Customer Reviews

Death of a Witch (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 25)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Even in a wonderful series like M.C. Beaton's books about Hamish Macbeth, there will be ups and downs. Fortunately for devoted readers, Death of a Witch is an unexpected up that keeps surprising, satisfying, and amusing to the last page. Unlike the weaker books in the series, Death of a Witch is filled with mysteries that are not easy to solve, complex and unexpected interactions among the characters, and every variety of reasonably clean humor you can have about sexual relations.

Be careful what reviews you read. It would be easy to stumble onto spoilers that could greatly reduce your joy in this marvelous story.

As the book opens, Hamish is returning from a trip to Spain that didn't turn out as he expected. Immediately, he learns that there's a newcomer to the village, Ms. Catriona Beldame, who wants to buy his car. As soon as Hamish cleans up a little mystery about who has been tipping off robbers as the location of stakeouts, Hamish has to see the woman for himself. The local women don't have anything good to say about her, and the men are strangely quiet even though they are reported to be visiting her. Dr. Brodie provides an unexpected clue as does a strange occurrence during Hamish's first visit. Before long, there are unsolved crimes that lead Hamish into a possible romance. Blair is so concerned that Hamish will solve the cases that he banishes Hamish. With Jimmy Anderson's help, Hamish is able to stay in the middle of the case.

The overriding theme of the book is the battle of the sexes, as portrayed through the theme of men wanting to have more frequent intimate relations than their wives and girl friends do. The consequences are very funny and keep providing new twists on a well-known theme. If you've ever enjoyed Hamish's problems with the opposite sex, you'll be especially pleased with this book which puts Hamish into many new pickles.

Have a ball!

Hamish Macbeth, the simple but efficient constable of Lochdubh, returns from a Spanish vacation to his beloved village to find a surprise. There is a newcomer there, a pretty woman, being visited by a stream of men at all hours. What's going on in the quiet highlands town? Before that can be determined, she is murdered and her house set on fire.

Subsequently, three more murders lead Hamish to believe they were all related. Originally he believed the men were visiting the woman for sex. In a strange way they were, but not in the way he had thought. Meanwhile, Hamish's sex life becomes more complicated with his two time-honored girlfriends as well as a new forensics specialist who has her eyes on him.

The series, in which this is the 24th entry [or the 25th, depending on which publisher information is correct], still amuses and enchants. Written with the full flavor of the Scottish language and the vistas of the highlands, the novels continue to grow and entice readers. Hamish may seem to be a silly character, but he gets the job done, and is ultimately a serious and successful investigator. Recommended.

This is the twenty-fifth in a series of wonderful mysteries featuring the detective work of small town, Highland Scottish detective Hamish Macbeth, P.C. In this book, trouble arrives in Lockdubh in the form of a tall dark woman who everyone believes is a witch. She's selling strange herbal remedies to the men to improve their virility, and it's causing a stir. But, when she suddenly turns up murdered, Hamish swings into action. There's a very deep mystery here, and Hamish hopes that he can trace the blame to a stranger, but there's more things going on in Lockdubh than he every imagined!

This is another very good Hamish Macbeth book, and another feather in the cap of M.C. Beaton (pseudonym of Marion Chesney). The characters are interesting, and the mystery quite...well, mysterious. No new ground was broken here, it's Hamish solving another murder, while taking care of his pets, and alternately seeking and avoiding romantic connections. But, that said, it is a very good book, and if you are a Hamish Macbeth fan then you will really like this book, as I certainly did.

Back from vacationing in Spain at the wrong resort, a disappointed Hamish Macbeth returns to his beloved village in Scotland, only to discover an outsider causing much trouble in Lochdubh. Catriona is loved by the village men, yet not one of them will speak about her. Lochdubh is not the place for sex, according to Hamish, and he senses all the ingredients for murder are brewing on her doorstep. His instincts prove correct, and the girl who some believe is a witch can't cast a spell strong enough to keep herself among the living. Hamish is hoping mightily it is not one of his own who did the deed.

