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Hamish Macbeth #37
Death of a Smuggler
THE THRILLING NEW MYSTERY IN THE BESTSELLING HAMISH MACBETH SERIES!
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Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is craving peace and quiet. But visitors to his home village of Lochdubh, nestled in the Scottish Highlands, have other ideas...
Hamish and the new love in his life, Claire, have holiday plans. But thoughts of rest and relaxation are rudely interrupted by the arrival of a new constable, complete with a surprise, and a secret.
Hoping the grand re-opening of his local pub will be a good distraction from Constable Forbes's intrigue, Hamish gets a nasty surprise when he's confronted by a family who have a score to settle with a missing man.
Discovering a murdered woman's body puts further pressure on Hamish, especially when he learns that she's linked to the missing man... but who are they, and why were they in Lochdubh?
With a host of questions, a growing list of suspects and ever more bewildering circumstances, the arrival of the odious Detective Chief Inspector Blair is truly the last thing Hamish needs. As Hamish's sworn enemy, why is Blair interested in this case?
Hamish vows to find the murderer before anyone else falls victim. Never has a quiet life seemed further from his grasp!
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Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is craving peace and quiet. But visitors to his home village of Lochdubh, nestled in the Scottish Highlands, have other ideas...
Hamish and the new love in his life, Claire, have holiday plans. But thoughts of rest and relaxation are rudely interrupted by the arrival of a new constable, complete with a surprise, and a secret.
Hoping the grand re-opening of his local pub will be a good distraction from Constable Forbes's intrigue, Hamish gets a nasty surprise when he's confronted by a family who have a score to settle with a missing man.
Discovering a murdered woman's body puts further pressure on Hamish, especially when he learns that she's linked to the missing man... but who are they, and why were they in Lochdubh?
With a host of questions, a growing list of suspects and ever more bewildering circumstances, the arrival of the odious Detective Chief Inspector Blair is truly the last thing Hamish needs. As Hamish's sworn enemy, why is Blair interested in this case?
Hamish vows to find the murderer before anyone else falls victim. Never has a quiet life seemed further from his grasp!
Audible Audio
First published February 1, 2025
278 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
M.C. Beaton
349 books6,039 followersLike her on Facebook!
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 174 reviews
April 13, 2025
As a long-time reader of the Hamish Macbeth series, I approach each new installment with affection and a touch of trepidation. Death of a Smuggler continues the tradition of lighthearted mystery set in the Highlands, but it’s hard to ignore the sense that something vital is slipping away from the series. I hope it's temporary.
The mystery itself is fine and in line with what one expects from the series. But what’s missing is the heartbeat of Lochdubh, which is the community. Earlier books thrived on the interconnected lives of villagers, the quiet humour, the rhythm of small-town life where gossip is as important as clues. Here, the focus leans more heavily on Hamish's professional life, with community members drifting in and out too briefly, reduced to single-purpose appearances.
The result is a story that feels thinner, less cosy. The charm, once found in the incidental moments and the warmth of recurring characters, has dimmed. While I’ll continue with the series—out of both loyalty and curiosity—I do miss the richer, more human tapestry of earlier volumes. Hamish still endures, but Lochdubh feels a little lonelier these days.
The mystery itself is fine and in line with what one expects from the series. But what’s missing is the heartbeat of Lochdubh, which is the community. Earlier books thrived on the interconnected lives of villagers, the quiet humour, the rhythm of small-town life where gossip is as important as clues. Here, the focus leans more heavily on Hamish's professional life, with community members drifting in and out too briefly, reduced to single-purpose appearances.
The result is a story that feels thinner, less cosy. The charm, once found in the incidental moments and the warmth of recurring characters, has dimmed. While I’ll continue with the series—out of both loyalty and curiosity—I do miss the richer, more human tapestry of earlier volumes. Hamish still endures, but Lochdubh feels a little lonelier these days.
February 4, 2026
Hamish & the Smugglers
A review of the Grand Central Publishing eBook (February 1, 2025) released shortly before the Constable (UK February 13, 2025) and Grand Central Publishing (US February 18, 2025) hardcovers and audiobooks.
