I have read all thirty-three of the Hamish Macbeth books and I always love to visit the Scottish Highlands and the tiny village of Lochdubh, located in the northwest of Scotland. It is fun to see what is going on at Tommel Castle Hotel, and the vile village of Cnothan. Then, there is always the adventure of seeing how many side-kicks Hamish will go through – and I think this one wins with four. Sadly though, I have been disappointed in books thirty-two and thirty-three – they have become a bit dull and formulaic. I’m sure the author has written so many by now that she could almost write them in her sleep. Maybe that will change with the next book because apparently Blair will be gone and Hamish’s latest side-kick is a tall, nice looking young lady copper. If you are new to the series, you probably aren’t tired of Priscilla, Blair, Jimmy, Elspeth and even Hamish – but – if you’ve read from the first, they are probably getting a bit tiresome. I will try one more book to see what happens with the addition of Constable Dorothy McIver as Hamish’s new side-kick and also the addition of Johnny Southern because he sounds like he could be a new Blair. Hamish has also gotten Sonsie back from Ardnamurchan and it will be interesting to see how that goes.

Paul English is a retired banker who has moved to Cnothan. It doesn’t take long for him to alienate the entire population of Hamish’s territory. The man prides himself on being honest, but he is really judgmental, cruel and insulting. Is it any surprise that he turns up dead – in the bog? Not at all.

There are lots of suspects, so how will Hamish manage to track down the murderer – and not take credit for it. That is always a challenge for poor Hamish. He has a fine mind as a detective, but he doesn’t want to take credit for his solutions because he doesn’t want to be promoted out of his beloved village. As Hamish digs deeper, he finds there is more to some of the relationships in the area than you’d suspect.

Hamish is a very busy man – people are dying and being injured right and left and he has to solve the case and keep Blair off his back. When the solution finally presents itself, you’ll be surprised at how the end happens.

M. C. Beaton writes well, plots well and creates interesting characters. Her books are very, very busy though and sometimes you have to work a little to keep all of the side stories straight.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

This is the 33rd book in the series- holy cow! I have dipped in and out of the series over the years so I'm not as up on the goings-on among the characters as others but that was ok because this was a hoot of a read. It's a fine cozy with a terrific character in Hamish. This latest installment has him searching for a partner and a love as well as a murderer. Paul offended just about everyone but who disliked him enough to kill him? Love the Highland setting, love the quirky (but not twee) characters, and especially love the cat. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I don't know why I love Hamish Macbeth so much but I do. He's just so content in his little corner of Scotland. He lives in fear of being promoted and forced to leave his beloved Lochdubh. He gives credit to others for solving crimes so no one will get the idea he's competent. And he solves a lot of murders in this backwoods spot. It makes you wonder what's really going on in Scotland.

In this one, a man moves into the neighborhood and feels it's his responsibility to be "honest" with everyone and share his advice. Naturally everyone hates him. Hamish saves him from a beating by lumberjacks. After arresting the honest man, he makes an escape handcuffed and all and ends up dead in a peat bog.

The crime is really beside the point. Will Hamish ever find a helper who doesn't morph into a fantastic chef? Will he ever find a woman who can compete with his beloved cat? These are the important questions. These are what warm your heart every time you spend time with Hamish. You won't be disappointed with this cozy mystery.

Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Sometimes when I write a review I need to tell you where I sit before I tell you where I stand. In this case, it’s M.C. Beaton and her Hamish Macbeth series. This is one of my favorite series to read. I look forward to a new outing with Hamish and the small Scottish village of Lochdubh every year. These are fun cozies usually featuring an interesting mystery, but the villagers and their antics are what I enjoy the most.

That being said, I’m pretty sure I put on a pair of rose-colored glasses before beginning any Hamish book. As I thought about writing this review, I wondered – what would starting with book #33 in this series feel like to a new reader?

For all you Hamish fans out there:
* Blair is back with a vengeance and crazier than ever in his plans to rid the force of Hamish Macbeth.
* Remember Sonsie, Hamish’s pet wild cat? She’s back. Or is she?
* Hamish continues to lose the policeman assigned to his station to other occupations.
* I feel like by the end of this book we finally might have a resolution to the Priscilla or Elspeth question. Maybe?

