Rating: 
Summary: Well-written Mystery
Review: After Hamish MacBeth breaks up with long-time girlfriend Priscilla Halburton-Smythe and is demoted back to constable, he needs to get away and decides to stay at the coastal village of Skag. Unfortunately, the food at the bed and breakfast he stays at is deplorable and, while he gets along with most of the guests, one guest, Bob Harris, is obnoxious, constantly nagging his wife. After one incident, Hamish punches the man and threatens to kill him. When Hamish finds Harris' body floating in the river, he is a suspect. But before long, it becomes evident that several of the guests had reason to kill him.
This is a well-crafted mystery with plenty of suspects. None of the guests are what they seem like and all are hiding secrets. Hamish is at his best and brightest as he figures out what they are all hiding.
While I liked this book, I found this one sadder than others in the series, mostly because of a personal loss for Hamish. Also, there seemed to be a cynical view towards love and relationships. Still, I recommend this book for Hamish MacBeth fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Great plot but not my favorite MacBeth
Review: As with all of this series, it was a good, entertaining read. Because of something that happens within the story that wouldn't be fair to share to those who haven't read the book, I just didn't enjoy this MacBeth story as much as I've enjoyed others. To be honest, the actual mystery is better than some of the other stories. It's the dreadful thing that happens to Hamish on a personal level that bothers me.I'm reading this in sequence and understand that Hamish is going through some changes...so was perfectly fine with the things happening to him prior to this book. Just don't understand why the author chose to make this particular situation happen...
Rating: 
Summary: Hamish even finds murder on vacation
Review: Hamish and Priscilla have broken up. Priscilla has gone to stay with friends, so naturally the whole village blames Hamish and ostracise him. Hamish and Angela Brodie decide that he should take a vacation and get away from Lochdubh. He chooses a cheap boarding house in the seaside village of Skag. He likes his fellow boarders except for Bob Harris. Bob is a bully and a nag and mercilessly berates his quiet wife Doris. All of the guests band together against him(a good thing because the inn is pretty terrible). Bob ends up dead, and Hamish discovers that his fellow holiday makers aren't all that they seem. This was a refreshing break from Lochdubh. The new characters were very well developed and alive. The loss of Towser upset me, but all in a this was a very well crafted and entertaining mystery. Just too short.
Rating:
Summary: The best MacBeth mystery of the series.
Review: I have enjoyed all of the Hamish MacBeth novels, but this one is my favorite. First, Hamish has to deal with the ending of his long relationship with Priscilla and then he has to deal with the loss of another long time friend. Hamish ends up on a vacation that is anything but a vacation. Beaton does an excellent job of creating great suspects and weaves together a great mystery. Recommended reading for anyone that loves mystery novels.
Rating:
Summary: Quintessential Cozy
Review: If you're looking for a "cozy" in the Agatha Christie tradition, MC Beaton's Hamish series ought to fit the bill. A main difference is the severity and sublimity of the Scottish landscape (so different from Miss Marple's St. Mary Meade !) As a frequent reader of this series I was glad for a break from the Hamish-Priscilla romance as I find her to be extremely boring. In this mystery we find Hamish at a dumpy B & B, surrounded by a variety of guests each of whom might have murdered the most obnoxious one--the nag of the title. Hamish's relationship with one of the guests, a spinster retired schoolteacher is quite moving. . She and the other characters show various sides of themselves. If Beaton does not exactly probe her characters (I would look to PD James for that kind of thing), they at least have a certain substantiality due to the bits of personal history we learn of each. I thought the plot meandered a bit. Hamish's travelling back and forth between Skaw and Lochdubh proved tiresome; we witness too many mental checklists of the various suspects' motives and opportunities. Even so, it is a generally enjoyable book and the ending does indeed have a bite to it.
Rating:
Summary: Quintessential Cozy
Review: If you're looking for a "cozy" in the Agatha Christie tradition, MC Beaton's Hamish series ought to fit the bill. A main difference is the severity and sublimity of the Scottish landscape (so different from Miss Marple's St. Mary Meade !) As a frequent reader of this series I was glad for a break from the Hamish-Priscilla romance as I find her to be extremely boring. In this mystery we find Hamish at a dumpy B & B, surrounded by a variety of guests each of whom might have murdered the most obnoxious one--the nag of the title. Hamish's relationship with one of the guests, a spinster retired schoolteacher is quite moving. . She and the other characters show various sides of themselves. If Beaton does not exactly probe her characters (I would look to PD James for that kind of thing), they at least have a certain substantiality due to the bits of personal history we learn of each. I thought the plot meandered a bit. Hamish's travelling back and forth between Skaw and Lochdubh proved tiresome; we witness too many mental checklists of the various suspects' motives and opportunities. Even so, it is a generally enjoyable book and the ending does indeed have a bite to it.
Rating:
Summary: Beaton Triumphs Again!
Review: In "Death of a Nag," M.C. Beaton returns with her eleventh Hamish Macbeth mystery, and he is continuing to keep Lochdubh safe and sound. And the Scottish Highlands couldn't be in better hands! Aside from his on-again, off-again romance with Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Macbeth takes his responsibilities quite seriously (there are those in the village who think of him as lazy, no-good, and quite irresponsible for "letting" Priscilla go!). In this episode, Macbeth has taken off a few days to "recharge his batteries," but, alas, the charming seaside resort (Friendly House) is teeming with the usual Beaton characters. Macbeth finds the company tiresome, the food inedible, and, sure enough, a body: that of one of the guests, a terrific nag. And who better is the suspect that the victim's wife, whom he publically ridiculed (and nagged!). Beaton makes sure that all of the characters are suspects (a "regular" ingredient of Beaton's works!), but only Macbeth is able to sort out the culprit. Charming, easy-to-read, and worthwhile. (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)
Rating:
Summary: Hercule Poirot meets Hamish McBeth!
Review: Such a delightful cozy mystery! Does that sound right? Well, it was fun and I guessed 'whodunnit' even though MC Beaton tried to fool me.
Hamish leaves his village for a much needed holiday at a bed and breakfast where murder ensues. There are a variety of characters staying at the B&B with him and when the 'nag' is killed, the suspects become everyone.
I have loved Agatha Raisin series by MC Beaton and thrilled to read her other series. Give it a try. If you like cozy mysteries, then you will surely enjoy this one.
Rating:
Summary: An Update on the English Country Manor Mystery
Review: This book is a Scottish take on the English Country Manor Murder Mystery, and Beaton does it masterfully. This is one of the best Hamish Macbeth books in this lengthy series. In this book Hamish is on vacation and, wouldn't you know that murder does folloow him there. He meets some new friends, and finds it difficult to accept that one of them is the killer. Yes, the man that was killed was an odious drunkard, and no one liked him, but Macbeth feels that no murder is acceptable, and feels he has to bring the guilty one to court. During the book, he suffers an aching personal loss, and that and the way he deals with it make him more likeable and endearing than ever. This is a totally wonderful series, and this is one of the best entries in it.
Rating:
Summary: An Update on the English Country Manor Mystery
Review: This book is a Scottish take on the English Country Manor Murder Mystery, and Beaton does it masterfully. This is one of the best Hamish Macbeth books in this lengthy series. In this book Hamish is on vacation and, wouldn't you know that murder does folloow him there. He meets some new friends, and finds it difficult to accept that one of them is the killer. Yes, the man that was killed was an odious drunkard, and no one liked him, but Macbeth feels that no murder is acceptable, and feels he has to bring the guilty one to court. During the book, he suffers an aching personal loss, and that and the way he deals with it make him more likeable and endearing than ever. This is a totally wonderful series, and this is one of the best entries in it.
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