Death of a Dentist [Mass Market Paperback]

In this addition to Beaton's series featuring unassuming Scottish policeman Hamish Macbeth, Hamish finds himself precipitated by a vicious toothache into the world of Dr. Frederick Gilchrist. Gilchrist is a local dentist best known for his eagerness to replace healthy teeth with inexpensive dentures, and infamous for his hard hand on the drill. Maggie Bane, his lovely assistant with a harsh and unlovely voice, surprises Hamish with her hostility, but he is even more astonished to find the dentist's dead body reclining in his chair with mysterious drill marks on his teeth.

Delving deeper into the village's rural dish in search of the murderer, Macbeth uncovers long-buried relationships, an illicit local still, a robbery that is not what it appears, and the expected deceptions and partial truths his countrymen tell the police for reasons only a local character like Hamish can understand. Once again, he has occasion to contact his former love, the adamantine Priscilla Halburton-Smyth, and her friend, Sarah Hudson, even helps Hamish hack into police records for his investigation.

Macbeth's efforts bustle charmingly along against the background of quirky Scots dialect and rustic pubs. And Beaton's tangled web of a mystery is tidily resolved to the satisfaction of the locals and, surely, for all the devoted fans of this winning series. --Barbara Schlieper

Desperate for relief, Scottish constable Hamish Macbeth takes his toothache to a nearby dentist with a lousy reputation. Unfortunately, he discovers the man dead of nicotine poisoning. As he investigates, Hamish finds that the victim had many enemies, including his own wife. A reliable series (Death of a Macho Man, LJ 6/1/96).
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

That wonderfully eccentric, funny, laid-back, people-smart, unorthodox Scottish detective Hamish MacBeth is back in another heartwarming if violence-filled adventure that will have fans pulling up their comfy armchairs and rubbing their hands in delightful anticipation. Spatting with his girlfriend, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Hamish is feeling decidedly out of sorts. A painful toothache only adds to his misery. Figuring to save himself a trip to his dentist in Inverness, Hamish decides to visit the local quack, who'd sooner pull a tooth than save it. But when Hamish arrives at the dental surgery, he finds the man dead on the floor. Strange . . . but stranger still is the autopsy report, which shows that the man died of nicotine poisoning--surprising, since he didn't smoke. Then a local barman is robbed, and even though the two cases don't seem to be related, Hamish has a suspicion that something funny is going on right under his nose. Using his innate knowledge of human nature, his keen intuition, and his superb investigative skills, he soon gets at the heart of the matter. A gem of a book, a gem of a plot, a gem of a hero--M. C. Beaton and Hamish MacBeth shine once again. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Hamish Macbeth, the one-man police force of Lochdubh, a village in the Scottish Highlands (Death of a Macho Man, 1996, etc.), wakes up one morning with a toothache that drives him to Dr. Gilchrist, a butcher of a dentist in nearby Braikie. Arriving for his appointment, Hamish finds Maggie Bane, the receptionist, absent and the dentist dead--poisoned, as it turns out, and seated in the patient's chair, each of his teeth drilled. Hamish's superior and archenemy, Detective Chief Inspector Blair, at headquarters in Strathbane, wants no help from Hamish, so he must conduct his inquiries stealthily. He has the help of Sarah Hudson, a friend of Hamish's onetime love Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. Sarah knows how to use Hamish's computer to hack into police records at headquarters. Meanwhile, Hamish does his legwork--talking to Maggie, Blair's chief suspect; to Gilchrist's ex-wife in Inverness; to Kylie Fraser, a tarty clerk at the local pharmacy--exploring Gilchrist's womanizing reputation and trying to make a connection between his death and a recent big-bucks robbery at the sleazy Scotsman hotel where even the manager's slatternly wife was an early conquest of Gilchrist's. Matters are further complicated by rumors of a massive illegal that's still being run by the vile Smiley brothers. This one gets Hamish into trouble, big-time, and brings a rescue by Sarah, but not until another murder is committed do all the loose ends come together. An unusually energetic Hamish (in this 13th appearance): a cast of engaging locals with full-blown Highland accents, and a mildly intriguing storyline provide comfort food for Hamish's many fans. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A blinding toothache sends Hamish Macbeth 120 miles out of Lochdubh to the dentist Frederick Gilchrist, only to find him dead. Since everyone is pleased the dentist is deceased--patients, several harassed women, and even his wife--Macbeth faces one of the more biting challenges of his career.

M C Beaton was born in Scotland. She worked for many years as a journalist on Fleet Street. As well as the bestselling Agatha Raisin series, she is the author of the acclaimed Hamish Macbeth mysteries. She divides her time between the Cotswolds, where she lives in a village very much like Agatha's beloved Carsely, and Paris. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.