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Hamish Macbeth #8
Death of a Glutton
Her table manners were a crime. But she didn't deserve to die! There's not a cloud in Hamish Macbeth's sky - just plenty of warm sunshine but not quite enough of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. But as eight hopeful members of the Checkmate Singles Club converge on Tommel Castle Hotel for a week of serious matchmaking, the clouds roll in. The four couples, carefully matched by dating director Maria Worth, immediately dislike one another. And the arrival of Maria's gross, greedy business partner, Peta, kills the last vestige of romance. And as love goes out the window, murder comes in the door. Peta soon slurps up her last meal and Hamish is left with the baffling Who shared the fateful outing that left Peta dead with a large rosy red apple in her mouth...
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
407 people are currently reading
1685 people want to read
About the author
M.C. Beaton
340 books6,013 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 519 reviews
March 18, 2021
This series, despite this dip in form, still holds the promise of riches to come. I do get the impression however, that just like Pyramid schemes weren't invented in Egypt, these accents of the Scottish brogue sound dreadfully fake as a nose job.
The Glutton in question was not offensive enough, and only a madman/woman could have taken measures against her alive status. But this manageable book was a treat. Sweetened with honey, sweet nothings, and greed.
M.C. Beaton has good plotting capabilities. But any writer can do that. What sets her apart is the colour she brings to her main and minor characters. I'm sure from now on until the last 5 or so books, that she will 'deliver', God rest her soul.
The Glutton in question was not offensive enough, and only a madman/woman could have taken measures against her alive status. But this manageable book was a treat. Sweetened with honey, sweet nothings, and greed.
M.C. Beaton has good plotting capabilities. But any writer can do that. What sets her apart is the colour she brings to her main and minor characters. I'm sure from now on until the last 5 or so books, that she will 'deliver', God rest her soul.
August 7, 2017
Charm, humor, and the hilarious political incorrectness of Death of a Glutton make this entry in the long-running Hamish Macbeth series great fun. Hamish’s dog, Towser, and the possibility of Hamish and Priscilla reigniting the flame after their first break-up mark this as an older entry, but all the characters in the quirky Highland village of Lochdubh are in place for a delightful romp full of black humor and social satire, and of course, murder.
The bane of Hamish’s existence, Blair, is on vacation in Spain in this entry, as a slew of of people looking for love descend on the Tommel Castle Hotel while the colonel is away. This leaves Priscilla to play hostess to the would-be couples. Each person has entrusted Maria at Checkmate with finding them a suitable companion. It quickly begins to go awry, however, when the couples she’s matched have other ideas, including Jennie Trask, who is looking for the man of her dreams. A musical chairs atmosphere ensues as from one moment to the next, the partners might change!
Further complications come calling in the gluttonous form of Petra, a rich and vain woman who has a financial interest in Checkmate but refuses to be bought out. Beaton delivers some incredibly hilarious and wildly politically incorrect moments from the reactions of the lovelorn to this incredibly boring woman of tremendous girth whose table manners are as gauche as her appetite is enormous. What’s worse, is that she’s very rich, and looking for love herself — and not shy about horning in on a budding romance. As if that weren’t enough to anger some of the female members, she’s brought along her strikingly sexy niece, Crystal.
Well, you can already see what’s going to happen, but who done it, isn’t quite so easy to figure out. Jenny’s got eyes for Hamish, there’s a cook with a police record prone to violence, and a member of the Checkmate group named Deborah wants to play Sherlock Holmes. If that weren’t enough to put Hamish in a foul mood, Blair returns early from Spain and takes over the investigation. But don’t worry, the lanky, unambitious redheaded constable we love has a plan to catch a killer. It might, however, cost him a TV set, and earn him a promotion he’d do just about anything to avoid.
The tone and pattern of this wonderful series had already been set by Beaton when she wrote Death of a Glutton and one of the truly enjoyable aspects of this series is that no matter where you’re at chronologically, readers can pick up one set during any point and feel right at home in Lochdubh. This is an earlier one, charming and at times very funny. Beaton focuses more on Petra’s vain, highhanded manner, and her ability to rile up others, than anything else, so while politically incorrect, it is in no way mean spirited, as some might have you believe. Another good read in a series that has much to offer both mystery lovers, and those who enjoy a good laugh.
The bane of Hamish’s existence, Blair, is on vacation in Spain in this entry, as a slew of of people looking for love descend on the Tommel Castle Hotel while the colonel is away. This leaves Priscilla to play hostess to the would-be couples. Each person has entrusted Maria at Checkmate with finding them a suitable companion. It quickly begins to go awry, however, when the couples she’s matched have other ideas, including Jennie Trask, who is looking for the man of her dreams. A musical chairs atmosphere ensues as from one moment to the next, the partners might change!
