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Fiction. Mystery. HTML: The third book in the much-loved Hamish Macbeth series from the author of the bestselling Agatha Raisin series The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or�??more accurately�??has been dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remains of the murdered victim are his bones. But once the lobsters have been shipped off to Britain's best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth. Exiled to the dreary outpost of Cnothan, Macbeth sorely misses his beloved Lochdubh, but before he can head back home he has to contend with a detective chief inspector who wants the murder hushed up, a dark-haired lassie who is out to seduce him, and a killer who has made mincemeat of his last victim�??and will no doubt strike ag… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ByrningBunny
"Offbeat, utterly endearing. . ." Booklist
A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
Nobody in the Scottish town of Cnothan had much liked William Mainwaring. The abrasive Englishman rubbed everyone the wrong way. And now that he's been murdered, nobody seems to mind. Constable Hamish Macbeth happens to be on
A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
Nobody in the Scottish town of Cnothan had much liked William Mainwaring. The abrasive Englishman rubbed everyone the wrong way. And now that he's been murdered, nobody seems to mind. Constable Hamish Macbeth happens to be on
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temporary duty in Cnothan when the killer strikes, and now, like it or not, he's got to solve the crime and bring the killer to justice. But the closed-mouthed locals seem to be hiding many secrets. And as Hamish slowly pieces together a tale of illicit romance, secret vices, real-estate swindles and witchcraft, he begins to wonder if he will soon be joining Mainwairing Show Less
LibraryThing member riverwillow
Hamish is sent to the neighbouring town of Cnothan for three months to cover while the local sergeant is on holiday. Although this book follows the well established, and likeable, pattern of the others - about a third of the way in a particularly unpleasant character dies - Hamish's unhappiness at
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being away from Lochdubh permeates the text, even when Hamish falls in lust with his neighbour, making this an interesting, if slightly less fun addition to the series. It is interesting to see how Hamish copes away from the security of Lochdubh and how quickly he 'forgets' Priscilla. Of course Hamish manages to solve the murder and returns to Lochdubh. Oh yes, and I am very very glad that I don't eat lobster. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fernandame
Audiobook - I am really enjoying this series - Hamish is helping out another town and of course murder happens!! Love the way I could not figure out who had done it - although it is hard when you don't have all the info!!
LibraryThing member Anntstobbs
I enjoy Hamish Macbeth and Ms Beaton's quirky murders. This one has the victim dumped in a vat of live lobsters to be eaten. Of course, Hamish solves the crime quickly in his usual laid-back manner.
LibraryThing member devenish
Hamish is transfered for three months to the dismal and unfriendly town of Cnothan. Needless to say ,as soon as he takes over there a murder occurs of a most horrific nature. A body has been found in a large lobster tank and the lobsters have eaten all the flesh away,leaving only the bones. Macbeth
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and his awful superior Blair clash once more and finally arrive at completely different solutions. It will not surprise the reader to discover just who is the correct one. Show Less
LibraryThing member lahochstetler
In this volume Hamish is stuck in the village of Cnothan, investigating the death of an irritating know-it-all Englishman. While Hamish deals with Blair's abuse he misses Priscilla, who is in London, and takes up with a local artist to fill the lonely evenings.
This book gives the reader a close-up
This book gives the reader a close-up
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view of the Highland distrust of outsiders. Blair is so badly behaved in this book that I can't believe that he hasn't been fired. We learn a bit about crofting. This is one of those books that is more about Hamish and more about the Highlands more generally than it is about the actual mystery, which is solved rather abruptbly. Show Less
LibraryThing member Aspenhugger
"Nobody in the Scottish town of Cnothan had liked the abrasive Englishman, and now that he has been murdered--in a most original fashion--nobody much minds. Constable Hamish Macbeth's hard luck is that he happens to be on temporary duty in this cloistered Highlands village when the killer strikes.
"But Hamish is crafty, and with practiced aplomb he slowly extracts from the locals a scandalous tale of illicit romance, secret vices, real-estate wheeling and dealing, even witchcraft--all so unbelievable that it can only be true."
~~back cover
Poor Hamish! Sent by a vengeful Chief Detective Inspector Blair to cheerless, hostile Cnothan, Hamish misses his own cozy police station and Lochdubh. The ghastly murder of the town's most hated incomer helps take his mind off his troubles, and as usual, Hamish's native psychology uncovers a host of lies and facades in the natives, and eventually correctly identifies the murder, much to Blair's consternation. Another round in the hilarious and entertaining tango between them.
