|
Hamish Macbeth
Mystery #29
M.C. Beaton
Read by Graeme Malcolm
Grand Central Publishing
/ Hachette Audio
February 25, 2014 / ISBN 1455504734
February 27, 2014/ ASIN: B00IOWOM64 / Audiobook 5 hours and
23 minutes
Cozy Mystery / Police / Scotland
Reviewed
by Brenda Weeaks |
Hamish is back and once again putting
up with the likes of Detective Chief Inspector Blair. The new
Scottish Force is cutting back, and Blair wants to make sure
Hamish and Dick are out of their cozy station in Lochdubh. Superintendent
Divot doesn’t agree with Blair, which has Blair sending
another policeman undercover to get proof that Hamish is a moocher
and lay-about. When Constable Cyril shows up, folks get wise
and set him up to fail. Unfortunately, someone also sets Cyril
up to die. It’s up to Hamish and Dick to solve the murder,
but Blair flies in to complicate the matter and puts James Anderson
in charge. Eventually, the Superintendent becomes involved,
too. One death leads to multiple paths of deceit, trickery and
murder.
What I enjoy the most about Beaton and her series is how
she gives readers so much in one sitting. We enjoy the Highlands,
the quirky characters, the local on-goings and mysteries that
leads in different directions and expose even more situations.
Beaton is an expert at explaining (briefly) the outcome of
a situation, a relationship, or a past mystery without distracting
the reader, giving away clues, or getting off track of the
mystery.
When I close the cover of a Beaton mystery, I feel like I
got my money’s worth. There is always more to solve
than a murder. The characters are full-bodied; the Scottish
backdrop is memorable; and fate has a way of evening the score.
I hope this series goes on for a long, long time.
Scottish Actor Graeme Malcolm reads the audio version of
Death of a Police. His narration is pitch-perfect.
It felt like I was in on every conversation. His voice as
the narrator is clear with little to no accent. When Malcolm
reads the various characters, he includes that a bit of quirkiness
MC Beaton has given them. Malcolm narrates other titles in
the Macbeth series, too. Malcolm well known in both TV and
Theater but when it comes to narrating audio books; Malcolm's
list is extensive. Recent ones include Shaman by
Kim Stanley Robinson and Ship of Theseus by V.M.
Straka.
Reviews of other titles in this series
|