Further complications come calling in the gluttonous form of Petra, a rich and vain woman who has a financial interest in Checkmate but refuses to be bought out. Beaton delivers some incredibly hilarious and wildly politically incorrect moments from the reactions of the lovelorn to this incredibly boring woman of tremendous girth whose table manners are as gauche as her appetite is enormous. What’s worse, is that she’s very rich, and looking for love herself — and not shy about horning in on a budding romance. As if that weren’t enough to anger some of the female members, she’s brought along her strikingly sexy niece, Crystal.
Well, you can already see what’s going to happen, but who done it, isn’t quite so easy to figure out. Jenny’s got eyes for Hamish, there’s a cook with a police record prone to violence, and a member of the Checkmate group named Deborah wants to play Sherlock Holmes. If that weren’t enough to put Hamish in a foul mood, Blair returns early from Spain and takes over the investigation. But don’t worry, the lanky, unambitious redheaded constable we love has a plan to catch a killer. It might, however, cost him a TV set, and earn him a promotion he’d do just about anything to avoid.
The tone and pattern of this wonderful series had already been set by Beaton when she wrote Death of a Glutton and one of the truly enjoyable aspects of this series is that no matter where you’re at chronologically, readers can pick up one set during any point and feel right at home in Lochdubh. This is an earlier one, charming and at times very funny. Beaton focuses more on Petra’s vain, highhanded manner, and her ability to rile up others, than anything else, so while politically incorrect, it is in no way mean spirited, as some might have you believe. Another good read in a series that has much to offer both mystery lovers, and those who enjoy a good laugh.
February 18, 2014
I remember now why I don't like this author. The writing is pretty great, but I hate the portrayal of every female character. They are weak, vain, stupid, indecisive, clingy, sad, selfish, on and on.... There's not a good one in the bunch! And they make bad decisions about the men in their lives. Not exactly the role models I want to read about. Only a woman would dare write about women this way.
November 2, 2025
Lekki kryminał w angielskim stylu i szkockich okolicznościach przyrody. Czyta się dobrze i szybko, a z każdym kolejnym tomem odnoszę wrażenie, że książka jest dla mnie powrotem do ulubionych miejsc i bohaterów 🤭 Trochę zaskoczył mnie pomysł na samego "obżartucha", ale autorka lubi wziąć na warsztat ludzkie przywary i je zarysować faktycznie grubą kreską.
March 25, 2018
Literary potato chips — can’t read just one, delicious going down, lots of empty calories to regret later.
April 23, 2011
Hmmm. I'm not really enjoying this much. I have heard the tv show is good, so I thought I'd give the novel a try. The characters are not very interesting or believable. The depiction of the glutton is one of the most hate-filled portrayals I've ever read. The character is so repulsive and the author and every other character loathes her. This is not funny or interesting at all to me. I feel like the author must have some issues with fat women. I'm not really drawn into the story either. All the characters are nasty and flat. Hamish Macbeth just seems like a self-satisfied twerp and his relationship with Priscilla does not intrigue me or even interest me. I hope now that the glutton is dead the story will pick up a bit. So far I am finding this book pretty charmless.
Updated to add: finished this book and remain disappointed. The plot was thin, the motive behind the murder and the solution were pretty unsatisfying. I'll be giving this series a miss.
Updated to add: finished this book and remain disappointed. The plot was thin, the motive behind the murder and the solution were pretty unsatisfying. I'll be giving this series a miss.
March 28, 2025
4⭐️ = Good.
Paperback.
Another book that I enjoyed in this series. A fairly short read , but a fun packed one all the same.
Never a huge storyline in them but that doesn’t matter to me as a cosy read should be just that - cosy.
I’m eventually working my way through all the Hamish and Agatha books - and have been for a few years. I prefer to savour them and not rush.
Paperback.
Another book that I enjoyed in this series. A fairly short read , but a fun packed one all the same.
Never a huge storyline in them but that doesn’t matter to me as a cosy read should be just that - cosy.
I’m eventually working my way through all the Hamish and Agatha books - and have been for a few years. I prefer to savour them and not rush.
October 7, 2020
The Great M.C. Beaton created some wonderful characters and I often wonder if they were waiting for her in heaven so she can finally be near them. If so, she and Hamish are having a lot of fun, I'm sure. They are probably fishing in a loch and drinking a pint at a local pub.
So in this installment of the Hamish story it seems like he and Pricilla might finally get together, or not. Maybe?
The Tommel Castle is hosting a singles club. It seems to be a success until the Glutton arrives. And, oh my, is she ever written as a straight forward glutton! Hilariously so!
Fun story and worth spending time with for a relaxing afternoon.
So in this installment of the Hamish story it seems like he and Pricilla might finally get together, or not. Maybe?
The Tommel Castle is hosting a singles club. It seems to be a success until the Glutton arrives. And, oh my, is she ever written as a straight forward glutton! Hilariously so!
Fun story and worth spending time with for a relaxing afternoon.
July 19, 2017
I still love Hamish and the village of Lochdubh but I'll never call this one of my favorites. While it's come up in other books from time to time, as the title would suggest this book put to the fore Beaton's animosity towards fat. To her, fat is practically evil of itself. I dislike that and I dislike the fact that her characters -- all of them -- buy into it. I'll probably keep reading the series but, at the moment, I'm less than impressed.
