Rating: 
Summary: Death of a Hussy
Review: "Death of a Hussy" is the fifth Hamish Macbeth mystery by M. C. Beaton. Maggie Baird buys a bungalow in Scotland, and moves there with her neice, Alison Kerr, who is recovering from lung cancer. Maggie is not a nice woman. She had spent her life as a prostitute, and had amassed a nice sum of money. She is a hussy. When her car catches fire and she dies of a heart attack, Macbeth knows that it is murder. The list of suspects includes Alison, who stands to inherit Maggie's fortune, and four of Maggie's suitors from the past from which Maggie intended to pick one as her husband. The suitors are suspect because Maggie had stipulated that if Alison died, the suitors would split her fortune. It's always a pleasure to read a Hamish Macbeth mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Death of a Hussy
Review: "Death of a Hussy" is the fifth Hamish Macbeth mystery by M. C. Beaton. Maggie Baird buys a bungalow in Scotland, and moves there with her neice, Alison Kerr, who is recovering from lung cancer. Maggie is not a nice woman. She had spent her life as a prostitute, and had amassed a nice sum of money. She is a hussy. When her car catches fire and she dies of a heart attack, Macbeth knows that it is murder. The list of suspects includes Alison, who stands to inherit Maggie's fortune, and four of Maggie's suitors from the past from which Maggie intended to pick one as her husband. The suitors are suspect because Maggie had stipulated that if Alison died, the suitors would split her fortune. It's always a pleasure to read a Hamish Macbeth mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Macbeth to the rescue (again!)
Review: Ahhh! If a good draught of single malt and a Hamish Macbeth mystery won't cure you, then you really need to see a doctor! M.C. Beaton's well-established series featuring Lochdubh's finest, Macbeth himself, is right on cue with this edition. PC Macbeth is called upon to investigate the death of--you guessed it--a "hussy"! Seems that Maggie Baird, besides being a wealthy, once-beautiful middle aged woman, is also something of a pain! So much so that she goes up in flames--in her car! This is no "hot date in the Highlands," but murder out and out! And there are suspects aplenty: four former lovers and her own niece! All certainly had the means and the motive. Macbeth to the rescue, of course! Hamish himself has a few pieces of personal baggage as well, as we've learned through the series. His long on-again, off-again romance with Priscilla Haliburton-Smythe, superiors who are jealous of his successes, and his "lack of ambition" (he's quite happy, thank you, to stay in this wee Scottish village, as promotions are not his desire, prefering instead to stay "small town"! Of course, as we know from the series, this small town seems to have an inordinate number of murders! No matter. Beaton provides us with a delightful (albeit lite!) bill of fare! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)
Rating:
Summary: Macbeth to the rescue (again!)
Review: Ahhh! If a good draught of single malt and a Hamish Macbeth mystery won't cure you, then you really need to see a doctor! M.C. Beaton's well-established series featuring Lochdubh's finest, Macbeth himself, is right on cue with this edition. PC Macbeth is called upon to investigate the death of--you guessed it--a "hussy"! Seems that Maggie Baird, besides being a wealthy, once-beautiful middle aged woman, is also something of a pain! So much so that she goes up in flames--in her car! This is no "hot date in the Highlands," but murder out and out! And there are suspects aplenty: four former lovers and her own niece! All certainly had the means and the motive. Macbeth to the rescue, of course! Hamish himself has a few pieces of personal baggage as well, as we've learned through the series. His long on-again, off-again romance with Priscilla Haliburton-Smythe, superiors who are jealous of his successes, and his "lack of ambition" (he's quite happy, thank you, to stay in this wee Scottish village, as promotions are not his desire, prefering instead to stay "small town"! Of course, as we know from the series, this small town seems to have an inordinate number of murders! No matter. Beaton provides us with a delightful (albeit lite!) bill of fare! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)
Rating:
Summary: Fast and Fun read
Review: Hamish is stationed in Strathbane, due to the downsizing of constabularies in the Highlands. He is unhappy with living in the city and with the attitude of his new partner. The residents of Lochdubh are unhappy with the situation also. A new woman in town suggests that they stage a series of fake crimes to get him back, it works. Mrs. Baird is something of a femme fatale, encased in a layer of fat. She is a former professional hussy and has amassed a fortune with her looks. She has taken in a niece recovering from cancer, and turned her into a secretary, unpaid of course. When she goes away to restore her looks, her niece is charged with typing up her filthy memoirs. The girl wants to learn how to drive and to get a proper job, but Mrs. Baird forbids it. Hamish teaches her to drive and she is feeling independent until her aunt returns home and announces that she is getting married again and cutting the niece out of her will. She is killed shortly thereafter and the niece and Mrs. Baird's four suitors are the main suspects. This is a typical Hamish McBeth book. The mystery isn't difficult, but the characters and story line are alot of fun.
