Death of a Poison Pen (Hamish Macbeth)
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Review
An excellent yarn with a conclusion that I certainly did not expect. Hooray for Hamish! --MyShelf.com
Book Description
The 19th Hamish Macbeth murder mystery from the bestselling M.C. Beaton
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Hamish Macbeth is a self-effacing village policeman who just wants a quiet life, and lives in perpetual dread of being promoted and having to move to Strathbane, or , even worse, Glasgow. The trouble is he is brilliant at solving crimes and has difficulty hiding his light under a bushel.
This time he has to investigate a nasty case of poison-pen letter writing, everyone is being targeted, and then one of the letter-writer's victims apparently kills herself, but Hamish is convinced it's murder.
As well as solving the crime, Hamish has to cope with Jenny Ogilvie, a friend of his old flame Priscilla, who has come to the Highlands to check him out, and is disappointed to find him less glamorous than she imagined.
Hamish is an engaging hero, and there are plenty of likeable supporting characters, and lots of humour, not to mention a charming Highland setting, which make his adventures enjoyable to read. In this episode, he finally manages to get it together with the lovely Elspeth, but unfortunately the tiresome Priscilla turns up at the end of the book. I do hope Hamish isn't going back to her, Elspeth is a much more interesting character.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Death of a Poison Pen represents a new high in the Hamish Macbeth series in terms of integrating a number of different story lines in neat and interesting fashion. Long-time fans of the series will find this book to be one of their favorites.
Jenny Ogilvie is jealous of her London colleague, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. Priscilla is engaged to be married while Jenny has just lost her boy friend when she mentions marriage. Yet Priscilla seems obsessed with her old friend (and former unofficial fiancé) from Lochdubh, Police Constable Hamish Macbeth, and the cases they've worked on solving together. Jenny decides she would like to disturb Priscilla's cool exterior by attracting Hamish's attention. Feigning illness, she heads for Lochdubh.
Once there, Jenny is disappointed to see that Hamish doesn't fit her idea of a handsome Highlander . . . and is engaged in speaking with Elspeth Grant, a local reporter and astrologer. A lot of funny scenes follow as Jenny chases Hamish and ends up being paired instead with new reporter, Pat Mallone, who had fancied Elspeth until Jenny arrived.
But Jenny remains obsessed with the idea of solving a crime . . . even if Hamish ignores her. In the background, Jenny's London-based ideas of how to live keep getting her into trouble with the Highlanders.
Elspeth, in the meantime, finds her interest in Hamish to be dwindling as he continues to avoid becoming involved. But she recognizes Jenny as a rival and finds he competitive juices stoked.
There are also some goofy poison pen letters being received in Lochdubh and Braikie. Mrs. Wellington, the minister's wife, got one accusing her of having an affair with Hamish. Well, hardly! Hamish holds a meeting in Braikie to get copies of the notes and signatures on a petition so he can get the police in Strathbane to spend the money for a handwriting expert.
In the middle of this comedy of errors, the atmosphere turns dark when Miss Beattie, who ran the post office in Braikie, is found dead with a poison pen letter under her body. As usual, Hamish is soon disputing with Detective Chief Inspector Blair whether Miss Beattie's death is suicide . . . or murder. Before the book is over, the bodies start to pile up.
Hamish finds himself in the middle of trying to solve mysteries without earning promotion, fending off women who want him, and keeping naive people from getting into trouble. You'll enjoy the mysteries and the twists in the book.
At her best, M. C. Beaton has a fine talent to exploring irony. She draws deeply on that talent in this fine book. Enjoy!
Jenny Ogilvie is jealous of her London colleague, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. Priscilla is engaged to be married while Jenny has just lost her boy friend when she mentions marriage. Yet Priscilla seems obsessed with her old friend (and former unofficial fiancé) from Lochdubh, Police Constable Hamish Macbeth, and the cases they've worked on solving together. Jenny decides she would like to disturb Priscilla's cool exterior by attracting Hamish's attention. Feigning illness, she heads for Lochdubh.
Once there, Jenny is disappointed to see that Hamish doesn't fit her idea of a handsome Highlander . . . and is engaged in speaking with Elspeth Grant, a local reporter and astrologer. A lot of funny scenes follow as Jenny chases Hamish and ends up being paired instead with new reporter, Pat Mallone, who had fancied Elspeth until Jenny arrived.
But Jenny remains obsessed with the idea of solving a crime . . . even if Hamish ignores her. In the background, Jenny's London-based ideas of how to live keep getting her into trouble with the Highlanders.
