Death
of a Witch
A
Hamish Macbeth Mystery
M.
C. Beaton
Grand
Central (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-446-19613-4 (0446196134)
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-19613-0 (9780446196130)
Publication Date: February 2009
List Price: $24.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Returning from a foreign holiday, the redheaded
Constable Hamish Macbeth senses a dark cloud of evil hanging over his
Scottish village of Lochdubh. A newcomer, Catriona Beldame, has cast a
spell over the town, and word of her magical powers spreads as fast as
the Highland fog. The local men are visiting Catriona’s
cottage at all hours of the night and the women are outraged, ready to
cast the witch into the sea loch. Hamish himself is charmed by her,
too, until he begins to suspect that she is a danger to the town.
The townsfolk simply don’t believe that Catriona is a serious
threat, saying that the loveless constable has turned against all
women, and before he can prove them wrong, she is murdered. Catriona,
in her own wicked way, curses Hamish from beyond the grave, making him
the prime suspect in her murder case. Hamish will call upon the
assistance of a pretty female forensic expert as he attempts to clear
his name–perhaps he will find romance at last!
Lochdubh’s loyal constable won’t give up until he
can bring peace and quiet back to his beloved village.
Review:
Twenty-five books ago, Scottish author, Marion Chesney, writing as M.
C. Beaton, penned her first Constable Hamish Macbeth mystery, Death of a Gossip,
in 1985. Set in the Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh, the novel
introduced the constable, his arch antagonist, Chief Inspector Blair,
and Priscilla Haliburton-Smythe, the love of Hamish’s life.
Since then Hamish has been twice promoted, twice demoted, and along
with his dog Lugs and his pet wild cat, Sonsie, has solved the
suspicious deaths of among others a maid, a dreamer, a bore, a dustman,
a snob, a prankster, a nag, a travelling man, and even a village. Now,
in his same inimitable style and with his same longing for Priscilla,
loathing for Blair and love of his village and its residents, Hamish
scours the Scottish Highlands to find the murderer of a witch, Catriona
Beldame. It’s another fun-filled search for Chesney/Beaton
fans of the Macbeth series and an entertaining introduction to the
prolific author with several pen names and a shelf full of series and
stand-alone novels.
Before he encounters Catriona’s case, Hamish warms up for the
main event by capturing three bank robbers and displaying his
compassion while covering up for a colleague, the force’s
newest recruit, “wee Alice Donaldson.” Flushed with
success, and despite a warning from the long-time village seer, Angus
Macdonald, that, “Black days are coming,” he moves
on to meet Madame Beldame. She has been supplying the local men with
“therapy and herbal treatments” and “a
secret recipe” for sexual dysfunction. The recipe, however,
has turned sour for the men and for their put-upon wives suddenly
fending off husbands seeking their “martial
rights,” as one mislabels his needs. So, Hamish sets out to
intervene and to have Catriona move on. When his attempts fail and he
temporarily succumbs to her spell, Hamish publicly blurts out in
unguarded frustration, “God, I could kill that
woman.” God aside, it’s a statement with its own
recipe for disaster when, shortly afterward, Hamish is the first to
discover a naked Catriona dead, and before the corpse is removed from
her cottage, watches as a disastrous fire consumes the body and any
clues to her death.
For CI Blair, the event proves Macbeth’s incompetence. Even
hopefully his guilt. But for the constable, it’s the
challenge to clear his name and that of the Lochdubh villagers, even
though many of them “thought it a fitting end for the
‘witch.’” As he always does, Hamish rises
to the challenge, sifting the heather from the thistles and following
leads to a variety of suspects and to several additional murders of
suspected drug runners and a brothel operator “on the
game.” And while Hamish ducks and runs from the maniacal
wrath of a besotted, inept Blair, potential perpetrators pop up across
the Highlands. So, too, do romantic partners pining for Hamish. A
forensic specialist is willing to help him find more than the fuse for
the fire that consumed Catriona’s cottage, and a visiting
reporter is ever willing to work with him on more than just the
“witch’s” story. And, as is to be
expected, Priscilla arrives on the scene, too, sometimes at the most
inopportune times, depending upon others’ points of view. For
Hamish, of course, there are always Lugs and Sonsie to look after and
the humour of how their need for care dampens a romantic interlude with
one of the women.