Hamish fans will be delighted to read the latest adventure. (At least, I was.) But I’m not so sure if this latest outing is a good place for new readers to start. I hate to say this, but after 33 cases, some of the characters may be feeling more like caricatures at this point, especially Blair and the Currie sisters. (I should point out that other characters have grown over the course of the series, especially the last few books — I’m looking at you Colonel Halburton-Smythe.) Hamish’s relationships with the villagers are so fleshed out at this point that the quick check-ins with the regulars are nice for long-time readers, but may feel unnecessary to new readers.

As a long time reader, this book was just what I wanted — time to sit down with a cuppa, spending an afternoon with some of my favorite characters, catching up on their latest antics, and solving a mystery with the help of Scotland’s least ambitious policeman.

All of you fans of Hamish will enjoy spending time in Lochdubh for his latest case. For all of you newbies interested in seeing what Lochdubh is all about, I would suggest starting with an earlier book. I started in the middle with "Death of a Village," and I was hooked.

The Hamish Mcbeth mysteries are always such a delight! Intelligent, comforting and humorous, just what you want in a cozy mystery! Once again Hamish is dealing with a new co-worker and trying to solve a baffling case, while breaking them in, and an assault from Inspector Blair leaves everyone reeling. Picking up where Death of a Kingfisher left Hamish, it's interesting to see what the characters are up to and the fall out from the last case. With the department in uproar, can Hamish save himself in time to catch a killer? It's a fun turn in the series, and not one to be missed!

Hamish meets the new resident in his district and immediately is put off by his comments. He indicates he thinks Hamish dyes his hair red and tells his deputy he must be gay. They don't visit long.

Grand Central Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published February 20th.

Paul is really a bully and blackmailer. Hamish wished he'd moved someplace else. But while Paul makes trouble for him, his boss is even more dangerous. The man he reports to wants to kill him because he keeps solving all the cases he gets. The boss wants to put his name on them and get the credit.

If that's not enough conflict for you, Hamish goes to visit his wildcat at the sanctuary and sees it get shot. He races home with it and gets the vet to work on it. No one knows if it will live or not. And when it does, everybody else tells him it's not his cat. He doesn't listen to them.

Paul ends up dead. No one saw anything and no one will say what they did see or hear. Hamish's deputy is quitting the force. He ends up with two others during the course of the story. There's another death and Hamish is getting fed up with all the various stresses.

He eventually gets down to who the killer was and almost dies during the confrontation. It's surprising how he gets saved.

Hamish's life is always messed up and it doesn't look anything is going to make it much better. But these stories are entertaining and the author takes you unusual places. I'll be reading the next book, too.

This is the first book by M.C. Beaton that I've read. To be honest, I nearly quit reading early on 2 or 3 times, but stuck with it. The plot is relatively simple, the action is slow, the writing can be pedantic and repetitive. And yet I got hooked into the characters and what was happening to and by them. This is the latest in a long line of novels about "Sergeant Hamish Macbeth--Scotland's most quick-witted but unambitious policeman," and now I want to go back to the beginning and read them all. Quite charming.

As a longtime fan of author M.C.Beaton, I once again immerse myself in the Highlands of Northern Scotland with loveable Constable Hamish MacBeth and a cast of quirky characters in the village of Lochdubh. In this episode, Hamish is dealing with another young assistant and his crazy, alcoholic supervisor, Blair. This is actually the 33rd book of the series and poor Hamish is still longing for a happy love life while never leaving the small village. There is also a story line about his ridiculous wild cat, Sonsie. If you’ve never read this cozy series, start with number one and enjoy a great storyteller introducing you to Highland life. Unfortunately, this was not my favorite book.

