Name: Death of an Outsider
ISBN: 9781472124081

M. C. Beaton

The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or - more accurately - has been dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remains of the murdered victim are his bones. But once the lobsters have been shipped off to Britain's best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth. Exiled to the dreary outpost of Cnothan, Macbeth sorely misses his beloved Lochdubh, but before he can head back home he has to contend with a detective chief inspector who wants the murder hushed up, a dark-haired lassie who is out to seduce him, and a killer who has made mincemeat of his last victim, and will no doubt strike again . . .

Death of an Outsider

The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or-more accurately-dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remain of the murdered victim are his bones. But after the lobsters are shipped off to Britain's best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth. Exiled with his dog, Towser, to the dreary outpost of Cnothan, Macbeth sorely misses his beloved Lochdubh, his formerly beloved Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, and his days of doing nothing but staring at the sheep grazing in a nearby croft. Now the lawman has to contend with a detective chief inspector who wants the modus operandi hushed up, a dark-haired lass who has an ulterior motive to seduce him, and a killer who has made mincemeat of his victim-and without doubt will strike again . . .

Barbara Williford

Macbeth is forced to serve in a remote village while their policeman is on vacation. He is not welcomed since he is an outsider until there is a murder and a missing person. He is on the hunt for the killer and the missing person while dealing with the secrets of this sleepy town including witch craft.

I typically love Beaton’s cozy little mysteries and have recently fallen in love with the Macbeth series however this one feel short. Macbeth who has been a charming policeman has turned mean and vicious in this book. Not at all turning on the charm. Disappointed in that character depiction.

Macbeth is forced to serve in a remote village while their policeman is on vacation.  He is not welcomed since he is an outsider until there is a murder and a missing person.  He is on the hunt for the killer and the missing person while dealing with the secrets of this sleepy town including witch craft.

I typically love Beaton’s cozy little mysteries and have recently fallen in love with the Macbeth series however this one feel short.  Macbeth who has been a charming policeman has turned mean and vicious in this book.  Not at all turning on the charm.  Disappointed in that character depiction. 

Macbeth is forced to serve in a remote village while their policeman is on vacation.  He is not welcomed since he is an outsider until there is a murder and a missing person.  He is on the hunt for the killer and the missing person while dealing with the secrets of this sleepy town including witch craft.

I typically love Beaton’s cozy little mysteries and have recently fallen in love with the Macbeth series however this one feel short.  Macbeth who has been a charming policeman has turned mean and vicious in this book.  Not at all turning on the charm.  Disappointed in that character depiction. 

Sarah Escorsa

I can’t believe I used to enjoy books by M.C. Beaton. When I first started reading the Agatha Raisin series I used to love every instalment. The books were light but entertaining and full of humour. Then I got into the Hamish Macbeth series and enjoyed it a lot too. I decided recently to pick up the few books in both series I hadn’t had the chance to read and they were all a disappointment.

I can’t really point out what the problem is, it is just that the books don’t seem that fun and enjoyable anymore. The plots are weak (and mostly uninteresting), the characters clichéd and the story sometimes feel quite outdated. In this particular series, even the character of Hamish Macbeth has lot its initial attraction. 

The more I think about it the more I believe that my taste in books as been shifting the past few years. I read more science-fiction, fantasy and steampunk and tend to stay away from mysteries. I used to read quite a few cosy mysteries but they mostly bore me now and the quaint English/Scottish village setting has lost its appeal. I think I still have a Hamish Macbeth mystery to read (I bought it some time ago when my plan was to read the whole series) but it will probably be the last cosy mystery I read in a long time.

Death of an Outsider

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