Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 22) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

M. C. Beaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2006

Hamish Macbeth is on the trail of a killer with a penchant for poison in this novel of murder in the Scottish Highlands. When Effie Garrand is found poisoned by hemlock, it's up to Macbeth to find her killer before more nightmares unfold.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Beaton's flawless 21st installment in her popular Hamish Macbeth series (after 2005's Death of a Bore) boasts amusing local color and singularly savvy sleuthing. Macbeth, constable in the Highlands village of Lochdubh, thinks the apparent suicide of Effie Garrard, an artist who's arrived in town only recently, is suspicious. Following the murder of a nosy American tourist, Macbeth digs a little deeper and learns that Effie couldn't paint to, er, save her life—she was passing off another artist's work as her own. Macbeth's personal life is also consuming: two old flames turn up in Lochdubh within a few days of each other. Of course, Macbeth solves what turns out to be a double murder—but resolution of his romantic contretemps will have to wait for the next novel in this charming series. Beaton, who's also the author of the Agatha Raisin mystery series, will be the British guest of honor at the 2006 Bouchercon. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* A wine bottle loaded with antifreeze. A Scottish dance party interrupted by obsessive jealousy. A Brigadoon-like setting in northern Scotland that quickly turns Hitchcockian. Beaton is a masterful mixer of disparate elements that result in crime novels that are part police procedural and part psychological thriller. In this, the twenty-first in the Hamish Macbeth series, Beaton positions the stolid Constable Macbeth, sole lawman in the tiny village of Lochdubh in the Highlands, at the end of a winter marked by a series of spectacular blizzards. Macbeth is certain that the newcomer to the village, Effie Garrard, an artist under the influence of the usual romantic baggage about life in the Highlands, will have long abandoned her isolated cottage. But Effie seems to be in fine fettle, even talking about another newcomer artist falling in love with her. Then spring arrives, and Effie is found dead on a hillside. Macbeth's higher-ups rule the death a suicide, but he is bothered by the scene of the crime and the psychology behind the woman's death. A clear-cut case of murder follows, with Macbeth trying to discover a connection between the two. While the plotting itself is intricate and absorbing, Beaton, a Scot herself, excels at giving readers a taste of Highland life and creating a believable character in the lonely, brilliant, continually frustrated-in-love Macbeth. A treat. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (April 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597222305
• ISBN-13: 978-1597222303
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,007,172 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

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars just the thing to curl up and unwind with, February 16, 2006

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 22) (Hardcover)

Once again death and murder finds its way to Lochdubh. And while series protagonist, Hamish MacBeth, may bemoan the encroachments of both crime and newcomers to his idyllic village, I can only rejoice that there finally is another enjoyable Hamish MacBeth mystery to curl up with and unwind.

To the villagers of Lochdubh, newcomer Effie Garrard comes across as being romantic dreamer. After all, why else would a talented artist decide to move up to the remote Highlands lock, stock and barrel? But it is only when another artist, bluff and energetic Jock Flemming moves into the village that everyone begins to suspect that there may be something not quite right with Effie. First she starts stalking Jock Flemming, then she let's slip that they're engaged, and then finally that she's pregnant with his child! Jock, of course angrily denies all of Effie's claims, and when after a confrontation with Jock, Effie is found dead on a mountain cleft, the common wisdom is that she committed suicide. But even though the police have closed the case, Hamish's instincts tell him that there is more to Effie's death than meets the eye, and that she was actually murdered. And so he starts investigating, and discovering that a great many people seem to have a lot to hide. Unfortunately, the investigation also seems to be going no where. And then there is another murder; and one, Hamish is convinced that is connected to Effie. The puzzling thing for Hamish though, is how the murderer is able to pull of these killings without being spotted. Hamish seems to be up against a very skillful and determined killer with nerves of steel, but one, nonetheless he's determined to apprehend at all cost...

Even though the storyline was a rather uncomplicated one, with few complex twists and turns, "Death of a Dreamer" did prove to be a very absorbing read, and one that did keep me guessing for a bit. So that even though Hamish relied heavily on his famous intuition (with some clues) to solve the case, this didn't detract at all because the charm of "Death of a Dreamer" (and indeed the series) lies in the interactions between all the characters in the novel, Hamish's propensity to make a mess of his romantic life, and the lightly ironic yet crisp tone of the author's prose style. All together, these made "Death of a Dreamer" a wonderfully absorbing and enjoyable read, and just the right change of pace for someone (me) who has been starting but not finishing some rather badly written and very gory mysteries! All in all a very pleasurable 4 star read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER FUN AND GRATIFYING READ., June 27, 2008

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 22) (Mass Market Paperback)

Death of a Dreamer by M.C. Beaton, is another nice little visit to Lochdubh, Scotland and another wonderful little peek into the life of Hamish Macbeth, our red-head constable and the caste of quirky characters that surround him. Beaton stays true to form with this offering, and like other books in this series, she has given us a nice and relaxing read.

We not only have one murder in this little mystery, but two. Like her previous works, no blood and gore here, just good old clean murder. There are of course a very large number of people who could very well have committed these crimes, and it is for our intrepid investigator to unravel the simple, but interesting complexities of the case....of course with plenty of help from his friends!

Again, poor Hamish does have his problems with women and remains just a clueless about the other sex as he has in past novels. This time it is different. Not one, not two, but three of his old love interests show up at his door, and all at the same time. Per usual, Hamish's ineptitude runs them off and our befuddled detective is left with his dog Lugs and the wild cat, Sonsie.

With this series, I have to admit that I love the supporting caste as much as I love Hamish. There is the usual group with a few new ones thrown in for good measure. Now the figuring out of the actual "who done it" in these books is not all that great a challenge, but they are fun, restful and I get a kick out of them. I like the author's style, the minimal, to sparse use of words and I always know the bad guy or girl is going to get caught. There were some minor surprises in this one, which was nice, but they were not surprises that led you down dead end trails.

This is certainly not the best book in this series, but it is certainly good enough for Hamish fans and I do feel that most will enjoy the read as much as I did. This is one of those books that you just want to set down for a couple of sessions, and simply enjoy. I still say that Beaton can tell us more in one sentence than most authors can with several pages. Again, I recommend this one highly.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another homerun for M.C. Beaton, February 9, 2007

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 22) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the twenty-second in a series of wonderful mysteries featuring the detective work of small town, Highland Scottish detective Hamish Macbeth, P.C. In this book, a local artist's infatuation with another artist turns to obsession, and the obsession leads to death. The Strathbane police quickly declare the death a suicide, but Hamish isn't so sure. Can he solve the case before one murder becomes two...or three?

This is another homerun for M.C. Beaton (pseudonym of Marion Chesney). This book has all of the charm of the earlier books, staying in small town Scotland, and involving all sorts of interesting and quirky characters. Overall I thought that this was a great book, and a great mystery. If you like mysteries, or are merely interest in the Scottish Highlands, then you must get this book!