Collected Miscellany » M.C. Beaton http://collectedmiscellany.com seemingly random thoughts on books Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:48:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 In the Mail: Death of a Valentine http://collectedmiscellany.com/2010/01/in-the-mail-death-of-a-valentine/ http://collectedmiscellany.com/2010/01/in-the-mail-death-of-a-valentine/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:17:31 +0000 Kevin Holtsberry http://collectedmiscellany.com/?p=3344 Death of a Valentine (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries) by M.C. Beaton

Publishers Weekly

In bestseller Beaton’s enjoyable 25th Hamish Macbeth mystery (after 2008’s Death of a Witch), a Valentine’s Day parcel explodes in the face of the Scottish Highlands’ Lammas festival queen, Annie Fleming, as soon as she tries to open it, killing her instantly. Hamish Macbeth, newly promoted to sergeant, would rather investigate with only his trusty pets in tow, but is instead forced to tote along his new constable, the less than professional Josie McSween. Considered “prim and proper and a right innocent,” Annie turns out to have been leading a less than virtuous double life, with no shortage of suspects in her murder. A much sought after bachelor, Hamish desperately tries to break the case, while Josie, with dreams in her eyes, strives to crack Hamish’s heart. Will Josie succeed in getting Hamish to say “I do” at the altar? For all the book’s farcical moments, Beaton takes care as usual to provide a satisfying police procedural.

]]> http://collectedmiscellany.com/2010/01/in-the-mail-death-of-a-valentine/feed/ 1 In the Mail: Death of a Witch http://collectedmiscellany.com/2009/12/in-the-mail-death-of-a-witch/ http://collectedmiscellany.com/2009/12/in-the-mail-death-of-a-witch/#comments Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:23:00 +0000 Kevin Holtsberry http://collectedmiscellany.com/?p=3267 Death of a Witch (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries) by M.C. Beaton

Publishers Weekly

Cover of "Death of a Witch (Hamish Macbet...

Cover via Amazon

In bestseller Beaton’s devilishly droll 24th mystery to feature police constable Hamish Macbeth (after 2008′s Death of a Gentle Lady), the Scottish Highlands’ most stubborn (and romantically challenged) bachelor returns to his home village of Lochdubh from a disappointing vacation to discover a witch stirring up trouble. To Macbeth’s annoyance, the sex-starved local men have fallen under the spell of Catriona Beldame, who turns out to be a runaway bride with a shady past. Macbeth longs to prove she’s selling illegal (and bogus) remedies for sexual dysfunction, and warns her to stop if she is. Macbeth gets a shock when someone murders Beldame and sets her house on fire-soon after Macbeth is overheard to say he’d like to kill her. Three more murders of other women quickly follow. Could a serial killer be loose in sleepy Lochdubh? As usual, Beaton’s crisp plotting and effervescent humor complement Macbeth’s deft crime solving.

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