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Hamish Macbeth #23
Death of a Gentle Lady
Gentle by name, gentle by nature. Everyone in the sleepy Scottish town of Lochdubh adores elderly Mrs. Gentle - everyone but Hamish Macbeth, that is. Hamish thinks the gentle lady is quite sly and vicious, and the citizens of Lochdubh think he is overly cranky. Perhaps it's time for him to get married, they say.
But who has time for marriage when there's a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story, and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior.
But who has time for marriage when there's a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story, and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
335 people are currently reading
1700 people want to read
About the author
M.C. Beaton
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Learn more on her website!
Marion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Marion Chesney, Charlotte Ward, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
Learn more on her website!
Marion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Marion Chesney, Charlotte Ward, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 559 reviews
November 12, 2017
“Don’t get caught, whatever you do. I’m sobering up and the soberer I get, the dafter your idea seems!” — Jimmy to Hamish
Death of a Gentle Lady has some hilarious moments mingled within a story filled with blackmail, murder, prostitution, Russians, and some very nasty business from Hamish’s superior, Blair, who tries to get rid of Hamish once and for all. Along the way Beaton is in fine form, taking politically incorrect yet hilarious swipes at everything from the absurdity of restrictions imposed by the European Union, to the often pretentious dribble championed by the Booker Prize. As usual, however, it all begins when an outsider moves into Hamish’s quirky but beloved Lochdubh. The outwardly sweet Margaret Gentle doesn’t fool Hamish one bit, especially not after he overhears her nasty, two-faced comments. It gives our favorite constable unease:
“Hamish walked off slowly. He felt uneasy. He had felt it before when some incomer had started to spread an evil atmosphere around the peace of the Highlands.”
Working for Mrs. Gentle is a beautiful girl who needs a passport so that the old bat who has most of the Highlanders fooled can’t hold deportation over her head. Hamish’s “help” with a forged passport soon snowballs into a marriage of convenience! Mrs. Gentle is spiteful, and when her influence threatens the closing of his police station, Hamish wants out of the arrangement. But Ayesha is having none of it. And then she disappears. Fearing the worst, Hamish searches the cliffs, but finds the body of Mrs. Gentle instead of Ayesha. Worse, it turns out Ayesha is actually Irena, a high-end hooker from Russia, giving the locals plenty of ammunition to poke fun at Hamish, who was about to marry her! You’ll bust a gut laughing at the Currie sisters and others, worried that Hamish, who never even slept with the lassie, might spread Aids by sipping tea with them.
Of course, one or two murders on his patch are nothing compared to the pretentious writer staying at the hotel. Harold Jury wants to stage Macbeth, with Priscilla in the lead female role. Hamish spins Harold a yarn about fake customs and greetings to new arrivals in Lochdubh and creates an enemy — while the reader is rolling in laughter. Then there is the pushy female detective from Russia, observing Highland policing. Hamish’s attempt to thwart her amorous demands are a hoot! Not all is fun and games, however, as Hamish struggles with making a second marriage proposal, this one to Elspeth, which creates a melancholy moment for the constable. When Hamish decides to put the word out that Irena told him something important, he places a target on his back. He also gives Blair an idea about how to get rid of Hamish — only the first in this entry!
A big Highland storm, a raging sea, another hooker, a kidnapping, another murder, Lady Macbeth and someone’s feet all play a part in this wonderful entry in the series. This one ends with a wedding, but it’s not what you think! Great fun, and a terrific read for fans of the lanky red-headed constable with a knack for solving murders, who wants no more than to remain on his small patch of heaven in Lochdubh and not be bothered. Highly recommended!
