Nobody loves an honest man--or that was what police sergeant Hamish Macbeth tried to tell newcomer Paul English. Paul had moved to a house in Cnothan, a sour village on Hamish's beat, where he immediately started to stir up outrage among his neighbors.
Paul first attended church in Lochdubh and told the minister, Mr. Wellington, that his sermons were boring. He then told tweedy Mrs. Wellington that she was too fat and should set a better example in these days of increasing obesity. Angela Brody was told her detective stories were pap for the masses and that she should write real literature instead. He accused Hamish of having dyed his fiery red hair. He told Jessie Currie--who compulsively repeats all the last words of her twin sister--that she needed psychiatric help.
"I speak as I find," he bragged. A refrain of "I could kill that man," could be heard from Lochdubh to Cnothan.
And someone did.
Now Hamish is faced with a bewildering array of suspects, this time without the services of his clumsy policeman, Charlie, who resigned from the force after one too many confrontations with Hamish's incompetent boss, Chief Inspector Blair. But can Hamish find the killer on his own?
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"I've been reading M.C. Beaton's books for YEARS, both this series and Agatha Raisin and hope they both continue for a long time to come. That being said, this book was good, but didn't seem to be up to Beaton's usual standard. The idea is there, but the story is a little bit all over the place. I don't like the part about his wild cat, Sonzie, and I don't want to spoil anything, but Blair goes overboard in this one... you'd think other people would notice that Blair has lost it... Seems like this time even Daviot would realize something was up with him and why on Earth Hamish would choose now to trust Blair is beyond me. Although, in this book, Hamish does a few things which are out of character for him. All in all, I'll keep reading Hamish's adventures no matter what because the characters are like old friends, but I hope Hamish gets back to himself in the next book, and if you're just starting this series, do yourself a favor and start from the beginning, or at least with an earlier book, so you can get to know Hamish better. "
— Mary (4 out of 5 stars)
“Honesty may not be the best policy if it makes your acquaintances want to kill you…One of the most convoluted and striking in this venerable series , whose fans will relish the newest complications in the hero’s chaotic life.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Beaton keeps this lighthearted series fresh by introducing several important changes for some recurring characters and assigning Hamish a surprising new assistant. Series fans will eagerly await the next installment.”
— Publishers Weekly“[For] longtime readers of the Hamish Macbeth series…the fun lies in the way Beaton depicts the different annoying, conniving, villainous victims. There’s also the Highlands scenery to enjoy, along with a great deal of humor and the engaging series star, Sergeant Macbeth, who is unwillingly thrown into the murder investigations when he’d much rather be fishing or hiking…Satisfying for both established and new Macbeth fans.”
— BooklistMacbeth is the sort of character who slyly grows on you.
— Chicago Sun-TimesLonging for escape? Tired of waiting for Brigadoon to materialize? Time for a trip to Lochdubh, the scenic, if somnolent, village in the Scottish Highlands where M. C. Beaton sets her beguiling whodunits featuring Constable Hamish Macbeth.
— New York Times Book ReviewHamish Macbeth is that most unusual character, one to whom the reader returns because of his charming flaws. May he never get promoted.
— New York Journal of BooksWith residents and a constable so authentic, it won't be long before tourists will be seeking Lochdubh and believing in the reality of Hamish Macbeth as surely as they believed in Sherlock Holmes.
— Denver Rocky Mountain NewsM. C. Beaton (1936–2019), hailed as the “Queen of Crime” by the Globe and Mail, was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels—the basis for the hit series on Acorn TV—as well as the Hamish Macbeth series. Born in Scotland, Beaton also wrote nearly one hundred historical romances under several pseudonyms. Her books have been translated into nineteen languages and sold more than twenty-two million copies worldwide.
Graeme Malcolm was an actor and winning audiobook narrator who earned twelve AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has performed on Broadway as Pharaoh in Aida and as Sir Edward Ramsay in The King and I. His television appearances include Law & Order, Follow the River, and Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (with Laurence Olivier). His film credits include A Further Gesture, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, and Reunion.