I'll admit to a nostalgic bias about M.C. Beaton's (pseudonym of Marion Chesney (1936-2019)) fictional characters Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. During the COVID pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home periods in 2020-21, I managed to binge virtually all of the existing 30+ books in both series, often on audio. This was at a time when the brick and mortar libraries and bookstores were either shut down or had limited access.
I stuck with them even when the late books in the original canon turned somewhat nasty towards the end. That caused me to review Death of an Honest Man (2018) as Not my Hamish. It was therefore a relief when continuation writer R.W. Green began to right the course with Death of a Green-Eyed Monster (2022) which I reviewed as Not Nasty or Deranged Hamish.
I found Death of a Smuggler an enjoyable return to the downhome world of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands after the somewhat overblown international spy-jinks of the most recent books. Village policeman Hamish is faced with a group of smugglers who bring in contraband whisky (allowing for some delightful Robert Burns' poetry excerpts as chapter epigraphs) and who have branched out into human trafficking. The case is further complicated as two Latvian women have escaped the smugglers' clutches and are on the run in the vicinity and breaking into vacant sheds and crofts for shelter and food.
Continuation writer Green is of course faced with the requirement of pleasing old-time fans and attempting to move the series forward. Some surprising changes in character in a few of the regular players here (no spoilers) show some effort in that regard, which is all to the good. Too much of the same would otherwise become tiresome. I am happy to continue to follow this series.
Trivia and Links
Surprisingly, the only international translation edition of Death of a Smuggler to date (as of February 2026) is in my heritage language of Estonian as Smugeldaja surm (2025) 😊.
The next Hamish Macbeth adventure to be published will be Death of a Groom (expected publication date February 10, 2026).
A review of the Grand Central Publishing eBook (February 1, 2025) released shortly before the Constable (UK February 13, 2025) and Grand Central Publishing (US February 18, 2025) hardcovers and audiobooks.
Let other poets raise a fracas
Bout vines, an' wines, an' drucken Bacchus,
An' crabbit names an'stories wrack us,
An' grate our lug:
I sing the juice Scotch bear can mak us,
In glass or jug. - Scotch Drink by Robert Burns (1785).
I'll admit to a nostalgic bias about M.C. Beaton's (pseudonym of Marion Chesney (1936-2019)) fictional characters Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. During the COVID pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home periods in 2020-21, I managed to binge virtually all of the existing 30+ books in both series, often on audio. This was at a time when the brick and mortar libraries and bookstores were either shut down or had limited access.
I stuck with them even when the late books in the original canon turned somewhat nasty towards the end. That caused me to review Death of an Honest Man (2018) as Not my Hamish. It was therefore a relief when continuation writer R.W. Green began to right the course with Death of a Green-Eyed Monster (2022) which I reviewed as Not Nasty or Deranged Hamish.
I found Death of a Smuggler an enjoyable return to the downhome world of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands after the somewhat overblown international spy-jinks of the most recent books. Village policeman Hamish is faced with a group of smugglers who bring in contraband whisky (allowing for some delightful Robert Burns' poetry excerpts as chapter epigraphs) and who have branched out into human trafficking. The case is further complicated as two Latvian women have escaped the smugglers' clutches and are on the run in the vicinity and breaking into vacant sheds and crofts for shelter and food.
Continuation writer Green is of course faced with the requirement of pleasing old-time fans and attempting to move the series forward. Some surprising changes in character in a few of the regular players here (no spoilers) show some effort in that regard, which is all to the good. Too much of the same would otherwise become tiresome. I am happy to continue to follow this series.
Trivia and Links
Surprisingly, the only international translation edition of Death of a Smuggler to date (as of February 2026) is in my heritage language of Estonian as Smugeldaja surm (2025) 😊.
The next Hamish Macbeth adventure to be published will be Death of a Groom (expected publication date February 10, 2026).
March 6, 2025
I think maybe this series has run its course.
August 29, 2025
I have read this twice now as I love to read about Hamish.
