Product Description

Hamish Macbeth, the stubborn, red-haired, one-man Scottish police force investigates death threats, assault, and murder after a mysterious, unmarried, wealthy stranger moves to a neighboring village and causes bitter rivalry among the local women. Reprint. PW.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #134450 in Books
• Published on: 1995-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 176 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780446403382
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
One of the warmest and quirkiest mystery series around boasts a new publisher and a welcome burst of fresh energy. Making his 10th appearance (following Death of a Travelling Man ) is lanky, tousle-haired Scottish Highland copper Hamish Macbeth, in the company here of his lazy dog Towser, his higher-born fiancee Priscilla and the quixotic inhabitants of the village of Lochdubh. Hamish, known for his slovenly lifestyle and crafty detecting, meets handsome newcomer, Peter Hynd, whose suave looks send the village womenfolk running to the hairdresser and aerobics classes. Soon they are at each other's throats and queueing up for a place in his bed. The Lothario goes missing and soon the body of one of his conquests is found on the beach, leaving Hamish with two mysteries to solve while his domestic life deteriorates. Beaton's tremendously likable policeman stars here in a tightly wrought tale, with a gem of an ending in which Hamish manages to be both dead right and dead wrong. Further good news is that the series has been optioned by Zenith Productions, the team responsible for the absorbing TV series starring Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Hamish MacBeth is a stubborn, silent, gloomy Scotsman who's also kindhearted, intelligent, and intuitive. A Lochdubh native, he knows his village, the surrounding countryside, and the local folk like the back of his hand. His life is satisfyingly settled--he's engaged to the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, and there have been no serious crimes in Lochdubh for months. Then incredibly handsome Peter Hynd comes to town, charms all the women, antagonizes all the men, and generally turns the town on its ear. Hamish senses trouble brewing, but when a body is discovered, it's not Hynd after all--at least, the first body isn't. Other coppers might be baffled by the case, but not laconic, methodical, determined Hamish, who persists until he unravels the puzzling mystery. Beaton's low-key police procedural doesn't offer white-knuckle suspense, blood and gore, fast-paced action, or stunning climaxes. What it does offer is an intimate look at life in a small Scottish village, striking insights into human nature, carefully detailed, highly accurate descriptions of police work, splendid dry humor, and a story that's as satisfying as a cozy cup of tea. Emily Melton

From Kirkus Reviews
Or is he really dead? The official word on irresistible philanderer Peter Hynd is that he slipped out of his house in the sleepy Scottish village of Drim in the middle of the night, leaving behind a bevy of broken-hearted matrons. But Lochdubh Sgt. Hamish Macbeth (Death of a Travelling Man, 1993, etc.), whose beat includes Drim, is convinced that Peter is dead, even though the broken body that's found at the foot of a cliff is that of besotted housewife Betty Baxter. Suspicious of the phone call that lured Betty out to the cliff for a last rendezvous with Peter, Hamish, in an uncharacteristic fit of industry, affronts both his official superiors and his unofficial fianc‚e, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe (already angry that Hamish has responded to her own brief flirtation with Peter by taking up with Sophy Bisset, the new receptionist at her father's hotel), by spending his vacation alone at Drim, where he noses out clues among such suspects as Betty's husband, who attacked his late wife with a codfish, and their unnervingly maternal daughter. A remarkable spate of activity for the usually indolent Hamish--he also thwarts a burglary, faces down a wife-beater, and gets charged with police brutality--makes this his most spirited outing in years. It just shows how much even the laziest man will exert himself to keep from getting married and promoted. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Along the Beaton Path
The Hamish Macbeth mysteries are most noteable for their Scottish highland settings, light tone and rapid plot progression, and lack of detail- characteristics that assure they can be read in one day, if not in one sitting. "Charming Man" is an unexceptional entry in which Macbeth investigates a crime- that may not even have occured- by jumping from one conclusion to the next armed, not with facts, but with good old highland instinct. The plotting and logic fall below Beaton's usual standards, with the twist ending particularly unconvincing. Still, another visit from these lovable characters is always welcome.

A wry commentary on menopause and a darned good mystery!
Beaton seems to like to include children in her stories and has created an exceptional one here, twelve-year-old Heather who can raise the power of Celtic gods when needed. This is a wry commentary on the vulnerability of menopausal women ("the men's pause," it's called in these pages) and a darned good mystery to boot, which you won't fully appreciate until the very last page!

Somewhat grim and also somewhat funny!
I really like Hamish MacBeth and I like the way M.C. Beaton develops her characters. I am definiely reading these out of order, so I am coming to the engagement of Hamish and Priscilla somewhat out of season, but I am impressed with the way that Beaton develops the serious ambivalence in their relationship and the poignant loss at the end of the novel at the same time that she is able to have some very funny, lighthearted scenes.

There is a lot of human sadness here--I really felt for the poor, excitement starved women of Drim who yearn so much for the Charming Man of the title. I was also really drawn to the child, Heather, old beyond her years with Celtic wisdom.

I really like the layers of meaning and strength of the characters in these books.