Rating:
Summary: Fast and Fun read
Review: Hamish is stationed in Strathbane, due to the downsizing of constabularies in the Highlands. He is unhappy with living in the city and with the attitude of his new partner. The residents of Lochdubh are unhappy with the situation also. A new woman in town suggests that they stage a series of fake crimes to get him back, it works. Mrs. Baird is something of a femme fatale, encased in a layer of fat. She is a former professional hussy and has amassed a fortune with her looks. She has taken in a niece recovering from cancer, and turned her into a secretary, unpaid of course. When she goes away to restore her looks, her niece is charged with typing up her filthy memoirs. The girl wants to learn how to drive and to get a proper job, but Mrs. Baird forbids it. Hamish teaches her to drive and she is feeling independent until her aunt returns home and announces that she is getting married again and cutting the niece out of her will. She is killed shortly thereafter and the niece and Mrs. Baird's four suitors are the main suspects. This is a typical Hamish McBeth book. The mystery isn't difficult, but the characters and story line are alot of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: what a hoot !
Review: It's really enjoyable to read the adventures of Macbeth full of not only flaws but also charms. It's the first book as a McBeth series and I am so curious of the relationship with Priscilla onwards....so I tried every means to get the earliest volumes in this series, but failed. Let be informed if somebody get a good news. I recommend M.C. Beaton's another series of Agatha Raisin...
Rating:
Summary: Another First Class Macbeth!
Review: Ms. Beaton is the queen of village mysteries, and each one of her Hamish Macbeth books is as delightful as the last. In this one, the story starts with Hamish living in Strathbane where he has been tranferred. He's not a happy man because he has had to move from his beloved Lochdubh. The villagers of Lochdubh aren't happy either, and they stage a number of "crimes" in their small village which forces the authorities to send Hamish and Towser back where they want to be. But in true Hamish fashion, murder seems to follow his reinstatement. One of the villagers is burned inside her car, and it's apparent to Hamish that it was murder. He opens up a whole wasp's nest of potential murderers, and it's up to Hamish to find the one who did it. This book is a delight - offbeat and funny.
Rating:
Summary: Another First Class Macbeth!
Review: Ms. Beaton is the queen of village mysteries, and each one of her Hamish Macbeth books is as delightful as the last. In this one, the story starts with Hamish living in Strathbane where he has been tranferred. He's not a happy man because he has had to move from his beloved Lochdubh. The villagers of Lochdubh aren't happy either, and they stage a number of "crimes" in their small village which forces the authorities to send Hamish and Towser back where they want to be. But in true Hamish fashion, murder seems to follow his reinstatement. One of the villagers is burned inside her car, and it's apparent to Hamish that it was murder. He opens up a whole wasp's nest of potential murderers, and it's up to Hamish to find the one who did it. This book is a delight - offbeat and funny.
Rating:
Summary: First class MacBeth!
Review: Once again, M.C. Beaton has produced a very entertaining mystery featuring Constable Hamish MacBeth, our favorite Highlands policeman. Rather short in length (again) but excellently plotted with lots of red herrings and amusing characters. Very enjoyable reading, highly recommended
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