Rating: 
Summary: Death of a Charming Man
Review: "Death of a Charming Man" is the 10th Hamish Macbeth mystery by M.C. Beaton. Hamish is now engaged to the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. Priscilla is making changes to make Hamish more respectable, and it is cramping his style. Hamish travels to the small village of Drim which is in his territory to check out a very handsome and rich Englishman, Peter Hynd, who has moved there. The middle-aged women of Drim are all going to the hairdresser and taking aerobics classes in order to impress Mr. Hynd. He is even sleeping with some of the women, most of whom are married. Suddenly he disappears from Drim, and sells his house. Hamish senses that something is wrong and believes that Peter Hynd may be dead, and possibly murdered, perhaps by a jealous husband from the village. To get away from Lochdubh and Priscilla, he vacations in Drim to try to find out exactly what happened to Peter Hynd. This was not my favorite Hamish Macbeth novel, but it is an important one in the personal life of Hamish, and is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Death of a Charming Man
Review: "Death of a Charming Man" is the 10th Hamish Macbeth mystery by M.C. Beaton. Hamish is now engaged to the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. Priscilla is making changes to make Hamish more respectable, and it is cramping his style. Hamish travels to the small village of Drim which is in his territory to check out a very handsome and rich Englishman, Peter Hynd, who has moved there. The middle-aged women of Drim are all going to the hairdresser and taking aerobics classes in order to impress Mr. Hynd. He is even sleeping with some of the women, most of whom are married. Suddenly he disappears from Drim, and sells his house. Hamish senses that something is wrong and believes that Peter Hynd may be dead, and possibly murdered, perhaps by a jealous husband from the village. To get away from Lochdubh and Priscilla, he vacations in Drim to try to find out exactly what happened to Peter Hynd. This was not my favorite Hamish Macbeth novel, but it is an important one in the personal life of Hamish, and is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: A wry commentary on menopause and a darned good mystery!
Review: "Death of a Charming Man," as a novel, is just that--"charming"! And probably this is an apt word to describe all the Hamish Macbeth books by British sleuth writer M.C. Beaton (who also writes the popular Agatha Raisin series). Beaton's Macbeth books (all beginning with "Death of a ...") takes us to the Scottish Highlands and the village of Lochdubh. Hamish is a low-keyed police constable who'd rather be out poaching salmon or chasing the odd deer than tending to his constabulary duties; in fact, most of the townspeople consider him a bit lazy and unmotivated. He refuses to work toward promotion within the police department and often lets his superiors take credit for his solutions, which are always the correct ones by the books' endings.. No matter. Hamish is happy. He loves the Highlands, his dog Towser, and small town life (and here we are talking of VERY small town life!); however, even small towns fall prey to murderers and, as it has been in all the Macbeth stories, it is the constable's slow, plodding--but accurate--detective work that brings the murderer to justice. Beaton's works are not like the complex books of P.D. James or the skilled stylistics of Ruth Rendell or the literary awareness of Martha Grimes (all tremendous writers themselves), but they are worth reading. She captures, indeed, an essence of Scotland rarely seen since that earlier Macbeth, in thunder, lightning, and rain, managed to flood the stage with all those bodies a few centuries ago!). Beaton manages to incorporate just enough romance into her stories so that readers find themselves genuinely interested in whether Hamish will EVER be able to settle down and marry Priscilla, a high-born lassie with a mind of her own and who often as not assists in the investigations. Beaton, too, is able to add touches of wry humor here and there, and, granted, after getting into the series, the reader is generally able to predict much of the action. Still, this is a series that is a delight and shouldn't be missed. The Brits have begun filming a Hamish Macbeth series, which should hit the PBS circuit, too, we hope!
Rating:
Summary: A 'Dread Scot' Decision!
Review: "Death of a Charming Man," as a novel, is just that--"charming"! And probably this is an apt word to describe all the Hamish Macbeth books by British sleuth writer M.C. Beaton (who also writes the popular Agatha Raisin series). Beaton's Macbeth books (all beginning with "Death of a ...") takes us to the Scottish Highlands and the village of Lochdubh. Hamish is a low-keyed police constable who'd rather be out poaching salmon or chasing the odd deer than tending to his constabulary duties; in fact, most of the townspeople consider him a bit lazy and unmotivated. He refuses to work toward promotion within the police department and often lets his superiors take credit for his solutions, which are always the correct ones by the books' endings.. No matter. Hamish is happy. He loves the Highlands, his dog Towser, and small town life (and here we are talking of VERY small town life!); however, even small towns fall prey to murderers and, as it has been in all the Macbeth stories, it is the constable's slow, plodding--but accurate--detective work that brings the murderer to justice. Beaton's works are not like the complex books of P.D. James or the skilled stylistics of Ruth Rendell or the literary awareness of Martha Grimes (all tremendous writers themselves), but they are worth reading. She captures, indeed, an essence of Scotland rarely seen since that earlier Macbeth, in thunder, lightning, and rain, managed to flood the stage with all those bodies a few centuries ago!). Beaton manages to incorporate just enough romance into her stories so that readers find themselves genuinely interested in whether Hamish will EVER be able to settle down and marry Priscilla, a high-born lassie with a mind of her own and who often as not assists in the investigations. Beaton, too, is able to add touches of wry humor here and there, and, granted, after getting into the series, the reader is generally able to predict much of the action. Still, this is a series that is a delight and shouldn't be missed. The Brits have begun filming a Hamish Macbeth series, which should hit the PBS circuit, too, we hope!
