Death
of a Maid
A
Hamish Macbeth Mystery
M.
C. Beaton
Mysterious
Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-89296-010-8 (0892960108)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-010-1 (9780892960101)
Publication Date: February 2007
List Price: $23.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Armed with a bucket and mop, Mrs. Gillespie brings
misery into the quiet life of Hamish Macbeth when he wins her maid
services in a church raffle. He fears she's more likely to snoop than
clean, since rumor has it that she damages more items than she dusts.
Yet Macbeth has more upsetting issues to ponder—his former
girlfriend, reporter Elspeth Grant, is back in the village for a
holiday with her new boyfriend. Then he gets notice that a TV crew
plans a documentary on him. Its airing is sure to get him a promotion
and transfer to the city—and Hamish Macbeth would rather be
boiled in oil than leave the serenity of Lochdubh.
Though lately Macbeth's seeing the squabbling of seagulls and feeling
an ill wind coming. Sure enough, Mrs. Gillespie is soon found dead
under suspicious circumstances. And as he investigates the case,
Elspeth's presence torments the red-haired bobby and drives him to
foolish antics. But what should really preoccupy Macbeth are the town's
hidden secrets—ones that will force a killer to lash out in
deadly, irrevocable acts …
Review:
Hamish Macbeth stumbles upon the body of a local house cleaner in Death of a Maid,
an amusing entry in this long-running series by M. C. Beaton.
There's much to be said for a typical English, or in this case
Scottish, village mystery. They're comfortable, rather predictable, and
if done well, are quite enjoyable. Here, Constable Macbeth of the
Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh investigates the murder of Mrs.
Gillespie, a maid whose reputation for gossip far exceeds that of her
cleaning abilities. Since most everyone is hiding a secret of some
sort, the number of suspects is just about equal to the population of
the village.
Macbeth quickly confirms this fact soon after he begins interviewing
Mrs. Gillespie's clients. When he meets the dead woman's daughter, he
asks, "Do you know of anyone who would wish your mother harm?" Her
matter-of-fact reply, "Just about everyone." There's something
refreshing in the simplicity of the story and how Macbeth goes about
the business of eliminating suspects and building a case against the
killer.
Where the story goes astray is in a secondary plot involving attempts
on Macbeth's life. No doubt intended by Beaton to be a red herring of
sorts to the main plot, it never rings true. Worse, after capturing the
culprit who killed Mrs. Gillespie and presumably bringing about an end
to the mystery of the Death of a Maid,
the book goes on for another 50 or so pages to wrap up the subplot. The
author redeems herself, however, in the epilogue with a clever
resolution to an unsolved aspect of the case.
Special thanks to Hachette Book Group for providing an ARC of Death of a Maid for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Death of a Maid? How would you rate it?
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Omnimystery
keywords for Death of a Maid
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Location(s) referenced: Scotland.