Death of an Honest Man by M.C. Beaton will be available February 20, 2018 by Grand Central Publishing. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Hamish Macbeth has just met the most unpleasant man to arrive in his jurisdiction. Paul English considers himself to be honest, but he is boorish, mean-spirited, and greedy. In fact, this is what got him killed. After an altercation at a local pub with some foresters, Hamish handcuffs the man but he manages to escape - handcuffs and all. It is not long before his body is found in the bogs, handcuffs and all. While it is considered an accident, Hamish doesn't believe it; and after examining the body himself, he finds marks of a stabbing. Now it becomes a homicide investigation, and Hamish is up to his ears in suspects.

Unfortunately, then there's Chief Inspector Blair, who hates Hamish with a passion and wants rid of him. When he comes nosing around, Hamish's policeman Charlie Carter is angered by something Blair does and throws him in the loch. But Charlie is tired of being a policeman and decides to leave before he can be punished, which leaves Hamish in need of a new one. Blair, in his deranged mind, sends Silas Dunbar - with instructions to report on everything Hamish does. Hamish, in his wisdom, knows Blair and uses Silas for his own means...

Then there's the matter of Hamish's beloved cat, Sonsie. Taking the wild cat to a sanctuary was the worst thing he's ever done, in his mind. So he sets out to find her. When he sees an injured cat, he assumes it's Sonsie and takes her to his vet for care. While everyone insists the cat is not Sonsie but evil, Hamish refuses to listen. The villagers believe it's evil and cast a spell, but Hamish persists - even when his dog Lugs is afraid of it.

These three events, seemingly unrelated, are tied together in this delightful mystery. The plot is one event after another, all commingling seamlessly to create another excellent Hamish Macbeth mystery.

Hamish himself is an enigma - he's a very clever policeman who uses his instinct to solve crimes, yet he has no desire to leave his beloved village and be promoted, so he allows others to take the credit for his work - even while the 'others' is oftentimes Blair.

This book was sheer pleasure to read. Ms. Beaton has shown herself time and again to be a talented storyteller, and this latest is no less enjoyable than the first in the series. While the tale weaves its many threads together, we are drawn to not only the murder itself, but the many subplots within, not the least of these being his genuine sorrow at losing Sonsie and his desire to have her returned to him. This alone was worth reading the book.

While I will say no more lest I give away too much, I will say that the ending was quite satisfying indeed. In fact, I do believe that Death of An Honest Man is one of the best in the series, and I eagerly await the next. Highly recommended.

Death of an Honest Man, M.C. Beaton’s latest in her Hamish MacBeth series, includes all the charm of Hamish and the Highlands, which Ms Beaton clearly loves, and the colorful characters that a long time reader would expect, though maybe too much of some and not enough of others. The book, which immediately drew me in, seemed to go on too long with too many similar plot lines repeating themselves. 

Early in the book, a truly odious man is found dead. Actually, a more accurate title for the book would have been Death of a Cruel Man. Once his death is deemed a murder, there is no shortage of suspects and Hamish spends much of the book interviewing and re-interviewing them all with the help of different subordinates assigned to work with him. These assistants are an illustration of maybe too much of a good thing because, though each played a part, it felt as if the repeated replacement of his assistants subtracted from sum total of the book. I felt the role of Hamish’s longtime foe, Chief Inspector Blair, was so large and over-the-top as to push credibility, even in a series that is quietly humorous and character driven. 

Throughout the series, there have been occasional references to the superstitious nature of the Highland residents and the possibility of some supernatural occurrences. In this book, the possibility of the supernatural is far stronger, in the form of a cat that Hamish rescues, but I’m not sure that this development worked well because of the way it was written. The cat emanated evil and there are references to spirits returning through cats, but as an American reader, I would have appreciated a more detail. 

I enjoyed reading this book but I don’t think it ranks among M.C. Beaton’s Best MacBeth books. It just didn’t seem to have as much warmth as previous entries and seemed a bit disjointed. Three stars.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any way. The opinions stated are solely my own.

I've been reading these Hamish MacBeth books since the first one. Their always a good, light, easy read. I enjoy re-visiting the village of Lochdubh and all the inhabitants. But the last two I've read seem tired and formulaic. I suppose after 33 books in a series Ms. Beaton can write it in her sleep.