Death of a Gentle Lady has some hilarious moments mingled within a story filled with blackmail, murder, prostitution, Russians, and some very nasty business from Hamish’s superior, Blair, who tries to get rid of Hamish once and for all. Along the way Beaton is in fine form, taking politically incorrect yet hilarious swipes at everything from the absurdity of restrictions imposed by the European Union, to the often pretentious dribble championed by the Booker Prize. As usual, however, it all begins when an outsider moves into Hamish’s quirky but beloved Lochdubh. The outwardly sweet Margaret Gentle doesn’t fool Hamish one bit, especially not after he overhears her nasty, two-faced comments. It gives our favorite constable unease:
“Hamish walked off slowly. He felt uneasy. He had felt it before when some incomer had started to spread an evil atmosphere around the peace of the Highlands.”
Working for Mrs. Gentle is a beautiful girl who needs a passport so that the old bat who has most of the Highlanders fooled can’t hold deportation over her head. Hamish’s “help” with a forged passport soon snowballs into a marriage of convenience! Mrs. Gentle is spiteful, and when her influence threatens the closing of his police station, Hamish wants out of the arrangement. But Ayesha is having none of it. And then she disappears. Fearing the worst, Hamish searches the cliffs, but finds the body of Mrs. Gentle instead of Ayesha. Worse, it turns out Ayesha is actually Irena, a high-end hooker from Russia, giving the locals plenty of ammunition to poke fun at Hamish, who was about to marry her! You’ll bust a gut laughing at the Currie sisters and others, worried that Hamish, who never even slept with the lassie, might spread Aids by sipping tea with them.
Of course, one or two murders on his patch are nothing compared to the pretentious writer staying at the hotel. Harold Jury wants to stage Macbeth, with Priscilla in the lead female role. Hamish spins Harold a yarn about fake customs and greetings to new arrivals in Lochdubh and creates an enemy — while the reader is rolling in laughter. Then there is the pushy female detective from Russia, observing Highland policing. Hamish’s attempt to thwart her amorous demands are a hoot! Not all is fun and games, however, as Hamish struggles with making a second marriage proposal, this one to Elspeth, which creates a melancholy moment for the constable. When Hamish decides to put the word out that Irena told him something important, he places a target on his back. He also gives Blair an idea about how to get rid of Hamish — only the first in this entry!
A big Highland storm, a raging sea, another hooker, a kidnapping, another murder, Lady Macbeth and someone’s feet all play a part in this wonderful entry in the series. This one ends with a wedding, but it’s not what you think! Great fun, and a terrific read for fans of the lanky red-headed constable with a knack for solving murders, who wants no more than to remain on his small patch of heaven in Lochdubh and not be bothered. Highly recommended!
July 19, 2024
Hamish nearly got married in this one but once again missed it on the day of the wedding as his bride was murdered! You will never guessed who murdered her! He felt sorry for her as she desperately needed to become a British citizen and so that was part of the reason. He has a very tender heart at times. He also felt sorry for himself as everyone picked on him for not being married.
April 17, 2020
I really enjoyed this Hamish Highland tale! His love life is ever the same as he waffles over his two ladies, almost comical, but I prefer him as the bachelor he is, living with his pets-a feral cat and his faithful dog, Lugs! Thank goodness for the doctor's wife who helps endlessly with keeping the pets fed and cared for when Hamish is out chasing down clues. This not so gentle lady mystery was done well; although as canny as Hamish is this time I was one step ahead of him in figuring out the whodunnit!
February 19, 2022
Another of the Hamish Macbeth mysteries, this one has a lively cast of suspects. Mrs. Gentle, who has snowed many of the village’s members, has not fooled Hamish Macbeth. She is anything but gentle and her family members are almost as appalling. She mistreats her illegal immigrant Russian maid leading Hamish, in a fit of kindness, to offer to marry her. He is not quite as altruistic as he seems. If he has a wife, then Inspector Blair will be thwarted in his attempt to close the Lockdubh police station.
From that point on, things start to unravel. It seems that everyone has something to hide and the suspects are thick on the ground. Inspector Blair is becoming almost unhinged in his determination to get rid of Hamish and he comes close to succeeding.
