Death of a Dreamer
M.C. Beaton
Reviewed by Barb Radmore
Hamish Macbeth has women problems- mainly too
many of them.
The main character of Scottish author M.C. Beaton’s popular mystery
series has an
ex fiancé staying at the hotel, his most recent ex-girlfriend in
town for a
story and he has his eye on a new woman in town. If he does not have
enough to
handle there is a murder- another woman, of course. Artist
Jock Fleming has come to the quiet town of Lochdubh
to work on his landscapes. . His peace is quickly destroyed by the
unwanted attentions
of fellow artist and newcomer, Effie Garrard, who has rented a cabin
outside
the town. In spite of his blatant attempts to avoid her, she informs
the whole town
that not only are she and Jock engaged, she is pregnant with his child.
When
she is found dead on the hillside, missing her ring and ring finger,
Hamish is
the only one convinced it is not suicide. There is a reason the
inhabitant of
Lochdubh are leery of outsiders.
Lochdubh is a cozy Scottish village that does not welcome
strangers so not much happens around town that its inhabitants do not
notice.
Hamish is the sole constable and his strength is watching how people
behave and
listening to what they have to say. What may sound like gossip to
others are
clues for Hamish. As another body turns up, the pressure increases on
Macbeth
to find the murderer. Even thought he is at least free of his nemesis
Inspector
Blair for this case, he is saddled with the addition of Detective Robin
MacKenzie, another difficult, lovelorn female with whom he must cope.
He must
deal with all this while also trying to keep the attention of Jock’s
engaging
agent, Betty Bernard. Add Effie’s long lost sister, an ugly American
and
assorted villagers and Hamish has his hands full.
M.C. Beaton packs a full mystery into this cozy book. The plot
is well crafted, enough action and suspense to keep the story moving.
It is the
characters that have made this series the long running success that it
has
become. Hamish as the laid back constable, happy with his small town
job and
life but always fast thinking is a protagonist that easily becomes
endearing
.One looks forward to meeting up with this delightful man just to see
what
situation he becomes involved in next.
If you need a relaxing read for a rainy day, a day at the
beach or even a long car ride, you will want to take along this book or
any of
the previous ones of the 22 books in the Hamish Macbeth series. Since
the first
book in the series, Death of a Gossip, was published in 1985 it has
gathered
many fans on both sides of the ocean, although American readers will
not have
had the chance to watch the BBC television series based on the books.
Under her
name Marion Chesney, the author has written over 100 historical romance
novels
and, also as M.C. Beaton, the Agatha Raisin mystery series.
Author's
Web Site
Author Interview
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