Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 22)
Grand Central Publishing - Grand Central Publishing
Release date: 2007-01-01
Mass Market Paperback
Author: M. C. Beaton
Mystery And Suspense Fiction, Fiction, Fiction - Mystery/ Detective, Mystery/Suspense, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General, Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural, Mystery & Detective - General
average reviews
0 vote
0 vote
React and review
Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 22)
Date undefinedSpring has finally come to the Highland village of Lochdubh and Constable Hamish Macbeth has roused himself from his long winter idleness to set out on his rounds to check on some of the outlying cottages. He is particularly concerned about a recent arrival to town, an artist who had come north from southern England. Macbeth was concerned about how well the woman survived the long winter in the isolated cottage, particularly when several villagers mentioned that they had not seen her all winter. Fearing that yet another body would be added to Lochdubh's already appalling mortality rate Macbeth was greatly relieved to find her alive and well, just rather lonely. Sadly his relief is short lived and once again Macbeth is hot on the trail of a murderer.
As is the norm with cozy mysteries the back stories of the characters is as much importance as the mystery. In this popular series the main attraction is the unfortunate love live of the charming Macbeth, Fans of the series will be delighted to see several of Macbeth's old flames (including the elusive Priscilla) return as well as a new lady friend. Will Macbeth finally find someone to share his comfortable Highland home?
Fans of the series will delight in this one, particularly the scenes of Hamish trying to keep his various ladies apart. This series has a strong overall story arc so for maximum enjoyment readers should go through the series in order as much as possible. This is a clever mystery with some interesting twists, a bit more challenging than some of the others in the series.
Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 22)
Date undefinedThe charm of the Scottish Highlands and a truly likable detective in Hamish Macbeth offer airy bliss for mystery lovers. Like a cup of hot apple cider on a winter day, the Hamish Macbeth mysteries hit the spot, and are a comfort tantamount to curling up under the covers with a bowl of popcorn on a rainy night and popping in a favorite old movie.
Hamish Macbeth is the constable of the Highland village of Lochdubh and much of the reader's enjoyment is derived from the quirky interactions of its residents. The lanky and red-haired Hamish is a bachelor the whole village would like to see finally make up his mind. There seems to be no end of choices, but Hamish can never quite settle his heart on one.
He is widely regarded as a "food moocher" because he is a bachelor and while being quite gifted in crime solving, makes it appear like luck as much as possible so as not to be noticed. In this way he can remain in Lochdubh with his animals, including a wild Highland cat he has domesticated, just not quite enough for everyone who comes across it.
The usual village gossip is rife with possibilities when a local artist named Effie, a dreamer who lives in her own world, claims to be marrying a visiting artist named Jock. He denies offering to marry her, however. He has an ex-wife with a grudge and a female agent Hamish likes named Betty which cloud the village gossip.
But Hamish smells trouble on the Highland winds and it isn't long before Effie's somewhat sad existence comes to an end. When old flame Priscilla returns and Hamish has Glasgow reporter Elspeth to deal with as well, will he be too distracted to get at the truth? Having a group of C.S.I.'s who get inebriated at the local pub and have Jedi fights with blue lights substituting for light sabers might not help much either. Hamish, who likes to work cases alone, is teamed with Robin, who has ambitions which could lead to trouble.
Everyone writes off Effie's death as a suicide at first, but Hamish's nose is proven right and the deeper he looks, the more suspects there are. A second death will occur before Hamish's wild cat saves the day in this fun and enjoyable mystery. Filled with charm and humor and a quirky atmosphere which will have you wanting to travel to Scotland, this is a fine series somewhere between a cozy and a traditional detective story.
If you like your mysteries to be enjoyable and leave a smile on your face then Hamish and Lochdubh will be a place you want to visit as often as possible. Highly recommended!
Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 22)
Date undefinedSpring has finally arrived in the Highland Village of Lochdubh and Constable Hamish Macbeth wants to do nothing but sit back and enjoy it. That proves impossible, however, when the body of Effie Garrard is found in the mountains. The police say it was suicide but Macbeth is not so sure - he thinks she was murdered. He has plenty of suspects - Effie was a dreamer who made up many stories no matter who they hurt. While Hamish is investigating Effie's death, he is also looking into his own heart and trying to figure out his feelings for girlfriends both past and present.
"Death of a Dreamer" is another great entry in M.C. Beaton's charming Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series. There are a couple of things that make this series so enjoyable and one of them is the setting. Lochdubh is a small village filled with memorable characters including the Currie sisters, Dr. Brodie and his wife Angela, Archie MacLean and the seer Angus. Other memorable characters include the police that Hamish deals with notably Jimmy Anderson, Peter Daviot, and the bane of his existence Chief Inspector Blair, as well as Hamish's ex-girlfriends Priscilla Halburton-Smythe and Elspeth Grant. However, Hamish himself is the real reason to read this book and the other books in the series. It is initially easy to write him off, as some of the villagers and police do, as a slacker since his biggest fear is that he will be promoted and as a womanizer. However, he is a much deeper character than that. He is more intelligent than people give him credit for, he sees more than people think (and is willing to turn a blind eye while issuing subtle warnings at the same time) and works harder than people think. What makes me like him so much as a character is his love for his family (when he comes into money he immediately gives half to his family) and his love for his odd pets - his cat Sonsie is literally a wild cat.
As for the mystery elements in the book, they are just okay. Beaton takes her time setting up the murder, which ends up giving the readers plenty of suspects and motives. She includes a second murder adding even more suspects. However, I figured out who the killer was pretty early on which took away some of my enjoyment of the book.
"Death of a Dreamer" is an enjoyable if not perfect cozy mystery.
