Death of a Sweep - M C Beaton

Good luck has run out for this unfortunate sweep:

In the cosmopolitan south of Scotland, residents get their chimneys vacuum-cleaned. But in the isolated villages in the very north, the villagers 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 one day when PC Hamish Macbeth notices blood dripping onto the floor of a villager’s fireplace, and 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. Then Pete’s body is found on the Scottish moors, and the mystery deepens. Once again, it’s up to Hamish to discover who’s responsible for the dirty deed – and this time, the murderer may be closer than he realizes.