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146th out of 212 books
—
100 voters
Death of a Witch (Hamish Macbeth #25)
by
M.C. Beaton
Scottish policeman tall Hamish Macbeth gets repeated forebodings. Newcomer alluring Catriona Beldame supplies "herbs" to Lochdubh village men wanting to exercise "marital rights" their wives deny. Hamish threatens to kill her, finds her slashed; her house burns up as he leaves. Someone from her murdering past or interfering present has taken revenge.
Three other stabbings...more
Three other stabbings...more
Hardcover, Grand Central Publishing, 245 pages
Published
February 24th 2009
by Hachette
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Hamish Macbeth has annoyingly un-believable un-policeman-like forebodings, again and again "a large black cloud swept across the sun and all at once the wind died" p16. The meek men in secluded Scottish village Lochdubh are denied, "marital rights .. ye frigid wee hoor" p25 despite "herb" remedies from new arrival Catriona Beldame who "gives me the shivers" p4. She hid under the false surname (view spoiler)...more
Hamish MacBeth returns in his 25th novel of Highland sleuthing. A strange new female has moved to the quiet Highland village while Hamish was away on Holiday. He returns to find the elder females of the village angered that the new lady might by running an illegal brothel. It turns out that she is selling tainted potions to the men of the village – promising that the ill-advised concoctions will rekindle the lustful feelings of their wives.
In truth, the wives were angered as were the men, leadi...more
In truth, the wives were angered as were the men, leadi...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Of course I had to read who's killed my sister witch. Plus, I've read M.C. Beaton's Hamish MacBeth's mysteries before. I was as pleased with this as past readings. I loved returning to the small village in the Scottish Highlands where the simple but very efficient Hamish is the local copper (policeman). Ms. Beaton creates such fun, interesting and truly what a character, characters.
Death of a Witch is filled with mysteries, and as more people enter, suspects, coppers, helpers and dead bodies, t...more
Death of a Witch is filled with mysteries, and as more people enter, suspects, coppers, helpers and dead bodies, t...more
Jul 29, 2011
Catherine Woodman
added it
Beaton’s popular Hamish Macbeth mystery series, now on its twenty-fifth title, continues to surprise and delight fans with gentle humor and the confirmed bachelor’s brushes with romance. Highland police constable Hamish returned from an unsatisfying vacation in Spain to find the quiet Scottish village of Lochdubh in an uproar over its newest tenant, Catriona Beldame. After Hamish had private words with a few local married men, he realized Catriona was dispensing possibly dangerous herbal cures f...more
First Sentence: Police Constable Hamish Macbeth, heading home to his police station in the village of Lochdubh n Sutherland, heaved a sigh of relief.
Constable Hamish Macbeth is back in the Scottish village of Lochdubh after his less-than-restful vacation to Spain. He is greeted with the news that a witch has moved into town. But she’s not there long and she is murdered shortly after Hamish’s return. As Hamish’s investigation proceeds more die.
The Hamish books lie somewhere between traditional m...more
Constable Hamish Macbeth is back in the Scottish village of Lochdubh after his less-than-restful vacation to Spain. He is greeted with the news that a witch has moved into town. But she’s not there long and she is murdered shortly after Hamish’s return. As Hamish’s investigation proceeds more die.
The Hamish books lie somewhere between traditional m...more
Since I'm still at the beach, I picked another cozy mystery from M.C. Beaton to read while sitting in my beach chair and watching the dolphins frolic and the brown pelicans fish. This book is the 25th in the series featuring Hamish MacBeth, a local constable in the small village of Lockdubh located in the Scottish Highlands. MacBeth has just returned from a rather unsatisfying vacation to find that a woman, who is rumored to be a witch, has moved near the village and that the village men are vis...more
I've read several books in this series and they were a pleasant way to pass the time even though the plots were occasionally irritating. But this one is just plain bad. The book starts with Hamish, the main character, returning from vacation and on his first day back he solves a series of crimes which has stumped the rest of the police force for several weeks. He does this in an over-the-top scene which belongs in a wild-west, cowboy novel. All this in the space of 14 pages. And it doesn't get a...more
I've had a very lazy reading year (might have something to do with teaching 28 university class hours), but now I'm on summer vacation, I'm back in the U.S., and I have nothing more pressing to do than read.