This is a wonderful mystery series I read often, and Death of a Witch is a particularly pleasurable entry. While the romantically vacillating Hamish catches the eye of a new forensic technician named Lesley, Elspeth and Priscilla both entertain ideas of lassoing the unambitious detective. Readers of this enjoyable series are well aware Hamish favors his wild cat, Sonsie, and his dog, Lugs, more than the flight of fancy to wed, however. Another murder occurs before Hamish can get to the bottom of things, which includes some surprises for Macbeth, who was sure he knew all that went on in his fair patch of Scotland.

There is some jolly fun for the reader even after the crime is solved in this one, the epilog being as enjoyable as the mystery. Hamish might just get his dream vacation with a sweet lass after all. And his old nemesis, Blair, might get just a bit of what he deserves. Fans of this series know there is something enjoyable and magical about each visit to Lochdubh, as it is a trip which soothes the spirit and refreshes the soul, reminding us why we love to read. A light and incredibly entertaining mystery series with tons of atmosphere, this is great fun squeezed between more substantive reads. It is the perfect way to relax. Death of a Witch is one of the best in the series and comes highly recommended.

From Booklist: "Lochdubh has a ridiculously high homicide rate for a tiny village, but it provides readers with a great deal of atmospheric fun." Too funny, but true. This M.C. Beaton does not disappoint. I have not read them in series, but about six of them, and some are better than others. Can't be easy to keep coming up with new plots in the same setting. I love all things Scottish and have discovered another Scots sleuth, Rex Graves from Edinburgh who solves cases in different places, one at a nudist resort in the Carribean of all places ;). Link here Murder in the Raw: A Rex Graves Mystery (Rex Graves Mystery)

Hamish is always interesting but this book is extra good and entertaining. Too often a series will get weaker, and certainly book 25 is well into the series, but M.C. Beaton has proved with this book that she has no intention of resting on her laurels.

Now I am waiting very impatiently for the next book in this series. It is certainly a strong writer who can continue a series for this many books and continue to do such a good job of new ideas, great old and new characters, and all the twists and turns that make a book hard to put down.

When M.C. Beaton announces a new Hamish Macbeth mystery it is time for cozy lovers to take notice. For the long running series DEATH OF A WITCH is a strong addition with a quirks, humor, and great puzzle you expect from this author.
The trademark surprises of Hammish's love life have three ladies who want his attention, but cold blood murder comes first.
A tales of Hammish's "vacation" in Spain opens the fun and it just keeps building.
The formula of a despicable character found murdered, Blair's maneuvers to keep Hammish out of the limelight come into play with this village romp.
Nash Black, author whose books are available in Kindle editions.
Writing as a Small BusinessHaints

I just love this series and had been reading my way through it. It's a quirky, clever series and am sad that I have to wait at least a year for the next installment.

I wonder how much longer the author will go with the Hamish and Priscilla part. He never gets over her but when they get closer, it just doesn't happen. It's kind of annoying to the reader!

Still, I love Hamish and will continue reading it even when he's the 70 year old bachelor bobby at Lochdubh!

M.C. Beaton gives us another enjoyable story from the chronicles of Hamish Macbeth!

DEATH OF A WITCH begins with Hamish Macbeth returning home. He had taken a cheap off-season trip to Spain and had hoped for a little romance. However, he ends up with a large group of other vacationers, all in their sixties and seventies! After the disappointing vacation, Hamish is back home in the Scottish village of Lochdubh where he is the local police constable. He's missed his home and his pets and is anxious to see what's been going on.

While inquiring for local news, Hamish finds out that a rather odd woman has moved to the village. According to local gossip, more than a few of the village men have been seen visiting her. Since, she's known to be selling herbal medicines, some are calling her a witch and some are calling her other names. When Hamish meets Catriona Beldame, he finds her to be rather interesting. When she ends up dead, the search begins not only for her murderer, but for answers which are difficult to come by. Seems like the villagers are keeping their own secrets. Secrets, that Hamish can only begin to guess.

