Hamish and the WorldStoppers

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I loved this series from the first book Death of a Gossip. Hamish Macbeth is the main character along with the supporting characters in the town of Lochdubh, The new characters add to the story. Hamish is the policeman assigned to this town which he loves. He gets a new constable Dorothy McIver to work with him. He shows her around town and the Tommel Castle Hotel to introduce her to the villagers. While at the castle he is told that a woman showed up asking about Dorothy but left. While there they run into two men in the parking lot who Hamish is suspicious of. He gets a call from Dougie, the owner of the gas station that there is a dead body in a car. Hamish goes and finds that it is one of the men in the parking lot, Graham Leslie who is shot in the head. This is where the story takes off with Hamish trying to find out why he was killed. So much is happening in the town with thieves, car races, a motorcycle as well as murder. Hamish and Dorothy spend a lot of time together. They fall in love and Hamish asks her to marry him and she accepts. The town is very happy for them. Detective Chief Inspector Blair is assigned to the murder. He and Hamish have a bad relationship; throughout all the books. He is into something shady. On the wedding day Hamish is at the church but Dorothy does not show. He knows that she is in danger and looks for her. She is found in a field dead. Hamish goes to great lengths to find the killer. I will leave the end of the story to the readers as the ending comes with many surprises. Colonel George Halburton-Smythe – Priscilla's snobbish father. He dislikes Hamish immensely and considers him a most unsuitable friend for his daughter.

Soon after this revelation, Lady Jane is found murdered. No one in the party is exactly upset about this development, but Hamish Macbeth (the local policeman) feels obligated to find the murderer. At this point, the book mirrors an English murder-mystery. In essence, a small group of people are trapped and each of them is a suspect in a murder case, much like the famous movie Clue. At this point, it is left up to Macbeth to determine who the culprit is and how to bring him/her to justice. In this book, Macbeth is assisted by his love interest Priscilla Smythe and, together, they bring the killer to light. MC Beaton's Hamish Macbeth books are set in the Scottish village of Lochdubh, following the crime-solving adventures of local police constable Hamish Macbeth. Hamish is not especially ambitious, and he's often underestimated by friends and murderers alike.

Mrs. Wellington – the local clergyman's wife. She has a loud, booming voice and is at the heart of Lochdubh's village life.

Hamish Macbeth first aired on television in 1995 on a comedy-drama series formed by BBC Scotland. Marion Chesney claims that the only things that remained the same between the television series and the book series were the names of Hamish Macbeth and the small town, Lochdubh. The concept of a small town policeman butting heads with higher officials was also laced into the plotline, as it was a popular theme for BBC mystery shows (such as Inspector Barnaby in Midsomer Murders and the famous Inspector Lynley in the Lynley series). Green provides us with a terrific Foreword in which he not only pays fine tribute to Beaton but also talks about Sergeant Hamish Macbeth, perhaps her greatest fictional creation. Murder is his business, and the patch he calls home is Sutherland in the northernmost part of the Scottish mainland. Statistics show that there are approximately 60 murders in Scotland each year, with half of those taking place in the much larger cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Hamish’s territory averages around one murder per year. Yet Beaton found enough interesting mysteries to keep him busy for years, and DEATH OF A GREEN-EYED MONSTER is no exception. The Marion Chesney estate must be happy as well with how the continuation series is proceeding as a novella Death of a Laird: A Hamish Macbeth novella (expected March 8, 2022, Hamish Macbeth #34.5) [ correction: Death of a Laird is actually #33.5 as it was released in Kindle format February 15, 2022 prior to Death of a Green-Eyed Monster, it was the Audible Audio edition that was released later on March 8, 2022] and the next novel Death of a Traitor (Expected February 2, 2023; Hamish Macbeth #35) have already been announced. Hamish is happy because Priscilla has agreed to marry him, and he is enjoying a blissful time with his beloved fiance. The police Sergeant is free to go fishing, drink a lot of coffee, and be lazy all day, as the crime rate in the village of Lochdubh has decreased significantly. Until now, of course! Peter Hynd’s arrival has suddenly created chaos in the village. He is a handsome, unmarried man with a good income, and all the ladies in the town are practically swooning and fighting over him.But just as the town of Lochdubh gets ready to celebrate, Hamish finds himself with a new murder on his hands. If he doesn't find the killer fast, Hamish's dream wedding could become a nightmare. The first novel in the series, Death of a Gossip, begins with Hamish on the receiving end of sharp-tongued Lady Jane Withers. But with her murder, he’s immediately thrust into the limelight as the town of Lochdubh looks to him to solve the case and apprehend the person responsible for her grisly murder. Hamish must navigate the dangerous terrain of tight-lipped suspects, dead bodies and murder.

Most of the “crimes” here are of the low-scale variety --- that is, until Alice McBride reports her husband missing. After Hamish and Dorothy take Alice’s statement, he shows her one of the many fishing spots where Mr. McBride likes to frequent to get away from the missus. Dorothy not only relishes the beautiful vistas of this area of Scotland, she also finds herself falling for her partner. She exclaims to Hamish that she’s never been happier in her entire life. It was so bittersweet to read this book knowing that M.C. Beaton had passed away and that she’d had assistance with writing this book before her death. IF this had been my first read in the Hamish Macbeth series, I’d probably have rated the book a solid 4 or 4.5 stars. However, it was NOT my first book in the series – I’ve read them all. It was a good mystery and it was well written – it was just a little ‘off’ somehow. Hamish just wasn’t quite Hamish – I still loved him, but he wasn’t exactly the character I’ve come to know and love. I also didn’t get the book I had so very much wanted. I have to wonder if this is really the last book of the series or not because nothing was really wrapped up in the book and lots of ‘hints’ were there for things to come. The book I WANTED would have had a happily settled Hamish in his sweet Scottish village – and DCI Blair having been dropped in the deep ocean somewhere. That is definitely NOT what I got. So now, do I go on picturing our sweet, lovable Hamish spending a long, lonely life in Lochdubh – OR – will there be another book and another? If there are more, will they satisfy my Lochdubh hunger and my desire to see Hamish happily settled and living a life that isn’t lonely? Willie Lamont – Hamish's former subordinate, Willie leaves the police force to marry Lucia, a relative of the local Italian restaurant owner, to devote himself to the restaurant. The TV adaptations took several liberties with the plots, combining elements from several novels into each episode, changing the details enough to make them work together.Considered by many to be a useless, lazy moocher, Macbeth is very well informed about his community's activities and often overlooks minor transgressions in the interests of the public weal. In time it emerges that, following Highland tradition as the eldest child, he remains single because he is supporting his crofter parents and six much younger siblings by sending them most of his salary, and finding various ways to supplementing his income. Having created a niche for himself in the community and on the police force, he uses his intelligence and skills to solve murders cases - while avoiding and evading all efforts to transfer, promote and/or fire him out of it. In 2019, the literary world and readers everywhere said goodbye to the great M. C. Beaton. Hailed as the "Queen of Crime" by the Globe and Mail, she brought us two hugely popular mystery series starring Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth. DEATH OF A GREEN-EYED MONSTER is the 34th installment in the latter series, and it is thanks to R.W. Green --- a longtime friend of Beaton --- that this story was finished and published for her fans to enjoy. Any time a series goes beyond the normal length (3-6 books) it becomes quite the juggling act to figure out what to read next.