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Hamish Macbeth #33.5
Death of a Laird
A wealthy laird's guests are trapped in his estate during a furious storm--but when the laird turns up dead, Scotland's policeman, Hamish Macbeth, is there too..
When quick-witted but unambitious Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is sent to investigate reports that the wealthy new laird of the remote NW Naglar House has disappeared during a violent storm Then he discovers the laird's body. His questions reveal clandestine infidelity, vicious jealousy, deadly revenge, lust, greed and fear. Everyone had motives but who did the deed?
When quick-witted but unambitious Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is sent to investigate reports that the wealthy new laird of the remote NW Naglar House has disappeared during a violent storm Then he discovers the laird's body. His questions reveal clandestine infidelity, vicious jealousy, deadly revenge, lust, greed and fear. Everyone had motives but who did the deed?
57 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2022
137 people are currently reading
728 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 105 reviews
May 20, 2022
A Short Hamish
Review of the Blackstone Publishing audiobook (March 8, 2022) of the original Grand Central Publishing Kindle eBook (Feb. 15, 2022)
It is odd to have Death of a Laird released simultaneously with the latest full-length Hamish Macbeth novel Death of a Green-Eyed Monster. Usually short stories and novellas for a series are kept in reserve to be used as stop-gaps between novels or in some cases as a required prequel to lead into a full length story. Death of a Laird is simply a standard procedural which uses several of the stereotypical tropes of the crime mystery genre but without much of the charm and humour of the usual characters and situations associated with the Sergeant in the Scottish Highlands.
We have the isolated mansion, in this case cut off from the world by a storm which downs trees and blocks roads. We have the lone policeman present, called to the scene due to the disappearance of the laird of the title, who is of course discovered to be murdered. We have the limited cast of on-site suspects to be interviewed. We have the investigator assembling the group of suspects in a room for the final reveal. And... that's about it.
It leaves the impression that continuation writer R.W. Green was asked to write a conventional procedural in order to prove to the M.C. Beaton Estate that he was capable of taking over the reins in the continuing adventures of the Highland investigator.
The main upside here is that there is none of the nastiness which tainted both this series and the concurrent Agatha Raisin adventures towards the end of the original runs. Our Hamish is in standard benign form here. Even nemesis Chief Inspector Blair (who only makes a cameo appearance towards the end) does not pull any of his by now tiresome plots to undermine Hamish.
The lack of a Scottish accent in the narration performance by David Monteath (filling in for the series regular narrator Graeme Malcolm) was also disappointing. A lot of the charm of the audiobook versions is to hear the story told with a Scottish burr.
Review of the Blackstone Publishing audiobook (March 8, 2022) of the original Grand Central Publishing Kindle eBook (Feb. 15, 2022)
It is odd to have Death of a Laird released simultaneously with the latest full-length Hamish Macbeth novel Death of a Green-Eyed Monster. Usually short stories and novellas for a series are kept in reserve to be used as stop-gaps between novels or in some cases as a required prequel to lead into a full length story. Death of a Laird is simply a standard procedural which uses several of the stereotypical tropes of the crime mystery genre but without much of the charm and humour of the usual characters and situations associated with the Sergeant in the Scottish Highlands.
We have the isolated mansion, in this case cut off from the world by a storm which downs trees and blocks roads. We have the lone policeman present, called to the scene due to the disappearance of the laird of the title, who is of course discovered to be murdered. We have the limited cast of on-site suspects to be interviewed. We have the investigator assembling the group of suspects in a room for the final reveal. And... that's about it.
It leaves the impression that continuation writer R.W. Green was asked to write a conventional procedural in order to prove to the M.C. Beaton Estate that he was capable of taking over the reins in the continuing adventures of the Highland investigator.
The main upside here is that there is none of the nastiness which tainted both this series and the concurrent Agatha Raisin adventures towards the end of the original runs. Our Hamish is in standard benign form here. Even nemesis Chief Inspector Blair (who only makes a cameo appearance towards the end) does not pull any of his by now tiresome plots to undermine Hamish.
