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Amazing news has spread across the Scottish countryside. The most famous of highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth, will be married at last. Everyone in the village of Lochdubh adores Josie McSween, Macbeth’s newest constable and blushing bride-to-be.
While locals think Josie is quite a catch, Hamish has a case of prenuptial jitters. After all, if it weren’t for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighbouring village, there wouldn’t be a wedding at all. For it was a mysterious Valentine’s Day package–delivered to the victim before her death–that initially drew Hamish and Josie together on the investigation. As they work side by side, Hamish and Josie soon discover that the woman’s list of admirers was endless, confirming Hamish’s suspicion that love can be blind, deaf . . . and deadly. more info
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE CONFIRMED BACHELOR
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This Hamish McBeth book is still well-written (they all are) and the mystery in it is good. I guess I’m started to be depressed by some of the hopeless characters and the ongoing drama of all these women always chasing after Hamish but he never wants to marry any of them (except maybe stuck-up Priscilla–can you tell I’m not a big fan of the upper classes?); who does the writer think this guy is anyway, George Clooney?! (Who I’m not a big fan of either.) Enough already with the confirmed bachelor line; it’s boring when you hear it about Clooney and it’s boring when you hear it about Hamish too.
Will He Tie The Knot?
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
MC Beaton has done it again. Just as always we find a tale of mystery, humor, and intrigue. In this latest cozy mystery, Death of a Valentine, Hamish Macbeth is not only honing his detective skills, but is also considering marriage. How will he solve the crime? Will he finally tie the knot? I’m not about to be a “spoiler” here, so I will say this is as good a read as Beaton has written to date. Highly recommended.
All in the name of Love
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Ah yes, another mystery set in the Scottish Highlands.
There is never a dull moment when Hamish is around.
This time Hamish is going all out to find out who killed Annie, the festival Queen.
One wonders how this small little town, Lochdubh seems to draw out the worst in people.
This time Hamish,has been promoted to Sargent. He even has a new helper,Josie
McSween to help him with the case. Unfortunately, no one is what they seem to be on the surface.
Festival Queen Annie, seems to have quite a different lifestyle then any one can possibly imagine.
Josie, his assistant wants so much to impress Hamish, is when the
trouble begins in this wonderful cozy mystery.
M.C. Beaton brings Hamish and his village to life once more. The plot is very well done and the characters seems to take on a life of their own, in this latest installment.
Poor Hamish. How does he always seem to find find himself in trouble?
This book and all of the books, are keepers on my library shelf.
I definitely recommend this mystery to all readers who enjoy a fun mystery to solve.
A nice Valentine mystery
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
In this 25th entry into the Hamish MacBeth series, finds perennial bachelor MacBeth vigorously pursued by a new police recruit and his new partner, Josie McSween, sent to Lochdubh by his enemy Chief Inspector Blair.
While Josie is pursuing Hamish by trying to drug him into a night of passionate loving and by mistake drugging anyone in the vincinity but Hamish, several murders occur. The first one on Valentine’s Day sees the death of the not-so-sweet and not-so-innocent Anne who opens a parcel which explodes in her face. Several other murders occur and Hamish investigates with his inept, marriage-dreaming partner Josie.
Josie finally succeeds in drugging Hamish with Rohypnol (date-rape drug) and lies about them spending the night together and conceiving a baby. MacBeth’s old girlfriend, reporter Elspeth has found evidence that all is not as it should be–will she be in time to stop the wedding?
If you like Hamish MacBeth novels, this is sure to please. It is a bit darker than some of the novels with regards to Hamish and his personality, but also contains the gentle humor that the series is laced with. Most of our old friends from the series appear in this book–so it is a nice continuation of a gentle friendship with the village of Lochdubh.
“Love is blind, deaf and deadly.”