April 14, 2025
What happened to Priscilla and Hamish’s love story? Why is Priscilla taunting Hamish? Why is Hamish stopping Davey from dating Priscilla? The characters’ feelings and real emotions aren’t explained in them. Even why Priscilla is taunting Hamish personally, which shows jealousy, isn’t mentioned in the book. What happened to Priscilla’s character arc? In the novel before Death of a Green-Eyed Monster, Priscilla’s arc was ongoing. Hints about her past events were given in them. Now she’s literally been called cold-hearted. Even Hamish was supposed to investigate—what happened to that? And why does Hamish need a useless relationship in every novel? The characters feel emotionless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2025
Really 3.5.
This is the 37th entry in the Hamish Macbeth mystery series started by the late MC Beaton. The books are now being written by her colleague R. W. Green.
In this outing, Hamish starts off trying to solve a murder and some petty thefts. When the case becomes a bit bigger, DCI Blair puts in appearance, hoping--as always--to steal the thunder from the village copper.
As we've come to expect in these mysteries, the goings-on in the village and developments in Hamish's love life are as entertaining as the actual crimes. I absolutely love this series and hope Green continues to give us a new Hamish story every year.
If you're looking for a purely entertaining, and often funny, mystery series, you can't go wrong with these books. While you could likely start the series anywhere, I recommend starting from the beginning. You won't be sorry to follow Hamish's life and cases.
The audiobooks are now being performed by David Monteath. It's a bit of an adjustment after Graeme Malcolm, but I'm getting used to Monteath's style. I'm not sure he's quite gotten the Currie sisters, but all in all, I'm happy with his work.
Thanks to Hachette Audio for the review copy.
This is the 37th entry in the Hamish Macbeth mystery series started by the late MC Beaton. The books are now being written by her colleague R. W. Green.
In this outing, Hamish starts off trying to solve a murder and some petty thefts. When the case becomes a bit bigger, DCI Blair puts in appearance, hoping--as always--to steal the thunder from the village copper.
As we've come to expect in these mysteries, the goings-on in the village and developments in Hamish's love life are as entertaining as the actual crimes. I absolutely love this series and hope Green continues to give us a new Hamish story every year.
If you're looking for a purely entertaining, and often funny, mystery series, you can't go wrong with these books. While you could likely start the series anywhere, I recommend starting from the beginning. You won't be sorry to follow Hamish's life and cases.
The audiobooks are now being performed by David Monteath. It's a bit of an adjustment after Graeme Malcolm, but I'm getting used to Monteath's style. I'm not sure he's quite gotten the Currie sisters, but all in all, I'm happy with his work.
Thanks to Hachette Audio for the review copy.
April 19, 2025
Conflicted. Delighted that M.C. Beaton left Hamish and Agatha in the hands of a successor but also sadder with each new installment that the plots and dialogue don’t have great continuity with the ones she wrote herself. Just an example - the kitchen table at the doctor’s house where his wife, Hamish’s best friend, is known to be a book lover but lets the cats climb through the morning tea and toast - not mentioned at all. The doctor was referenced one time. Small example but just one of many.
May 1, 2025
Small town cop solves pretty predictable murder. This was written well but fairly straightforward. I also didn’t realize it was #37 in a decades-long series, so maybe I’ll backtrack and see how some of the earlier books are!
March 8, 2025
4.25 stars
So so good!! Great mystery, great story, M.C. Beaton would be very proud!4.25 stars
So so good!! Great mystery, great story, very funny! M.C. Beaton would be very proud!
I love that it contained all the Hamish Macbeth ingredients: Priscilla, the twin and very funny sisters, Archie, the seer. Even mean Brian was there in the best possible way! Such a great book! I've enjoyed it a lot!! Can't wait for the next one!!
So so good!! Great mystery, great story, M.C. Beaton would be very proud!4.25 stars
So so good!! Great mystery, great story, very funny! M.C. Beaton would be very proud!
I love that it contained all the Hamish Macbeth ingredients: Priscilla, the twin and very funny sisters, Archie, the seer. Even mean Brian was there in the best possible way! Such a great book! I've enjoyed it a lot!! Can't wait for the next one!!