August 17, 2022
There's not a cloud in Constable Hamish Macbeth's sky, just plenty of warm sunshine and not quite enough of beautiful Priscilla Halburton-Smythe.
But as eight hopeful members of the Checkmate Singles Club converge on Tommel Castle Hotel for a week of serious matchmaking, the clouds roll in. The four couples, carefully matched by dating director Maria Worth, immediately dislike each other. The arrival of Maria's gross, greedy partner, Peta, kills the last vestige of romance. And as love goes out the window, murder comes in the door. Peta soon slurps up her last meal, and Hamish is left with a baffling puzzle: Who shared the fateful outing that left Peta dead with a big red apple in her mouth? Surely not one of those singles...
Peta Gore was:
... noisy and vulgar;
... a glutton;
... sucked, chomped, chewed with relish, all the while inhaling noisily trough her nose;
... slobbering all over her food. Gross !;
... a swine eating everything she can lay her hands on;
... party-pooper extraordinaire.
If ever a woman had been begging to be murdered, that woman was Peta Gore!
What did she think would happen when she gobbled up everyone's food, including fisherman Archie Maclean's, when he took them out on his boat, the Jaunty Lass, to the sandy cove of Seal Bay, where she flopped down on the sand like a beached whale, and start snoring. When she woke up she ate the entire fruit salad which was meant for 20 other people. Then she had the audacity to get violently sick over their afternoon hot scones with Cornish cream and strawberry jam. She had an overloaded stomach, and could not stop.
When Archie relayed the story in the bar, just about the entire town followed her lead....Yes, they lost a week's food... in the streets. Yes, they were barfing for the Olympic trophy... And then got seriously mad.
The murderous thoughts multiplied exponentially. It was not only the Checkmate Single Club-members, Priscilla, other guests and staff of Tommel Castle alone anymore...
... There's nothing up with her that a well-known hand-grenade wouldn't cure. She could be raining down on New York city with that size of hers.
...Do you remember that film, I forget the one, but where they killed this chap by tying him into a rowing boat and then tied a fish on his head? The cormorants dived for the fish and split his head open.
...the dead wild cat with the mangy-looking hair, with the rank smell, will do. Served as venison to this woman who would eat just about everything. Aye, cat, moggie, pussie...C-A-T. With a wine sauce.
That woman will eat herself to death. Food. Will kill her...
The Checkmate Singles Club was a bunch of nobs, toffs, who had to be toadied to, until the mercy killing took place. Instead of being a romantic outing, basking in the sunlight of each personality, the instant dislike at the beginning, now instantly turned into revulsion of each other. The veneer lasted only a week. Romance had to make room for revenge.
...Which brought Detective Chief Inspector Blair of Strathbane back to town. His two sidekicks, Jimmy Anderson and Harry MacNab in tow. As usual he tried to get Harmish out of the way, because he wanted to take the credit for solving this murder, and ever since Superintendent Peter Daviot remarked that Harmish would find the killer as per usual. Blair's circus performance, including arresting the wrong person for the murder, was keeping everybody occupied while Harmish ventured off on his own mission in his own mindset and brought the murderer in. As usual. Brilliant work.
Taking care of the guests of Tommel Castle on her own, since her parents refused to return from holiday while the Checkmate Singles Club was in residence, pushed her to her limits. Priscilla finally gave Colonel Halburton-Smythe the dressing down he deserved. I'm tired of your poncing, your vanity, and your bullying. Get stuffed, Daddy, dear!
Superintendent Peter Daviot insisted on a promotion. Hamish vehemently protested. He would appreciate central heating for the police station instead. Daviot decided a promotion to sergeant will be granted anyway, and a new assistant for Macbeth would be in the works.
The nearest to I love you, I missed you the two love birds, Hamish an Priscilla, could come, was her calling him a great Highland drip, and he calling her a nice chilled salad. And just as Hamish and Priscilla almost got kissy-kissy again, after a few years of emotional standstill between the two, there was a knock on the door. The young lad, promised by Superintendent Daviot, stood in the door. Constable Willie Lamont reported for duty to Sergeant Hamish Macbeth.
Writing this review made me laugh all over again. Outrageously bizarre. And of course the political-incorrect fat-shaming was totally in-your-face. However, Lochdubh was not ready for the woke-brigade. It would take a lot of kicking and screaming to drag them into the TWENTIETH century, let alone the twenty-first. Pure, unpretentious, organic, unadulterated Scottish entertainment in only 176 pages. That's so good enough for me. In fact, I'm in love with Lochdubh and its residents.
But as eight hopeful members of the Checkmate Singles Club converge on Tommel Castle Hotel for a week of serious matchmaking, the clouds roll in. The four couples, carefully matched by dating director Maria Worth, immediately dislike each other. The arrival of Maria's gross, greedy partner, Peta, kills the last vestige of romance. And as love goes out the window, murder comes in the door. Peta soon slurps up her last meal, and Hamish is left with a baffling puzzle: Who shared the fateful outing that left Peta dead with a big red apple in her mouth? Surely not one of those singles...