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And he has his work cut out for him, dragging from Mainwaring's close-mouthed neighbors enough facts to start solving this peculiar case."But Hamish is crafty, and with practiced aplomb he slowly extracts from the locals a scandalous tale of illicit romance, secret vices, real-estate wheeling and dealing, even witchcraft--all so unbelievable that it can only be true."
~~back cover
Poor Hamish! Sent by a vengeful Chief Detective Inspector Blair to cheerless, hostile Cnothan, Hamish misses his own cozy police station and Lochdubh. The ghastly murder of the town's most hated incomer helps take his mind off his troubles, and as usual, Hamish's native psychology uncovers a host of lies and facades in the natives, and eventually correctly identifies the murder, much to Blair's consternation. Another round in the hilarious and entertaining tango between them.
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LibraryThing member Jiraiya
I have nothing but effusive, gushing and enraptured praise for M.C. Beaton. Will she keep that form all the way to her latest books? Who cares? For now I'm in heaven. Wonderful book! Brilliant! I'll be lucky if I get a better one to read this year. I've never, ever read about the (a more acerbic
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version of) equivalent of Lestrade/Japp try to imitate the hero of the book and try to grill the suspects till one of them confessed! So original! Took my breath away! And then with perfect timing, Hamish comes in and says : - All of you can go away. Except for x. He's the murderer.' I mean, I have never seen such ideas in my entire life before. The Agatha Raisin books are quite nice, but Hamish eclipsing them is a small tour de force. I'm delighted to have found another super writer. I can't discount being disappointed. That may happen. But I'll be eternally grateful to the author for what I read today. Show Less
LibraryThing member mamashepp
There were a few things that bothered me about this one but I always love Hamish!
LibraryThing member mamashepp
There were a few things that bothered me about this one but I always love Hamish!
LibraryThing member -Eva-
While on temporary duty in Cnothan, Hamish Macbeth has to investigate the murder of the most hated man in the town, but nobody seems to be interested in finding out what actually happened. Really good installment in the series and I really enjoy the murder method as it veers into "Midsomer"
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territory, where so many people have been murdered that more and more ludicrous ways are invented to off the characters. Very enjoyable, as long as you accept that Hamish is as feeble as he is. The audio reader doesn't murder the Scottish dialect as badly as previous ones have not, but it's still a little cringey. Show Less
LibraryThing member Andrew-theQM
A very good read that kept me engaged throughout. 4 stars.
LibraryThing member ChazziFrazz
Hamish Macbeth is assigned to Cnothen while their regular constable is gone on vacation. It is a village that seems to be a bit stuck in time. Sleepy, agricultural and not welcoming to outsiders.
When a skeleton is found among the ring of ancient standing stones out on the moors, Hamish is called to
His superior, Blair, takes over the investigation and decides on who the murderer is without positive proof or the person even being present. Blair also has to keep secret the method such a recent murder victim became a skeleton so quickly. (Hint: crustaceans)
While Blair is out to solve the crime, find the murderer and claim responsibility for it all, Hamish is looking for clues and learning many of the secrets of the residents. Something Blair can't find out, no matter how much he bullies people.
This is the book that follows "Death of A Cad" in the Hamish Macbeth series. Another fun cozy and another fast read.
When a skeleton is found among the ring of ancient standing stones out on the moors, Hamish is called to
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duty.His superior, Blair, takes over the investigation and decides on who the murderer is without positive proof or the person even being present. Blair also has to keep secret the method such a recent murder victim became a skeleton so quickly. (Hint: crustaceans)
While Blair is out to solve the crime, find the murderer and claim responsibility for it all, Hamish is looking for clues and learning many of the secrets of the residents. Something Blair can't find out, no matter how much he bullies people.
This is the book that follows "Death of A Cad" in the Hamish Macbeth series. Another fun cozy and another fast read.
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LibraryThing member TomDonaghey
Death Of An Outsider (1988) (H. Macbeth #3) by M.C. Beaton. Hamish Macbeth is the charming hero of these tales. He just wants to be lazy, run some sheep on his land and be the only copper in the small Scots town of Lochdubh. But when he is sent to the nearby town of Cnothan to fill in for the local
A fine example is William Mainwaring who inherited a croft (a small farm and house), moved up from England with his wife, and charmed the townspeople as best he could. But he soon turned into a know-it-all and a bully, trying his best to intimidate everyone around him, including his wife. The town as a whole wouldn’t mind seeing him dead.
