DEATH OF A CHIMNEY SWEEP (M.C. Beaton)

I believe that this is the 26th Hamish Macbeth mystery.  I have to say that I didn't enjoy Hamish's adventures this time around as much as I usually do.  First of all, the title bothers me.  There was, indeed, a dead chimney sweep, but his murder was secondary to that of retired Captain Henry Davenport, who bullies his timid wife Milly and is found stuffed up his own chimney with his skull bashed in.  All of the ensuing drama revolves around Davenport's murder and its aftermath.  Why not call it "Death of a Captain" or "Death of a Bully" instead?  Also, I found Hamish less likable than usual in this novel.  For one thing, his illegal activies extended beyond his usual fish poaching, and his integrity is one of the things that I find most attractive about him.  The story also took place over such a long time span (18 months or so?) that you wondered what you were missing in between plot highlights.  Another thing is that there were so many characters outside of the usual villagers that I found it hard to keep track of who and where they were.  I must also admit that I am getting tired of Hamish's obsession with Priscilla.  In the BBC TV series Hamish ends up married to Isabel, the onscreen version of Elspeth, the reporter who almost captured Hamish's heart in previous novels. I thi nk I would like to see Hamish settle down a bit.  If you are a Macbeth fan, by all means read Beaton's latest.  Angela Brody has some interesting developments going on in her life that, naturally, cause trouble for good friend Hamish.  Even though it wasn't my favorite ("Death of a Gentle Lady" will forever hold THAT spot!), I'm glad I read it.