Death of a Cad (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 2) [Hardcover]

M. C. Beaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1987

Murder Most Fowl When Priscilla Halburton-Smythe brings her London playwright fiance home to Lochdubh, everybody in town is delighted...except for love-smitten Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet his affairs of the heart will have to wait. Vile, boorish Captain Bartlett, one of the guests at Priscilla's engagement party, has just been found murdered-shot while on a grouse hunt. Now with many titled party guests as the prime suspects, each with a reason for snuffing out the despicable captain, Hamish must smooth ruffled feathers as he investigates the case. When the hidden culprit strikes again, Hamish will find himself trying to save Priscilla from a miserable marriage-and catch a killer before he flies the coop.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Beaton's charming Constable Hamish Macbeth returns in the sequel to Death of a Gossip, a mirthful mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. Hamish's time is taken up with investigating a death at the Halburton-Smythe castle, and with subtly wooing the daughter of the house, Priscilla, who has brought her fiance Henry Withering to meet her parents and houseguests. Among them is Peter Bartlett, loathed by almost everyone present and found dead in the morning. The constable's inept superiors declare the death an accident, but Hamish produces evidence of murder, after which he eliminates all the suspects except the guilty one. In the course of these events, Priscilla's feelings for Henry weaken and, in contrast, flourish for Hamish, which gives hints of the next entry in the delightful series.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

A Constable Hamish Macbeth Mystery.
When Priscilla Halburton-Smythe brings her London playwright fiance home to Lochdubh, the whole town is delighted -- save perhaps for love-smitten bobby Hamish Macbeth. But the morning after a posh engagement party, one of the guests, Captain Bartlett, is murdered on a grouse hunt.
Unfortunately, the prime suspects are the party guests. And a second murder soon follows the first. Now Hamish Macbeth must cut through the alibis before the killer strikes again . . . all the while trying to woo the lovely Priscilla from her jealous boyfriend. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (February 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312001185
• ISBN-13: 978-0312001186
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,277,625 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

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The further adventures of Hamish Macbeth, June 1, 2005

By 

Jeanne Tassotto (Trapped in the Midwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Cad (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second book of the Hamish Macbeth series, picking up a few months after THE DEATH OF A GOSSIP.

The story opens as Priscilla Halburton-Smithe is driving her new fiance home to Lochdubh for a weekend houseparty at her parents' house. Tensions soon develop at the party, including the inclusion (or intrusion depending on your point of view) of local constable Macbeth into the group. Naturally there is soon a death to investigate, one that of course confuses all but our hero.

This is very much in the long tradition of cozy series mystery. The murder victim richly deserves his fate, the characters of those involved is more important than the action, and there is a large cast of recurring characters. Our hero manages to solve the crime while overcoming the incompetance of his superiors. There is even an ongoing romance.

If 'cozies' are your cup of tea you will definitely enjoy this series and will want to read them all.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death of a cad, April 13, 2000

By 

S. N. Hall (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of a Cad (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 2) (Hardcover)

The Hamish Macbeth books are wonderful. I only came to discover the Hamish books after reading the thoroughly enjoyable Agatha Raisin series written also by M.C. Beaton. In Hamish's village of Lochdubh, curious characters abound and this helps keep the true killer's identity hidden to the very end. I have now read all of the Hamish books and I highly recommend "Death of a Cad" and "Death of a prankster" as two of the best. There is a television series loosely based on the books. It is very amusing but completely different (not mysteries at all); more an "All creatures great and small" without the livestock. I encourage everyone to give Hamish a try. The books are light yet clever. I can't wait for the next one!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another enjoyable mystery from M.C. Beaton, April 8, 2005

By 

William (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of a Cad (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm new to the Hamish Macbeth series. I read Death of a Poison Pen (set later than this novel) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Poison Pen had a lot of charm and funny characters, something this series is known for.
Death of a Cad is not quite as good as that one. It starts out as more of a typical mystery with the usual rich, English suspects sitting around in a big house. But once Hamish gets into the act, it gets a lot better. If this is the first book in the series you read, you'll still enjoy it, but if your impression is lukewarm, don't stop with this book. Read Death of a Poison Pen and other books in the series. I think you'll be charmed by the humor and characterizations. I plan to read more of this series.