This is the 24th book in this series. What makes these stories so enjoyable are all the interesting characters. Hamish is likeable and very caring of his small hamlet. The villagers are witty, nosy, bossy, odd, and out spoken. Hamish's boss is nasty and mean spirited. Also, there's always a lady or two who fancy the red haired Hamish!

DEATH OF A WITCH is the 24th mystery featuring Hamish Macbeth in this cozy series set in the picturesque Scottish Highlands. Hamish is lazy, sly and utterly amusing --- he mooches food wherever he can, poaches fish from local streams, is more devoted to his dog Lugs and domesticated wild cat Sonsie than to any humans in his life, and assiduously resists promotion to avoid leaving his sleepy and beloved village of Lochdubh (pronounced "Loch-doo").

Hamish has just returned from a dull vacation in Spain to find a newcomer (an "incomer" in local parlance) in the village, a mysterious woman who goes by the name of Catriona Beldame. Catriona appears to have endeared herself to many of the men in the village of Lochdubh, but they refuse to talk to Hamish about her. Hamish learns that the village women hate Catriona, and many of the superstitious villagers fear her as a witch.

Rumors indicate that she has been selling the men potions to increase their sexual prowess (and presumably make their wives interested in sex again, perhaps for the first time in decades). But Hamish has reason to suspect that the potions are harming the men rather than helping them.

When Catriona ends up dead under ugly circumstances, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Hamish, who was heard to threaten her, and on the other villagers, any of whom might have had cause to wish her dead. As Hamish is puzzling over the mystery of Catriona's murder and the arson of her home, three other villagers are killed in quick succession.

Hamish must act fast to learn if and how the murders are connected to each other before the killer strikes again. As usual, he receives no help from surly and jealous Inspector Blair, who tries to keep Hamish away from the case. Luckily, Blair's underling, Jimmy Anderson, is always ready to supply Hamish with the information he needs, provided Hamish in turn is willing to keep Jimmy supplied with whiskey.

To uncover the mystery behind the murders, Hamish enlists the help of the various women in his life: his reporter friend (and erstwhile love interest) Elspeth Grant; his ex-fianceé and local lady of the manor, Priscilla Hallburton-Smythe; and Lesley Seaton, a pretty forensics expert who appears to have set her sights on Hamish. Gangly, awkward and exasperating though he might be, Hamish also manages to be utterly disarming and draw his share of female attention, although typically not to satisfactory ends.

It is clear by this point in the series that, like M. C. Beaton's other famous protagonist --- the indomitable Agatha Raisin --- Hamish Macbeth is doomed never to find love. But his run-ins with the opposite sex are always entertaining and often laugh-out-loud funny. Here, his problems with his personal life offer a microcosmic view of the larger theme of the book --- the battle of the sexes. The married men of Lochdubh desire more active sex lives, while their indomitable wives dismiss sex as something filthy that they are glad never to have to partake of again.

The many picturesque characters who populate this fictional village make an appearance here: Dr. Brodie and his good-natured if somewhat scatter-brained wife Angela; Jessie and Nessie, gossipy sisters who loathe Hamish; Mr. Patel, the grocer; and the seer Angus (who is only a "scunner" or crook, according to Hamish). It is always a pleasure for an M.C. Beaton fan to check in on these regulars and find them behaving much as one expects.

DEATH OF A WITCH has the same droll wit and easy charm as the other installments in the series. The plot is considerably more complex than the early books. Occasionally the story gets a bit cluttered with too many new characters --- the reader may have to do a bit of backtracking to figure out which character is which. But the complex and interesting plot, which will keep one guessing until the end, is well worth the trouble.

For a fan of Beaton's work, there is nothing more enjoyable than a new release in the Hamish Macbeth or Agatha Raisin series. For someone new to Beaton's British cozies, DEATH OF A WITCH is a terrific introduction to a quirky, amusing protagonist and an entertaining mystery writer.

--- Reviewed by Usha Reynolds