From that point on, things start to unravel. It seems that everyone has something to hide and the suspects are thick on the ground. Inspector Blair is becoming almost unhinged in his determination to get rid of Hamish and he comes close to succeeding.
February 16, 2009
This is the reading version of Raisinets: nothing surprising in the bag, same old wrinkles larded up with familiar flavors, but gawd doncha love 'em?
Hamish's star system of babes grows ever larger, and while they have to die to escape his gravitational pull, they never seem to get close enough for a satisfactory relationship. I know I've said over and over that if you've got the sexual tension thing going, your biggest mistake is ruining it with a happy couple (see Sayers's Lord Peter series and the old Remington Steele program), however, it's been 20-some books now, Ms. Beaton! Time to move on! It's just painful now seeing all these women floating around him like so much debris.
This time Hamish goes outside the EU for fresh meat. Blair goes totally over the top. The victim is as unpleasant as ever, and an outsider (or Lochdubh would be a ghost town by now). And Beaton stoops to having the village put on a production of "Macbeth." Even using the same formulaic sentences (Hamish always going sibilant when angry - can guarantee that sentence will be worked into every single solitary book), the same failed relationships, the same characters (except murderers and murderees), Beaton somehow prevents this stuff from going completely stale. The villagers should only be two-dimensional cartoons, but I see them as whole for some reason. Maybe it's from seeing just one of the tv series with Robert Carlyle (totally wrong physically for Macbeth but so darn cute in that).
Oddly, I can't abide the Agatha Raisin stories, but I'll line up for these packets of sticky sweets each time.
Hamish's star system of babes grows ever larger, and while they have to die to escape his gravitational pull, they never seem to get close enough for a satisfactory relationship. I know I've said over and over that if you've got the sexual tension thing going, your biggest mistake is ruining it with a happy couple (see Sayers's Lord Peter series and the old Remington Steele program), however, it's been 20-some books now, Ms. Beaton! Time to move on! It's just painful now seeing all these women floating around him like so much debris.
This time Hamish goes outside the EU for fresh meat. Blair goes totally over the top. The victim is as unpleasant as ever, and an outsider (or Lochdubh would be a ghost town by now). And Beaton stoops to having the village put on a production of "Macbeth." Even using the same formulaic sentences (Hamish always going sibilant when angry - can guarantee that sentence will be worked into every single solitary book), the same failed relationships, the same characters (except murderers and murderees), Beaton somehow prevents this stuff from going completely stale. The villagers should only be two-dimensional cartoons, but I see them as whole for some reason. Maybe it's from seeing just one of the tv series with Robert Carlyle (totally wrong physically for Macbeth but so darn cute in that).
Oddly, I can't abide the Agatha Raisin stories, but I'll line up for these packets of sticky sweets each time.
September 21, 2022
Blurb:Gentle by name, gentle by nature. Everyone in the sleepy Scottish town of Lochdubh adores elderly Mrs. Gentle - everyone but Hamish Macbeth, that is. Hamish thinks the gentle lady is quite sly and vicious, and the citizens of Lochdubh think he is overly cranky. Perhaps it's time for him to get married, they say.
But who has time for marriage when there's a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story, and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior.
What a dark journey it turned out to be for Hamish Macbeth. It was okay to accept that some dark criminal forces might be after Hamish, such as Russian mafia members, but dumbfounding to discover who really wanted him dead.
And why would a gentle lady get murdered, when everybody, except Hamish Macbeth, liked her? With her faux castle on the edge of the cliff, where big chunks of rocks constantly broke off and landed in the ocean, it was a mystery why such a classy, affluent, lady would move from England into the old monstrosity, when her money could have been much better invested somewhere else.
Hamish thought she was bringing an atmosphere of evil around the peace of the Highlands.
Well, she did not like Hamish either. She called him a seven feet tall clown with improbable red hair.
A hornest's nest was stirred with this first murder. The second one impacted our constable's life directly.
