Customer Reviews

Death of a Poison Pen

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DEATH OF A POISON PEN is set in a small village in the Scottish Highlands. It is populated with quirky characters and a lovable, bumbling, tall, red-haired constable named Hamish McBeth. Hamish is somewhat lazy and likes his little village to run smoothly, but it never does. This time around some villagers are receiving poison pen letters. A postmistress is found hanged in her room and a vacationer comes to Lochdubh with the sole purpose of seducing him. He does have his hands full these days.

I consider the Hamish McBeth series the better of the two series that M.C. Beaton writes. The characters really make the stories endearing and fun. That Hamish ever solves any case always seems like sheer fluke, but you are always rooting for him. The plots are always rather straightforward and not too complicated and it makes for a quick read. This is a perfect book for a rainy afternoon.

I must admit to being rather addicted to the "cozy mystery" genre. They are a source of relaxation for me. These, the Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton, are some of my favorites. As other reviewers have pointed out, each of the twenty or more books are much the same. Same plot, same characters, same locations, etc. etc. That is okay though. I find this rather comforting. The various characters in Beaton's stories sort of become friends as you keep reading her books and this is always nice.

In this offering, quite a number of the resident's of Hamish's village are recipients of poison pen letters, some which are wild accusations, some with a grain of truth and some, hitting quite close to home. Suddenly Officer Macbeth has two murders on his hands and an endless list of suspects to sort through. The plot though, is actually sort of secondary to this particular series. For me it is the characters, the description of the Scottish Country Side, the almost dark humor and the interaction between the many characters that make the book.

M.C. Beaton is certainly a story teller and is able to articulate her stories through her writing quite well. The humor is dry, and as I said, can be a bit dark at times, but can be hilarious at the same time. Hamish Macbeth, the rather bright and likable police officer is, throughout this work, as with the others, absolutely mystified with the females in his life, and his somewhat quaint love life. As one reviewer put it, he does not have a clue! I love the author's description of the towns, food, country side, people and of course, Hamish's relationship with his dog.

The author tells a simple story which is easy to read (no great thought is required, which is very nice) and the stories are quite fast moving. I find the author's syntax to the quite smooth and a pleasure to read. This is one series I will no doubt stick with and look forward to more. Highly recommend this one if this is your sort of cup of tea.

Hamish Macbeth is a wonderful character. He always seems to bumble his way to a solution in the many murders that seem to occur in his area, but underneath that shambling exterior is a mind that is as sharp as a whip. The Hamish Macbeth series is one of my very favourite series, and even though Ms. Beaton has about 20 entries in the series it just never seems to get stale. The characters that we meet with every book (the wonderful, eccentric citizens of Lochdubh), plus the new ones that she introduces each time are what make this series so special. I am sad that I've now caught up to Ms. Beaton, and now I am relegated to waiting (very impatiently I might add) for the next book. I have enjoyed every minute that I've spent with Hamish in wonderful Lochdubh. In this book, Hamish has been bothered with a vicious poison pen writer in the neighbouring village of Braike. He is worried because he fears that this letter campaign is going to lead to murder, and sure enough that's what happens. He and his wonderful "lady friend" Elspeth work together to try to trap the writer and to find the murderer. It turns out that they're not one and the same. Hamish also gains the help of another young lady that is visiting Lochdubh. She said it was for a holiday, but actually her intent was to try to ensare Hamish as a form of "getting back" at her uppity friend Priscilla, who even though she is engaged to be married, still seems to carry a torch for Hamish. This series is superb entertainment, and I can give no higher accolade than that.

The villagers of Lochdubh and nearby Braikie are being plagued with a rash of poison pen letters. And while the letters seem silly (many of the claims seem to be absolutely ludicrous), Hamish Macbeth cannot help but worry about the one letter that might provoke a murder. And true enough things take a very serious turn indeed when the postmistress of Braikie, Miss Amy Beattie, is found hanging from her ceiling, an apparent suicide. But Hamish doesn't believe that it is suicide, and insists on a proper investigation. But it is only when murder claims another victim soon after Miss Beattie that Hamish begins to suspect that this could be a very complicated and dangerous case. Fortunately for Hamish (whether he likes it or not) he's going to get a lot of help in unraveling this case: first there is his friend, reporter Elspeth Grant, willing to offer her keen insights (and more if need be); and then there is also vacationing Jenny Ogilvie, a jealous friend of Hamish's ex-fiancee, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe (whom he still hasn't completely gotten over), who's come to Lochdubh with the intention of nabbing Hamish for herself. Will Hamish discover who the murderer is before (s)he strikes again? Will Jenny succeed in her plan to seduce Hamish? More importantly, will Hamish finally get over Priscilla?

Thank God for M. C. Beaton's latest Hamish MacBeth installment! I was in the mood for something GOOD and light and amusing, and "Death of a Poison Pen" fit the bill completely. Swiftly paced and cleverly constructed (and let's not forget the authour's biting humour and her intelligent character portrayals), this latest Hamish MacBeth mystery novel was just the thing to sit down and unwind with, esp after a hard day's work of house cleaning. A real treat.

I've read (and reviewed most of them) all 20 in the Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton. Once again, Ms Beaton features the lovable, affable, and quite wily Macbeth, once again solving the local murders no one else can. Once again, he's in trouble with Blair (his boss) and once again Priscilla figures in in what most readers probably hope will be "the" time, when, for once and all they get married.

