Hamish and the WorldStoppers

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Because the murder might involve the criminal underworld, Hamish must accept assistance from other law enforcement operating out of the larger cities. There is a lot going on in DEATH OF A GREEN-EYED MONSTER, including Hamish and Dorothy getting engaged and making plans for their wedding. Beaton and Green do a superb job keeping the red herrings coming and the plot twists jumping out at you until the finale. You’ll just have to strap on your favorite kilt and visit scenic Lochdubh to find out exactly what is going on here.

Soon after this revelation, Lady Jane is found murdered. No one in the party is exactly upset about this development, but Hamish Macbeth (the local policeman) feels obligated to find the murderer. At this point, the book mirrors an English murder-mystery. In essence, a small group of people are trapped and each of them is a suspect in a murder case, much like the famous movie Clue. At this point, it is left up to Macbeth to determine who the culprit is and how to bring him/her to justice. In this book, Macbeth is assisted by his love interest Priscilla Smythe and, together, they bring the killer to light. I was at a fishing school in Sutherland in the very north of Scotland, and I thought, what a wonderful setting for a classical detective story, 11 people isolated in this Highland wilderness. So Hamish Macbeth was born." [3] Recurrent characters [ edit ] In Lochdubh [ edit ] But just as the town of Lochdubh gets ready to celebrate, Hamish finds himself with a new murder on his hands. If he doesn't find the killer fast, Hamish's dream wedding could become a nightmare. Carlyle insisted that if Hamish wasn't allowed to smoke pot, he would leave the series – and though Beaton thought him a fine actor, she didn't approve of how her work was interpreted and portrayed on screen (though she quite liked Ashley Jensen's TV portrayal of her other famous detective, Agatha Raisin).It was so bittersweet to read this book knowing that M.C. Beaton had passed away and that she’d had assistance with writing this book before her death. IF this had been my first read in the Hamish Macbeth series, I’d probably have rated the book a solid 4 or 4.5 stars. However, it was NOT my first book in the series – I’ve read them all. It was a good mystery and it was well written – it was just a little ‘off’ somehow. Hamish just wasn’t quite Hamish – I still loved him, but he wasn’t exactly the character I’ve come to know and love. I also didn’t get the book I had so very much wanted. I have to wonder if this is really the last book of the series or not because nothing was really wrapped up in the book and lots of ‘hints’ were there for things to come. The book I WANTED would have had a happily settled Hamish in his sweet Scottish village – and DCI Blair having been dropped in the deep ocean somewhere. That is definitely NOT what I got. So now, do I go on picturing our sweet, lovable Hamish spending a long, lonely life in Lochdubh – OR – will there be another book and another? If there are more, will they satisfy my Lochdubh hunger and my desire to see Hamish happily settled and living a life that isn’t lonely? In 2019, the literary world and readers everywhere said goodbye to the great M. C. Beaton. Hailed as the "Queen of Crime" by the Globe and Mail, she brought us two hugely popular mystery series starring Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth. DEATH OF A GREEN-EYED MONSTER is the 34th installment in the latter series, and it is thanks to R.W. Green --- a longtime friend of Beaton --- that this story was finished and published for her fans to enjoy.

To tell you this book broke my heart and left me terribly, terribly sad for Hamish would be putting it mildly – especially if there are no future books. I’m not sure if I’m glad I read it or not because, if it is the last book, my imagination was so very much better than where this went. That said, it was a good mystery and a good read even if it wasn’t the same as it would have been had M.C. Beaton written all of the words. They work well together solving the few crimes that happen in ‘their patch’ as Hamish refers to it. Then, there is a murder, and ‘special’ investigators from Strathbane and even Glasgow descends on their peaceful little world. One of those investigators is DCI Blair who hates Hamish with a passion. Blair is the epitome of a dirty cop – Hamish knows it – Blair knows Hamish knows it. Hamish just can’t prove it – yet. Hamish and Dorothy conduct their own investigation since they’ve been told to stay out of the official one. It really gets personal for Hamish when Douglas (Dougie) Tennant is beaten and left to burn to death in his cottage near where the murder happened. I loved this series from the first book Death of a Gossip. Hamish Macbeth is the main character along with the supporting characters in the town of Lochdubh, The new characters add to the story. Hamish is the policeman assigned to this town which he loves. He gets a new constable Dorothy McIver to work with him. He shows her around town and the Tommel Castle Hotel to introduce her to the villagers. While at the castle he is told that a woman showed up asking about Dorothy but left. While there they run into two men in the parking lot who Hamish is suspicious of. He gets a call from Dougie, the owner of the gas station that there is a dead body in a car. Hamish goes and finds that it is one of the men in the parking lot, Graham Leslie who is shot in the head. This is where the story takes off with Hamish trying to find out why he was killed. So much is happening in the town with thieves, car races, a motorcycle as well as murder. Hamish and Dorothy spend a lot of time together. They fall in love and Hamish asks her to marry him and she accepts. The town is very happy for them. Detective Chief Inspector Blair is assigned to the murder. He and Hamish have a bad relationship; throughout all the books. He is into something shady. On the wedding day Hamish is at the church but Dorothy does not show. He knows that she is in danger and looks for her. She is found in a field dead. Hamish goes to great lengths to find the killer. I will leave the end of the story to the readers as the ending comes with many surprises. Hamish Macbeth could have been the beginning to all of these outspoken characters. Macbeth was created by M. C. Beaton (more commonly known as Marion Chesney) in a mystery novel published in 1985, the first of many in a series. Macbeth resides in the small, fictional village known as Lochdubh in northern Scotland. M.C. Beaton died two days before the worst year in recent memory. Yes, she left this earth on December 30, 2019 at the age of 83.The Hamish Macbeth books were adapted into the BBC Scotland television series Hamish Macbeth. Running for three series between 1995 and 1997, the titular police officer was played by Robert Carlyle. The first and second series comprised six episodes and the third had an additional two-part series finale to make eight episodes. The series bore little relation to the content of Beaton's novels. Macbeth and Lochdubh were retained, in name at least, but little else survived. The 32nd book in the series, Death of a Ghost, has both an intriguing title and plot. There is a haunted house that has been plaguing neighbours with eerie, spooky sounds. When Hamish and his colleague, Charlie, go to investigate they find nothing out of the ordinary. Till Charlie falls through the floor into the cellar. They find a dead body propped up against the door but when they leave the castle briefly, the corpse disappears too. OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE Detective Chief Inspector Blair – who hates Hamish (mostly because Hamish is competent and Blair is not); a fat whisky drinker who, on several occasions, is hospitalised with alcohol poisoning.

Peter Hynd’s arrival has suddenly created chaos in the village. He is a handsome, unmarried man with a good income, and all the ladies in the town are practically swooning and fighting over him.Good afternoon, Sergeant,' she said, in a soft voice delicately laced with an endearing lilt that might have drifted in from the Western Isles on the summer breeze. 'Constable Dorothy McIver reporting for duty.' MY THOUGHTS: Apparently M.C. Beaton was working on this story at the time of her death. I enjoyed Death of a Green-Eyed Monster, but perhaps not as much as some of the earlier books. Any time a series goes beyond the normal length (3-6 books) it becomes quite the juggling act to figure out what to read next. Hamish is happy because Priscilla has agreed to marry him, and he is enjoying a blissful time with his beloved fiance. The police Sergeant is free to go fishing, drink a lot of coffee, and be lazy all day, as the crime rate in the village of Lochdubh has decreased significantly. Until now, of course!