The lack of a Scottish accent in the narration performance by David Monteath (filling in for the series regular narrator Graeme Malcolm) was also disappointing. A lot of the charm of the audiobook versions is to hear the story told with a Scottish burr.
May 14, 2025
Short story
In this one Macbeth is on his own in a house cut off from the outside. He solves the mystery and arrests the murderer without having to hide his activities from superiors who want to keep him away.
In this one Macbeth is on his own in a house cut off from the outside. He solves the mystery and arrests the murderer without having to hide his activities from superiors who want to keep him away.
November 15, 2022
This one has a whisper of an Agatha Christie novel. Loved it!
February 18, 2022
Death of a Laird Earns 5/5 Lock Picks…Engaging & Clever!
The Laird is Duncan Pringle. The death is murder. Sergeant Hamish Macbeth’s hopes that everyone stays indoors during the storm prepping to hit Lochdubh are dashed by a phone call from Chief Superintendent Daviot. Hamish is ordered up to Loch Naglar to lead the search for the missing Duncan Pringle, wealthy new owner of Naglar House. The trek is treacherous, even in his Land Rover, and he narrowly misses being crushed by a tree and rock-filled mudslide as the road is washed out behind him. When he finally arrives, he has no cell reception, his official radio is not working, and the guests of the missing man are in various degrees of cooperation. He begins his search with the house and outbuildings with no luck, but there is a gun and five rounds of ammunition missing from the gun room along with the second set of keys. His search of the vehicles, however, reveals Duncan’s body with evidence he’d been dead awhile from a gunshot wound to his chest, and next to the body is the missing gun. Who is the killer? Hamish’s intuitive nature and dogged questioning is on full display.
R.W. Green has again channeled well the spirit of M.C. Beaton penning an engaging short story with Beaton’s low-keyed police sergeant Hamish Macbeth. The murder mystery is cleverly set during a massive storm trapping everyone in the manor house with a killer, and the clues are revealed enough for readers to try their own at solving. There were some surprising details and connections, a victim less than aboveboard himself, and motives linked to several. I had my own suspicions, but it is Hamish who had the “I’ve got it” solution first revealing in classic Poirot style: gathering all together, trapping the killer, explaining the solution, pointing fingers, and making an arrest. The characters are varied in personality from devastated to accommodating to can’t be bothered making for a very enjoyable and engaging experience. I don’t usually read short stories, generally afraid that brevity is more important than substance, but in this case I was pleasantly surprised! “Death of the Laird” gets a big thumbs up!
One complaint…the cover! This in no way effected my enjoyment or would effect the rating; it’s just packaging. But I don’t like the plain blue background with the title splashed across it, and a dog that doesn’t reference the story. I like the original vision with the tartan borders and actual items or a scene appropriate to the story. Just saying.
P
The Laird is Duncan Pringle. The death is murder. Sergeant Hamish Macbeth’s hopes that everyone stays indoors during the storm prepping to hit Lochdubh are dashed by a phone call from Chief Superintendent Daviot. Hamish is ordered up to Loch Naglar to lead the search for the missing Duncan Pringle, wealthy new owner of Naglar House. The trek is treacherous, even in his Land Rover, and he narrowly misses being crushed by a tree and rock-filled mudslide as the road is washed out behind him. When he finally arrives, he has no cell reception, his official radio is not working, and the guests of the missing man are in various degrees of cooperation. He begins his search with the house and outbuildings with no luck, but there is a gun and five rounds of ammunition missing from the gun room along with the second set of keys. His search of the vehicles, however, reveals Duncan’s body with evidence he’d been dead awhile from a gunshot wound to his chest, and next to the body is the missing gun. Who is the killer? Hamish’s intuitive nature and dogged questioning is on full display.