For a third time he bought an engagement ring. First one was for Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, second one for Elspeth Grant, and now a third one for the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But the wedding, and marriage, was not to be ...
In fact, Hamish had to flee for his life ...
In the midst of the murders, the residents of Lochdubh were rehearsing for the real Macbeth by Shakespeare.
Angela Brodie decided to compulsively deep clean her home in the hope that her writer's block will go away. It did not. Priscilla herself spent her time in the company of the visiting author Harold Jury, rehearsing as Lady Macbeth, or enjoying her walks in the hills in the company of the visiting Irishman Patrick Fitzpatrick.
Angela Brodie was the only one of Hamish's friends available to act as his Watson, in the absence of his law enforcement colleagues, who were missing in action when the serious work had to be done. They were not unwilling, they just did not agree with Hamish's suspicions.
To top it all off, Archie reported that another chunk o' the cliff had fallen again and the folly was now perched, balanced, like a toy castle,on someone's outstretched hand. Only the lip of the cliff was supporting it.
If Blair thought he had the last laugh at Hamish to try and close down the police station, he had it coming. Hamish got him back. Big time. The accompanying note of the gift he received from Hamish, read: Oh Happy Day, from your friend and colleague, Hamish Macbeth.
Karma, dear friends. Hilariously funny Karma it was. Well, the whole situation resulted in Blair dancing the Eightsome Reel, the Gay Gordons, and the Dashing White Sergeant as if his feet had wings. A dark comedy indeed.
There were so many elements combined in this novel to ensure a fascinating, thrilling, endearing, dramatic, compelling read, that it is impossible to summarize it all.
An entertaining 245 pages. A traditional Scottish mystery of the excellent kind.
But who has time for marriage when there's a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story, and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior.
What a dark journey it turned out to be for Hamish Macbeth. It was okay to accept that some dark criminal forces might be after Hamish, such as Russian mafia members, but dumbfounding to discover who really wanted him dead.
And why would a gentle lady get murdered, when everybody, except Hamish Macbeth, liked her? With her faux castle on the edge of the cliff, where big chunks of rocks constantly broke off and landed in the ocean, it was a mystery why such a classy, affluent, lady would move from England into the old monstrosity, when her money could have been much better invested somewhere else.
Hamish thought she was bringing an atmosphere of evil around the peace of the Highlands.
Well, she did not like Hamish either. She called him a seven feet tall clown with improbable red hair.
A hornest's nest was stirred with this first murder. The second one impacted our constable's life directly.
For a third time he bought an engagement ring. First one was for Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, second one for Elspeth Grant, and now a third one for the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But the wedding, and marriage, was not to be ...
In fact, Hamish had to flee for his life ...
In the midst of the murders, the residents of Lochdubh were rehearsing for the real Macbeth by Shakespeare.
Angela Brodie decided to compulsively deep clean her home in the hope that her writer's block will go away. It did not. Priscilla herself spent her time in the company of the visiting author Harold Jury, rehearsing as Lady Macbeth, or enjoying her walks in the hills in the company of the visiting Irishman Patrick Fitzpatrick.
Angela Brodie was the only one of Hamish's friends available to act as his Watson, in the absence of his law enforcement colleagues, who were missing in action when the serious work had to be done. They were not unwilling, they just did not agree with Hamish's suspicions.
To top it all off, Archie reported that another chunk o' the cliff had fallen again and the folly was now perched, balanced, like a toy castle,on someone's outstretched hand. Only the lip of the cliff was supporting it.
If Blair thought he had the last laugh at Hamish to try and close down the police station, he had it coming. Hamish got him back. Big time. The accompanying note of the gift he received from Hamish, read: Oh Happy Day, from your friend and colleague, Hamish Macbeth.
Karma, dear friends. Hilariously funny Karma it was. Well, the whole situation resulted in Blair dancing the Eightsome Reel, the Gay Gordons, and the Dashing White Sergeant as if his feet had wings. A dark comedy indeed.
