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Summary: Beaton's 'Last Writes' a Good One!
Review: In "Death of a Scriptwriter," M.C. Beaton brings us the fourteenth installment of the Hamish Macbeth series--and she is in her element! Set in the Scottish Highlands, in the village of Lochdubh, this series is a nice read--nothing too complicated, full of local Scottish color (with both its characters and its setting), lots of delightful red herrings, and logical solutions. This series, the titles of which always begin with "Death of a...," is quite a successful one and one which takes little time to read. Macbeth, the local constable, is proud of the fact that he is not an ambitious soul. Despite the fact that he has solved thirteen previous murders, he is still a constable. He refuses to be promoted as he claims he is too happy in Lochdubh to want to advance to a larger city. He is filled with lots of common sense and while often the villagers give him a hard time ("He's too lazy," they claim.), they highly respet him and have come to his rescue more than once. He's not so lucky with his own love life, however, and seems to fall in love with any woman who shows interest. The real love, Priscilla Smythe-Halliburton, has moved to London, after he had broken off the engagement, and appears intermittently in all the books of the series. In "Death of a Scriptwriter," a television crew appears in Macbeth's bailiwick to film a novel written by an English spinster who has moved to Lochdubh. Her books were never much of a success, but this one was picked up by the BBC. She is delighted that at long last, fame is coming her way. She is so overjoyed that she fails to retain the complete rights to her book; a screen writer is hired to "modernize" the plot and characters (in other words, to add lots of sex and violence to the rather staid Victorian tale). Disagreements among the TV crew members erupt and, viola, the screenwriter (an impossible sort, unliked and unloved by anybody, and quite impossible to work with) is found dead; shortly thereafter, the star of the film (who is to appear nude in some scenes) is killed when she "falls" off a boulder; her alcoholic husband has also been found dead! (Bodies seem more plentiful than the last act of "Hamlet"!) Everyone seems to be a suspect! Macbeth, in his plodding, but thorough way, of course, leads us to the conclusion, wherein all deaths are solved, and the reader then is set up to await the next installment. This book is a fun-read. Ms Beaton is in her element--she's writing about what she seems to know a lot about herself--authors, screenwriters, and television crews (this series is being filmed in England and we can only hope that A&E or PBS will bring it to us over here!). Beaton devotees will love this one!
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Summary: Charming Hamish at his best.
Review: In this book we see Hamish at his best. He's charming and endearing. This book portrays the life of an aging mystery writer in the way only M.C. Beaton can. A television company is going to serialize some of Patricia Murtyn-Broyd's old, out-of-print books, which puts Ms. Priscilla over the top. But then people begin mysteriously dying. Is this potential revial to her books going to go up in smoke? Hamish is on the case (minus his Priscilla this time), and you can bet he solves it, but not before uncovering more twists and turns and potential murderers than he knows what to do with. Again Hamish steals the book. He is the most endearing sleuth out there right now.
Rating:
Summary: Charming Hamish at his best.
Review: In this book we see Hamish at his best. He's charming and endearing. This book portrays the life of an aging mystery writer in the way only M.C. Beaton can. A television company is going to serialize some of Patricia Murtyn-Broyd's old, out-of-print books, which puts Ms. Priscilla over the top. But then people begin mysteriously dying. Is this potential revial to her books going to go up in smoke? Hamish is on the case (minus his Priscilla this time), and you can bet he solves it, but not before uncovering more twists and turns and potential murderers than he knows what to do with. Again Hamish steals the book. He is the most endearing sleuth out there right now.
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Summary: Another winner in the MacBeth series!
Review: Our favorite highland detective does it again! M.C. Beaton returns us to Lochdubh, Cnothan, and Drim to help Hamish solve another case. I read this book in one sitting--now what to do all summer? This book is consistent with the rest of the MacBeth series, the settings and characters are old friends. I find that I personally care less about the resolution of the murder than I do about the wonderfully quirky characters and their daily lives.
Rating: 
Summary: Delicious satire on British "cozies"
Review: Readers who do not like M. C. Beaton's Hamish McBeth and Agatha Raisin mysteries are missing the point. DEATH OF A SCRIPTWRITER, like all the other books by this author (or committee) are glorious sendups of the traditional British whodunits and the fact that they are formulaic just adds to the suspense. Will Beaton be able to bring off still another of these elaborate practical jokes? My favorite so far is AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH. The title alone is worth the price of the hardcover book. I wait with bated breath for the next volume to be published and have already pre-ordered it from amazon.com
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Summary: Funny witty and warm cozy
Review: Septuagenarian Patricia Martyn-Broyd used to be a prolific writer, but has not written anything in years. Her books are out of print and mostly forgotten. However, that changes when executive producer Harry Frome decides to make a movie out of Patricia's novel, The Case of the Rising Tide. Patricia's ecstasy soon turns to horror when she observes the poetic license the film-maker is taking with her beloved novel. Not only have they changed the time and place, they have added nude scenes that shock the elderly spinster. However, nothing is more shocking than the murder of the screenwriter. Scotsman Hamish Macbeth, the local constable, begins to investigate, but is abruptly removed from the case by his officious superiors, who want a fast solution. A second murder occurs and Hamish believes that the outside investigators are looking in the wrong direction. He renews his inquiries even though he knows that it may cost him his career for ignoring a direct order. DEATH OF A SCRIPT WRITER is one of the best entries in the long running Macbeth series. The novel is simply an enjoyable who-done-it due to the intriguing puzzle with its many viable suspects. The gentle Hamish's lust for life deservedly makes him a revered character. M.C. Beaton continues to provide some of the top Scottish cozies of the nineties. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: Characters that come to life!
Review: This book was my first introduction to the world of Hamish Macbeth. The book has such rich characters. They are a true joy to read about. This mystery brings two worlds crashing together. They villiage atmosphere of Drim Scotland against the Cellular Phone grafted world of movies. If you've never read one of M.C. Beaton's Hamish mysteries, DON'T let that stop you from getting this one. No history is needed for the characters to come alive. But BE WARNED you will have an overwhelming desire to go buy all the ones you missed. Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This is the first book I read by this author and thought it was quite entertaining. I read the entire book in one day and would have liked it to be a little longer. I will certainly buy another book by this author!
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