R.W. Green has again channeled well the spirit of M.C. Beaton penning an engaging short story with Beaton’s low-keyed police sergeant Hamish Macbeth. The murder mystery is cleverly set during a massive storm trapping everyone in the manor house with a killer, and the clues are revealed enough for readers to try their own at solving. There were some surprising details and connections, a victim less than aboveboard himself, and motives linked to several. I had my own suspicions, but it is Hamish who had the “I’ve got it” solution first revealing in classic Poirot style: gathering all together, trapping the killer, explaining the solution, pointing fingers, and making an arrest. The characters are varied in personality from devastated to accommodating to can’t be bothered making for a very enjoyable and engaging experience. I don’t usually read short stories, generally afraid that brevity is more important than substance, but in this case I was pleasantly surprised! “Death of the Laird” gets a big thumbs up!
One complaint…the cover! This in no way effected my enjoyment or would effect the rating; it’s just packaging. But I don’t like the plain blue background with the title splashed across it, and a dog that doesn’t reference the story. I like the original vision with the tartan borders and actual items or a scene appropriate to the story. Just saying.
P
October 11, 2022
I wanted to see how the new author carries on Beaton’s stories, and truthfully, it feels like the same Hamish, which is good. Quick little novella, a pleasant hang with the crew in Lochdubh.
February 13, 2023
4 stars
Short and sweet cozy mystery peppered with the usual funny tings characteristic to Hamish's books.
Short and sweet cozy mystery peppered with the usual funny tings characteristic to Hamish's books.
February 16, 2022
Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is having a bad morning. He ran out of coffee. Oh, and there’s a huge storm blowing in, so he’s knows that his day will be spent pulling trees off the road and helping people make it home safely. But then a call from the big boss changes his plans.
Chief Superintendent Peter Daviot calls Macbeth to head over to Nagler House on Loch Nagler. The new laird there, Duncan Pringle, is missing, and Hamish is the closest officer to the house. After heading home to feed his dog Lugs and pet wild cat Sonsie, Macbeth heads to the Nagler House to find out what’s going on.
The storm has picked up, and Macbeth can hardly see the road. And then he hears a weird noise coming from his engine and starts to get worried. But he realizes that the noise isn’t his engine, but a handful of trees coming loose from their moorings and heading straight for the road. He steps on the gas to get out of the way, and his Land Rover gets him to safety just in time, but now there is no way out. Anyone at the house will have to stay there until someone can clear the road (or what’s left of the road). And to top it off, his radio isn’t working there.
Macbeth is met at the front door by Mrs. Patrick, who shows him around the house and gives him the basic facts of the case. She and Fergus, the gamekeeper and handyman, are the only staff members there. Other than the two of them (and Fergus’s dog Flynn) and the laird’s wife Diana, the other guests are Duncan’s business partner and his wife, the Earl of Strathbane and his wife, and the laird’s nephew and his fiancée.
Macbeth starts with a search of the house. He doesn’t find the laird, but that’s how he learns that there is a rifle missing. It’s when he searches the cars that he finds both the missing rifle and the missing laird, with a bullet hole in his chest.
With no one able to call out and no help able to get through the storm, it’s up to Macbeth to figure out who killed Duncan Pringle and why. Will he be able to catch the killer before the killer can get away with murder?
Death of a Laird is a novella about beloved Scottish rogue and policeman Hamish Macbeth. Living in the Highlands of Scotland, Macbeth has seen his fair share of crime, but he still knows how to have a little fun. After the death of M.C. Beaton, the creator of Hamish Macbeth, the series has been inherited by R.W. Green, and he does a very good job of keeping up the charm of the series and crafting fun stories to read.
Death of a Laird is a quick read, but it’s a fun sip into the Hamish Macbeth universe. I loved it, both for the characters and the quick locked-room mystery where the storm kept everyone locked in the house after the crime. This would be the perfect book to read next time you look outside to see it “blowing a hoolie,” and you can wrap up with a warm drink and a favorite blanket to weather the storm with Hamish. Lots of Scottish fun!