Peta Gore was:
... noisy and vulgar;
... a glutton;
... sucked, chomped, chewed with relish, all the while inhaling noisily trough her nose;
... slobbering all over her food. Gross !;
... a swine eating everything she can lay her hands on;
... party-pooper extraordinaire.
If ever a woman had been begging to be murdered, that woman was Peta Gore!
What did she think would happen when she gobbled up everyone's food, including fisherman Archie Maclean's, when he took them out on his boat, the Jaunty Lass, to the sandy cove of Seal Bay, where she flopped down on the sand like a beached whale, and start snoring. When she woke up she ate the entire fruit salad which was meant for 20 other people. Then she had the audacity to get violently sick over their afternoon hot scones with Cornish cream and strawberry jam. She had an overloaded stomach, and could not stop.
When Archie relayed the story in the bar, just about the entire town followed her lead....Yes, they lost a week's food... in the streets. Yes, they were barfing for the Olympic trophy... And then got seriously mad.
The murderous thoughts multiplied exponentially. It was not only the Checkmate Single Club-members, Priscilla, other guests and staff of Tommel Castle alone anymore...
... There's nothing up with her that a well-known hand-grenade wouldn't cure. She could be raining down on New York city with that size of hers.
...Do you remember that film, I forget the one, but where they killed this chap by tying him into a rowing boat and then tied a fish on his head? The cormorants dived for the fish and split his head open.
...the dead wild cat with the mangy-looking hair, with the rank smell, will do. Served as venison to this woman who would eat just about everything. Aye, cat, moggie, pussie...C-A-T. With a wine sauce.
That woman will eat herself to death. Food. Will kill her...
The Checkmate Singles Club was a bunch of nobs, toffs, who had to be toadied to, until the mercy killing took place. Instead of being a romantic outing, basking in the sunlight of each personality, the instant dislike at the beginning, now instantly turned into revulsion of each other. The veneer lasted only a week. Romance had to make room for revenge.
...Which brought Detective Chief Inspector Blair of Strathbane back to town. His two sidekicks, Jimmy Anderson and Harry MacNab in tow. As usual he tried to get Harmish out of the way, because he wanted to take the credit for solving this murder, and ever since Superintendent Peter Daviot remarked that Harmish would find the killer as per usual. Blair's circus performance, including arresting the wrong person for the murder, was keeping everybody occupied while Harmish ventured off on his own mission in his own mindset and brought the murderer in. As usual. Brilliant work.
Taking care of the guests of Tommel Castle on her own, since her parents refused to return from holiday while the Checkmate Singles Club was in residence, pushed her to her limits. Priscilla finally gave Colonel Halburton-Smythe the dressing down he deserved. I'm tired of your poncing, your vanity, and your bullying. Get stuffed, Daddy, dear!
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” ― Mark Twain.
Superintendent Peter Daviot insisted on a promotion. Hamish vehemently protested. He would appreciate central heating for the police station instead. Daviot decided a promotion to sergeant will be granted anyway, and a new assistant for Macbeth would be in the works.
The nearest to I love you, I missed you the two love birds, Hamish an Priscilla, could come, was her calling him a great Highland drip, and he calling her a nice chilled salad. And just as Hamish and Priscilla almost got kissy-kissy again, after a few years of emotional standstill between the two, there was a knock on the door. The young lad, promised by Superintendent Daviot, stood in the door. Constable Willie Lamont reported for duty to Sergeant Hamish Macbeth.
Writing this review made me laugh all over again. Outrageously bizarre. And of course the political-incorrect fat-shaming was totally in-your-face. However, Lochdubh was not ready for the woke-brigade. It would take a lot of kicking and screaming to drag them into the TWENTIETH century, let alone the twenty-first. Pure, unpretentious, organic, unadulterated Scottish entertainment in only 176 pages. That's so good enough for me. In fact, I'm in love with Lochdubh and its residents.
October 15, 2010
Why I wanted to read this book:
* Several of my blogging buddies love cozy mysteries and this author. I found a bunch of them for 25 cents each last year at my library sale..I bought all that they had!!
What worked for me:
* The witty writing!! It will certainly keep me coming back for more.
* Hamish- I like him and am cheering on his love sickness for Priscilla!!
* The setting of the story- Northern Scotland
* The characters- funny, eccentric, but yet so believable!!
* It was a fast 176 pages.
What didn't work for me:
* I enjoyed it all..just a fun read!
Recommend? Yes, especially to those that love cozies!! The ending has left me wondering though if the real killer was actually caught!!! You know that feeling of finding out you've been bamboozled??? That's how I felt in the end and I'm still wondering if this particular person got away with murder!! P.S. I read this totally out-of-order...I know can you believe it? And it was o.k. I never felt like I missed out on a thing!!