While it takes time to get used to the vernacular of Beaton’s
characters, it’s well worth the effort. The series with its
long standing characters and their idiosyncrasies is tried and true,
and Death
of a Witch is a welcome
addition to its well-deserved reputation.
Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of Death of a Witch.
Review Copyright © 2009 — M. Wayne Cunningham — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission
Have you read Death of a Witch? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Death
of
a Gossip
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), March 1985
ISBN-10: 0-312-18637-1 (0312186371)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-18637-1 (9780312186371)
Death
of
a Cad
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), February 1987
ISBN-10: 0-312-00118-5 (0312001185)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-00118-6 (9780312001186)
Death
of
an Outsider
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), November 1988
ISBN-10: 0-312-02188-7 (0312021887)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-02188-7 (9780312021887)
Death
of
a Perfect Wife
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), November 1989
ISBN-10: 0-312-03322-2 (0312033222)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-03322-4 (9780312033224)
Death
of
a Hussy
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), November 1990
ISBN-10: 0-312-05071-2 (0312050712)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-05071-9 (9780312050719)
Death
of
a Snob
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), July 1991
ISBN-10: 0-312-05851-9 (0312058519)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-05851-7 (9780312058517)
Death
of
a Prankster
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), June 1992
ISBN-10: 0-312-07701-7 (0312077017)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-07701-3 (9780312077013)
Death
of
a Glutton
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), April 1993
ISBN-10: 0-312-08761-6 (0312087616)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-08761-6 (9780312087616)
Death
of
a Traveling Man
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), December 1993
ISBN-10: 0-312-09783-2 (0312097832)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-09783-7 (9780312097837)
Death
of
a Charming Man
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), September 1994
ISBN-10: 0-89296-529-0 (0892965290)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-529-8 (9780892965298)
Death
of
a Nag
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), July 1995
ISBN-10: 0-89296-530-4 (0892965304)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-530-4 (9780892965304)
Death
of
a Macho Man
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), June 1996
ISBN-10: 0-89296-531-2 (0892965312)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-531-1 (9780892965311)
Death
of
a Dentist
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), August 1997
ISBN-10: 0-89296-643-2 (0892966432)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-643-1 (9780892966431)
Death
of
a Scriptwriter
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), June 1998
ISBN-10: 0-89296-644-0 (0892966440)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-644-8 (9780892966448)
Death
of
an Addict
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), May 1999
ISBN-10: 0-89296-675-0 (0892966750)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-675-2 (9780892966752)
A
Highland Christmas
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), November 1999
ISBN-10: 0-89296-699-8 (0892966998)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-699-8 (9780892966998)
Death
of
a Dustman
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), March 2001
ISBN-10: 0-89296-631-9 (0892966319)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-631-8 (9780892966318)
Death
of
a Celebrity
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), January 2002
ISBN-10: 0-89296-676-9 (0892966769)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-676-9 (9780892966769)
Death
of
a Village
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), March 2003
ISBN-10: 0-89296-677-7 (0892966777)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-677-6 (9780892966776)
Death
of
a Poison Pen
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), February 2004
ISBN-10: 0-89296-788-9 (0892967889)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-788-9 (9780892967889)
Death
of
a Bore
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), February 2005
ISBN-10: 0-89296-795-1 (0892967951)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-795-7 (9780892967957)
Death
of
a Dreamer
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), February 2006
ISBN-10: 0-89296-789-7 (0892967897)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-789-6 (9780892967896)
Death of a Maid
Mysterious Press (Hardcover), February 2007
ISBN-10: 0-89296-010-8 (0892960108)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89296-010-1 (9780892960101)
Death
of
a Gentle Lady
Grand Central (Hardcover), February 2008
ISBN-10: 0-446-58260-3 (0446582603)
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-58260-5 (9780446582605)
Death of a Witch
Grand Central (Hardcover), February 2009
ISBN-10: 0-446-19613-4 (0446196134)
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-19613-0 (9780446196130)
Omnimystery
keywords for Death of a Witch
...
Location(s) referenced: Scotland.
