Death of a Dentist (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 13) [Mass Market Paperback]

M. C. Beaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

A blinding toothache sends Hamish Macbeth 120 miles out of Lochdubh to the dentist Frederick Gilchrist, only to find him dead. Since everyone is pleased the dentist is deceased--patients, several harassed women, and even his wife--Macbeth faces one of the more biting challenges of his career.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this addition to Beaton's series featuring unassuming Scottish policeman Hamish Macbeth, Hamish finds himself precipitated by a vicious toothache into the world of Dr. Frederick Gilchrist. Gilchrist is a local dentist best known for his eagerness to replace healthy teeth with inexpensive dentures, and infamous for his hard hand on the drill. Maggie Bane, his lovely assistant with a harsh and unlovely voice, surprises Hamish with her hostility, but he is even more astonished to find the dentist's dead body reclining in his chair with mysterious drill marks on his teeth.

Delving deeper into the village's rural dish in search of the murderer, Macbeth uncovers long-buried relationships, an illicit local still, a robbery that is not what it appears, and the expected deceptions and partial truths his countrymen tell the police for reasons only a local character like Hamish can understand. Once again, he has occasion to contact his former love, the adamantine Priscilla Halburton-Smyth, and her friend, Sarah Hudson, even helps Hamish hack into police records for his investigation.

Macbeth's efforts bustle charmingly along against the background of quirky Scots dialect and rustic pubs. And Beaton's tangled web of a mystery is tidily resolved to the satisfaction of the locals and, surely, for all the devoted fans of this winning series. --Barbara Schlieper

From Library Journal

Desperate for relief, Scottish constable Hamish Macbeth takes his toothache to a nearby dentist with a lousy reputation. Unfortunately, he discovers the man dead of nicotine poisoning. As he investigates, Hamish finds that the victim had many enemies, including his own wife. A reliable series (Death of a Macho Man, LJ 6/1/96).
Copyright 1997 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: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446606014
• ISBN-13: 978-0446606011
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.6 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > British Detectives

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 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "DEATH OF A DENTIST IS DELIGHTFUL!!!!!, May 6, 2001

By 

Mac Blair "Mac Blair" (Huntingdon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Death of a Dentist (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 13) (Mass Market Paperback)

Another good one by M C Beaton. I have read 10 of the Hamish Macbeth series, all have been good but I think this one might be one of the best. As usual Hamish is caught in the middle of a murder and then guess what---a second murder-----guess who finds both bodies? Beaton has provided plenty of good characters to go with Hamish and it make for a good light read. It won't scare you to death or cause you do loose sleep from fright but it is good. Hamish has to fight the bad Inspector Blair as always. I liked the part of the Smiley Bros. Could they make moonshine and be killers too???? How about Kylie, pretty but has bad, bad boy friends. A surprise in the end, many twist and turns. Priscilla finally shows up again, will they get back together???? Beaton leaves enough to let you know they will be more forth coming.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beaton continues her series in this "driller"!, November 13, 2000

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Dentist (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 13) (Mass Market Paperback)

The M.C. Beaton Hamish Macbeth series is not exactly the type of police procedural one can sink his/her teeth in to, but, nonetheless, it is a fun one to read. Beaton apparently isn't concerned about being compared to Ruth Rendell, P.D. James, or Martha Grimes, as she has culitvated her own following! In "Death of a Dentist," Macbeth, the lovable, affable, and dedicated local constable in the Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh, has a toothache (literally!). He is quite reluctant to have it attended to, as he does not particularly care for the dentist, Dr. Gilchrist, who, among other things, has a reputation for being a womanizer with "traveling hands"! And, of course, the good doctor winds up dead--with any number of possible suspects, mainly from disgruntled husbands rather than complaining patients! It is up to Macbeth to solve, once again, a local crime. In driving to the expected conclusion and solution, Macbeth uncovers a surprising (and shocking) "dental

history," as it were. Predictable as it is, "Death of a Dentist" is still a pleasant read. There are some 13 books in this series and all are bonuses! ([e-mail])

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hamish & The Hacker, May 22, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Death of a Dentist (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 13) (Hardcover)

Once again M.C. Beaton kills off the least liked person for miles around, then turns the ever unambitious Constable Hamish out to solve the crimes, despite the roadblocks of the nasty Chief Inspector Blair -- the boss we all love to hate. The Honorable Hamish meets up with a beautiful hacker and into the police computer they travel. Solving a myriad of other crimes in pursuit of the Dentist killer, Hamish MacBeth, the charming and ambitionless Highlands police constable, plods through snow, sleet and perverse characters, getting himself battered and bruised both physically and emotionally. Hamish, Seeker of Peace and Quiet, finds himself dashing about the Highlands in the capricious pre-Christmas cold of the Highlands, disregarding instructions from headquarters, solving robberies, tracking bootleggers, investigating two murders, encumbered by a surfeit of beautiful women together with a few compromising positions. Davina Porter does a much better job on these tapes, evening out the highs and lows of her voice.