My Rating: 4/5
March 30, 2021
Macbeth and the Greedy Woman
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2013*) of the St. Martin's Press hardcover original (1993)
*audiobook edition narrated by Shaun Grindell, there seems to be an alternative audiobook narrated by David Monteith.
After discovering M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series due to the Estonia cameo in "Death of Yesterday", I started to seek out the earlier books by finding several at Toronto's Sleuth of Baker Street. I enjoyed those and found them to be an especially delightful diversion during this continuing pandemic. My next plan was to go back and read the series in order. I then discovered the rather terrific bonus that most of the books are available for free on Audible Plus, a service that I had previously been underwhelmed by (some early attempts with longer books had audio difficulties, with book narrations freezing in midstream). Beaton's shorter books (usually 4 to 5 hours on audio) seem to be perfect for this medium.
Death of a Glutton, also titled Death of a Greedy Woman in some markets, is the eighth of the series and continues the audiobook editions with the voice of Shaun Grindell in an ongoing excellent performance. Macbeth has to sort out the culprit from among the suspects in an online dating service, when the co-owner is murdered on an outing in the Highlands.
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2013*) of the St. Martin's Press hardcover original (1993)
*audiobook edition narrated by Shaun Grindell, there seems to be an alternative audiobook narrated by David Monteith.
After discovering M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series due to the Estonia cameo in "Death of Yesterday", I started to seek out the earlier books by finding several at Toronto's Sleuth of Baker Street. I enjoyed those and found them to be an especially delightful diversion during this continuing pandemic. My next plan was to go back and read the series in order. I then discovered the rather terrific bonus that most of the books are available for free on Audible Plus, a service that I had previously been underwhelmed by (some early attempts with longer books had audio difficulties, with book narrations freezing in midstream). Beaton's shorter books (usually 4 to 5 hours on audio) seem to be perfect for this medium.
Death of a Glutton, also titled Death of a Greedy Woman in some markets, is the eighth of the series and continues the audiobook editions with the voice of Shaun Grindell in an ongoing excellent performance. Macbeth has to sort out the culprit from among the suspects in an online dating service, when the co-owner is murdered on an outing in the Highlands.
March 1, 2021
Fun as always. Loved the Highland descriptions, enjoyed the will they won't they romance. I am not very happy at the description of a person who over eats as the villain of the piece - especially as this seems to have occurred due to some stress in her life?
These books are always handy to listen to on car journeys.
These books are always handy to listen to on car journeys.
August 27, 2021
I love these audiobooks because I am a fool for a Scottish accent. Hamish Macbeth is one of the best conflicted characters in detective fiction. Is he smart or just lucky? He is definitely not ambitious, enjoying his life as a constable in a small village, sometimes kind, sometimes mean, but he always solves the murder.
May 10, 2021
Prima Charakterstudie dieses mal, was erwartet man von einem potentiellen Partner, wie sieht man andere, wie reflektiert man sich selbst.
M.C. Beaton geht dabei sehr offen zu Werke. Das sie es dabei nicht jedem Recht machen will, kommt dem Wahrheitsgehalt s.o. sehr zu Gute. Daa heißt noch lange nicht, dass sie menschliches Fehlverhalten (auch in der Gruppe) gutheißt.
M.C. Beaton geht dabei sehr offen zu Werke. Das sie es dabei nicht jedem Recht machen will, kommt dem Wahrheitsgehalt s.o. sehr zu Gute. Daa heißt noch lange nicht, dass sie menschliches Fehlverhalten (auch in der Gruppe) gutheißt.
December 9, 2008
Hamish McBeth books are candy to me.
I love the characters, I love the setting
(Northern Scotland by the loch) and they
are easy reading. I hate to say it but
when you read a bunch of them they are kinda
the same, but I don't care - I love them.
I love the characters, I love the setting
(Northern Scotland by the loch) and they
are easy reading. I hate to say it but
when you read a bunch of them they are kinda
the same, but I don't care - I love them.
January 9, 2025
The Checkmate Singles Club/Marriage Agency descends on Priscilla's hotel (wasn't that a clever plot device? can gather any group of characters in one location and have both a varied cast and a reason for them to be together). Arriving uninvited is the co-owner (really the financier) of the agency, the titular "Glutton". When she ends up dead, Hamish and company has another bewildering puzzle to lay.
I still find the series irresistible - comedy balancing on the right side of silliness, cartoonish characters, but again on the right side of ridiculousness and cute-clever plots. With a bit of sex and gruesomeness thrown in for good measure.
I still find the series irresistible - comedy balancing on the right side of silliness, cartoonish characters, but again on the right side of ridiculousness and cute-clever plots. With a bit of sex and gruesomeness thrown in for good measure.
