Death of a Chimney Sweep — M.C. Beaton

In the south of Scotland, residents get their chimneys vacuum-cleaned. But in the isolated northern villages, the people rely on the services of the itinerant sweep, Pete Ray, and his old-fashioned brushes. Pete is always able to find work in the Highlands . . . until the day Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices blood dripping onto the floor of a villager's fireplace and finds a dead body stuffed inside the chimney. The entire town of Lochdubh is certain Pete is the culprit, but Hamish doesn't believe that the affable chimney sweep is capable of committing murder. And when Pete's body is found on the Scottish moors, the mystery deepens. Once again, it's up to Hamish to discover who's responsible for the dirty deeds -- and he must do it soon, before the killer makes a clean getaway ...