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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
great fun, February 16, 2005
This review is from: Death of a Bore (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 21) (Hardcover)
Can "Death of a Bore" truly be the twentieth Hamish Macbeth installment? Apparently so. But even though the books follow an almost strict formulae, and the regular characters don't really step out of the mold that M. C. Beaton has given them, the Hamish Macbeth mystery novels remain as fresh and as entertaining as ever, and loads of fun to read. "Death of a Bore" was no exception to the rule.
When novelist and soap opera writer John Heppel moves to Cnothan (a village neighbouring Lochdubh), he advertises to teach a seminar on how to become a famous and published writer. Hamish Macbeth smells a disaster in the making, but even he is unprepared for how disastrously everything goes. For John Heppel is a total bore, more interested in talking about himself and promoting his talents than in actually teaching and helping anyone who has signed up for his classes. And it isn't too long before the arrogant man angers everyone by insulting their efforts and putting them down brutally. Angry, the villagers vow revenge. And when Heppel is found dead in his cottage, the entire village of Lochdubh ends up on the suspect list. Hamish immediately discounts the very notion that one of his people could have murdered Heppel, and is sure that someone Heppel knew in the soap opera world murdered the tiresome man. But at the back of his mind, he cannot help but fear that his famous instincts may have blinded him in this instance, and that someone he knows and cares about may be a killer after all...
Rich in wit and dark humour, "Death of a Bore" was a joy to read from start to finish. The story is a little formulaic, with few surprises, but the joy of this series lies in all the eccentric and taking characters that people this series. And then of course, there is Hamish's romantic entanglements, as well as his run-ins with fellow officers and superior officers who are jealous of his talents and suspicious of his lack of ambition. Add to this Beaton's vivid, romantic yet realistic depiction of the Highlands; throw in a nice little cozy mystery, and a sardonic prose style, and you have a book that is guaranteed to give you a few hours of reading joy. I thoroughly enjoyed "Death of a Bore" from beginning to end, and would recommend it as a delightful read
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Walk in the Highlands, March 3, 2005
This review is from: Death of a Bore (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 21) (Hardcover)
I wholeheartedly agree with a fellow reviewer: It is hard to believe this is the 20th book in the Hamish Macbeth mystery series. It is hard to believe because M.C. Beaton's writing remains crisp and engaging throughout the entire series. In fact, her writing is so compeling that before you know it, you find yourself wanting to jump in the Range Rover alongside Hamish to drive to Cnothan to protect to the angry group of Highlanders from the tomfoolery of Hamish's superior officers.
In "Death of a Bore", just as in "Death of a Scriptwriter", M.C. Beaton gives the reader a wickedly real view of the artifical lives of the employees in the television industry. There are times when reading the book is like having a good gossip with a close friend over tea and toast. The images are so vivid that one cannot help but wonder whether M.C. Beaton, herself, is not writing from experience and her own desires to kill off scriptwriters after she worked with the entertainment industry in the making of the Hamish Macbeth television series for the BBC.
Like other books in the series, Beaton's "Death of a Bore" is filled with humor, especially when the village ladies, led by the vicar's wife, Mrs. Wellington, once again attempt to get Hamish married off.
All in all, the book is a good read. It teases your intellect with a mystery. It delights your sensitivities with satire as Hamish observes the world outside his beloved Highland village. The book tickles your funny bone when the village ladies are intent upon managing Hamish's life when he believes he is safely at home.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It is certainly too long between Hamish Macbeth mysteries!, March 23, 2005
This review is from: Death of a Bore (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 21) (Hardcover)
This is a truly wonderful series, and it remains fresh time after time. It always seems too long between books for me. Hamish is definitely my favourite copper, maverick though he may be. In this book we have a published writer who wants to hold a writing class in Lochdubh. Much to Macbeth's surprise a lot of villagers want to take this course. Macbeth goes to the first meeting to see what all the fuss is about, and finds out that the writer is an insufferable bore. Not only that, he gives Macbeth a bad feeling. Sure enough Macbeth's intuition is right, and the boring author is found murdered in his cottage. Macbeth has to wonder if any of his village friends was responisble for it. But he uses his not insubstanial brain cells, and manages to solve the crime. What a wonderful treat these books are! Ms. Beaton is truly the queen of the "Black Comedic murder". Now I can't wait until the next Hamish Macbeth mystery.
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