There were so many elements combined in this novel to ensure a fascinating, thrilling, endearing, dramatic, compelling read, that it is impossible to summarize it all.
An entertaining 245 pages. A traditional Scottish mystery of the excellent kind.
March 2, 2017
True to the series, Hamish continues to enthrall readers as he uses his Highland wits and intuition to solve a web of murders. A great cozy read.
April 2, 2017
I love Hamish Macbeth!
July 13, 2019
The book was fine but Hamish's love life is starting to annoy me. He and Priscilla must have broken up years before evens of this book (it's been 12 books, even assuming there's a murder once every 3 months it's been 4 years) but he still can't get over her. Not like he really tries, she only has to grace Lochdubh with her presence and he's pretty much back to where he was in the beginning of the series. Priscilla is kind of vain and immature. I just really wish the series doesn't end with them together, because she showed many times and said herself that she doesn't want to live in Lochdubh. I don't want another HIMYM situation where one person gets to live how they want to and then go back to the fool that's been waiting all those years. Elspeth is not that great either, but if I had to choose between two evils I'd pick her (wishing for a mature, respectful woman, who doesn't want to change Hamish would be too much I guess). All three of them act so much like children.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2022
06/02/22 - still think this one is a favorite - except for the rather unbelievable over-the-top and dramatic ending of the killer. And the fact that all the killers seem “mad” - I don’t think murderers are “mad.” But actually all the drama is awesome, because the little details about the characters and in the plot are just so great - like giving Jimmy a carving that looks like Blair. Which reminds me, I really think Archie should be Hamish’s best man - or maybe one of his siblings? Jimmy’s great, but…hmmmm…
10/1/09 - This one is another favorite from the series! I am still laughing about Hamish's "traditional highland greeting" trick that he plays on the arrogant English author who is writing a book about the "primitive people of the British isles."
10/1/09 - This one is another favorite from the series! I am still laughing about Hamish's "traditional highland greeting" trick that he plays on the arrogant English author who is writing a book about the "primitive people of the British isles."
April 23, 2009
Been a long time since I read through the first umpty Hamish Macbeth mysteries. They are no frills, very direct, this happened and then he thought about it and did this, etc. Lots of events. Little human interest as his two former loves drift by and several totally inappropriate women make themselves available. Despite the simple format and presentation, the solution to the mystery doesn't slip out early
December 13, 2021
I gave this book four-stars because it's one of my least favorite Hamish book thus far, but I still absolutely loved listening to it. Even when Hamish isn't at his best, I still adore the series.
My biggest problem was that I felt there was too much going on. Too many side plots. Another thing I don't like is that Blair appears to get more mustachio-twirling cartoon villain with each plot. I'm kind of over that. I do love what happened in the end with Blair. That was pure Hamish brilliance.
Hamish offers to marry a beautiful maid to help her out a tricky immigration sitch. He doesn't love her but the marriage allows him to keep his police station, so it's a good deal for both of them. The day of the wedding arrives and the bride is nowhere to be seen. In the course of looking for her, they find a body. It's the body of Mrs. Gentle, the maid's employer.
My biggest problem was that I felt there was too much going on. Too many side plots. Another thing I don't like is that Blair appears to get more mustachio-twirling cartoon villain with each plot. I'm kind of over that. I do love what happened in the end with Blair. That was pure Hamish brilliance.
Hamish offers to marry a beautiful maid to help her out a tricky immigration sitch. He doesn't love her but the marriage allows him to keep his police station, so it's a good deal for both of them. The day of the wedding arrives and the bride is nowhere to be seen. In the course of looking for her, they find a body. It's the body of Mrs. Gentle, the maid's employer.
February 19, 2015
This is the 24th in the Hamish Macbeth series. I have read them all, and two later ones out of order as well.
