Customer Reviews

Death of a Maid (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 23)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Death of a Maid features Beaton's wonderful Hamish Macbeth. Hamish is a police officer in the small town of Lochdubh, Scotland and he is waging a seemingly endless battle to stay in the area he loves. The government is trying to save money and consolidate rural policing while his superiors keep trying to promote him to the big city. It requires a surprising amount of political savvy and behind the scenes maneuvering to keep either of these things from happening.

And now Hamish's cleaning lady has been murdered, coshed with her own bucket. Trailed by his cat, dog, and crumbs from all the free meals he has cadged along the way, Hamish investigates the death of this unpleasant and unlamented woman. He also tries to frustrate the determined young woman from the film crew who is researching him and his investigative prowess for a planned documentary by looking like a nincompoop whenever she appears on the scene.

But Hamish is a man who can do it all - organize a rebellion, chat with a supermodel, catch a killer, and secure the best outcome for everyone under his care with his unorthodox policing methods. Hamish is far from perfect but he applies his canny nature to admirable goals and you can't help but like him.

Beaton provides Hamish with a wonderful supporting cast, but after more than twenty books, there are too many of them to discuss here. The countryside is also described in loving detail and almost becomes another character in the book - the land and sea are things to be celebrated and enjoyed, but also to fight against and conquer when the need arises. If you don't want to head off to Scotland after finishing one of Beaton's books, I will be most surprised.

Favorite character? Hamish, always. Did I guess it? No. Will I read another? Of course. I have read almost all of them.

Okay, I will admit it. I am a newcomer to this particular genre of novel, being relatively newly introduced to them by my wife. This is certainly the first work by M.C. Beaton I've read, therefore the first of the Hamish Macbeth Mysteries. I also have to admit that I have been missing a lot over the years! This work is simply fun to read! The story is simple but very well told. A maid, or charwoman, is hit over the head with her own mop bucket and murdered! So the tale begins. This author is an absolute master at the development of a character in a very short time with very few words. You get to feeling you know each and ever one of them quite well before the end of a page. This takes skill! I liked the simple plot line of this work. It was not hard to figure out that quite a number of the people living in Macbeth's village were extremely pleased that the woman was dead, including her poor husband. This left the story open for many, many very interesting suspects, all of whom could conceivably committed the crime. These suspects were all quite colorful and were a story within themselves. The author can be absolutely hilarious at times and the interaction between the author and his pets is great. I found my self enjoying this one and actually relaxing, which is the primary reason I read these novels. I have not much to compare it with, so I am giving it five stars simply because I liked it. I will certainly be reading more of this author's work!

This was my first Hamish Macbeth book, and maybe I picked the wrong one to start with, but I just can't see what all the fuss is about. I found it to be poorly plotted, with characters sketched so lightly that I knew absolutely nothing about them. Well, I know one lady liked to wear tweed.

There was no way a reader could figure out the mystery: absolutely NO clues or paths of inquiry were given that the reader could follow or piece together in his or her head. Hamish spends the entire book going from one suspect's house to another, with each conversation lasting a mere page or two before moving elsewhere. He will discover something in each conversation that could not have in any way, shape, or form been figured out by the reader, and frankly in many instances, it was amazing that Mrs. Gillespie was able to figure them out as well. I didn't feel any true motivation from any character. The murderer is discovered with about 45 pages left in the book, and I simply could not believe that the story kept going and going...and....going. The last 45 pages of the book (with the exception of an incident or two that, frankly, were forced and out of place) are concerned mostly with Hamish's personal life and have nothing to do with the mystery at hand!

The writing was just AWFUL. It was so bland and characters behaved in ways that didn't seem true to life at all. Hamish will ask where someone was on the day of the murder, and that person will begin screaming at him to get out of the house. What?? I get that these books are supposed to be kind of comical, but I didn't feel any humor or warmth emanating from a single page. Again, maybe it's because I haven't read any of the previous novels, but nothing will take away from the fact that the writing was painfully amateurish and simple at points. I actually winced at times because plot points were introduced so bluntly and without any exposition.

