Returning from a vacation, Constable Hamish Macbeth senses a dark cloud of evil hanging over his Scottish village of Lochdubh. Newcomer Catriona Beldame has cast a bewitching spell over the town, causing the local men to visit her cottage at all hours of the night and infuriating the women. Hamish suspects that she is a great danger to the town. Before he can prove that Catriona is truly wicked, she is brutally murdered-and Hamish becomes the prime suspect in the case. The constable will call upon the assistance of a pretty female forensic expert as he attempts to clear his name . . . and perhaps even find some romance. But when more violence breaks out, loyal Hamish must use all his detective skills to restore peace to his beloved village.
Death of a Witch: Hamish MacBeth Mystery Series, Book 25
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Review
Praise for M.C. Beaton and the Hamish Macbeth series:
"It's always a pleasure to return to Lochdubh, the picturesque village in the Scottish highlands." (New York Times Book Review )
"Superb entertainment, as rich and warming as a fine malt whisky, and every bit as addictive." (Houston Chronicle )
"Macbeth is the sort of charcter who slyly grows on you...as you realize that beneath his unassuming exterior, he's a whiz at cutting through all the hokum." (Chicago Sun-Times )
"It's always a pleasure to return to Lochdubh, the picturesque village in the Scottish highlands." (New York Times Book Review )
"Superb entertainment, as rich and warming as a fine malt whisky, and every bit as addictive." (Houston Chronicle )
"Macbeth is the sort of charcter who slyly grows on you...as you realize that beneath his unassuming exterior, he's a whiz at cutting through all the hokum." (Chicago Sun-Times )
About the Author
M.C. Beaton lives in the Cotswolds with her husband. In addition to the Hamish Macbeth series, she writes the Agatha Raisin mystery series.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best in the Series: A Splendid Story with Lots of Humor and Surprises
Feb 21 2009
Format:Hardcover
Even in a wonderful series like M.C. Beaton's books about Hamish Macbeth, there will be ups and downs. Fortunately for devoted readers, Death of a Witch is an unexpected up that keeps surprising, satisfying, and amusing to the last page. Unlike the weaker books in the series, Death of a Witch is filled with mysteries that are not easy to solve, complex and unexpected interactions among the characters, and every variety of reasonably clean humor you can have about sexual relations.
Be careful what reviews you read. It would be easy to find stumble onto spoilers that could greatly reduce your joy in this marvelous story.
As the book opens, Hamish is returning from a trip to Spain that didn't turn out as he expected. Immediately, he learns that there's a newcomer to the village, Ms. Catriona Beldame, who wants to buy his car. As soon as Hamish cleans up a little mystery about who has been tipping off robbers as the location of stakeouts, Hamish has to see the woman for himself. The local women don't have anything good to say about her, and the men are strangely quiet even though they are reported to be visiting her. Dr. Brodie provides an unexpected clue as does a strange occurrence during Hamish's first visit. Before long, there are unsolved crimes that lead Hamish into a possible romance. Blair is so concerned that Hamish will solve the cases that he banishes Hamish. With Jimmy Anderson's help, Hamish is able to stay in the middle of the case.
The overriding theme of the book is the battle of the sexes, as portrayed through the theme of men wanting to have more frequent intimate relations than their wives and girl friends do. The consequences are very funny and keep providing new twists on a well-known theme. If you've ever enjoyed Hamish's problems with the opposite sex, you'll be especially pleased with this book which puts Hamish into many new pickles.
Have a ball!
Be careful what reviews you read. It would be easy to find stumble onto spoilers that could greatly reduce your joy in this marvelous story.
As the book opens, Hamish is returning from a trip to Spain that didn't turn out as he expected. Immediately, he learns that there's a newcomer to the village, Ms. Catriona Beldame, who wants to buy his car. As soon as Hamish cleans up a little mystery about who has been tipping off robbers as the location of stakeouts, Hamish has to see the woman for himself. The local women don't have anything good to say about her, and the men are strangely quiet even though they are reported to be visiting her. Dr. Brodie provides an unexpected clue as does a strange occurrence during Hamish's first visit. Before long, there are unsolved crimes that lead Hamish into a possible romance. Blair is so concerned that Hamish will solve the cases that he banishes Hamish. With Jimmy Anderson's help, Hamish is able to stay in the middle of the case.
