What do You think about Death Of A Dentist (1998)?
Hamish isn't quite as much of a character as he later becomes in MC Beaton's books. Things are quite dismal with his love Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. And he isn't quite so helpful to the other villagers as he is in other works. But still this is a good mystery in a quaint setting which the author makes easy to envision.Suffering from a severe toothache, Hamish finally decides he can stand it no longer, and goes unexpectedly to the office of a dentist who is known for preferring to pull teeth rather than fix them. There he discovers the dentist has been murdered in his chair and had each tooth drilled with a hole in it. While investigating, Hamish immediately detects that the receptionist had been having an affair with him. Meanwhile, he also is investigating the theft of thousands of dollars of bingo money from a safe with a cheap wood back, and another murder also occurs. Can Hamish use his skills to solve these cases while combatting the administration that wants to squelch his involvement?
—Dale Safford
According to this site, this is the 13th of 28 village constable Hamish Macbeth mysteries, which tend to be somewhat formulaic, but nonetheless amusing -- and at times, even moderately suspenseful! There's usually a murder somewhat early on, and then our humble hero quietly goes about solving the crime using little but dogged common sense, invariably beating his dismissive superiors to the punch! Along the way, despite a long confirmed bachelor status, Hamish is likely to either pine for his somewhat regular girlfriends, or somebody else's wife, or maybe even just the new girl in town. So we get a dollop of romance, intrigue, and good humor to elevate these books in our estimation slightly above the level of a "cozy.""Dentist" mostly follows this pattern: when Hamish is suffering from a horrid abscess, he decides to forego his regular dentist for one that's closer by who has the reputation of being a womanizer and a tooth-puller! Surprisingly, Macbeth finds him dead in his own chair; shortly after a robbery of a bingo parlor has hauled off an incredible sum. Suspecting these events are linked (no matter what the higher-ups think), Hamish just doesn't rest until he resolves both cases. Along the way, Sarah, a hiker vacationing in town, gets plenty of amorous attention from our protagonist until she typically returns home to her former beau, putting yet another scratch on Hamish's heart (and bedpost!)...As usual, Beaton's "Dentist" story is pleasant, short, and good for a couple of hours of mild entertainment.
—Jerry
I know what you are thinking – another Hamish Macbeth on the same day? Well, yes, thank you very much, don’t mind if I do.This seemed more of a Hamish Macbeth story than the last one. I don’t know what was wrong with Death of a Macho Man but it really didn’t live up to the series in so many ways. Between Hamish and Priscilla’s childish tantrums which never does anything but drive them apart, and the police ineptness made that one harder to get through. There isn’t any of that in this one.Hamish does seem to be laxing a bit in his duties as the local constable – even to the point that he lets some serious infractions of the law slide when maybe he should not have. I think the character needs a new dog. I’m stilled miffed at the author for killing off his dog a few stories back.The murderer is not evident at first but comes to light about halfway in though Hamish doesn’t find it out till the very end. It is hard to fault him, though, with his terrible toothache and reputation for chasing skirts. The poor man barely finds time to sleep. :-)Have to say, the storms and weather in this made me cold. It made me appreciate sunny Florida, for sure. I give the book an A.
—Kathy Jackson