Through a series of events, a skeleton is discovered a short while after Mainwaring goes missing. The bones have strange scratch marks on them that acid would not cause. So there is a double mystery. Who killed him and how was he done in.
The second answer is one I have never heard of before, and in its way is pretty amusing. Read the book if for no other reason than this.
As usual with a Hamish Macbeth novel, or any of the M.C. Beaton books I’ve read, there are sly insights into the nature of people. Humor is used through out, Hamish is keen on using his gift of gab for making the least amount of work for himself, and there is a very nice story set up. I did not quite like the final resolution to the mystery as it entails Hamish learning things which the reader can not. And, as this was written back in 1988, there are some terms used that were offensive then and are very offensive now, but Hamish uses even those slights to his advantage.
Overall this is a fun read and a great way to pass a cloudy weekend.
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who is on vacation, he hopes things will stay quiet. It is a small, self-contained village that doesn’t care for outsiders at all. You know, people who might have moved to the area thirty years ago are still looked at with suspicion. A fine example is William Mainwaring who inherited a croft (a small farm and house), moved up from England with his wife, and charmed the townspeople as best he could. But he soon turned into a know-it-all and a bully, trying his best to intimidate everyone around him, including his wife. The town as a whole wouldn’t mind seeing him dead.
Through a series of events, a skeleton is discovered a short while after Mainwaring goes missing. The bones have strange scratch marks on them that acid would not cause. So there is a double mystery. Who killed him and how was he done in.
The second answer is one I have never heard of before, and in its way is pretty amusing. Read the book if for no other reason than this.
As usual with a Hamish Macbeth novel, or any of the M.C. Beaton books I’ve read, there are sly insights into the nature of people. Humor is used through out, Hamish is keen on using his gift of gab for making the least amount of work for himself, and there is a very nice story set up. I did not quite like the final resolution to the mystery as it entails Hamish learning things which the reader can not. And, as this was written back in 1988, there are some terms used that were offensive then and are very offensive now, but Hamish uses even those slights to his advantage.
Overall this is a fun read and a great way to pass a cloudy weekend.
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LibraryThing member alanteder
Macbeth vs. the Outsider
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2013) of the St. Martin's Press hardcover original (1988)
After discovering M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series due to the Estonia cameo in "Death of Yesterday", I started to seek out the earlier books by
Death of an Outsider is the third of the series and has change of narrators for the audiobook editions in the voice of Shaun Grindell. Macbeth is temporarily assigned to the village of Cnothan while that local bobby is on vacation. The outsider of the title is an attractive Englishman who is tempting the village wives and who then suddenly disappears under suspicious circumstances. Hamish thinks it is a murder but no one else believes him. Outsider continues the reliability of the series and the new narrator adds an extra amount of Scottish brogue to the performance.
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2013) of the St. Martin's Press hardcover original (1988)
After discovering M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series due to the Estonia cameo in "Death of Yesterday", I started to seek out the earlier books by
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finding several at Toronto's Sleuth of Baker Street. I enjoyed those and found them to be an especially delightful diversion during this continuing pandemic. My next plan was to go back and read the series in order. I then discovered the rather terrific bonus that most of the books are available free on Audible Plus, a service that I had previously been underwhelmed by (some early attempts with longer books had audio difficulties, with book narrations freezing in midstream). Beaton's shorter books (usually 4 to 5 hours on audio) seem to be perfect for this medium. Death of an Outsider is the third of the series and has change of narrators for the audiobook editions in the voice of Shaun Grindell. Macbeth is temporarily assigned to the village of Cnothan while that local bobby is on vacation. The outsider of the title is an attractive Englishman who is tempting the village wives and who then suddenly disappears under suspicious circumstances. Hamish thinks it is a murder but no one else believes him. Outsider continues the reliability of the series and the new narrator adds an extra amount of Scottish brogue to the performance.
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LibraryThing member KarenLeeField
In order to keep to the trend, I’ve gone backwards instead of forwards with this series. I completed book 4 recently, and then decided to read book 3. I know, I’m crazy to go backwards, but it really was not an issue as this book was not set in the same town. Worked out perfectly for me.
Hamish
This storyline was a little more twisted, and I didn’t like the townspeople much. I don’t have much more to say other than I would read more books in the series.
Hamish
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is set to another town to fill in while the regular police officer had a well deserved holiday. But, of course, things go wrong as soon as Hamish turns up. Yet, there is a upturn of events for Hamish in other areas (wink, wink, say no more).This storyline was a little more twisted, and I didn’t like the townspeople much. I don’t have much more to say other than I would read more books in the series.
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