The overriding theme of the book is the battle of the sexes, as portrayed through the theme of men wanting to have more frequent intimate relations than their wives and girl friends do. The consequences are very funny and keep providing new twists on a well-known theme. If you've ever enjoyed Hamish's problems with the opposite sex, you'll be especially pleased with this book which puts Hamish into many new pickles.
Have a ball!
By L. J. Roberts
TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
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 mysteries and cozies. On the traditional side, by the end of the book there are a lot of bodies and the protagonist is a policeman. However, rather than there being a detailed investigation, it's almost as if, when Hamish appears, people confess and everything falls into place. On the cozy side, there is an awful lot of time spent dealing with his relationships with women. He has better relationships with his pets.
As for characters, Hamish is a little too good to be true. He's tall, red-haired, good looking to the point where every woman, but the one he wants, throws themselves at him, and can run like the wind. I was a bit annoyed that Hamish's superior, CI Blair, is portrayed as so incompetent but at least it's balanced by Hamish's friend, DS Jimmy Anderson, and Blair's boss, CS Davoit The style is a bit simple for my taste, almost as if written for young adults. I do like that the dialogue is written with an indication of people's accents without it becoming laborious.
The element I most enjoyed was the sense of place. Beaton's descriptions of the highlands and the weather, which can be a critical element in living in, and navigating around, the highlands, is well done. This was a light, enjoyable read but it's a series I've put behind me.
DEATH OF A WITCH (Pol. Prod/Cozy -Hamish Macbeth-Scotland-Cont) ' Good
Beaton, M.C. ' 25th in series
Grand Central Publishing, ©2009, US Paperback ' ISBN: 0446196134
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 mysteries and cozies. On the traditional side, by the end of the book there are a lot of bodies and the protagonist is a policeman. However, rather than there being a detailed investigation, it's almost as if, when Hamish appears, people confess and everything falls into place. On the cozy side, there is an awful lot of time spent dealing with his relationships with women. He has better relationships with his pets.
As for characters, Hamish is a little too good to be true. He's tall, red-haired, good looking to the point where every woman, but the one he wants, throws themselves at him, and can run like the wind. I was a bit annoyed that Hamish's superior, CI Blair, is portrayed as so incompetent but at least it's balanced by Hamish's friend, DS Jimmy Anderson, and Blair's boss, CS Davoit The style is a bit simple for my taste, almost as if written for young adults. I do like that the dialogue is written with an indication of people's accents without it becoming laborious.
The element I most enjoyed was the sense of place. Beaton's descriptions of the highlands and the weather, which can be a critical element in living in, and navigating around, the highlands, is well done. This was a light, enjoyable read but it's a series I've put behind me.
DEATH OF A WITCH (Pol. Prod/Cozy -Hamish Macbeth-Scotland-Cont) ' Good
Beaton, M.C. ' 25th in series
Grand Central Publishing, ©2009, US Paperback ' ISBN: 0446196134
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
49 reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best in the Series: A Splendid Story with Lots of Humor and Surprises
Feb 21 2009
By Donald Mitchell
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Even in a wonderful series like M.C. Beaton's books about Hamish Macbeth, there will be ups and downs. Fortunately for devoted readers, Death of a Witch is an unexpected up that keeps surprising, satisfying, and amusing to the last page. Unlike the weaker books in the series, Death of a Witch is filled with mysteries that are not easy to solve, complex and unexpected interactions among the characters, and every variety of reasonably clean humor you can have about sexual relations.
Be careful what reviews you read. It would be easy to stumble onto spoilers that could greatly reduce your joy in this marvelous story.
As the book opens, Hamish is returning from a trip to Spain that didn't turn out as he expected. Immediately, he learns that there's a newcomer to the village, Ms. Catriona Beldame, who wants to buy his car. As soon as Hamish cleans up a little mystery about who has been tipping off robbers as the location of stakeouts, Hamish has to see the woman for himself. The local women don't have anything good to say about her, and the men are strangely quiet even though they are reported to be visiting her. Dr. Brodie provides an unexpected clue as does a strange occurrence during Hamish's first visit. Before long, there are unsolved crimes that lead Hamish into a possible romance. Blair is so concerned that Hamish will solve the cases that he banishes Hamish. With Jimmy Anderson's help, Hamish is able to stay in the middle of the case.