February 2, 2021
AROUND THE WORLD OF CRIME AND MYSTERY
Great Britain -
CAST - 2: Hamish is Hamish-or maybe not here: no hot water heater (but oddly bribes two Lochdubh residents to lie, promising them a new television), has to take care of his sheep and hens before work, loves his dog Towser and feeds him fried chopped liver. He has one decent suit, lives cheap, and so apparently makes little money. But he's extremely critical of anyone else who lies and bribing people seems a bit out of character. Maybe as the series goes on we see the bad/mischievous side of Hamish that his superior, Blair, sees? I don't know. Meanwhile, the beautiful visitor, Crystal is "...more like Eurotrash...the kind who end up marrying an ugly millionaire, not for his money, but for his power." She sounds rotten. Her aunt/companion, however, is even more disgusting: Peta, a glutton (the word used in the original title, "Death of a Glutton") and basically eats all day, slurps, vomits, and eats more, and still flirts with the men. But they flirt back, after all, Peta says she has 3 million pounds. Crystal is only hanging around for the money, natch. Jenny drinks too much and goes to bed with the local Romeo (who beds about every gal). When everyone finds out, she is humiliated, but Hamish smartly doesn't care. He tells her it's her life. Hamish's great love, Priscilla, has her eye on a Peter Trumbull, but he has his eyes on Jenny. And about Blair, I'm getting sorta tired of his attempts to make Hamish look like a fool. This is an oft-repeated scene in this series. 3 stars because of the revelation of another side of Hamish, but minus 1 star because the women characters are all painted as rather obnoxious/weak/snobby. Then again, most of the men cheat and chase money. And truly, I didn't enjoy reading about Peta AT ALL. But a new character is introduced, a partner and roommate for Hamish. Torlich McBain is a '...wee sneak...' and a 'bit of a Bible basher': it appears he'll be reporting back to Blair on Hamish's shortcomings. That does add an interesting twist but perhaps for future novels.
ATMOSPHERE - 1: A lazy weather report opens this novel. It's a beautiful blue day! My least favorite, most cliched opening. There is a new Italian restaurant that's decent, and a quarry. And Peta vomiting over the side of a boat. Nothing interesting here to lend Lochdubh a touch of fantasy land we've all enjoyed in past novels in this series.
CRIME - 2: You know who is going to be the victim. And you sorta know how. Although we don't see it happen, to me, later discussions are much to twisted for a cozy novel.
INVESTIGATION - 1: The crime is committed too late in the novel, as much of the first half is dedicated to romance/match-making. Almost no investigation.
RESOLUTION - 1: No one figures anything out, and a surprising villian finally says, "Yes, I did it."
SUMMARY - 1.4: My least favorite in the series so far. And if ANYONE is greedy, it isn't Peta, it's the men after her money. Just not a pleasant read.
Great Britain -
CAST - 2: Hamish is Hamish-or maybe not here: no hot water heater (but oddly bribes two Lochdubh residents to lie, promising them a new television), has to take care of his sheep and hens before work, loves his dog Towser and feeds him fried chopped liver. He has one decent suit, lives cheap, and so apparently makes little money. But he's extremely critical of anyone else who lies and bribing people seems a bit out of character. Maybe as the series goes on we see the bad/mischievous side of Hamish that his superior, Blair, sees? I don't know. Meanwhile, the beautiful visitor, Crystal is "...more like Eurotrash...the kind who end up marrying an ugly millionaire, not for his money, but for his power." She sounds rotten. Her aunt/companion, however, is even more disgusting: Peta, a glutton (the word used in the original title, "Death of a Glutton") and basically eats all day, slurps, vomits, and eats more, and still flirts with the men. But they flirt back, after all, Peta says she has 3 million pounds. Crystal is only hanging around for the money, natch. Jenny drinks too much and goes to bed with the local Romeo (who beds about every gal). When everyone finds out, she is humiliated, but Hamish smartly doesn't care. He tells her it's her life. Hamish's great love, Priscilla, has her eye on a Peter Trumbull, but he has his eyes on Jenny. And about Blair, I'm getting sorta tired of his attempts to make Hamish look like a fool. This is an oft-repeated scene in this series. 3 stars because of the revelation of another side of Hamish, but minus 1 star because the women characters are all painted as rather obnoxious/weak/snobby. Then again, most of the men cheat and chase money. And truly, I didn't enjoy reading about Peta AT ALL. But a new character is introduced, a partner and roommate for Hamish. Torlich McBain is a '...wee sneak...' and a 'bit of a Bible basher': it appears he'll be reporting back to Blair on Hamish's shortcomings. That does add an interesting twist but perhaps for future novels.
ATMOSPHERE - 1: A lazy weather report opens this novel. It's a beautiful blue day! My least favorite, most cliched opening. There is a new Italian restaurant that's decent, and a quarry. And Peta vomiting over the side of a boat. Nothing interesting here to lend Lochdubh a touch of fantasy land we've all enjoyed in past novels in this series.
CRIME - 2: You know who is going to be the victim. And you sorta know how. Although we don't see it happen, to me, later discussions are much to twisted for a cozy novel.