I don't understand it -- this series has typos galore (as does the Agatha Raisin series as well,) there is an egregious "continuity" error in this one; the characters are paper-thin; if there is a liberal/left-leaning/counterculture character you can be sure he or she is cynical, hypocritical, or just plain evil; solutions and motivations are often explained by the villain as he (or she) is about to kill Hamish (but then, miraculously...); and so on. And yet, each time I finish one I can't wait to go on to the next. Curious. Certainly the Scottish setting, Lochdubh, is wonderfully pictured and the villagers are like old acquaintances at this point, and Hamish himself, with his utter lack of ambition and romantic problems, is like an old friend. Maybe that's all there is, but it keeps me reading.
Interestingly, I just read that M. C. Beaton is "the most borrowed author in UK libraries." That includes her Agatha series, and, I guess, the Georgian romances - which I've never read. (Also, I just read that in the UK Sky TV has produced the first in the Agatha Raisin series, "The Quiche of Death", with Ashley Jensen. Looking forward to reading reviews of that.)
I don't understand it -- this series has typos galore (as does the Agatha Raisin series as well,) there is an egregious "continuity" error in this one; the characters are paper-thin; if there is a liberal/left-leaning/counterculture character you can be sure he or she is cynical, hypocritical, or just plain evil; solutions and motivations are often explained by the villain as he (or she) is about to kill Hamish (but then, miraculously...); and so on. And yet, each time I finish one I can't wait to go on to the next. Curious. Certainly the Scottish setting, Lochdubh, is wonderfully pictured and the villagers are like old acquaintances at this point, and Hamish himself, with his utter lack of ambition and romantic problems, is like an old friend. Maybe that's all there is, but it keeps me reading.
Interestingly, I just read that M. C. Beaton is "the most borrowed author in UK libraries." That includes her Agatha series, and, I guess, the Georgian romances - which I've never read. (Also, I just read that in the UK Sky TV has produced the first in the Agatha Raisin series, "The Quiche of Death", with Ashley Jensen. Looking forward to reading reviews of that.)
November 6, 2009
This was my first M.C. Beaton and I'm still trying to decide whether I'll try any of her other books. The story was readable and pleasant as most cozies are. But there were some consistency issues that drove me batty. Sometimes Hamish speaks in dialect and sometimes he doesn't. If this were consistent--always in dialect when he's flustered--that would make sense, but that isn't how it was presented. And at one point, Hamish is hiding out and using an alias. But one of the characters he meets in the village where he's staying addresses him as Hamish even though he introduced himself as William Shore.
This lack of care on the publisher's part annoys me to no end and I have a hard time enjoying something so sloppily edited. I very nearly started ripping the pages out of the book to reedit it and send back to the publisher. Ugh.
This lack of care on the publisher's part annoys me to no end and I have a hard time enjoying something so sloppily edited. I very nearly started ripping the pages out of the book to reedit it and send back to the publisher. Ugh.
May 14, 2010
In which Hamish finally proposes marriage to . . . someone. Also, there are four murders, two hookers, one scene of Inspector Blair projectile vomiting from alcohol poisoning, one instance of amateur theatrics, both Elspeth and Priscilla show up uninvited at the police station, Blair goes into rehab twice, Hamish goes on holiday and is nearly killed, Hamish stands up someone for a date, and the entire village thinks he's a himbo and possibly crawling in STD's. Also, Archie MacLean hits someone in the face with an evergreen branch and makes them eat a bowl of rock salt as part of the traditional Highland welcome.
So, y'know, just another day in Lochdubh. . .
So, y'know, just another day in Lochdubh. . .
January 1, 2010
We listened to this one in the car, which allows the silliness to really leer at you.
I learned: Don't start a series with #24.
I guess I expected Mr MacBeth to be more charming and clever. He seemed self-centered and flaky. I got the reiterations that he loved his pets, loved his town, and that no one minded that he was a burden (except the buffoon, Blair, who seems taken from the Pink Panther movies). Would reading them in order make this one seem less cardboard? Would a lesbian in a novel wear expensive designer dresses? Do other British authors use the word "truculant" at least 4 times in one volume? Not all the mysteries were tidied up at the end!