Elspeth, in the meantime, finds her interest in Hamish to be dwindling as he continues to avoid becoming involved. But she recognizes Jenny as a rival and finds he competitive juices stoked.
There are also some goofy poison pen letters being received in Lochdubh and Braikie. Mrs. Wellington, the minister's wife, got one accusing her of having an affair with Hamish. Well, hardly! Hamish holds a meeting in Braikie to get copies of the notes and signatures on a petition so he can get the police in Strathbane to spend the money for a handwriting expert.
In the middle of this comedy of errors, the atmosphere turns dark when Miss Beattie, who ran the post office in Braikie, is found dead with a poison pen letter under her body. As usual, Hamish is soon disputing with Detective Chief Inspector Blair whether Miss Beattie's death is suicide . . . or murder. Before the book is over, the bodies start to pile up.
Hamish finds himself in the middle of trying to solve mysteries without earning promotion, fending off women who want him, and keeping naive people from getting into trouble. You'll enjoy the mysteries and the twists in the book.
At her best, M. C. Beaton has a fine talent to exploring irony. She draws deeply on that talent in this fine book. Enjoy!
Format:Paperback
This is the twentieth book in a series of cozy mysteries featuring lovable highlander, Hamish Macbeth. In charge of law and order in the town of Lochdubh and its environs in Northern Scotland, Hamish wishes nothing more than to tend to his little plot of land and make sure everyone lives in peace. Unfortunately, murder sometimes rears its ugly head, and it is up to Hamish to discover just who the miscreant is that is causing all the trouble.
As always, the book is laced with sly humor throughout that is engaging, and the dialogue creates a feeling of authenticity of place, making the book highly enjoyable. One does not read these books for their literary value. One reads them purely for the fun of it.
This time, Hamish is initially confounded when a series of malicious poison pen letters start circulating among his constituency. When a local postmistress is discover dead by hanging, with a poison pen letter left by her swinging body, Hamish believe it to be murder and not a suicide. Just who is sending these letters and murdering the locals is what Hamish seeks to discover. Of course, waiting in the wings to assist him is intrepid local reporter Elspeth Grant, who has her eye on our handsome highlander. Believe me, it is not only a story that she is looking to get.
As with all cozy mysteries, it is not so much the mystery that is of import but the characters that revolve around the mystery, and the characters are certainly quirky and entertaining, adding to the charm of the series. With the oddly endearing Hamish Macbeth, the author has created a character that is a winner. I love this series of cozy mysteries!
As always, the book is laced with sly humor throughout that is engaging, and the dialogue creates a feeling of authenticity of place, making the book highly enjoyable. One does not read these books for their literary value. One reads them purely for the fun of it.
This time, Hamish is initially confounded when a series of malicious poison pen letters start circulating among his constituency. When a local postmistress is discover dead by hanging, with a poison pen letter left by her swinging body, Hamish believe it to be murder and not a suicide. Just who is sending these letters and murdering the locals is what Hamish seeks to discover. Of course, waiting in the wings to assist him is intrepid local reporter Elspeth Grant, who has her eye on our handsome highlander. Believe me, it is not only a story that she is looking to get.
As with all cozy mysteries, it is not so much the mystery that is of import but the characters that revolve around the mystery, and the characters are certainly quirky and entertaining, adding to the charm of the series. With the oddly endearing Hamish Macbeth, the author has created a character that is a winner. I love this series of cozy mysteries!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good but not engrossing
This book was good and I liked the plot idea but really I didn't really want to continue half-way through - it wasn't very engrossing
Published 3 months ago by JohnMcM
HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE
Spiteful letters are rife, threatening to reveal secrets. Hamish is busy at what he does well - not only trying to track down their source, but striving to calm a community so... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. D. L. Rees
Anonymous letters and murder
There's been a spate of poison pen letters and Hamish is struggling to get to the bottom of the mystery when the post mistress is found hanging. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Lady Sophia
Death of a poison pen
I love the Hamish Macbeth books, however I wish M C Beaton would check what she has written in other books before submitting them to print. Read more
Published 22 months ago by A. Unitt
Read better
Did not enjoy this book as much, didn't hold my interest like the previous ones.
Published 23 months ago by Mrs. J. H. Murray
love mc beaton books
As all M C Beaton books, another winner. Love Hamish Macbeth books Very well written.
Published on 28 Mar 2010 by Mrs. Sj Howard
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