INVESTIGATION - 1: The crime is committed too late in the novel, as much of the first half is dedicated to romance/match-making. Almost no investigation.
RESOLUTION - 1: No one figures anything out, and a surprising villian finally says, "Yes, I did it."
SUMMARY - 1.4: My least favorite in the series so far. And if ANYONE is greedy, it isn't Peta, it's the men after her money. Just not a pleasant read.
April 27, 2022
4/22-4/24/22 - Re-listening to this one made me raise my rating on it, but I know why I didn't care for it as much as the others - I felt like there was a sense of unreality about the murder victim, and a lot more gender stereotyping in this one. But listening to the audiobook this time, I felt like the people were more plausible and the story was interesting and engaging. I realize what a terrible memory that I have for the plots of many of the books I've read - I could NOT remember who the murderer was and it was a new mystery for me to be intrigued by all over again!
November 13, 2009
Love all these books. I think I'm in love with Hamish!
August 15, 2020
It's funny, but with Beaton's Hamish MacBeth mysteries, one knows who is going to be topped off almost from the get go. It's the most odious, disgusting individual who acts in a way that makes everyone want to kill them.
From this foundation, one then has to get to know all the suspects and find out who ultimately did it and what their reasons were for doing so. As in previous MacBeth mysteries I've read, even though the murder victim may be obvious, the murderer is not, nor are their reasons.
In Death of a Greedy Woman, a group of tourists come up from England to take a holiday at the local hotel. They are not just any group of tourists, but clients of Checkmate, a match up site. An equal number of men and women are going to spend the week together and hopefully pair off.
The monkey wrench is that one of the partners, Peta, of Checkmate is an ogre. Or at least her eating habits are ogre-ish. The other partner, Maria, actually was hoping to pull the gathering off without Peta's knowledge. Peta finds out however, and joins the group at Priscilla Halburton-Smythe's father's hotel and restaurant. The group, which was already disliking each other, find themselve in solidarity in their disgust of Peta.
In addition to the murder we see the ongoing relationship between Hamish MacBeth and Priscilla. There are bumps along the road as they continue to misunderstand each other, but I suppose that is what keeps the reader coming back. Will Hamish and Priscilla ever meet each other half way?
From this foundation, one then has to get to know all the suspects and find out who ultimately did it and what their reasons were for doing so. As in previous MacBeth mysteries I've read, even though the murder victim may be obvious, the murderer is not, nor are their reasons.
In Death of a Greedy Woman, a group of tourists come up from England to take a holiday at the local hotel. They are not just any group of tourists, but clients of Checkmate, a match up site. An equal number of men and women are going to spend the week together and hopefully pair off.
The monkey wrench is that one of the partners, Peta, of Checkmate is an ogre. Or at least her eating habits are ogre-ish. The other partner, Maria, actually was hoping to pull the gathering off without Peta's knowledge. Peta finds out however, and joins the group at Priscilla Halburton-Smythe's father's hotel and restaurant. The group, which was already disliking each other, find themselve in solidarity in their disgust of Peta.
In addition to the murder we see the ongoing relationship between Hamish MacBeth and Priscilla. There are bumps along the road as they continue to misunderstand each other, but I suppose that is what keeps the reader coming back. Will Hamish and Priscilla ever meet each other half way?
June 21, 2020
Ancora un altro caso per Hamish Macbeth nel suo villaggio nelle Highlands. Qui ancora non è sergente (ho invertito i casi, ma non è necessario leggerli in ordine) e deve indagare sulla morte di una donna orribile, Peta, che appare all'improvviso a rovinare la vacanza organizzata dalla sua socia Marie, titolare di un'agenzia matrimoniale, con lo scopo di far conoscere e accoppiare i clienti. Peta è disgustosa. Oltre a credersi bellissima e irresistibile, è un'autentica cloaca quando si tratta di mangiare, e finisce col togliere il divertimento e l'appetito a tutti coloro che sono costretti a stare in sua presenza.
Il caso non è nulla di eccezionale, ma è bello vedere come la Beaton presenti i suoi personaggi (e futuri sospettati) un po' come faceva Agatha Christie, prima mostrando le loro motivazioni per il viaggio nelle Highlands e per essersi rivolti all'agenzia matrimoniale, e poi facendoli vedere a uno a uno mentre arrivano, cosicché il lettore si faccia un quadro delle loro personalità ancor prima che l'omicidio venga commesso. Certo, il titolo fa capire fin da subito chi sarà la vittima, anche se questa muore a metà romanzo o quasi, e questo è un limite. Comunque sono sempre più convinta che Hamish sia molto più divertente della pasticciona Agatha Raisin.
Il caso non è nulla di eccezionale, ma è bello vedere come la Beaton presenti i suoi personaggi (e futuri sospettati) un po' come faceva Agatha Christie, prima mostrando le loro motivazioni per il viaggio nelle Highlands e per essersi rivolti all'agenzia matrimoniale, e poi facendoli vedere a uno a uno mentre arrivano, cosicché il lettore si faccia un quadro delle loro personalità ancor prima che l'omicidio venga commesso. Certo, il titolo fa capire fin da subito chi sarà la vittima, anche se questa muore a metà romanzo o quasi, e questo è un limite. Comunque sono sempre più convinta che Hamish sia molto più divertente della pasticciona Agatha Raisin.