Chief Superintendent Peter Daviot calls Macbeth to head over to Nagler House on Loch Nagler. The new laird there, Duncan Pringle, is missing, and Hamish is the closest officer to the house. After heading home to feed his dog Lugs and pet wild cat Sonsie, Macbeth heads to the Nagler House to find out what’s going on.
The storm has picked up, and Macbeth can hardly see the road. And then he hears a weird noise coming from his engine and starts to get worried. But he realizes that the noise isn’t his engine, but a handful of trees coming loose from their moorings and heading straight for the road. He steps on the gas to get out of the way, and his Land Rover gets him to safety just in time, but now there is no way out. Anyone at the house will have to stay there until someone can clear the road (or what’s left of the road). And to top it off, his radio isn’t working there.
Macbeth is met at the front door by Mrs. Patrick, who shows him around the house and gives him the basic facts of the case. She and Fergus, the gamekeeper and handyman, are the only staff members there. Other than the two of them (and Fergus’s dog Flynn) and the laird’s wife Diana, the other guests are Duncan’s business partner and his wife, the Earl of Strathbane and his wife, and the laird’s nephew and his fiancée.
Macbeth starts with a search of the house. He doesn’t find the laird, but that’s how he learns that there is a rifle missing. It’s when he searches the cars that he finds both the missing rifle and the missing laird, with a bullet hole in his chest.
With no one able to call out and no help able to get through the storm, it’s up to Macbeth to figure out who killed Duncan Pringle and why. Will he be able to catch the killer before the killer can get away with murder?
Death of a Laird is a novella about beloved Scottish rogue and policeman Hamish Macbeth. Living in the Highlands of Scotland, Macbeth has seen his fair share of crime, but he still knows how to have a little fun. After the death of M.C. Beaton, the creator of Hamish Macbeth, the series has been inherited by R.W. Green, and he does a very good job of keeping up the charm of the series and crafting fun stories to read.
Death of a Laird is a quick read, but it’s a fun sip into the Hamish Macbeth universe. I loved it, both for the characters and the quick locked-room mystery where the storm kept everyone locked in the house after the crime. This would be the perfect book to read next time you look outside to see it “blowing a hoolie,” and you can wrap up with a warm drink and a favorite blanket to weather the storm with Hamish. Lots of Scottish fun!
January 8, 2023
I can’t say enough about M. C. Beaton’s books for sheer entertainment. I listened to a recording of this one and loved it.
December 14, 2023
A short story where Hamish solves a snowed in murder.
April 23, 2024
Short but enjoyable
June 24, 2024
Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰
This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account
Hamish is asked to investigate a missing man 🚹. He arrives just before a storm arrives. His investigation leads to a dead body of the man 🚹 in the trunk of his car 🚗. He uncovers the truth leading to the arrest of the killer.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of British 🏰 mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024
This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account
Hamish is asked to investigate a missing man 🚹. He arrives just before a storm arrives. His investigation leads to a dead body of the man 🚹 in the trunk of his car 🚗. He uncovers the truth leading to the arrest of the killer.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of British 🏰 mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024
April 19, 2025
Love this series and happy to see it still continues! 4/B
January 4, 2024
I quite enjoyed this Hamish short story! The reader has changed, though, and he makes Hamish sound much older. But it would make sense since the first one was written in 1985!
May 31, 2024
This is a short mystery in the Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton, now taken over by R.W. Green upon the original author's passing.
I enjoyed listening to David Monteath narrate the audiobook edition of this book. It's the first short story I've found in this collection and I wonder if it was intended to be a longer book. Or, perhaps, as other reviewers have mentioned, as an audition to take over the storytelling for the series.
It has much of the same charm (and the same frustrations) as the other books in the series.