The overriding theme of the book is the battle of the sexes, as portrayed through the theme of men wanting to have more frequent intimate relations than their wives and girl friends do. The consequences are very funny and keep providing new twists on a well-known theme. If you've ever enjoyed Hamish's problems with the opposite sex, you'll be especially pleased with this book which puts Hamish into many new pickles.
Have a ball!
Be careful what reviews you read. It would be easy to stumble onto spoilers that could greatly reduce your joy in this marvelous story.
As the book opens, Hamish is returning from a trip to Spain that didn't turn out as he expected. Immediately, he learns that there's a newcomer to the village, Ms. Catriona Beldame, who wants to buy his car. As soon as Hamish cleans up a little mystery about who has been tipping off robbers as the location of stakeouts, Hamish has to see the woman for himself. The local women don't have anything good to say about her, and the men are strangely quiet even though they are reported to be visiting her. Dr. Brodie provides an unexpected clue as does a strange occurrence during Hamish's first visit. Before long, there are unsolved crimes that lead Hamish into a possible romance. Blair is so concerned that Hamish will solve the cases that he banishes Hamish. With Jimmy Anderson's help, Hamish is able to stay in the middle of the case.
The overriding theme of the book is the battle of the sexes, as portrayed through the theme of men wanting to have more frequent intimate relations than their wives and girl friends do. The consequences are very funny and keep providing new twists on a well-known theme. If you've ever enjoyed Hamish's problems with the opposite sex, you'll be especially pleased with this book which puts Hamish into many new pickles.
Have a ball!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
sexless in scotland
April 5 2009
By Ted Feit
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Hamish Macbeth, the simple but efficient constable of Lochdubh, returns from a Spanish vacation to his beloved village to find a surprise. There is a newcomer there, a pretty woman, being visited by a stream of men at all hours. What's going on in the quiet highlands town? Before that can be determined, she is murdered and her house set on fire.
Subsequently, three more murders lead Hamish to believe they were all related. Originally he believed the men were visiting the woman for sex. In a strange way they were, but not in the way he had thought. Meanwhile, Hamish's sex life becomes more complicated with his two time-honored girlfriends as well as a new forensics specialist who has her eyes on him.
The series, in which this is the 24th entry [or the 25th, depending on which publisher information is correct], still amuses and enchants. Written with the full flavor of the Scottish language and the vistas of the highlands, the novels continue to grow and entice readers. Hamish may seem to be a silly character, but he gets the job done, and is ultimately a serious and successful investigator. Recommended.
Subsequently, three more murders lead Hamish to believe they were all related. Originally he believed the men were visiting the woman for sex. In a strange way they were, but not in the way he had thought. Meanwhile, Hamish's sex life becomes more complicated with his two time-honored girlfriends as well as a new forensics specialist who has her eyes on him.
The series, in which this is the 24th entry [or the 25th, depending on which publisher information is correct], still amuses and enchants. Written with the full flavor of the Scottish language and the vistas of the highlands, the novels continue to grow and entice readers. Hamish may seem to be a silly character, but he gets the job done, and is ultimately a serious and successful investigator. Recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Installment in a Great Series
April 14 2009
By S. Al-Amri
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Hamish is always interesting but this book is extra good and entertaining. Too often a series will get weaker, and certainly book 25 is well into the series, but M.C. Beaton has proved with this book that she has no intention of resting on her laurels.
Now I am waiting very impatiently for the next book in this series. It is certainly a strong writer who can continue a series for this many books and continue to do such a good job of new ideas, great old and new characters, and all the twists and turns that make a book hard to put down.
Now I am waiting very impatiently for the next book in this series. It is certainly a strong writer who can continue a series for this many books and continue to do such a good job of new ideas, great old and new characters, and all the twists and turns that make a book hard to put down.
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Go to Amazon.com to see all 49 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
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