All in all, I was extremely disappointed with this novel, and I don't think it would be an understatement to say that I ended up hating it in a way I haven't hated a book in years. I love reading mysteries and have been looking for a new series to get into. On the surface, this one seemed to have it all: eccentric policeman, far-off setting, cozy atmosphere, etc. In the end, it was boring, plodding, and (worse than anything) not written very well. I felt like it was less of a mystery and more like "a day in the life of Hamish Macbeth as he does his job."

I'm sure that many will disagree with me, but this book was just not my cup of tea. Or whiskey, as Hamish would probably say.

Ms. Beaton is, bar none, the Queen of the Village Mystery, and her two long-running series prove this. This latest in the Hamish Macbeth series is just as good as any of the previous, and that's saying something since this is number twenty-two. Hamish never gets boring, and I love going back to Lochdubh to see what the locals are doing now. The things that go on in this little sleepy village, as well as the other little villages around are enough to make your hair curl. And through it all we have wonderful Hamish who appears to be sleepily pursuing his life interests, and at first, it you don't know Hamish, he appears to not know what's going on. But he's way to sharp to miss anything at all that goes on on his patch. He always manages to cover some pretty unsavoury secrets that the people that live in his area have tried very hard to keep hidden. And he usually ends up in some danger himself while he's after the truth. In this book this all happens, but Hamish also finds himself on the wrong side of a very dangerous mob head who wants to see him dead. I sure hope there are a lot more Hamish Macbeth mysteries to come yet.

It's hard to believe that this is the 22nd book in the Hamish Macbeth mystery series. Regular readers of this series eagerly await each new book about the life and crime-solving adventures of this bachelor constable in the village of Lochdubh in northern Scotland. Lochdubh is a sleepy village where nothing much happens except for an occasional murder. This time the victim is a a cleaning woman who is widely disliked and suspected of blackmail. Again there are romantic complications for Macbeth who is very ambivalent about marriage, instead doting on his cat and dog. These books are all light reading and enjoyable escapes into village life in the Scottish highlands. Fans of Macbeth will no doubt enjoy this book and look forward to the next one in the series.

I am a big fan of this author in general, but some of her books are better than others. This mysery stands out as one of the best in the Hamesh series -- well-plotted and engaging.

Fortunately, the author kept everything focused on the central mystery, without having Hamish solve little mysteries right and left, as I've seen in some of her books.

This really helped the book -- it was focused on the core mystery, which involves a thoroughly disliked (and dislikable) cleaner (maid?) who is found murdered. Everyone hates her, and with reason, so who did it and why? Hamish -- a good-natured police constable in tiny Lochdubh, a town on the coast of Scotland, had recently won the cleaning services of this woman in a raffle. Shortly thereafter, he realizes that this woman stole a letter he had received -- a private letter -- so he begins to think she might be engaged in blackmail. The story consists of visits to the people she cleaned for, with a side story involving Elspeth, who is back in Lochdubh with a coworker. Hamish thinks they're an item, but Elspeth is still carrying a torch for Hamish.

All the things I like about this series are present in this book -- humor, a sense of place (you can imagine yourself there in a village in Scotland), a likeable detective, a variety of vivid characters, a little romance, and a strong plot.

I look forward to reading the latest in the series.

I like MC Beaton because usually the peole murdered in her books are either despicable characters or someone I never "knew." In this book, one of the murder victims is an innocent. Though the question is actually raised, "how come someone innocent was murdered?", I like my lkysteries when the victim is a villain and the innocent live happily ever after. After all, mysteries for me are an escape from the realities of the violence reported in newspapers and t.v. But still these mysteries are charming and the cast of characyers have become my friends. the romance angle is getting a bit tiresome and unrewarding. Any reader who enjoys these stories should make sure to avoid the dvd video adaptations of the sstories. They are dreadful. I hope Ms. Beaton made a lot of money out of them because they totally changed the character of Hamish Macbeath, at least in my opinion.