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Another lovely wee tale by MC Beaton, short, humorous… and deadly. In the twenty-fifth volume of the Hamish Macbeth detective series, this novel takes place in Lochdubh, a village in the Scottish highlands. When a local beauty is blown to bits by a mysterious package after winning a coveted title over her contemporaries, the deed is dubbed the Valentine Murder for its proximity to the holiday. And, as usual in Hamish’s world, the first murder is followed by others until the red-haired bachelor is overwhelmed with suspects as he attempts to sort through a puzzling case. There is no shortage of possible culprits once Macbeth begins an extensive search of Annie Fleming’s background. A child of strict parents, it seems that Annie was not the innocent lass she appeared on the surface.
The police sergeant desperately clings to his determination to remain in his village rather than the busier precincts of the city, avoiding promotions that would force him to leave Lochdubh as furiously as he avoids marriage. Oh, he flirts with the idea of wedded bliss, whether to his first love, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, or his former romantic association with Elspeth Grant, a journalist who is now a television celebrity reporter, but Macbeth is actually most comfortable with his two pets and an assortment of friends in Lochdubh, from the doctor’s wife, Angela Brody to Angus the “seer”, not to mention neighborhood gossips, Nessie and Jessie Currie or the busybody minister’s wife, Mrs. Wellington.
Macbeth may have met his match in Murder of a Valentine, wee Josie McSween, the new constable who has her heart set on taming the bachelor, no matter what it takes. Perhaps not the most dedicated policewoman, Josie entertains visions of her future life of wedded bliss with the reluctant Hamish, relentlessly creative in trapping her man. As Josie plots, Macbeth does what he does best- solves the crimes- her antics endlessly entertaining as the quirky characters come to life in a hilarious combination of murder, mayhem and that long walk down the aisle for the groom-to-be-, Hamish Macbeth. Luan Gaines/2010.
So Glad I Found It
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Death of a Valentine is a Hamish MacBeth mystery by M.C. Beaton. I’ve never read anything from this author or series, and I’m so glad I found this one, it was great!
Perennial bachelor Hamish MacBeth is the lone Police Sergeant in Scotland’s highland village of Lochdubh, and he likes it that way. He’s dismayed when told that a constable will be coming to work with him, especially because with the job comes shared housing with Hamish. The icing on the cake is his nemesis Detective Chief Inspector Blair sending a young woman green to police work. Hamish quickly puts Josie to work checking on outlying farms and crofters, keeping her out of the office for days at a time. When a strange Valentine’s Day murder brings Josie in to investigate alongside Hamish, she is thrilled to be near the man she perceives as her one true love. As the list of suspects grows, the involvement of the higher ranks from the city of Stratham irritate Hamish and send him to old friends for more information. Josie’s misadventures in sleuthing, as well as her nervousness around Hamish also slow the investigation. Of course, in the end the killer is found, but there is more to this story than a murder mystery.
Not having read any of the other Hamish MacBeth novels, I picked up rich and interesting clues about Hamish’s love life in previous books, as he meets with two women friends, both educated, strong career women, who give him insight into both his murder victim and Josie’s crush. Josie’s back story of obsession and manipulation is funny and fascinating, from its roots to her inevitable downfall, with Hamish’s evasive techniques blocking most of her turns.
I enjoyed learning about life in the remote Scottish Highlands and the workings of the Scottish police. Hamish is an interesting character, and I will go back and read the earlier books to see what kind of a ladies man the Highland bachelor has been. I was also excited to see that the books have been into a television series by the BBC and are available on DVD. Death of a Valentine is definitely a book for mystery lovers. If you’re looking for a new series, give it a try!
HAMISH MACBETH TO MARRY?
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
DEATH OF A VALENTINE
A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
M.C. Beaton
Grand Central Publishing
$23.99 – Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-446-54738-3
256 pages
Reviewer: Annie Slessman
The twenty-fifth book in the Hamish Macbeth series, M.C. Beaton’s latest, DEATH OF A VALENTINE finds Hamish Macbeth standing at the alter waiting for his bride to be Josie McSween. Unlike most grooms who look at their new bride with lust and wonder, Hamish is hoping for a miracle that will stop this event.
