Death of a Hussy [Large Print] [Hardcover]

M. C. Beaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999

"Splendid fun." The New York Times Book Review
A Hamish Macbeth mystery.
Wealthy Maggie Baird is neither nice nor kind nor generous. Once she was beautiful, but now, although middle-aged, she retains the appetites of a beautiful woman. When Maggie's car catches fire with her inside it, suspicion focuses on the five houseguests staying at Maggie's luxurious Highlands cottage: her timid niece and four former lovers, once of whom Maggie had intended to pick for a husband. All five are impecunious. All five had ample opportunity to monkey with Maggie's car. So finding who did it requires all Police Constable Hamish Macbeth's extraordinary common sense and insight into human nature. And lazy lout though he may be, Hamish lets no grass grow under his feet when it comes to solving a murder. Especially when he may be the next target.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Scottish village of Lochdubh has a problem: the beloved police constable, Hamish Macbeth ( Death of a Perfect Wife ), has been transferred to Strathbane because of a dearth of local crime. In a successful bid to get him back, the villagers, led by newcomer Maggie Baird, organize a crime wave. On his return, Hamish is confronted with a possible murder. Maggie, who in younger and slimmer years had amassed a fortune as a well-rewarded kept woman, dies, ostensibly of a heart attack during a car fire. Suspects include her niece and heir, Alison, who had been living with Maggie after recuperating from lung cancer, and four of Maggie's former lovers and present suitors, whom she had invited for a visit: an ad man, a car salesman, a manager of a gambling club and a fading pop singer, all of them in dire need of money. Hamish draws on his knowledge of the local people and of human nature to solve the case. Meanwhile he continues his off-again, on-again romance with a daughter of the local gentry and attempts to stay out of hot water with his superiors, who resent his unpredictable approach to life and policing. Beaton's newest continues one of the finest, and most offbeat, police procedural series around.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

"Splendid fun." The New York Times Book Review
A Hamish Macbeth mystery.
Wealthy Maggie Baird is neither nice nor kind nor generous. Once she was beautiful, but now, although middle-aged, she retains the appetites of a beautiful woman. When Maggie's car catches fire with her inside it, suspicion focuses on the five houseguests staying at Maggie's luxurious Highlands cottage: her timid niece and four former lovers, once of whom Maggie had intended to pick for a husband. All five are impecunious. All five had ample opportunity to monkey with Maggie's car. So finding who did it requires all Police Constable Hamish Macbeth's extraordinary common sense and insight into human nature. And lazy lout though he may be, Hamish lets no grass grow under his feet when it comes to solving a murder. Especially when he may be the next target. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Chivers Press; Large type edition edition (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075403836X
• ISBN-13: 978-0754038368
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Macbeth to the rescue (again!), February 2, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Death of a Hussy (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ahhh! If a good draught of single malt and a Hamish Macbeth mystery won't cure you, then you really need to see a doctor! M.C. Beaton's well-established series featuring Lochdubh's finest, Macbeth himself, is right on cue with this edition.

PC Macbeth is called upon to investigate the death of--you guessed it--a "hussy"! Seems that Maggie Baird, besides being a wealthy, once-beautiful middle aged woman, is also something of a pain! So much so that she goes up in flames--in her car! This is no "hot date in the Highlands," but murder out and out! And there are suspects aplenty: four former lovers and her own niece! All certainly had the means and the motive.

Macbeth to the rescue, of course! Hamish himself has a few pieces of personal baggage as well, as we've learned through the series. His long on-again, off-again romance with Priscilla Haliburton-Smythe, superiors who are jealous of his successes, and his "lack of ambition" (he's quite happy, thank you, to stay in this wee Scottish village, as promotions are not his desire, prefering instead to stay "small town"! Of course, as we know from the series, this small town seems to have an inordinate number of murders! No matter. Beaton provides us with a delightful (albeit lite!) bill of fare! ([e-mail])

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast and Fun read, October 6, 2002

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Death of a Hussy (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Hamish is stationed in Strathbane, due to the downsizing of constabularies in the Highlands. He is unhappy with living in the city and with the attitude of his new partner. The residents of Lochdubh are unhappy with the situation also. A new woman in town suggests that they stage a series of fake crimes to get him back, it works. Mrs. Baird is something of a femme fatale, encased in a layer of fat. She is a former professional hussy and has amassed a fortune with her looks. She has taken in a niece recovering from cancer, and turned her into a secretary, unpaid of course. When she goes away to restore her looks, her niece is charged with typing up her filthy memoirs. The girl wants to learn how to drive and to get a proper job, but Mrs. Baird forbids it. Hamish teaches her to drive and she is feeling independent until her aunt returns home and announces that she is getting married again and cutting the niece out of her will. She is killed shortly thereafter and the niece and Mrs. Baird's four suitors are the main suspects.

This is a typical Hamish McBeth book. The mystery isn't difficult, but the characters and story line are alot of fun.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER WONDERFUL HAMISH MACBETH MYSTERY..., August 7, 2011

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Death of a Hussy (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Poor Hamish Macbeth, the Constable of the quaint village of Lochdubh, has been reassigned to a new post in the bustling and gritty city of Strathbane, since the village of Lochdubh is hardly a hotbed of criminal activity. Feeling put out and longing for village life, Hamish wonders if he is at all missed by those he has left behind. Little does he know that the villagers are planning to stage some criminal activity in hopes of getting him back home where he belongs. Hamish may be a bit lazy, but he is one of their own and they desperately want him back.

As luck would have it, they succeed, and Hamish returns just in time for him to find out who murdered Maggie Baird, middle-aged minx who was a new arrival to Lochdubh. Who could have done it? Was it her put upon, long suffering niece? Was it her four former lovers who were Maggie's house guests? All had motive and opportunity. Or was it some else altogether?

This is the fifth book in a series of cozy mysteries featuring lovable Highlander, Hamish Macbeth. In this book, village life takes center stage, and the village characters continue their development, giving the book that cozy feel. The book is also laced with sly humor throughout that is engaging, keeping the mood of the book light and highly enjoyable. As with all cozy mysteries, it is not so much the mystery that is of import but the characters that revolve around the mystery. While the mysteries are intriguing, they are the framework around which the characters evolve. With the oddly endearing Hamish Macbeth, the author has created a character that is bound to win many fans of the cozy mystery genre.