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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
an enjoyable, light read, February 13, 2008
M. C. Beaton delivers again: "Death of Gentle Lady" may be her fourteenth Hamish MacBeth mystery, but the installment was as entertaining as previous books in the series.
To the villagers of Lochduh, Mrs. Margaret Gentle seems like a perfectly nice, gracious lady; only Hamish MacBeth seems immune to the lady's charms, having first hand knowledge of exactly how truly awful the lady really is. And when Mrs. Gentle attempts to get the local police station closed, thus forcing Hamish to leave Lochduh, Hamish decides to strike back: he proposes marriage to Mrs. Gentile's downtrodden maid, Ayesha. But when the wedding day dawns, Ayesha is a no show, and Mrs. Gentle turns up dead. In spite of the collected wisdom of the powers that be, Hamish is certain that the mystery of who killed Mrs. Gentle and why lies in the lady's background, and resolves to get to the bottom of the matter -- that is if he's not too distracted by Priscilla and her sudden chumminess with a visiting author...
Mystery-wise, there are probably more suspenseful reads out there, and there definitely have been more riveting Hamish MacBeth installments. However, what one has come to expect from Beaton and her MacBeth installments is an entertaining and charming read. And on that level, she delivers in spades. True, we do find old ground being revisited again (Priscilla or Elspeth?); and not only did the mystery subplot take a while to unfold, it also could have been tighter. But, on the whole, I found "Death of a Gentle Lady" to be an enjoyable and absorbing read, and really, isn't that the true test of a good read?
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Subplots Galore in This Story-Packed Mystery, February 18, 2008
In Death of a Gentle Lady, you will find a psychologically worn-out Hamish Macbeth. He's going through the motions. When his police station is threatened by newcomer Mrs. Gentle, Hamish takes the easy way out by proposing a marriage of convenience to Mrs. Gentle's maid, Ayesha. The marriage will keep his police station, and Ayesha can become a legal resident.
Why does Mrs. Gentle have it in for Hamish? He unexpectedly heard some hint of family secrets while making a courtesy call. What could Mrs. Gentle have to hide? That question becomes the source of much of the book's mystery.
In the process of untangling that mystery, Hamish also finds himself dodging attentions from his ex-girl friend, Elspeth Grant; his ex-fiancee, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe; a Russian police inspector, Anna Krokovsky; and Aileen Drummond, a police constable. In the process, the villagers decide that Hamish may have become a health hazard.
If that weren't enough, Detective Inspector Blair is after Hamish again, and the challenge is one of the most serious that Hamish has faced.
I found the story was a little over-packed with subplots. As a result, some of them didn't get as much attention as they needed in order to be fully developed and satisfying, especially the marriage of convenience subplot. Personally, I would have dropped two of the subplots if I were the books editor and I think the story would have worked a lot better. The story also goes over a lot of familiar ground so that there's not enough new. In that sense, adding the Russian inspector was a good breath of fresh air for the series.
But if you are a sincere fan of the series, you'll probably think this is an above-average outing for Hamish. I certainly did. I thought the book was an improvement over Death of a Maid.
If you haven't read any of the books, do go back to the beginning and read them in chronological order. You'll get more out of the character development that way.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice addition to the series, February 20, 2008
Hamish Macbeth is heading for the altar, again, and one would think, according to the old adage, that "the third time's a charm." Marriage is not to be for the venerable policeman, as his fiancée, Ayesha disappears the day of the wedding. Hamish suspects her employer, Mrs. Gentle, of being somehow involved, although, by all accounts, the woman is as delicate and kind as her surname implies.
Further investigation by Scotland's favorite low-tech policeman brings to light Mrs. Gentle's dark side. Her machinations are behind a threat to Macbeth's police department branch in Lochdubh, as she partners with Macbeth's nemesis, Detective Chief Inspector Blair. Before the process can be completed, the Gentle lady is found at the bottom of a cliff beneath her beloved castle-and it is up to Hamish to solve the mystery.
Money seems to be the motive in all of the evil doings, but perhaps there is more then just an inheritance at stake. In addition, Hamish is dealing with his always hungry and periodically neglected beasts, a village version of the Scottish play complete with witches and the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe as Lady Macbeth and a mysterious woman cyclist with rather large feet.
Hamish Macbeth is a character in the truest sense of the definition, and it is to M.C. Beaton's credit as an author that she allows his idiosyncratic personality to have its way in this cozy.
Armchair Interviews says: Death of a Gentle Lady is a perfect selection for any dark and stormy night this spring!
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