Death of a Maid (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 23) [Mass Market Paperback]

M. C. Beaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2008

Mrs. Gillespie is famous around the northwest of Sutherland for being the best charwoman ever. Of course, if anyone has any social pretensions one does not say charwoman, one talks about "my maid". Hamish Macbeth wins Mrs. Gillespie's services in a church raffle but spends most of the day trying to avoid her. She is a malicious gossip and she bangs around the furniture and clanks pots--he wonders how on earth she managed to get such a good reputation. Then she is found dead in a large house belonging to a retired professor who was out the day she was killed. She has been struck down by a metal bucket of water. Remembering Mrs. Gillespie's malicious gossip, Hamish is sure she delighted in finding out secrets and probably searched through the drawers of the houses she cleaned, which means everyone whose home she cleaned could be a suspect.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Beaton's enjoyable 22nd Hamish Macbeth mystery (after 2006's Death of a Dreamer), the lovable Scottish constable stumbles over the body of a gossipy housecleaner, Mrs. Mavis Gillespie. She's been bludgeoned to death with her own pail, and there are plenty of suspects to go around in the Highlands village of Lochdubh. None of her clients liked her, but they insist she was a superb maid. Macbeth, noticing thick layers of dust in their homes, digs a little deeper and learns that Mrs. Gillespie was a more skilled blackmailer than housecleaner. His jealous senior colleagues try to thwart his investigation, but he's determined to get to the bottom of things. Meanwhile, the arrival of an erstwhile ladyfriend in town with a new beau makes lifelong bachelorhood appear not so appealing to Macbeth, who remains as charming a hero as ever in this funny, unpredictable read. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The laid-back Hamish Macbeth police procedurals, set in the remote reaches of the Scottish Highlands, almost define the British cozy. The Atlantic rages at the borders of the tiny village of Lochdubh, while unseemly passions rage within the town's picturesque cottages, reliably spilling over into murder. Macbeth, the local constable, is responsible for cleaning up the messes. A conflict running through the series, which gives a bit of contemporary zest to the plots, is Macbeth's struggles to fight against promotion, which would entail leaving the trout streams and Highland paths of Lochdubh for the crime-ridden streets of Strathbane. In this twenty-second entry in the much-loved series, a mean-spirited local housecleaner is brained with her own bucket. Local feeling runs so high against the nasty, gossiping shrew that Macbeth's suspect card is overfull. Macbeth's investigation uncovers, as usual, secrets seemingly worth defending with murder. As usual, Beaton delivers a delightfully old-fashioned, absorbing village mystery. 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

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446615471
• ISBN-13: 978-0446615471
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,822 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

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hamish in trouble again, February 14, 2007

By 

L O'connor (richmond, surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Maid (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 23) (Hardcover)

Once more Hamish's peaceful life as policeman in the Scottish Highlands is disturbed by murder. This time the victim is a disagreeable cleaning lady called Mrs Gillespie. Hamish doesn't have any trouble discovering the motive, but the problem is deciding which of the many suspects could have done it. And of course he also has to cope with his usual problem of making sure no-one high up finds out what a brilliant detective he is and promotes him away from his beloved village beat. Not to mention trying to sort out his complex love-life, still dreaming of Priscilla, dithering over whether or not to marry Elspeth, and getting involved with a few other attractive women just to complicate matters.

The Hamish Macbeth novels are always fun to read, and this one has all the features of the earlier books, an ingenious plot, good characters, and plenty of humorous touches. I must admit that personally I am a little tired of Hamish's dithering over whether or not to get married, I wish he'd just make up his mind one way or the other, but this is only a minor quibble. A new Hamish Macbeth novel is always a treat.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For fans of Hamish MacBeth Mysteries, February 25, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of a Maid (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 23) (Hardcover)

Hamish Macbeth was a policeman in a small Scottish village. He cherished his quiet life in the Highlands and got more than he bargained for when he won Mrs. Gillespie's maid service at the church raffle. Just when Macbeth was beginning to suspect that Mrs. Gillespie was snooping around the police station more than she was cleaning, he found her lifeless body outside one of her cleaning client's home. It was common knowledge that she was a much disliked gossip, but as Macbeth investigated further, there seemed to be something more sinister lurking behind the apparently serene village scene.

As the body count went up, Macbeth not only had to deal with superiors from the city headquarters who despised him, he also had to watch his ex-girlfriend parade into town with her new boyfriend. With his personal life in a bit of a turmoil and the risk of his superiors closing down the village police station, Macbeth was glad when they finally wrapped up the murder case...or so he thought.

Although this was the 22nd installment of the Hamish Macbeth series--and I have seen the BBC productions based on the series--this was the first time I read any of the books. This was a nice easy read and the story flowed well with twist and turns in the plot. However, the writing itself was bland with no sparks in it at all. I am sure the regular Hamish Macbeth followers would enjoy seeing their familiar characters engaged in another adventure. I think this would make a good TV adaptation; however, if I were to read another Hamish Macbeth mystery, I would most likely choose one of the earlier works that made the series a success.

FYI: M.C. Beaton is the pseudonym Marion Chesney reserves for her mystery novels. Known primarily for the more than 100 historical romance novels she has published under her own name, she has several other pseudonyms: Helen Crampton, Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, and Charlotte Ward.

Armchair Interviews says: Long-time followers of Beaton's work will enjoy this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still Hamish, March 9, 2007

By 

S. Stewart - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Maid (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 23) (Hardcover)

If you enjoyed any previous Hamish MacBeth novels you will not be disappointed in this one. Hamish continues to evolve at just right the pace. MC Beaton is skilled to be able to reweave the same basic plots and keep them fresh every time. Elspeth is more interesting than Priscilla and the pets are lovable. I'm looking forward to the next Hamish MacBeth novel.