Customer Reviews

Death of a Charming Man: A Hamish MacBeth Mystery

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This book is a crucial book in the series because of what happens in Hamish's personal and professional life as a result of his uncovering this mystery. Hamish is sleuthing on his own in the small neighbouring village of Drim. He's the only one that thinks that murder most foul has been committed there. He puts his professional life on the line to first of all prove that murder was done, and then to show who actually committed it. Hamish is his usual laconic, endearing self. No wonder that the books of Hamish Macbeth have started a cult of followers over here across the pond from where MC Beaton and her fictional characters live. As in other books there is a sense of despair but a true sense of warmth as well. Her books in this series in particular are prime examples of black comedy. And her characterizations are absolutely wonderful with each outing.

As with all MC Beaton's Hamish Macbeth stories, it is is the nature descriptions which are so particularly charming. You think you are in the Scottish Highlands with the constant change of weather and the few remarkably lovely days, the stern mountains and the Loch which can be silvery smooth or roaring with fierce waves. All this surrounds Hamish, the lovable and astute detective who wants to live nowhere else but in Lochdubh. I want to take my next vacation in the Highlands (hope I won't get murdered.) Keep writing Mrs. Beaton we love your books.

I really like Hamish MacBeth and I like the way M.C. Beaton develops her characters. I am definiely reading these out of order, so I am coming to the engagement of Hamish and Priscilla somewhat out of season, but I am impressed with the way that Beaton develops the serious ambivalence in their relationship and the poignant loss at the end of the novel at the same time that she is able to have some very funny, lighthearted scenes.

There is a lot of human sadness here--I really felt for the poor, excitement starved women of Drim who yearn so much for the Charming Man of the title. I was also really drawn to the child, Heather, old beyond her years with Celtic wisdom.

I really like the layers of meaning and strength of the characters in these books.

Beaton seems to like to include children in her stories and has created an exceptional one here, twelve-year-old Heather who can raise the power of Celtic gods when needed. This is a wry commentary on the vulnerability of menopausal women ("the men's pause," it's called in these pages) and a darned good mystery to boot, which you won't fully appreciate until the very last page!

The Hamish Macbeth mysteries are most noteable for their Scottish highland settings, light tone and rapid plot progression, and lack of detail- characteristics that assure they can be read in one day, if not in one sitting. "Charming Man" is an unexceptional entry in which Macbeth investigates a crime- that may not even have occured- by jumping from one conclusion to the next armed, not with facts, but with good old highland instinct. The plotting and logic fall below Beaton's usual standards, with the twist ending particularly unconvincing. Still, another visit from these lovable characters is always welcome.

Hamish MacBeth, the unamibitious and unlucky in love Police Constable of village of Lochdubh, finds himself both promoted and unofficially engaged to the cooly beautiful Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. However, a new inhabitant of the nearby and slightly sinister village of Drim is stirring up passions, and Hamish MacBeth is sensing trouble. The beautiful young man even tries to romance Hamish's unofficial fiancé, while the matrons of Drim flock to the hairdresser and the exercise classes and their men simmer and stew. Hamish smells something amiss when a local woman is found dead. Though it is labeled an accident - where has the charming man disappeared to? Who is covering up what? With a dose of highlands persistence, a strange pagan child, and a wee dram here and again, Hamish takes his mostly gentle persistence all around the countryside, despite instructions from headquarters and contrary to the gentle guidance of Priscilla, who seems to be more interested in just about anything than a passion for Hamish. Well written and sketched, an absolutely delightful cozy.

"Death of a Charming Man," as a novel, is just that--"charming"! And probably this is an apt word to describe all the Hamish Macbeth books by British sleuth writer M.C. Beaton (who also writes the popular Agatha Raisin series). Beaton's Macbeth books (all beginning with "Death of a ...") takes us to the Scottish Highlands and the village of Lochdubh. Hamish is a low-keyed police constable who'd rather be out poaching salmon or chasing the odd deer than tending to his constabulary duties; in fact, most of the townspeople consider him a bit lazy and unmotivated. He refuses to work toward promotion within the police department and often lets his superiors take credit for his solutions, which are always the correct ones by the books' endings.. No matter. Hamish is happy. He loves the Highlands, his dog Towser, and small town life (and here we are talking of VERY small town life!); however, even small towns fall prey to murderers and, as it has been in all the Macbeth stories, it is the constable's slow, plodding--but accurate--detective work that brings the murderer to justice. Beaton's works are not like the complex books of P.D. James or the skilled stylistics of Ruth Rendell or the literary awareness of Martha Grimes (all tremendous writers themselves), but they are worth reading. She captures, indeed, an essence of Scotland rarely seen since that earlier Macbeth, in thunder, lightning, and rain, managed to flood the stage with all those bodies a few centuries ago!). Beaton manages to incorporate just enough romance into her stories so that readers find themselves genuinely interested in whether Hamish will EVER be able to settle down and marry Priscilla, a high-born lassie with a mind of her own and who often as not assists in the investigations. Beaton, too, is able to add touches of wry humor here and there, and, granted, after getting into the series, the reader is generally able to predict much of the action. Still, this is a series that is a delight and shouldn't be missed. The Brits have begun filming a Hamish Macbeth series, which should hit the PBS circuit, too, we hope!

