Death of an Addict (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 15) [Mass Market Paperback]

M. C. Beaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

Former drug addict Tommy Jarret rents a Scottish chalet to check out reports of a sea monster. But when he is found dead of an apparent drug overdose, constable Hamish Macbeth suspects foul play. Teaming with Glasgow Detective Inspector Olivia Chater, Macbeth goes undercover and dives into the underworld to root out a cartel secretly entrenched in the Highlands.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth doesn't fit everyone's idea of a cozy mystery hero. The police constable prefers his flock of Highland sheep and fine single-malt Scotch to cats and cups of tea, and the details of his success with women would bring a maidenly blush to Miss Marple's cheek. Yet his charm is definitely of the soft-boiled variety. Death of an Addict, Beaton's 15th book in this series, begins with the apparent overdose death of Tommy Jarret, a recovering heroin addict who was writing an autobiography. Hamish, who oversees law and order in the village of Lochdubh, is instantly suspicious of the circumstances. Told to back off the case, he picks it up again on the sly when the dead man's parents ask him to find out what happened. Hamish's apparent lack of ambition masks a keen nose for illegal activity; even the dead ends of his investigation reveal a loan-sharking operation and a cache of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Hamish's biggest fish is drug baron Jimmy White. To reel White in, Hamish poses as a drug supplier, with a beautiful, standoffish detective inspector from Glasgow playing the part of his wife. The pair go off on a whirlwind trip to Amsterdam to maintain their front, leading to a comic mishap and the beginnings of a romance--one that nearly comes to a very bad end when White is tipped off by Hamish's enemy, Detective Inspector Blair.

Mystery buffs new to the series will find this Highland fling easy to follow, and those who are already fans will delight in the hint of a new long-term relationship for their laconic hero. --Barrie Trinkle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Some things never change: the idyllic Scottish village of Lochdubh remains a serene haven around which all manner of rural skullduggery continues to threaten the laconic existence of the local copper, the tall, tousle-haired, chronically unambitious and hopelessly love-crossed Hamish Macbeth (Death of a Scriptwriter, etc.). Recovering drug addict Tommy Jarret rents a place near Lochdubh to write his autobiography. He seems to be on the mend, but then he dies of an overdose. Hamish suspects foul play. The bane of his life, his superiors in the big city, declare the case closed, however, so he must move on to other matters, such as the sighting of a monster in a local loch. But when Jarret's pals provide the police with a link to big-time drug dealers, Hamish finds himself in Amsterdam, wearing sharp suits, talking like a hoodlum and posing as a player, all in the company of a very pretty superior officer who just might change his mind about superior officers. Unfortunately, Hamish all but blows his chances with her by sleeping with a hooker. While the Macbeth tales are always a droll treat, this 15th in the series is less tightly plotted than most, with the mystery surrounding the addict's death sidetracked for a long spell as the Amsterdam adventure gives fans an agreeably tougher side of P.C. Macbeth to contemplate. Mystery Guild featured alternate. (May) FYI: In addition to the Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin (see below) series, the pseudonymous Beaton writes Regency romances under her real name of Marion Chesney.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446608289
• ISBN-13: 978-0446608282
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.6 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #311,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

M.C. BEATON has won international acclaim for her bestselling Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin mysteries. She is also the author of over 100 romance titles and a series of romantic suspense, The Edwardian Mystery Series. M. C. Beaton lives in a Cotswold cottage with her husband.

Marion is active on Facebook using her most popular pen name, M.C. Beaton. You can find complete book lists, information on events, and sign up for news updates at her website, www.MCBeaton.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Take an Aspirin and Wait!, March 27, 2000

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death of an Addict (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 15) (Hardcover)

M.C. Beaton's "Death of an Addict" presents us with her 15th Hamish Macbeth mystery.

For those familiar with both Beaton and Macbeth, naturally, the plot, the circumstances, the characters, the resolution--they are all the same. The Macbeth series is a Formula One ride--little will surprise the devout. However, that said, Beaton treats us once again to what we have come to expect from her and Macbeth, the local constable from the Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh. (It is in this book that we learn that it is pronounced "Lock doo"!)

Basically, we find Macbeth once again tending his hens and sheep and lazing about; a newcomer is introduced to us and shortly thereafter is found dead, with "all the usual suspects"! Of course, "red herrings" is Beaton's middle name and the reader has to contend with them for the most part. But no matter, once again we are reminded of "the formula" and tolerate these additives.

While certainly a fan myself, this edition, however, I found, showed us that Ms Beaton was a bit out of her element. In "Addict," she and Macbeth undertake the world of the drug barons and lords and street dealers. Ms Beaton seems out of her element here, as her solutions are way too simplistic and she would have us think that this world is not any more wicked or problematic than her own local community murders (usually committed out of jealousy over some petty quarrel). The drug world is different, more complicated, and quite likely far more evil than any of the other crime settings. The usual Beaton solution is not convincing.

Hamish, of course, solves the situation, meets another woman he falls in love with (it never takes him long), and by the end of the book is once more alone. His long time love, Priscilla Smythe-Burton, keeps hanging about in all the books (Ms Beaton should "fish or cut bait" with her, however. How long does she think we--or Hamish--will hang on!

For the devotees, don't miss this one, of course, but a good sip of Highland malt will be needed to dull the pain of the book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seriously Addicted to Hamish MacBeth, May 15, 2000

By 

Mamalinde "mamalinde" (Dallas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of an Addict (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 15) (Hardcover)

Mamalinda must confess to being seriously addicted to Hamish MacBeth. The author writes with crisp clarity and sketches very believable characters, harshly beautiful settings, as well as cleverly solving the crime with plenty of stops for tea and scones. In this story the delightfully under-ambitious and unlucky in love Hamish goes undercover as a drug lord - with his superior Chief Inspector as his wife. The outlandish interchanges and fiascos are occasionally hysterical. Davinia Porter reads the unabridged version, and does a wonderful job on changing voice, is mostly pleasant but does get suddenly shrill and is uneven enough in volume that it is difficult to listen to her with traffic noise.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Hamish Macbeth mystery!, September 22, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death of an Addict (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 15) (Hardcover)

This is the fifteenth in a series of wonderful mysteries featuring the detective work of small town, Highland Scottish detective Hamish Macbeth, P.C. In this book, when an ex-heroin addict is found dead of an overdose, the Strathbane police chalk it up as the well-deserved death of another junky. However, something tells Hamish that this death was no accident. When he goes to Strathbane to infiltrate the local drug scene, he quickly finds himself swimming in deeper waters then he could ever have expected. Teamed up with a non-nonsense woman Detective Inspector, Hamish faces one of the deadliest of drug lords, and keeping himself alive might prove hard work indeed!

This is another great M.C. Beaton (pseudonym of Marion Chesney) book! I love the setting and characters of these books, especially Hamish Macbeth himself. The author does an excellent job of swinging the story between lighthearted humor and deadly action. Indeed, this may be one of the most intense Hamish Macbeth books I have read.

Yep, this is another great Hamish Macbeth mystery, one that would make an excellent addition to your library!