April 24, 2025
I have read many Hamish Macbeth novels over the years. I often read them after something more "hefty", more literary or a serious piece of non-fiction. They were fine and fit the bill for light "potato chip" reads.
I have really enjoyed the books written by R. W. Green much better. Characterizations are better, setting descriptions are sharper, and the characters seem to be growing. Hamish was turning into a dolt.
I have really enjoyed the books written by R. W. Green much better. Characterizations are better, setting descriptions are sharper, and the characters seem to be growing. Hamish was turning into a dolt.
May 13, 2025
Very engaging & entertaining!
July 20, 2025
I have to agree with many other reviewers. The Hamish MacBeth and Agatha Raisin novels are not the same since R.W. Green took over the writing. I miss Ms. Beaton's style. Although I really enjoy Hamish, the constant writing is Scottish dialect is completely unncessary. We all know he lives in the Scottish Highlands and how their accent sounds, but it takes away from the story.
The story, as usual, combines the regular characters and brings back some old ones. This one was not as "cozy" as previous ones, as there is more violence. Again, unncessary, I think. I'll continue to read this series, mainly because I want to find out if Hamish ever finds "true love".
The story, as usual, combines the regular characters and brings back some old ones. This one was not as "cozy" as previous ones, as there is more violence. Again, unncessary, I think. I'll continue to read this series, mainly because I want to find out if Hamish ever finds "true love".
March 10, 2025
I can’t finish this audiobook because the narration is so atrocious. I love the Hamish Macbeth mysteries and have read most of them numerous times. I looked forward to the death of a smuggler with great anticipation however, after multiple attempts, I am unable to listen to the new narrator. His voice hurts my ears. I’m so sorry, but the narrator’s voice is not the right voice for Hamish Macbeth.
April 16, 2025
Hamish should only speak broad Scots when he is upset.
August 27, 2025
#37 in the long running mystery series of Hamish Macbeth, the peace loving constable who loved his home in the Scottish Highland village of Lochdubh. Always lots of great characters and a great story. However, the books are changing. Not sure how many more books should be written. The changes give too much info and not enough heart.
Read
March 15, 2025DNF, it wasn’t engaging
June 15, 2025
It’s so great to be back with Hamish. He did not disappoint either. Awesome mystery.
June 17, 2025
The old Hamish is back! With this new installment, thanks to a different author’s work on one of Marion’s efforts before she died, the whole cast is present and I loved it!
August 2, 2025
Was in such a reading slump when I started this but this helped
September 15, 2025
A right good tale
April 7, 2025
I typically avoid books that are part of a series. The authors tend to stamp them out like widgets and even though you don't necessarily need to read all of them, there are usually assumptions made that you'll miss if you don't. I didn't enjoy this at all. But I didn't read the other books first so your mileage may vary.
May 1, 2025
A most enjoyable read!
March 5, 2025
I believe that Beaton chose the writer to continue her legacy before she died. I am grateful that she did as the Hamish Macbeth series is delightful.
July 1, 2025
3.75 stars
April 28, 2025
Holiday read.
May 30, 2025
I'm genuinely confused by the enthusiastic gushing reviews for these 'new' Macbeth books. Green has turned him into an unlikely action hero, with American spies, Russian mafia, explosions, machine guns, and now people smuggling Glasgow mobsters. The cosy mystery aspect of murdered locals and tourists, with an amusing 'side quest' has completely vanished, and the villagers, like in 'new' Agatha Raisin, step in/out when useful and may as well be cardboard cutouts. He even has Hamish casually swearing.
April 16, 2025
Actually it was hard to get used to the Scottish accent. I struggled with the whole book. Maybe I should have started with the first book in the series.
May 4, 2025
I have read all of the Hamish Macbeth novels at least twice so I believe have a solid grasp of his character. This book was just OK in my opinion. As with other reviewers I didn't like the narrator and felt like it was the wrong voice and tone for Hamish. More importantly, I didn't feel like this novel had the usual tone and characteristics of the ones written by M.C. Beaton. In other words, I had trouble recognizing Hamish as he has developed over the years. In the end, it was an average mystery read and I will probably read the next one to see if it has improved.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews