Death of an Outsider (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 3)
Grand Central Publishing - Grand Central Publishing
Release date: 2005-07-01
Mass Market Paperback
Author: M. C. Beaton
Fiction, Fiction - Mystery/ Detective, Mystery/Suspense, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General, Mystery & Detective - Series, Mystery & Detective - Traditional British, Mystery & Detective - General
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Death of an Outsider (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 3)
Date undefined...and he is not happy about it. Hamish has been ordered to close up his comfortable police station, leave his neighboring croft and take over the post at nearby Cnothan. The only bright spot for Hamish is that the move is only temporary, the local policeman will be gone for three months, so with any luck Macbeth will be back home by spring. Once he (and Towser) arrive in Cnothan though they discover that it will be a very long three months. The village is quite unfriendly to outsiders, and they consider anyone who was not actually born in the village, preferably to a long established village family to be an outsider. Macbeth finds himself shut out by the locals, unable the extract even directions to the local police station and to be the butt of numerous practical jokes.
After a few days on the job Hamish has found a couple of bright spots in Cnothan, one is that he is not the most despised person in town - that 'honor' goes to an overbearing Englishman. The other is the presence of a local artist, a beautiful young woman named Jenny who just might help Hamish forget Priscilla who has once again abandoned the Highlands for London. The young constable begins to feel right at home though when the mysteries begin, starting with the disappearance of a not very missed husband.
Fans will enjoy this third novel of this series of cozies featuring the young Highland constable. The mystery takes second place here (and throughout the series) to the life and loves of Macbeth. Those looking for a puzzling challenge will want to look elsewhere but fans of the cozy genre will enjoy this one and the rest of this charming series.
Death of an Outsider (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 3)
Date undefinedThe mystery in this book was decent, the personal side... not so much. The whole dynamic between Hamish and Jenny seemed completely unrealistic and bizarre, plus it seemed somewhat out of character for Hamish. Sure, it's mentioned in some books that he's a 'lady's man', though honestly that always seemed to be at odds with the way he actually acts through most of the stories. But if you can ignore that little odd bit of tangential story, the mystery is solid and well-constructed, and the characters are starting to take on more dimensions and becoming the likeable (and unlikeable, in the case of Blair) backdrop of the later books.
In the overall scheme of the series, this one is getting there but is still far from the best.
Death of an Outsider (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 3)
Date undefinedOnce I read the first mystery I was hooked. I love the way this author writes and I love her characters. I've read almost all that she has writen and when I read her last book I will be very unhappy. You would think that once you read one or two you'd know her style and the answer to the mystery. No way; every one keeps me in suspense.