I enjoyed listening to David Monteath narrate the audiobook edition of this book. It's the first short story I've found in this collection and I wonder if it was intended to be a longer book. Or, perhaps, as other reviewers have mentioned, as an audition to take over the storytelling for the series.
It has much of the same charm (and the same frustrations) as the other books in the series.
December 29, 2022
Before, MC Beaton (or Marion Chesney) sadly died, I could tell that someone other than she was writing her books. just a few personality quirks and comments the main characters made just sounded wrong.
This little story was a sample by the "chosen" successor to her pen. So, even though it lacks some of the romp and humor you'd expect in one of her novels, it's still a nice little read.
And, I must say, I like the chosen successor. He's a great storyteller and adds the humor and quirky characters I've enjoyed in MC Beaton books since the mid 1990's.
This little story was a sample by the "chosen" successor to her pen. So, even though it lacks some of the romp and humor you'd expect in one of her novels, it's still a nice little read.
And, I must say, I like the chosen successor. He's a great storyteller and adds the humor and quirky characters I've enjoyed in MC Beaton books since the mid 1990's.
April 4, 2022
First off, hats off to Green’s lab Flynn for his first cameo in the series. You’re a very good boy.
This is how to write a Hamish Macbeth short story. The only other short story we’ve had in this series – Knock, Knock, You’re Dead – left a lot to be desired. Death of a Liard pretty much had all the elements of a traditional Hamish Macbeth novel, just less of it. The mystery itself was compact but had everything one would want for such a short word count. I liked the touch of every suspect in the case suspecting someone else for various motives.
There was a point in the story when I thought Green was trying to take a literary jab at Beaton by mentioning that Hamish somehow always seemed to guess computer passwords without much trial and error. However, Green follows that mention by making Hamish do just that. So that was kind of a buzzkill.
Also, after reading Green-Eyed Monster, I noticed that plot consistency isn’t exactly the most important thing in this series, but… since when has Hamish had a married brother? All his siblings are high-school age or younger. Either Hamish has aged 10 years since Green has taken over the series or it was just an editing blunder.
I know there’s a new full-length release set for next year but I so wouldn’t mind more surprise short stories. Please make it happen.
This is how to write a Hamish Macbeth short story. The only other short story we’ve had in this series – Knock, Knock, You’re Dead – left a lot to be desired. Death of a Liard pretty much had all the elements of a traditional Hamish Macbeth novel, just less of it. The mystery itself was compact but had everything one would want for such a short word count. I liked the touch of every suspect in the case suspecting someone else for various motives.
There was a point in the story when I thought Green was trying to take a literary jab at Beaton by mentioning that Hamish somehow always seemed to guess computer passwords without much trial and error. However, Green follows that mention by making Hamish do just that. So that was kind of a buzzkill.
Also, after reading Green-Eyed Monster, I noticed that plot consistency isn’t exactly the most important thing in this series, but… since when has Hamish had a married brother? All his siblings are high-school age or younger. Either Hamish has aged 10 years since Green has taken over the series or it was just an editing blunder.
I know there’s a new full-length release set for next year but I so wouldn’t mind more surprise short stories. Please make it happen.
June 21, 2023
Our Hamish is alone on this investigation, no Blair to muddle things up and push Hamish out of the case . When Hamish is contacted by Chief Inspector Daviot, himself, he must brave the weather ( a fierce storm is brewing) and drive to a remote home where the Lord/Laird of the manor has gone missing. As Hamish nears the home, the storm causes several trees to fall, blocking the only way out. Upon his arrival, he finds himself trapped at the home with a small company of guess staying with the missing Laird. Hamish commences on a thorough search of the premisses and vehicles and finds the much dead body of the Laird in the boot of one of the vehicles. Alone, Hamish must find the killer among them. A very delightful and enjoyable quick read.
February 19, 2022
DEATH OF A LAIRD: A HAMISH MACBETH SHORT STORY is the latest Hamish Macbeth mystery published in 2022.