I learned: Don't start a series with #24.
I guess I expected Mr MacBeth to be more charming and clever. He seemed self-centered and flaky. I got the reiterations that he loved his pets, loved his town, and that no one minded that he was a burden (except the buffoon, Blair, who seems taken from the Pink Panther movies). Would reading them in order make this one seem less cardboard? Would a lesbian in a novel wear expensive designer dresses? Do other British authors use the word "truculant" at least 4 times in one volume? Not all the mysteries were tidied up at the end!
June 29, 2011
It's the same stuff-and I love it. And the gentle lady is not so gentle. As in Miss Marple's small villages, the emotional life of the people is vivid and sharp. Under the superficial level of warm and fuzzy are all the ugliest of human emotions. Beaton is her funniest when her characters are their pettiest or meanest. And the plot in this one is quite interesting, a real police procedural in some ways with some unexpected twists and turns. Although the style is the same, the story is (in humorous contrast to the title) one of Beaton's more aggressive mysteries. This had some very amazing twists and surprises but the middle dragged a bit for me.
August 12, 2018
Reading mystery candy. Nothing like a quick dash to the imaginary town of Lochdoubh, Scotland with Hamish Macbeth. I really enjoyed this jaunt.
Note: Gritty innuendos
Note: Gritty innuendos
June 21, 2023
A woman everyone loves but Hamish can’t stand us murdered. Well he warned people she would be murdered. Thank goodness he had an alibi 😂😂 Hamish, who seems destined to be alone, goes through another love disaster that the villagers eagerly eat up; Blair’s back and just as eager to get rid of Hamish;
July 10, 2020
In all honesty, I enjoyed this book way more than I expected. It was a freebie I collected in one of my adventures on the ship from a guest that had been done reading it and left it behind. I happened to be the one who handpicked it and reclaimed it, thinking it was some empowering feminist story hahaha. It ended up being a mystery crime fiction novel instead, with a male detective as a protagonist. Simple in writing, simple story, but I enjoyed it SO MUCH. I tried to figure out how come I enjoyed it so much as to slow read it in a cozy way across the 2 days it took me to finish it, and I think I did because I do in fact happen to enjoy detective stories, and secondly because of the timing as I got tired of heavy reading at the time, and this one is something light and mysterious enough to keep you going. The humbleness of the main character in desiring his humble position in watchover the village and his love for animals were charming. Skill doesn't always mean you gotta become world famous or go for the big prize. Sometimes being content is more valuable. The cursive storytelling is... relaxing. I can't tell exactly why I loved it so much, I just know I couldn't put it down, which was a very strange experience. Maybe I'll try some other stories from the series someday.
December 27, 2014
Another delightful addition to the Hamish Macbeth series. These are epitome of the cozy mystery genre. I'd love to visit Lochdubh sometime.
February 23, 2008
I love Hamish. This one one good read.
August 30, 2016
Very different from the Agatha Raisin mysteries, but equally as entertaining. This is the first Hamish MacBeth I've read, and now I plan on reading the entire series.
March 20, 2019
Our poor Hamish is going a bit doolally. He’s desperate to both silence gossip and keep his police station and it drops him right in the middle of a misplaced effort and a double murder. Why can’t they just leave him to his croft and beat in peace and not listen to every conniving old lady with an ax to grind? Having avoided a sham marriage by the bride becoming a corpse, his embarrassment is once again village news and a problem for Strathbane police headquarters and a burr in the backside of CI Blair who is basically Hamish’s nemesis who will go to any length to get rid of Hamish. Instead of a helpful Elsbeth or Priscilla (so well named) he gets saddled with a frightening DI from Russia who scares the pants off him. Highland high jinx and treachery abound.
Now if Hamish could only just get the crazy women to leave him alone.
Now if Hamish could only just get the crazy women to leave him alone.