April 22, 2024
For the last four Hamish Mackbeth reviews I was saying that each book was better than the one before but sadly this one stops this trend. It's by no means bad and much better than the earliest volumes, however the cast of characters isn't as memorable and distinctive as in the last novel. The ending was quite intriguing in finally shaking the status quo that has been plaguing the series and I'm actually very curious as to were the story will go in the next book.
May 19, 2024
I have to say I didn't think this book was particularly funny, especially the part with eating a rotten cat, being a cat owner. The woman who was overeating was rather sad as well. Hamish this time was rather distant in most part of the book, and started acting more at the end. It wasn't the greatest part but I intend to read other ones anyway, hoping they will be more entertaining.
October 5, 2017
Delightful castle whodunit with Miss Pricilla in the thick of things and as a waitress no less! Hamish to the rescue of course-he's so great as a constable in the Highlands, swoon worthy am I right?!
January 17, 2024
3-1/2 Stars
I’m still enjoying the Hamish Macbeth mysteries on audio. The murderer in this one seemed a bit far fetched to me but otherwise another enjoyable entry.
I’m still enjoying the Hamish Macbeth mysteries on audio. The murderer in this one seemed a bit far fetched to me but otherwise another enjoyable entry.
April 4, 2024
It's chapter three and the stupid bitch still hasn't been murdered. It looks like I'll have to do it myself.
December 30, 2018
I generally enjoy this classic cozy mystery series - the characters are quirky and well-defined, the Scottish highlands are beautifully rendered as the setting and the plots keep me fully engaged as the investigation pursues intriguing twists and turns. This mystery was particularly difficult to figure out although clues were available to the reader however difficult to spot. So on reading this book, I can't fault the author on plot, pacing, or other technicalities. What bothered me was the characterization of the victim- almost a caricature, really, of a glutton- and the universal insensitivity shown by all the other characters towards the victim. There was mention that she had, at an earlier point, been a fun, normal person until the gorging had escalated into an eating disorder with antisocial behaviour changes; no clarification of what triggered the change or attempts at treatment were mentioned. The cruel manner of the victim's death and that insensitivity bothered me throughout my reading of this book and, in retrospect, I think I would feel better if I had skipped on to the next book in the series instead.
April 17, 2023
2.5 stars is probably fairer. This is a pretty solid Hamish in terms of plot and characterisation - no great shakes as a mystery, but not bad either. As usual the setting and atmosphere are fun, which (along with the books' brevity) is why I keep coming back. And I do like Hamish. But there are probably too many characters here, it became hard to tell all the members of the dating club apart, and too much personal melodrama - the plot is already wafer-thin, without padding it out further.
But we have again, I'm afraid, to talk about Beaton/Chesney's politics. Many of the books carry a recommendation from her friend Anne Robinson, that tribune of literary taste and all-round good egg, that her books are "oh-so-delightfully un-PC." Indeed, no-one could accuse Marion of being woke, oh no. Here we are treated to her absurd portrayal of the "glutton" of the title, a middle-aged woman who overeats and is presented in the most ludicrous and caricatured fashion, little more than a repellant and repulsive animal. The lazy misogyny and sniggering cruelty are presumably what Anne found so "delightfully un-PC" about her close friend's novels. Birds of a feather and all that.
But we have again, I'm afraid, to talk about Beaton/Chesney's politics. Many of the books carry a recommendation from her friend Anne Robinson, that tribune of literary taste and all-round good egg, that her books are "oh-so-delightfully un-PC." Indeed, no-one could accuse Marion of being woke, oh no. Here we are treated to her absurd portrayal of the "glutton" of the title, a middle-aged woman who overeats and is presented in the most ludicrous and caricatured fashion, little more than a repellant and repulsive animal. The lazy misogyny and sniggering cruelty are presumably what Anne found so "delightfully un-PC" about her close friend's novels. Birds of a feather and all that.
February 25, 2019
I don't know why I keep reading this series...
This book was written in the 1990s and I know that things have changed since then but it is very jarring and annoying to repeatedly see the author including fatphobia, misogyny, racism, and homophobia in this series.
I kept thinking that it would get better because this is such a popular series but there are some pretty horrendous attitudes about women in these books and I don't know if I continue trying to read them in the hope that they get better because I have a feeling I will be disappointed.
This book was written in the 1990s and I know that things have changed since then but it is very jarring and annoying to repeatedly see the author including fatphobia, misogyny, racism, and homophobia in this series.
I kept thinking that it would get better because this is such a popular series but there are some pretty horrendous attitudes about women in these books and I don't know if I continue trying to read them in the hope that they get better because I have a feeling I will be disappointed.
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