The series was created and written by M.C. Beaton (nee Marion Chesney) but after her death in 2019, new titles were continued and written by R.W. Green.
This is indeed a short story/novella and very entertaining. I have always had a ‘soft spot’ for Ms. Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin characters and am glad they are still with us.
Light reading, to be sure, but engaging and fun.
“A wealthy laird’s guests are trapped during a furious storm, but when the laird turns up dead, Scotland’s most quick-witted but unambitious policeman is on the case.”
****
The series was created and written by M.C. Beaton (nee Marion Chesney) but after her death in 2019, new titles were continued and written by R.W. Green.
This is indeed a short story/novella and very entertaining. I have always had a ‘soft spot’ for Ms. Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin characters and am glad they are still with us.
Light reading, to be sure, but engaging and fun.
“A wealthy laird’s guests are trapped during a furious storm, but when the laird turns up dead, Scotland’s most quick-witted but unambitious policeman is on the case.”
****
April 26, 2025
Quick Summary: A murder & intrigue cozy short
My Review: Death of a Laird by M.C. Beaton is book #33.5 in the Hamish Macbeth series. It was released in 2022.
About the Book: "A wealthy laird's guests are trapped in his estate during a furious storm–but when the laird turns up dead, Scotland's most quick-witted but unambitious policeman, Hamish Macbeth..."
In My Own Words: A classic MDK mystery with whodunit appeal
My Final Say: I quite enjoyed this short mystery. I am definitely interested in becoming better acquainted with this detective series.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series: Yes
Genre: Mystery
Audiobook: Yes
Narration: +
My Review: Death of a Laird by M.C. Beaton is book #33.5 in the Hamish Macbeth series. It was released in 2022.
About the Book: "A wealthy laird's guests are trapped in his estate during a furious storm–but when the laird turns up dead, Scotland's most quick-witted but unambitious policeman, Hamish Macbeth..."
In My Own Words: A classic MDK mystery with whodunit appeal
My Final Say: I quite enjoyed this short mystery. I am definitely interested in becoming better acquainted with this detective series.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series: Yes
Genre: Mystery
Audiobook: Yes
Narration: +
December 25, 2023
The Missing Keys
Sergeant Hamish Macbeth solves a mystery during a terrible rain storm that has isolated the witnesses and the murderer within the laird's manor house. Is it the wife or the laird's mistress? Is it the housekeeper or the ex-con groundskeeper? Is it the noble or his wife, who had been pestered by the laird? Is it the "partner" in his business? Is it his nephew, who stands to inherit a great deal or his nephew's fiancee? And who has the missing keys to the gun cabinet?
Sergeant Hamish Macbeth solves a mystery during a terrible rain storm that has isolated the witnesses and the murderer within the laird's manor house. Is it the wife or the laird's mistress? Is it the housekeeper or the ex-con groundskeeper? Is it the noble or his wife, who had been pestered by the laird? Is it the "partner" in his business? Is it his nephew, who stands to inherit a great deal or his nephew's fiancee? And who has the missing keys to the gun cabinet?
June 27, 2022
I have not read any of the other books so I am not sure if that affects my rating. Overall, the story was too short - there were too many characters for a short story with a little to no character development. I assumed that the story would be presented in a way that the reader can decide who the murder is, but it’s not. The mystery was solved almost immediately. There was no shocker, plot twist. It was just an ok read.
October 16, 2022
I will always love Hamish McBeth. In this one he finds himself marooned in storm (why is there always a storm? And would it be Hamish McBeth without a storm?). . . Anyhooo. . . Hamish finds himself marooned in a country Lodge and . . . .spoiler alert. . . . There's been a murder.
Which of them did it?
What's the super special twist? I certainly wasn't expecting it. . . though if you've read the books all in order (I haven't) you may guess.
I was not ready!
A lovely quick read.
Which of them did it?
What's the super special twist? I certainly wasn't expecting it. . . though if you've read the books all in order (I haven't) you may guess.