I did enjoy the the array of policeman assigned to Lochdubh and the camaraderie between them and Hamish. But, will we ever find out what has made Priscilla a cold fish? Will Elspeth ever come back and marry Hamish? Will Blair ever get his?  'Honestly' I don't think I care anymore. It would be nice if Ms. Beaton brought Elspeth back, she was a great character and I think there would be great possibilities for good storylines with her and Hamish married. Something needs to shake up the tired formula.

Another excellent offering from M.C. Beaton. So happy that which was lost has been found.

Good story, good enough mystery, but overall it was kind of simplistic. Unfortunately, the quality of Beaton's writing has declined in the last five years or so. Still, it makes for a quick enough, easy read.

He considered himself honest, but everyone he encountered thought he was an insufferable insulting jerk. As a murder victim Paul English had so many enemies that Hamish Macbeth has a hard time narrowing down the list of possible perpetrators. Adding to his difficulties are the turnover of his assistants, the enmity of his supervisor, and the disappearance of his beloved cat. The tone of this murder mystery is somewhat madcap and slapstick, so that the sinister side is hard to take seriously.

Hamish is having troubles: a victim who everyone who met him might want to kill, a boss that's trying to discredit or kill him, partners who don't want to be policemen, ex girlfriend issues and a wild cat visiting . Will Hamish figure out who did it? Will he and his partners servive their boss? Willthey servive the wild cat? Will Hamish be left to police his village? I did enjoy the crazy characters and the mystery. The Hamish series is one of my favorites.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

There's a new man in town. Paul English has retired to the highlands after leaving his banking job in Stirling. He has a reputation for giving his honest opinion. Unfortunately, many find it his “honest opinions” simply rude and intolerable. After insulting almost everyone imaginable, it's no surprise that when his body is found on the moor, Sergeant Hamish Macbeth and his ever changing cast of police assistants have a number of suspects to consider.

Hamish has his eye on one suspect in particular but, Detective Chief Inspector Blair, who is no fan of Hamish is set on sabotaging anything and everything he does. In some ways, Hamish doesn't mind if he doesn't get all the credit for his detective work, especially if it means he can continue working in his cherished village of Lochdubh. He couldn't image living anywhere else.

Death of an Honest Man was a joy to read. The characters are fun, lovable and always entertaining. I can't seem to get enough of Hamish and his own brand of highland justice. I can't wait to read more.

Feelings of evil and unsettling thoughts permeate the villagers on Hamish's beat. Where are they coming from: Sousie the wounded cat or the violet nights. The book is abound with new odd characters and old ones like Blair. Be assured good does triumph at the end.

This mystery series is always entertaining, with Hamish Macbeth, the honest policeman from the Highlands. A murder occurs and Hamish is sure he knows what happens but is trying to find evidence. At the same time, Hamish has a new officer assigned to him after Charlie decides policing is not for him. It’s always a fun romp, and ##33 doesn’t disappoint.

Previously, I've read every book in the Hamish MacBeth series; however, this was not one of my favorites. I enjoy mysteries that provide clues to figure out the killer, but clues for the reader were lacking in this story. The repetitive stories of Priscilla, Elspeth and the revolving door of policemen teaming up with Hamish have become tiresome. The wild cat is a fan favorite, and I enjoyed the fact that the cat was brought back into the series. I look forward to the next installment as the new character at the end of this book sounds promising.

After over 30 books I am still a fan of Hamish Macbeth and the rest of the wonderful village of Lochdubh. These quirky characters have become like family and each book in the series is like a chance to visit and catch up with them. Unfortunately, each visit is marred by a murder. But, our intrepid Highland constable always manages to solve the crime without taking the credit. The fun part is how he does it.

This book was full of ups and, unfortunately, some downs for me. I liked that the regulars put in an appearance and that there were some new characters. There seemed to be a bit of a revolving door at the police station for Hamish’s subordinates this time, which was fun; but then there was a weird side plot about wild cats. Blair was pinging all over the place and the explanations for it were as bizarre as his behavior. And, frankly, I have no idea why Priscilla was even in the book; there barely was a reason for Elspeth to be included. The murder was interesting but took forever to solve.