May 25, 2020
I don't know... I'm inclined to give this book 2 stars. There's nothing wrong with the story (albeit a bit farfetched sometimes). It's set in a remote part of Scotland, and constable Macbeth is afraid of losing his police station, so he does a few things when found out, will certainly get him kicked out of the force and probably in jail too. There are murders, of course, and the very nasty DCI Blair who wants to get of Macbeth, no matter what.
The problem for me is the writing style. M.C. Beaton uses mainly short and very short sentences which for me is very unpleasant to read, sometimes it feels like reading a Powerpoint presentation with bullet points.
So three stars for the story, one star for the writing.
The problem for me is the writing style. M.C. Beaton uses mainly short and very short sentences which for me is very unpleasant to read, sometimes it feels like reading a Powerpoint presentation with bullet points.
So three stars for the story, one star for the writing.
April 28, 2021
Macbeth and the Not-So-Gentle Lady
Review of the Grand Central Publishing hardcover edition (2008)
Hamish Macbeth actually makes it to the altar in this one, but predictably the village constable of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands remains a bachelor. Macbeth has to sort out a few murders when a not-so-gentle incomer and her maid are murdered. The suspects are plentiful and the village gossip is helpful as ever in another entertaining entry in the long-running cozy series.
I've exhausted the availability of free audiobooks for the series from the Audible Plus option so I'm now seeking out the rest of the series from the Toronto Public Library. I'm still hoping to read them in order as much as possible.
Review of the Grand Central Publishing hardcover edition (2008)
Hamish Macbeth actually makes it to the altar in this one, but predictably the village constable of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands remains a bachelor. Macbeth has to sort out a few murders when a not-so-gentle incomer and her maid are murdered. The suspects are plentiful and the village gossip is helpful as ever in another entertaining entry in the long-running cozy series.
I've exhausted the availability of free audiobooks for the series from the Audible Plus option so I'm now seeking out the rest of the series from the Toronto Public Library. I'm still hoping to read them in order as much as possible.
July 20, 2024
Reading the Hamish stories makes me downright "shoogly" with delight sometimes - Mrs. Wellington shouting at the rehearsal as Hamish enters the room "A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come!" who knew she had such wit in her? (Later someone says "Don't mention that damn play again!" - also perfect). I also liked the "donkey engine" and the entire scene with the artichoke ("It's like trying to eat holly!" "You're not supposed to eat the whole thing.") Hapless Hamish, in every book there's a new running joke of gossip for Lochdubh, this time getting bamboozled into promising to marry a Russian con artist, a marriage he escapes only with her MURDER in the SCARY CASTLE. Always good stuff!
December 6, 2021
👮♂️👎 a sour trope at the end
Ah, it’s nice to finally read how Hamish got DCI Blair married off.
It’s a little weird reading the entire series through because if time passed like it should for him and the rest of the characters, Hamish would now be in his fifties or sixties by now. Instead, he’s a man who’s perpetually 33. I’ve become used to reading series where the main character and the rest all age at a regular rate and don’t hover forever frozen at one age while the world changes around him.
Ah, it’s nice to finally read how Hamish got DCI Blair married off.
It’s a little weird reading the entire series through because if time passed like it should for him and the rest of the characters, Hamish would now be in his fifties or sixties by now. Instead, he’s a man who’s perpetually 33. I’ve become used to reading series where the main character and the rest all age at a regular rate and don’t hover forever frozen at one age while the world changes around him.
August 21, 2018
I borrowed this as an audio through the Allegany County Library System and Hoopla. Favorite quotes: “Don’t get caught, whatever you do. I’m sobering up and the soberer I get, the dafter your idea seems!” — Jimmy to Hamish
April 11, 2022
M.C. Beaton is a master at character development. I appreciate the flaws and personalities of her characters. Hamish Macbeth is my favorite character. The setting in Scotland is described beautifully as well as the ryhthum of everyday life (including the weater). Very entertaining.
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