What was my first choice? An old favorite and friend: Hamish Macbeth. M.C. Beaton's latest, Death of a Witch, did not disappoint. Hamish is as charming as ever as he tracks a serial killer in Lochdubh, Scotland.
Catriona Beldame moves to Lochdubh while Hamish is on holiday in Spain and immedia...more
What was my first choice? An old favorite and friend: Hamish Macbeth. M.C. Beaton's latest, Death of a Witch, did not disappoint. Hamish is as charming as ever as he tracks a serial killer in Lochdubh, Scotland.
Catriona Beldame moves to Lochdubh while Hamish is on holiday in Spain and immedia...more
1 like · like · see review
12DEC11 Death of a Witch
Ah Hamish Macbeth – I love this character! This is the 25th book in this series and the second one I have read. This book slips some romance in for the bachelor Hamish, which gives his character a new twist…which I like!
After a disappointing retreat in Spain, Hamish comes back to find the quiet Scottish village of Lochdubh in an uproar over its newest tenant, Catriona Beldame. Hamish finds out she is dispensing natural herbal cures to the local men to increase their libid...more
Ah Hamish Macbeth – I love this character! This is the 25th book in this series and the second one I have read. This book slips some romance in for the bachelor Hamish, which gives his character a new twist…which I like!
After a disappointing retreat in Spain, Hamish comes back to find the quiet Scottish village of Lochdubh in an uproar over its newest tenant, Catriona Beldame. Hamish finds out she is dispensing natural herbal cures to the local men to increase their libid...more
MC Beaton is brand new to us, but from her legion of fans and lengthy booklist, she obviously enjoys great success as an author. “Witch” is part of her Hamish Macbeth series, the 25th novel no less (!) to feature this humble small town policeman quite contentedly running a one-man shop. He almost takes personal offense at crime in his village, and so is desperately hoping that when a new lady in town, Catriona Beldame (to whom the men seem suddenly attracted, and the women think is a witch !), t...more
Hamish Macbeth has just returned from a disappointing vacation in Spain, and finds that there is a newcomer in the village. Catriona Beldame is living in one of the old cottages and appears to be offering potions and powders to cure various ails. The local men are particular users and this has outraged the women in the village. When Hamish learns that the men are not getting the effect they desired, he expresses his outrage to Beldame and tries to get her to leave the village.
When Hamish goes to...more
When Hamish goes to...more
Feb 04, 2012
Dolly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mystery fans
This is another entertaining, but surprisingly violent mystery in the Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton. The story was a bit overdramatic, with malice, sex and danger at every turn. I thought it was interesting that this story explains how Hamish came to be at Lochdubh as the constable.
My mother-in-law and I have been reading this series fairly steadily now for the last couple of years and we have really enjoyed it. We only have a few more books to go until we are all caught up. We like the...more
My mother-in-law and I have been reading this series fairly steadily now for the last couple of years and we have really enjoyed it. We only have a few more books to go until we are all caught up. We like the...more
This was another fun Hamish MacBeth mystery. I'm never sure whether this series should be classified aa a cozy. I guess it doesn't since Hamish is a police bobby. But is sure does have that feel sometimes since the upper levels of police management try to step in the way of Hamish solving the mystery.
I started listening to this in audiobook format, for about 1/3 of the book. Then the later discs didn't had some sort of errors and wouldn't play at all. (As sometimes happens on books checked out...more
I started listening to this in audiobook format, for about 1/3 of the book. Then the later discs didn't had some sort of errors and wouldn't play at all. (As sometimes happens on books checked out...more
First time I read this author. Story setting is some obscure village in the Highlands of Scotland, with a confirmed bachelor policeman, Hamich Macbeth, working on purpose below the radar so he can stay in his cottage with his two pets. It took me a while to get used to the comings and goings and pace of life and cast of characters.