Sigh, sigh, sigh. Nothing is changed in "Death of a Poisoned Pen." Taken by itself, or if one hasn't read all 20, perhaps the same old same old is new and innovative and creative and clever. Alas it's not.

That said, however, Ms Beaton's following is huge and she continues to entertain nicely, thank you, even if she's not come up with anything new, creative, or clever (ala the later Agatha Christie works). So that said, be prepared for the usual: but its a usual that I, for one, no doubt, will continue to read. Violence aside, it's nice to read that SOME folks have virtue and moral turpitude (although Lochdubh has its share of those who don't!). And as for local color, Ms Beaton, it seems, does capture the Scottish countryside well.

Someone in the small Highland town of Braikie has instituted a poison pen letter writing campaign going so far as to accuse Police Constable Hamish Macbeth of having an affair with the minister's wife. Although nobody is taking it seriously, Hamish knows it is just a matter of time before someone gets very angry and violence could be the result. When the post mistress Miss Beatie dies with a poison pen letter near her body, the police rule it a suicide.

Hamish doesn't think it is suicide and an autopsy proves him right. The thirty something year old women was poisoned and he doesn't have a clue who the culprit could be. When the retired school mistress is killed, the victim of several knife wounds Hamish knows instinctively the two killings are linked but he needs some help. His ex-girlfriend's girlfriend and the local reporter are more than willing to help the constable out.

This is the twentieth Hamish Macbeth Mystery and the series is as fresh, witty and upbeat as the day the first book in the series was published. Hamish takes his job very seriously but in his personal life when it comes to romance, he is, to put it bluntly, a doofus. This makes him adorable and endearing to readers who hope that just once he winds up with the woman he truly loves. This mystery has a fast paced plot and a descriptive look into the culture of a small Highlander village which makes DEATH OF A POISON PEN a treat not to be missed.

Harriet Klausner

This installment of the Hamish McBeth series was one of the best. I enjoyed my visit to Lochdubh immensely and catching up with old friends. I loved how the town showed how much they respected and cared for their unorthodox policeman. The mystery itself wasn't a strong one but the characters and setting more than made up for it. Hamish and company is a delightful way to spend an afternoon. I cannot wait for the next one!

The Highlands are habitually rife with humor and delicious mystery between the covers of a Hamish Macbeth book by author M.C. Beaton. Constable for a patch of Scotland where gossip and superstition often exasperate our favorite copper, and the weather can bring four seasons in one afternoon, Hamish nonetheless loves his fair Lochdubh and its quirky residents. Readers of this most enjoyable of mystery series have also come to be fond of Lochdubh. The mysteries are certainly fun, but it is the atmosphere which keeps readers coming back time and again. Finishing a Hamish book always seems to lighten our load and remind us it is the small things in life which really matter.

Jenny Ogilve arrives from London to eyeball the bobby she's heard so much about from Pricilla, who has become engaged to someone else. The lass would like nothing better than to make her jealous by snagging the ever elusive Macbeth for herself, but with reporter Elspeth diverting her amateurish attempts at every turn, and Hamish with a suicide to investigate, the task becomes quite tricky. Once Hamish realizes what she's up to, he takes Priscilla's advice and lets her help him question the residents of Braike. Before this is over, he'll wish he hadn't.

The apparent suicide of the Braike postmistress doesn't sit well with Hamish, who suspects he has a murderer and blackmailer to catch. Mrs. McAndrew is soon murdered with more evidence of blackmail at the heart of all the trouble surfacing. The headmistress might have had a wee bit more interest in a couple of her female students than was proper, and Miss Beattie was having an affair with the very married Billy MacKay. He'll need Jimmy's help in covering for him with the incompetent Blair so he can question two young women and try to fit the pieces together. The gullible Jenny gets sidetracked and misled by Elspeth's fellow reporter, Pat, a lazy lad only using her for a story. After a tape of Miss Beattie's death turns up in the most shocking manner possible, Elspeth puts Hamish on the trail of Miss Beattie's youthful past. Macbeth soon realizes those poison pen letters frightened someone enough to commit murder.

The method of nabbing the killers as they attempt to dispose of Jenny is typically hilarious, and a splendid example of why readers love this mystery series. The seer Angus, the Currie sisters, Lugs and all the other quirky characters of Lochdubh we've come to enjoy visiting so much are all present in this one. The combination of mystery and humor with a Highland setting created by Beaton is irresistible. She writes with seeming ease a small vacation into every Macbeth story which belies the depth of skill and talent required to do so. There is something so wonderful and magical between the covers of a Hamish Macbeth book that it defies description and must be experienced by each reader, who will surely become a fan after having done so. I have a couple of the large print Macbeth books and they're easy on the eyes. A fine entry in a marvelous mystery series which comes highly recommended.

This story grabs you quickly and is a good read. There are suspects aplenty, and as usual Hamish the constable of the small village has his share of girls trouble.

I can't get enough of M.C. Beaton's Highlands. I look forward every year to the next installment to the Hamish Macbeth series. This one did not disappoint complete with the vintage quirkiness and touch of noir that characterize all of Beaton's series'.

The mystery kept me guessing until the end but the real entertainment lies in watching the unorthodox but lovable Hamish Macbeth interact with his similarly offbeat villagers.

I'll continue to wait with anticipation for more Hamish Macbeth--hoping for his success in love and wondering what other calamity can possibly befall the tiny hamlet of Lochdubh.