DEATH OF A WITCH: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
M. C. Beaton
Grand Central Publishing
Mystery
ISBN: 9780446196130
DEATH OF A WITCH is the 24th mystery featuring Hamish Macbeth in this cozy series set in the picturesque Scottish Highlands. Hamish is lazy, sly and utterly amusing --- he mooches food wherever he can, poaches fish from local streams, is more devoted to his dog Lugs and domesticated wild cat Sonsie than to any humans in his life, and assiduously resists promotion to avoid leaving his sleepy and beloved village of Lochdubh (pronounced “Loch-doo”).
Hamish has just returned from a dull vacation in Spain to find a newcomer (an “incomer” in local parlance) in the village, a mysterious woman who goes by the name of Catriona Beldame. Catriona appears to have endeared herself to many of the men in the village of Lochdubh, but they refuse to talk to Hamish about her. Hamish learns that the village women hate Catriona, and many of the superstitious villagers fear her as a witch.
Rumors indicate that she has been selling the men potions to increase their sexual prowess (and presumably make their wives interested in sex again, perhaps for the first time in decades). But Hamish has reason to suspect that the potions are harming the men rather than helping them.
When Catriona ends up dead under ugly circumstances, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Hamish, who was heard to threaten her, and on the other villagers, any of whom might have had cause to wish her dead. As Hamish is puzzling over the mystery of Catriona’s murder and the arson of her home, three other villagers are killed in quick succession.
Hamish must act fast to learn if and how the murders are connected to each other before the killer strikes again. As usual, he receives no help from surly and jealous Inspector Blair, who tries to keep Hamish away from the case. Luckily, Blair’s underling, Jimmy Anderson, is always ready to supply Hamish with the information he needs, provided Hamish in turn is willing to keep Jimmy supplied with whiskey.
To uncover the mystery behind the murders, Hamish enlists the help of the various women in his life: his reporter friend (and erstwhile love interest) Elspeth Grant; his ex-fianceé and local lady of the manor, Priscilla Hallburton-Smythe; and Lesley Seaton, a pretty forensics expert who appears to have set her sights on Hamish. Gangly, awkward and exasperating though he might be, Hamish also manages to be utterly disarming and draw his share of female attention, although typically not to satisfactory ends.
It is clear by this point in the series that, like M. C. Beaton’s other famous protagonist --- the indomitable Agatha Raisin --- Hamish Macbeth is doomed never to find love. But his run-ins with the opposite sex are always entertaining and often laugh-out-loud funny. Here, his problems with his personal life offer a microcosmic view of the larger theme of the book --- the battle of the sexes. The married men of Lochdubh desire more active sex lives, while their indomitable wives dismiss sex as something filthy that they are glad never to have to partake of again.
The many picturesque characters who populate this fictional village make an appearance here: Dr. Brodie and his good-natured if somewhat scatter-brained wife Angela; Jessie and Nessie, gossipy sisters who loathe Hamish; Mr. Patel, the grocer; and the seer Angus (who is only a “scunner” or crook, according to Hamish). It is always a pleasure for an M.C. Beaton fan to check in on these regulars and find them behaving much as one expects.
DEATH OF A WITCH has the same droll wit and easy charm as the other installments in the series. The plot is considerably more complex than the early books. Occasionally the story gets a bit cluttered with too many new characters --- the reader may have to do a bit of backtracking to figure out which character is which. But the complex and interesting plot, which will keep one guessing until the end, is well worth the trouble.
For a fan of Beaton’s work, there is nothing more enjoyable than a new release in the Hamish Macbeth or Agatha Raisin series. For someone new to Beaton’s British cozies, DEATH OF A WITCH is a terrific introduction to a quirky, amusing protagonist and an entertaining mystery writer.
--- Reviewed by Usha Reynolds (Usha_Reynolds@hotmail.com)
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