Rating:
Summary: A wry commentary on menopause and a darned good mystery!
Review: Beaton seems to like to include children in her stories and has created an exceptional one here, twelve-year-old Heather who can raise the power of Celtic gods when needed. This is a wry commentary on the vulnerability of menopausal women ("the men's pause," it's called in these pages) and a darned good mystery to boot, which you won't fully appreciate until the very last page!
Rating: 
Summary: Along the Beaton Path
Review: Hamish MacBeth, the unamibitious and unlucky in love Police Constable of village of Lochdubh, finds himself both promoted and unofficially engaged to the cooly beautiful Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. However, a new inhabitant of the nearby and slightly sinister village of Drim is stirring up passions, and Hamish MacBeth is sensing trouble. The beautiful young man even tries to romance Hamish's unofficial fiancé, while the matrons of Drim flock to the hairdresser and the exercise classes and their men simmer and stew. Hamish smells something amiss when a local woman is found dead. Though it is labeled an accident - where has the charming man disappeared to? Who is covering up what? With a dose of highlands persistence, a strange pagan child, and a wee dram here and again, Hamish takes his mostly gentle persistence all around the countryside, despite instructions from headquarters and contrary to the gentle guidance of Priscilla, who seems to be more interested in just about anything than a passion for Hamish. Well written and sketched, an absolutely delightful cozy.
Rating: 
Summary: Can this Pseudo-Engagement Be Saved?
Review: Hamish MacBeth, the unamibitious and unlucky in love Police Constable of village of Lochdubh, finds himself both promoted and unofficially engaged to the cooly beautiful Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. However, a new inhabitant of the nearby and slightly sinister village of Drim is stirring up passions, and Hamish MacBeth is sensing trouble. The beautiful young man even tries to romance Hamish's unofficial fiancé, while the matrons of Drim flock to the hairdresser and the exercise classes and their men simmer and stew. Hamish smells something amiss when a local woman is found dead. Though it is labeled an accident - where has the charming man disappeared to? Who is covering up what? With a dose of highlands persistence, a strange pagan child, and a wee dram here and again, Hamish takes his mostly gentle persistence all around the countryside, despite instructions from headquarters and contrary to the gentle guidance of Priscilla, who seems to be more interested in just about anything than a passion for Hamish. Well written and sketched, an absolutely delightful cozy.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat grim and also somewhat funny!
Review: I really like Hamish MacBeth and I like the way M.C. Beaton develops her characters. I am definiely reading these out of order, so I am coming to the engagement of Hamish and Priscilla somewhat out of season, but I am impressed with the way that Beaton develops the serious ambivalence in their relationship and the poignant loss at the end of the novel at the same time that she is able to have some very funny, lighthearted scenes. There is a lot of human sadness here--I really felt for the poor, excitement starved women of Drim who yearn so much for the Charming Man of the title. I was also really drawn to the child, Heather, old beyond her years with Celtic wisdom. I really like the layers of meaning and strength of the characters in these books.
Rating:
Summary: Along the Beaton Path
Review: The Hamish Macbeth mysteries are most noteable for their Scottish highland settings, light tone and rapid plot progression, and lack of detail- characteristics that assure they can be read in one day, if not in one sitting. "Charming Man" is an unexceptional entry in which Macbeth investigates a crime- that may not even have occured- by jumping from one conclusion to the next armed, not with facts, but with good old highland instinct. The plotting and logic fall below Beaton's usual standards, with the twist ending particularly unconvincing. Still, another visit from these lovable characters is always welcome.
Rating:
Summary: A Crucial Book in this Series
Review: This book is a crucial book in the series because of what happens in Hamish's personal and professional life as a result of his uncovering this mystery. Hamish is sleuthing on his own in the small neighbouring village of Drim. He's the only one that thinks that murder most foul has been committed there. He puts his professional life on the line to first of all prove that murder was done, and then to show who actually committed it. Hamish is his usual laconic, endearing self. No wonder that the books of Hamish Macbeth have started a cult of followers over here across the pond from where MC Beaton and her fictional characters live. As in other books there is a sense of despair but a true sense of warmth as well. Her books in this series in particular are prime examples of black comedy. And her characterizations are absolutely wonderful with each outing.
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