading all the banal descriptions of Hamish taking care of his dog and cat, fixing himself a meal and taking his time to recover from a blow to the head. If I thought about it a little harder I would probably come to the conclusion that the author puts in detail in the wrong places or perhaps just needs to insert some detail elsewhere. My one frustration was often not understanding the motivations behind the actions and reactions of some of the characters. I'm not too bothered about this except maybe as regards Hamish. If she delved a little deeper into his character it might take these books to another more satisfying level. Or maybe they would just lose their pleasant easygoing charm.