Newcomer woman of dubious background and character gets murdered. Police investigation finds out a subtext of repressed sex lives among the local village men. Other mu...more
Newcomer woman of dubious background and character gets murdered. Police investigation finds out a subtext of repressed sex lives among the local village men. Other mu...more
Scots copper Hamish MacBeth returns from Spain, where he hoped to meet some hot senoritas but instead entertained some blue hairs, to find a witch has moved to the village of Lochdubh. Seems she's brewing up more than potions.
The men are taking Catriona Beldame's elixirs to light the home fires, and some of their wives aren't too happy about that.
Meanwhile rumors are rampant in the village that Hamish is getting married; the question seems to be to whom.
It's not long before the witch is murder...more
The men are taking Catriona Beldame's elixirs to light the home fires, and some of their wives aren't too happy about that.
Meanwhile rumors are rampant in the village that Hamish is getting married; the question seems to be to whom.
It's not long before the witch is murder...more
The latest Hamish Macbeth book is a good one. Lockdubh has a resident witch and she is creating havoc in the life of the village. Several men have been seen leaving her house late and night and the women are furious. Soon there is a murder and Hamish is left to solve the mystery while Inspector Blair, who has made a career of trying to get rid of Hamish, muddies the waters in his rush to judgement. There are a number of subplots, but they all come together nicely except for one. I was a little d...more
I thought this book would follow Death of a Scriptwriter as a character in that book writes a play called Death of a Witch, but it does not follow that story.
A woman buys a rustic cottage in the village, is considered to be a witch thus inflaming the superstitions of the locals. As the title notes, she dies.
What I like about the Beaton books – they are imaginative, entertaining, have interesting characters, and spoof detective stories. What I do not like – her sentence structure is uninteresting...more
I picked up my first Hamish MacBeth book (I can't recall which one) while on vacation several years ago. The cozy place we were staying had an area where you could trade in your finished book for another, and I picked up one of these. They are quick reads, and the setting is extremely charming. I enjoyed the TV series, where Hamish is played by the lead actor from "The Full Monty". You quickly learn what to expect from these books, and they are easily put down in favor of something more gripping...more
It's Hamish McBeth. He gets mad at a new villiger for taking advantage of the village. and then she turns up dead. Hamish has to figure out who did it and protect the people he takes care of. Hamish feels a bit more cynical.
Highly entertaining. When I first started reading the series I read so many in a row that I started speaking with a brogue.
***SPOILER*** don't read beyond if you don't want it.
The funniest part was Priscilla and Elspeth both setting their eyes on the same guy, who is gay an...more
Highly entertaining. When I first started reading the series I read so many in a row that I started speaking with a brogue.
***SPOILER*** don't read beyond if you don't want it.
The funniest part was Priscilla and Elspeth both setting their eyes on the same guy, who is gay an...more
Book 25 of the series. Will Hamish marry Priscilla or Elspeth? Or a third, yet-to-be-introduced character? Will Blair finally keel over of a heart attack? Will Jimmy enter AA? For every minor bit of the series' progress (Lugs replacing Towser, Elspeth almost getting married, Blair forced into a marriage), there's also a determined sense of inertia, as Hamish moons over the several women in his life, vacillating between them within a page or two of each other. The lack of self-awareness must be p...more
Sheriff Hamish Macbeth has just returned from a much needed vacation to his home in the village of Lochdubh. Upon his return, he learns there is a new resident in town. Her name is Catriona Beldame. The people of Lochdubh, including Hamish suspect Catriona of being a witch.
Strange things start happening to some of the men. Hamish goes to talk to Catriona and discovers her potions. Hamish calls his boss to discuss taking action but he does not believe Hamish. The next day Hamish goes to talk to...more
Strange things start happening to some of the men. Hamish goes to talk to Catriona and discovers her potions. Hamish calls his boss to discuss taking action but he does not believe Hamish. The next day Hamish goes to talk to...more
Of Beaton's series, I like the Hamish MacBeth series the best. The community she built in the little highland village is full of interesting characters of all ages and peculiarities. This installment where an outsider who makes it her business to sell aphrodisiac potions to the local male population then gets knocked off by someone is in line with her "Death of a XXXX" series. There is humor, plotting by various females to lead Hamish out of his lack of ambition, and of course plenty of suspects...more
Apr 10, 2009
Barbara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like "cozy" mysteries, Hamish MacBeth fans
Shelves:
mysteries
Another installment in the Hamish MacBeth series. The advantage of having a day off meant I could start and finish it all today; the disadvantage of course, is that it's now over!
