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Summary: Hamish does it again
Review: Once again, Hamish tries to avoid promotion while solving several mysteries in the latest installment of this series.Something strange is happening in Stoyre, but with absolutely no help from the villagers, Hamish has little to go on. While puzzling this mystery out, Hamish has his hands full with a spouse abuser, insurance fraud, and a nursing home that isn't quite what it seems. All these happenings keep the book moving along, until you reach the answer to the Stoyre mystery. Or is it really the end? You'll have to read to find out.
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Summary: refreshing and enjoyable Hamish Macbeth mystery
Review: Police constable Hamish Macbeth loves living in the small Scottish Highland village of Lochdubh because he knows and likes most of the residents who in turn trusts him. He's regarded as a maverick at headquarters and his superiors would like to get him transferred to a bigger place where his talents could be better utilized. Hamish is very comfortable being a constable and does not want to rise in the ranks. When he cracks an insurance fraud scheme, he becomes a media darling and the brass has every attention of transferring him whether he wants to go or not. He uses a bit of subterfuge to stay in Lochdubh but he soon breaks open another case involving a nursing home killing their patients for profit. Before he can talk to headquarters again, he is knee deep in an investigation in the hamlet of Stoyre where the villagers are acting very peculiar and nobody is willing to talk to him. Hamish is determined to find out what is going on there even if it means endangering his life. This is the eighteenth Hamish Macbeth mystery and it is as refreshing and enjoyable as the previous seventeen books in this long running and delightful series. M.C. Beaton has created a hero it is impossible to dislike, as he is an honest non-ambitious man who is very happy with his place in the universe. If Hamish shows as much brilliance in future books, he is going to be hard pressed to refuse a promotion. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: I love Hamesh, but this one didn't do it for me
Review: Rather than reading this book, I listened to the unabridged version. Perhaps that affected my reaction to the book, but the Hamesh MacBeth formula just seemed to be getting stale -- brilliant but much-maligned Hamesh solves cases despite interference from colleagues at head office. There were a lot of subplots going on in this mystery so there were a lot of mini-cases being solved. Because of this, there were a number of plots, but the main plot (from which the title comes) involves a very out of the way Scottish coastal town where some sort of religious revival is underway. Hamesh MacBeth, unambitious but brilliant police constable for the area, has a hunch that something sinister is going on, and starts trying to figure out what it is in between solving various cases despite the handicap of having to deal with the rest of the police force -- there is, for example, an insurance fraud case that has no bearing on the central plot, as nearly as I can figure out.
I think the book would have been better if the author had adhered more closely to a central mystery (as she has in previous books). At times, this book seemed like a collection of stories -- each entertaining, but hearing one after another story of clever Hamesh didn't work for me. I preferred Hamesh when he was a little less heroic and more down to earth.
That said, on the whole, this is a great series. And I love the Highland Scottish setting.
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Summary: Entertaining story of Scottish rural police
Review: Scottish police constable Hamish Macbeth likes his life and dreads the idea of a promotion. If only he could get his love-life under control, he thinks things would be about perfect. But Hamish can't help offending pretty reporter Elspeth Grant and can't get over being abandoned by his ex-fiance. Besides, his dog can't stand the idea of a woman moving in with him. Instead, Hamish solves mysteries. Even in the Scottish Highlands, crime does take place--including insurance fraud and spousal abuse. But Hamish's police instincts are most intrigued by a small village which seems to have no crime at all--and be suffering from a religious revival. Something odd is happening and the always taciturn residents are being even more closed-mouthed than usual. The rest of the police force is hopeless and Hamish ends up being a one-man crime buster, assisted by the beautiful Elspeth and a pair of aging sleuths. Author M. C. Beaton creates a charming character in Hamish Macbeth and a properly cozy world of small crimes and mostly cheery people with deep Scottish accents and deep Scottish accents. Hamish can be annoying--both to Elspeth and the reader--by his judgemental attitude and his thoughtlessness to Elspeth's feelings, but Beaton's stories are strongly written and intriguing. In DEATH OF A VILLAGE, more than in some of the other Macbeth stories, Hamish seems to be going through the motions--his emotions don't feel quite real. Still, while this may not be the best of the series, it is a well written and enjoyable story.
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Summary: A light and amusing Hamish MacBeth
Review: The eighteenth book in the Hamish Macbeth series was not so much a mystery but a compilation of several little mysteries in the daily routine of Hamish Macbeth. It was a good book for light reading as Hamish is very likeable character. While Hamish solves these little mysteries, such as the husband batterer and the nursing home scandal, but his attention keeps getting drawn back to the village of Stoyre where strange happenings are occurring to the townpeople. Is this village truly haunted, or is it something else more sinister? It is up to Hamish, but not so much as to draw attention to his heroics - because then he might get promoted. Hamish wants to stay in Lochdubh with his dog, Lugs. He definitely does not want to be promoted in any way. How he does solve the mystery of Stoyre, and how he gets non-promoted makes for a delightful book for all Hamish MacBeth. A great light read!
Rating:
Summary: A light and amusing Hamish MacBeth
Review: The eighteenth book in the Hamish Macbeth series was not so much a mystery but a compilation of several little mysteries in the daily routine of Hamish Macbeth. It was a good book for light reading as Hamish is very likeable character. While Hamish solves these little mysteries, such as the husband batterer and the nursing home scandal, but his attention keeps getting drawn back to the village of Stoyre where strange happenings are occurring to the townpeople. Is this village truly haunted, or is it something else more sinister? It is up to Hamish, but not so much as to draw attention to his heroics - because then he might get promoted. Hamish wants to stay in Lochdubh with his dog, Lugs. He definitely does not want to be promoted in any way. How he does solve the mystery of Stoyre, and how he gets non-promoted makes for a delightful book for all Hamish MacBeth. A great light read!
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Summary: Another homerun for M.C. Beaton!
Review: This is the nineteenth (not eighteenth, you must include A Highland Christmas) in a series of mysteries featuring the detective work of small town, Highland Scottish detective Hamish Macbeth, P.C. In this book, Hamish must work overtime to avoid a promotion out of his beloved Lochdubh. But, that is not all of his problems. During a recent visit to the tiny village of Storye, he finds that the people there are acting quite strange, as if some sort of religious mania has gripped them. When the situation there turns dangerous and then deadly, Hamish knows he must get to the bottom of whatever it is that is going on. This is another homerun for M.C. Beaton (pseudonym of Marion Chesney)! This story is every bit as good (excellent) as the other Hamish books, and makes for some gripping reading. Somehow, the author succeeds in making the Hamish Macbeth stories swing effortlessly between lighthearted humor to deadly mystery, all without losing the seeming reality of the story. The characters in this story are likable and interesting, the story is gripping and entertaining, and the mystery quite fascinating. I think that this is a great book, one that you should consider buying!
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