Hamish Macbeth, the young, not overly ambitious constable of the remote village of Lochdubh in the far north of Scotland has decided that it is about time he checked the far reaches of his beat, the even more remote village of Drim. He discovered that the normally peaceful little village was in a turmoil due to the arrival of an 'incomer', a handsome, charming, young man. All the women of the village thought him a welcome addition and all their husbands wanted to send him on his way. When did just aburptly pack up and leave in the middle of the night Drim returned to normal sleepy ways but Hamish stirred into action. He did not believe that the interloper had actually left, at least not on his own.

This is the tenth installment of the long running 'Hamish Macbeth' series. While each is a stand alone story it would be more enjoyable to read them more or less in order. As with most cozy mysteries the attraction is in the characters and the backstories more than the mystery, although this one has a few twists that might keep the reader guessing. Hamish's on again off again romance with Priscilla is of more interest to fans of this series than 'who dun it'.

DEATH OF A CHARMING MAN is a pleasant way to spend a few hours. Those familiar with the series will enjoy dropping in on the good constable and catching up on village life. Those new to the series will probably be looking for other books to find out more about this delightful place.

Don't read this book yet if you haven't read any others in the series. At least go back to Death of a Glutton and follow that with Death of a Travelling Man before taking on Death of a Charming Man. But if you can go to the beginning, Death of a Gossip, that would be best.

At the end of Death of a Travelling Man a false rumor spreads that Hamish and Priscilla Halburton-Smythe are engaged. Faced with everyone believing so, Hamish and Priscilla agreed to a sort-of engagement . . . just to see how things go. Hamish is wildly happy, and Priscilla is pleasantly open to the experience.

At the start of Death of Charming Man, Priscilla's well-organized ways are driving Hamish a bit batty as a new electric cooker is installed to replace his old wood-burning stove at the police station. Matters are made worse by Superintendent Daviot's wife who is out searching for homes that Hamish and Priscilla can buy in Strathbane. Hamish wants to stay in Lochdubh and live in the police station with Priscilla (without the cooker).

Wanting relief from all this, Hamish heads on Drim (a dreary place on his beat) to meet the new English arrival, a gorgeous young man named Peter Hynd who knows how to turn on the charm. There's something about Hynd that bothers Hamish. Those concerns grow when Hynd begins flirting with all of the middle-aged women in Drim who turn a bit batty themselves over the attention. Hamish is less pleased when Hynd invites Priscilla for dinner and later makes trouble over wanting to buy her scarf.

Matters are made worse in the Hamish-Priscilla relationship when the receptionist at the Tommel Castle Hotel decides to thrust herself on Hamish and create a scandal. Finally, Hamish warms Priscilla up a bit when police business intrudes.

When Peter Hynd leaves Drim, the men cheer and the women weep before going back to the old ways. Hamish is suspicious that there's foul play involved but cannot prove anything. An apparently accidental death follows that makes Hamish even more suspicious. But he's alone in his concerns. Feeling abandoned, Hamish takes his vacation to sleuth on his own. Before the book ends, Hamish finds that he's met his match in more than one way in this entertaining mystery.

Hamish Macbeth fans will find this to be one of the top books in the series. The development of the Hamish-Priscilla relationships is very find. The portrayal of the Peter Hynd character is well done. The villagers in Drim become interesting as well. The mystery is a challenging one, and most people probably won't get it until M.C. Beaton drops two clues to get you on the right track. The ending is full of interesting humor in which M.C. Beaton makes fun of her typical Hamish Macbeth endings.

Savor this one. It's very fine.

"Death of a Charming Man" is the 10th Hamish Macbeth mystery by M.C. Beaton. Hamish is now engaged to the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. Priscilla is making changes to make Hamish more respectable, and it is cramping his style. Hamish travels to the small village of Drim which is in his territory to check out a very handsome and rich Englishman, Peter Hynd, who has moved there. The middle-aged women of Drim are all going to the hairdresser and taking aerobics classes in order to impress Mr. Hynd. He is even sleeping with some of the women, most of whom are married. Suddenly he disappears from Drim, and sells his house. Hamish senses that something is wrong and believes that Peter Hynd may be dead, and possibly murdered, perhaps by a jealous husband from the village. To get away from Lochdubh and Priscilla, he vacations in Drim to try to find out exactly what happened to Peter Hynd. This was not my favorite Hamish Macbeth novel, but it is an important one in the personal life of Hamish, and is a good read.