A Small Death in the Great Glen, by A. D. Scott

This book, set in the Highlands of Scotland in the 1950s, has a lot going for it: endearing characters, lovely relationships, interesting social commentary.  But the omipresent sense of pending violence makes it a difficult read.  The main characters are Joanne Ross, an abused wife who works for the local newspaper, and her co-workers on the paper, John McAllister, Rob McLean, and Don McLeod.  The main plotline follows the investigation into the death of a small boy.  But there are lots of secondary characters and twisty subplots.