Death of a Poison Pen

Rating:
Summary: Death of a Poison Pen
Review: This is the 20th book in the cozy mystery series about Hamish Macbeth, a constable who lives in the small, scenic village of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands with his dog, Lugs. He also tends sheep and chickens in addition to his police duties. In this adventure, someone is writing poison pen letters which results in two murders which Macbeth has to solve. In addition, he has to handle complications in his love life and the village gossips. Beaton does a good job of describing the Highland villages and in developing her characters. All of the books in the series are a quick read and are perfect for a rainy day or lazy Sunday afternoon. Anyone who likes cozies will enjoy this series.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful book -- great plotting, like a visit to Scotland
Review: This is the kind of book where you're sorry when it ends. I am a big fan of M.C. Beaton, but not all of her books are equally good. This is one of the better ones.

Poor Hamesh MacBeth, underachieving police constable in a remote and largely unpopulated area at the north of Scotland, is trying to prevent crime in his area. He is concerned about some poison pen letters that are being received and the trouble these letters are likely to cause. He can't get the authorities to spend money investigating them (handwriting expert) and is proved right when someone is found hanging with a poison pen letter at her feet. The stupid police from headquarters say "suicide" but Hamesh knows better. Another death follows. Hamesh is trying to solve the crime while he deals with stupid superiors who try to keep him out of the way (he's just a constable) and a couple of women who are romantically interested in him -- including a new pursuer, an English friend of his ex-girlfriend Priscilla (who is forced into a series of rather funny lies trying to avoid revealing she's really there to see if she can get Hamesh away from her friend.)

All in all, this is one of the better books in the series. If you haven't read any of them yet, if you like "cozy" mysteries, you're in for a real treat.