Death of a Scriptwriter (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 14)
Grand Central Publishing - Grand Central Publishing
Release date: 1999-06-01
Mass Market Paperback
Author: M. C. Beaton
Crime & mystery, Fiction, Fiction - Mystery/ Detective, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Traditional British, Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural, Mystery & Detective - Series, Mystery & Detective - Traditional British, Crime & Thriller
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Death of a Scriptwriter (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 14)
Date undefinedIf you have ever inhabited an office filled with conniving, abusive coworkers you will barely restrain yourself from cheering, as one by one, the most detestable of such specimens are offed in M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth mystery "Death of a Scriptwriter."
The nearby village of Drim is hosting the filming of a TV series. While the local village women fight for their 15 minutes of fame as extras, the cast and crew bicker and abuse each other while filming what each hopes will be a notch in their vocational belts. Once again Macbeth is drawn into a murder investigation after the scriptwriter is found dead with his head bashed. That same evening, the shows starlet is unexpectedly released from an unhappy marriage. Her boorish violent husband is found dead beside his car. But her blissful widowhood is short-lived. A few days later she falls from a cliff during filming.
Suspects abound, including a local, Patricia Martyn-Broyd, author of the book that the series is based upon, and an "awfy aud snob," as she is described by locals. Macbeth's love life takes rather a small part making this one of the best of the series I have read so far. The locals, including the amusingly opportunistic seer, Angus MacDonald, are out in full force displaying their quirky attitudes and allegiances. Beaton introduces some new characters, along with a taste of poetic justice. If you always cheer for the underdog and want light bedtime reading, I think you will particuliarly enjoy this cozy mystery.
Death of a Scriptwriter (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 14)
Date undefinedThis is the fourteenth novel in the popular series featuring Hamish Macbeth, the lovable but totally unambitious police constable in the quiet little Highland town of Lochdubh. As the novel opens a quiet semiretired writer of detective stories is beginning to rethink her decision to move to the Highlands. The weather is dreadful and most of the villagers are just not her sort, and although there is plenty of solitude she has not been able to break through her writers block in years. To her surprise though she discovers that there is interest in making a television serial of one of her long forgotten novels. The production company has decided to film in the Highlands and settled on the rather dismal village of Drim which just happens to be on Hamish's beat.
The filming causes no end of trouble in the village, bringing out all sorts of petty and not so petty problems among both the locals and the film crew. Hamish is on the scene and doing a creditable job of keeping everything under control, at least until the first body appears. Before the final pages the body count rises, a marriage ends and once again Hamish is unlucky in love.
Fans of this series of cozies will not want to miss another adventure with Hamish in the Highlands. There is a rather pronounced overall story arc to this series so at least some familiarity with the series is needed for full enjoyment. As always with this series the mystery aspect takes a definite second place to the various back stories, particularly that of Hamish. Those who are seeking a truly challenging puzzler should look elsewhere.
Death of a Scriptwriter (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 14)
Date undefinedI like a relaxing read now and then, and these Hamish Macbeth mysteries by M.C. Beaton fill that need perfectly. I must admit to being a big fan of Hamish, a constable in a small village in the Highlands of Scotland, having read most of this series over the years. This story, and the others in the series can be classified as cozy village mysteries. Beaton's ability to describe the people, villages and land make these books quite remarkable. Now, as others have pointed out, the actual "mysteries" are not all that mysterious. The stories are quite laid back, and yes, they are somewhat predictable. This is good though, from my point of view and my needs.
In this particular book, a retired, and not aging mystery novelist, who has retired to Hamish's area, is given a second chance when a T.V. crew moves into a nearby village to film one of her long out of print books. The cast and crew arrive, the village is set on end, and the story begins. Beaton has filled her story with, as usual, two murders, both of people you do not particularly like, and then thrown in plenty of likely suspects. Beaton gives us plenty of leads (yes, you can figure out who done it if you read closely), but does not throw in surprises right at the end to allow her hero to solve the case, while you, the reader, could not simply because you did not have access to all the facts.
This small novel does contain many twists and curves, but none of them are all that sharp and the story is easy to follow and easy to read. The usual village characters are present complicating things for our hero, who, I am glad to say, does not step out of his long established character. He is still quite laid back and simply wants to live a simple life "doing his thing." Per usual, Hamish's love life is a mess, but not even that seems to bother him all that much. Tending a few sheep, feeding his chickens, and solving a murder now and then are quite fulfilling.
You can read this work in one or two settings, depending on how fast you want to read, and I highly recommend them for clearing the mind, escaping, and for just simple reading enjoyment. Hope the author keep them coming.