I was not ready!
A lovely quick read.
October 19, 2022
It is always a joy to visit Hamish Macbeth even if there is a terrible storm blowing and a murderer on the loose.
Hamish as always does the work of the 'better' detectives who in this case are nowhere to be seen until the very end of this short but well written story. I did not notice too much of a difference with regards to the additional author - just the same dogged and determined Hamish! I look forward to my next visit to Hamish Macbeth.
Hamish as always does the work of the 'better' detectives who in this case are nowhere to be seen until the very end of this short but well written story. I did not notice too much of a difference with regards to the additional author - just the same dogged and determined Hamish! I look forward to my next visit to Hamish Macbeth.
January 28, 2023
Getting to the truth can be a distressing business.
A liar with secrets to hide doesn't necessarily make you a murderer.
All Labradors know that people lying on the floor want to have their faces licked.
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining. p 66,72,83, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Packs a whole story into a short form, including Scottish scenery, weather. Winter storms snow in the suspects, till the guilty mis-steps.
Typo: 1.16 temperamental IS temperamental radio
A liar with secrets to hide doesn't necessarily make you a murderer.
All Labradors know that people lying on the floor want to have their faces licked.
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining. p 66,72,83, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Packs a whole story into a short form, including Scottish scenery, weather. Winter storms snow in the suspects, till the guilty mis-steps.
Typo: 1.16 temperamental IS temperamental radio
September 27, 2023
Even though this was a short and sweet mystery, one that should’ve been enjoyable under my comfy throw with a glass of wine on a rainy weekend, I found the story uninteresting. The characters tried to be wacky & interesting, but they just didn’t do anything for me in terms of enjoyment.
This story, as well as the last couple of Macbeth mysteries I’ve read, feels like a caricature of its former book self.
This story, as well as the last couple of Macbeth mysteries I’ve read, feels like a caricature of its former book self.
July 28, 2025
poor
I’ve read all of Hamish Macbeth books and this is, I’m sorry to say, absolutely dire and a waste of money. There is no plot, no depth of characters and we are supposed to believe Hamish worked out the killer overnight on no evidence. I know it’s a novella but still the assumptions were unbelievable. From being trapped with no communications a helicopter suddenly turns up! It just made me laugh.
It’s so sad that this epistle was published using the M.C.Beaton name.
I’ve read all of Hamish Macbeth books and this is, I’m sorry to say, absolutely dire and a waste of money. There is no plot, no depth of characters and we are supposed to believe Hamish worked out the killer overnight on no evidence. I know it’s a novella but still the assumptions were unbelievable. From being trapped with no communications a helicopter suddenly turns up! It just made me laugh.
It’s so sad that this epistle was published using the M.C.Beaton name.
September 17, 2025
That was generally pleasant and enjoyable. I found the audiobook at my library when I was looking for a quick evening read. I didn't end up finishing it that night, but I picked it up on a few car rides and enjoyed the meandering cozy mystery. It appears I've jumped in very late in the series, and I'm not sure I'd go back to read the whole series, but it was a very pleasant short mystery. It seems the main character is quite fond of dogs.
February 16, 2022
A short read. A little too short
More of a short story than a novel. The set up creates the expectation of a good murder mystery. But it is solved in the snap of a finger with little to no plot development. I enjoy Hamish Macbeth but this story needed a bit more to make it worthwhile.
More of a short story than a novel. The set up creates the expectation of a good murder mystery. But it is solved in the snap of a finger with little to no plot development. I enjoy Hamish Macbeth but this story needed a bit more to make it worthwhile.
March 11, 2022
Not my favorite Hamish outing. It was so short that there was no time to sort out all the characters. When the murderer was revealed, my reaction was “Which one was that again?” I would have stood a better chance if it had been a female character-- they all had broad labels pinned on them: the help, the drunk, the widow, the pregnant one, and that made them easier to remember.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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