Josie McSween is Hamish’s new constable. Her sweetness is appreciated by most of the townfolk but for Hamish, she is annoying and an interruption of his well established lifestyle. Josie, a romantic, falls for Hamish and puts into place a plan to be his wife.
While Josie proceeds with her plans to win over Hamish, they investigate the murder of the town’s beauty queen. The investigation takes them into neighboring villages, into the lives of people they consider good townspeople and a revelation that all is not what it seems to be.
While Hamish performs the miracles his townspeople are used to, Josie’s plans are unfolding before the eyes of one of Hamish’s friends, a local celebrity.
The characters in this story are strong, believable and interesting. Beaton has again worked her magic and the fans of the Hamish Macbeth series will not be disappointed with this addition.
M.C. Beaton scores again!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
In Death of a Valentine, the 25th Hamish Macbeth mystery, M.C. Beaton gives us a detective cozy with a romantic comedic subplot set in Lochdubh, a picturesque Scottish village. The tone, pace, and setting take you to a fictional village where everyone knows each other and each other’s business quite well. Even if you’re new to M.C. Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth series as I am, you’ll easily figure out Lochdubh’s characters, from Angela Brody, the doctor’s wife and good friend of Hamish Macbeth, to crotchety Mrs. Wellington, who rents out rooms to the new constable Josie McSween, to Sir Andrew Etherington who lends out the diamond tiara for the annual fair day parade.
Hamish Macbeth, our lead character and a perpetual bachelor, is clearly set in his ways. Hamish wants to keep his pets, his police station/home, his village and his personal life just the way it is. But the sudden murder of a young beauty queen, Annie Fleming, disrupts Hamish’s routine. The murder draws Hamish and Josie into a complex investigation, full of twists and turns, and unexpected discoveries. Things are never as they seem, even in this small Scottish village.
A mystery cozy of the best sort, M.C. Beaton’s Death of a Valentine, is a fun, entertaining read. If you’re looking for a mystery of the Agatha Christie sort with the quirks of Scotland, I recommend Death of a Valentine!
ISBN-10: 0446547387
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 12, 2010), 256 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
strong police procedural
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
In the Highlands on Valentine’s Day, Lammas festival queen, Annie Fleming received a gift that exploded when she opened it; she died instantly. police sergeant Hamish Macbeth leads the investigation with his new sidekick constable Josie McSween at his side; something he detests. They soon find out that the victim had plenty of rejected lovers who loathed Annie for spurning their advances.
Meanwhile working together draws the two cops closer even as Hamish uses the murder as proof that love is lethal to more than just the heart. However the villagers of Lochdubh are euphoric that the bachelor police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth and popular constable Josie McSween are engaged. Unlike seemingly the entire Highlands, Hamish is miserable and grumpy when he should be elated.
With a strong police procedural combined with a comedic romantic subplot, fans of the long running series will relish the latest Macbeth thriller. Ironically, the investigation is super vs. the romance which is amusing yet it is the latter that keeps the audience reading in one sitting (or cheating) with a need to know whether the long time (24 previous titles) bachelor says I do.
Harriet Klausner
Number 25 and still fresh.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It’s hard to believe that this book is number 25 in the Hamish Macbeth series. I still really enjoy each book, and they make me laugh out loud. Beaton is definitely the queen of the English village cozy and this character is the crown jewel in her arsenal. Hamish is always true to his own beliefs and yes, he is a confirmed bachelor. There are lots of men like this out there. They remain impervious to all the females that try to snag them. In this book Hamish is trying to find a bomber who blew up a young beauty queen, and his new constable who happens to be a woman, isn’t much help to him because all she wants is for Hamish to marry her and she stops at nothing to achieve this. Hamish finds he has a whole string of killings on his hands, and his own life is threatened by a surprising person. Loved the book, and love Hamish. Bring it on!