A worthy addition to the series...good for a couple hours with our favorite Highland bobby, and the familiar faces in Lochdubh.
This time it's trouble from an incomer who's helping the local gents with a "problem"...namely that "we don't do sex in Lochdubh." But after a couple women turn up dead, the questions, secrets...more
A worthy addition to the series...good for a couple hours with our favorite Highland bobby, and the familiar faces in Lochdubh.
This time it's trouble from an incomer who's helping the local gents with a "problem"...namely that "we don't do sex in Lochdubh." But after a couple women turn up dead, the questions, secrets...more
Fun read about a small Scottish town murder mystery that involves outsiders (aka witches & poachers & prostitutes---oh my!), a quant policeman unlucky in love, and ‘career women’ looking for the next hot catch. Although this is supposed to be a fun quick read, it is sometimes hard for me not to over analyze the story (sorry!) The characters were a little to cliché for my taste and were quick to jump to over exaggerated conclusions – (What’s that bump in the night…it must be a killer!) Al...more
I've read or listened to most of the series now and they remain a satisfying read for me. Short, cozy, rural village in the Scottish Highlands, Hamish pursued by or pursuing women and always coming to naught; Hamish solving cases but doing everything in his power to avoid promotion and assignment to bigger places. Priscilla and Elspeth both put in appearances in this one. Recent posts on Fiction_L say this series is a possible read-alike for McCall Smith's Ladies No. 1 Detective series. One diff...more
Catriona Beldame, a new villager in Hamish Macbeth's beloved Lochdubh, has enraged the women by selling the men some kind of herbal potion. Even Hamish has threatened her. So when he finds her dead, and her cottage is then destroyed by fire, he is under suspicion, as are the rest of the men in the village. As Hamish tries to trace Catriona's background, he comes upon more murders, including that of a seemingly harmless village woman. Also as usual, Hamish is bedeviled by women who are attracted...more
This is the latest in the Hamish Macbeth series, tales of the small Highland town of Lochdubh where Hamish is the town bobby. Murder happens in Lochdubh pretty frequently, and Hamish solves them all. He never seems to "get the girl," always being foiled in love. The writing in this series is only mediocre. I was very disappointed in the one book of the series that I couldn't find on tape. However, I've listened to all the rest on tape from the library, and the reader, Graeme Malcolm, is marvelou...more
Again I enjoy a li'l ol' mystery/comedy. M. C. Beaton is quite good at these. In this story a supposed witch comes to the small Scottish town of Lochdubh, the town where people "don't do sex". She and a few other people end out being murdered (of course) in this web of twists and turns. But, as before, the people are fun and unique, and Hamish is delightfully human. A great listen-to while you are fixing dinner or cleaning up the kitchen. And, as before, the kindly voice of Graeme Malcolm floats...more
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Also writes as:
Marion Chesney (real name)
Jennie Tremaine
Sarah Chester
Helen Crampton
Ann Fairfax
Marion Gibbons
Charlotte Ward
M. C. Beaton has been hailed as "the new Queen of Crime." She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries, which began with The Quiche of Death and also include As the Pig Turns and Busy Body, set in the English Cotswolds, as well as the Hamish M...more
More about M.C. Beaton...
Marion Chesney (real name)
Jennie Tremaine
Sarah Chester
Helen Crampton
Ann Fairfax
Marion Gibbons
Charlotte Ward
M. C. Beaton has been hailed as "the new Queen of Crime." She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries, which began with The Quiche of Death and also include As the Pig Turns and Busy Body, set in the English Cotswolds, as well as the Hamish M...more
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Jun 25, 2009 07:25pm