The Highlands are habitually rife with humor and delicious mystery between the covers of a Hamish Macbeth book by author M.C. Beaton. Constable for a patch of Scotland where gossip and superstition often exasperate our favorite bobby, Hamish nonetheless loves his fair Lochdubh and its quirky residents, and so do readers. The mysteries are certainly fun, but it is the atmosphere which keeps readers coming back time and again. Finishing a Hamish book always seems to lighten our load and remind us it is the small things in life which really matter.Jenny Ogilve arrives from London to eyeball the bobby she's heard so much about from Priscilla, who has become engaged to someone other than Hamish. The lass would like nothing better than to make Priscilla jealous by snagging the ever-elusive Macbeth for herself, but with reporter Elspeth diverting her amateurish attempts at every turn, and Hamish with a suicide to investigate, the task at hand becomes quite tricky. Once Hamish realizes what she's up to, he takes Priscilla's advice and lets her help him question the residents of Braike. Before this is over, he'll wish he hadn't.Hamish isn't buying the apparent suicide of the Braike postmistress. Another murder soon follows and Hamish suspects poison pen letters may somehow be at the heart of it all. The headmistress might have had a wee bit more interest in a couple of her female students than was proper, and the murder victim may have been having an affair. Jenny gets sidetracked while helping Hamish which leads to some typically hilarious doings which are a perfect example of why readers love this series so much.The dubious seer Angus, the Currie sisters, Lugs and all the other quirky characters of Lochdubh we've come to enjoy visiting so much are all present in this one. The combination of mystery and humor with a Highland setting created by Beaton is irresistible. There is something so wonderful and magical between the covers of a Hamish Macbeth book that it defies description and must be experienced by the reader. A fine entry in a marvelous mystery series which comes highly recommended.
We have herein yet another (#20 of 29 so far) in Beaton’s light-hearted “Death of…” mysteries about Scottish village Lochdubh and its constable Hamish Macbeth. Predictability is part of the charm – and as usual we find Hamish outwitting his superiors but keeping a low profile, while his bachelorhood continues unabated despite many a fling after the females in his life. Most of the village regulars put in appearances as well.In “Pen”, someone in nearby village Braike is writing hateful letters to many of the area residents; then the postmistress is found hung by the neck. Macbeth soon contradicts his obnoxious superior Blair, who after a few minutes rushes to declare it a suicide; and moreover, rather quickly discovers the identity of the letter writer. When that person is also offed, we have quite a mystery on our hands that takes more digging than usual for Macbeth to unravel what’s what. Meanwhile, a girlfriend, Jenny, of somewhat regular flame Priscilla, sets out to see about conquering our hero – only to have Hamish warm up (as he often does) to the reporter Elspeth. As other readers have observed, Macbeth’s love affairs do contribute to a somewhat awkward ending to the story. But don’t worry – “Pen” is a perfect exemplar of these easy-reading tales!
What do You think about Death Of A Poison Pen (2005)?
I love the Hamish Macbeth mysteries by M.C. Beaton! This is my second time through this particular title. I really like reader Graeme Malcolm who just personifies Hamish to me. Hamish is the village bobby in Lochdubh (pronounced Lor-Doo) in Scotland. He is brilliant but is not ambitious, preferring to stay in his little police cottage with his few sheep and hens and his dog. He was once promoted to sergeant and had to move to the drug infested Strathbane which he hated. In this book, poison pen letters have been sent to many villagers-- some filled with wild and laughable accusations such as Hamish having an affair with the paragon wife of the local clergy but some having hit their mark. The town's postmistress is found dead...is it suicide or murder as Hamish's instincts lead him to believe. Who is willing to kill to prevent the truth being known? Mix in the local colorful characters of the village and you are in for a pleasant mystery-filled visit to Lochdubh. Havers!
—Nathalie S
Oh Hamish, how do you get yourself into such messes? Why can’t you just take the “easy” way out and let the lackeys higher up classify a murder as a suicide, just this once? Because he is Hamish Macbeth, defender of the poor, downcast and adamant believer in justice for all!Still, he doesn’t win any points for butting in on murders, especially from that prig Blair. But the poor little postmistress lived a quiet, uneventful life – so he thinks – and deserves justice for an obviously sneaky murder. Of course, this is the tip of the iceberg and before you know it, others are dead or kidnapped.His love life is fully covered – whose blouse is on the floor? Could it be the cold Priscilla, the fun Elspeth, or the newcomer, Jenny? Ah, I’m not going to read and tell!Another fun book by M.C. Beaton. High in intrigue and quick-moving, the book flew by and I had that usual let down feeling because I didn’t want it to end just yet. Lugs, his faithful companion, is a dear…but is he so faithful? Where does he sneak around to when his master is out solving crime? Hmmm.Have to give this one an A and am trying very hard not to go on to the next one tonight. My eyes are too tired and I have a massive headache so probably should take a day off from reading…probably.
—Kathy Jackson
In Death of a Poison Pen Hamish Macbeth is called to solve a spat of malicious letters being anonymously sent to the people of the village of Brainier, which results in the mysterious death of two people. Of course he solves the crime, and of course someone else manages to take the credit. Things appear to be moving along with his new love interest Elspeth Grant seem to be moving along well, but the return of that Bitch Priscilla Halburton-Smythe to Lochdubh at the end of the novel is probably the death knell of the relationship. This is the 19th book in the series, and although they were getting a bit draggy, things seem to picking up with more interesting plotlines. Eleven books left in the series.4 of 5 stars
—Badseedgirl
