Customer Reviews
Two Novels in One - By: Donald Mitchell, 20 Apr 2007 
It's always a challenge keeping a mystery series fresh. Many times readers will react negatively to changes you putin place. In Death of Macho Man, M.C. Beaton does something few mystery writers could accomplish: She builds up enough plot complications for two mysteries & lets her characters be much more active than usual. The result is immensely satisfying for giving you more of what you like about Hamish Macbeth stories: Mysterious deaths; unexpected motives; romantic complications; prickly interactions with Priscilla Halburton-Smythe; failed attempts by Detective Chief Inspector Blair to get Hamish fired; by-play with the Lochdubh villagers; & exciting action sequences. Don't miss this book!
As usual, an outsider is causing problemsin Lochdubh. Randy Duggan claims to have been a professional wrestlerin America & likes to brag about his exploits. He has plenty of muscles & tattoos, but his stories don't always ring true. Duggan can usually gain an audience by buying drinks all round with his wad of cash. But after awhile, even free drinks begin to pale as Randy's need to brag nonstopin unconvincing ways becomes boring. Physical confrontations start & Hamish has to sort things out. Duggan wants a piece of Hamish & Hamish makes the mistake of agreeing to fight Duggan while Hamish is off duty. The whole area gets a bet down & arrives to watch the fun. Things turn nasty, however, when Duggan is found dead with his head blown off by a shotgun. Naturally, Hamish is the top suspect.
From that taut beginning, the story buildsin intensity as Hamish worksin secret to find the real killer. Priscilla Halburton-Smythe has her biggest rolein many books, & all of the challenging dimensions of their relationship are put to a test (including teaching Hamish how to use a computer). The mystery deepens as Hamish begins to find out unpleasant facts about two local residents. Everything is upin the air once the pathologists realize that Duggan has had plastic surgery. What was he trying to hide?
A great subplotin the book is the attention paid to Hamish's relationships with his friends among the villagers. As the investigations continue, Hamish finds himselfin trouble with the villagers as well as with the police leadersin Strathbane.
You'll also like seeing Hamish become a lot more reckless & less lazy. It shows a side of him that only occasionally is revealedin the earlier books.
Highly recommended!
Two Novels in One - By: Donald Mitchell, 20 Apr 2007 It's always a challenge keeping a mystery series fresh. Many times readers will react negatively to changes you putin place. In Death of Macho Man, M.C. Beaton does something few mystery writers could accomplish: She builds up enough plot complications for two mysteries & lets her characters be much more active than usual. The result is immensely satisfying for giving you more of what you like about Hamish Macbeth stories: Mysterious deaths; unexpected motives; romantic complications; prickly interactions with Priscilla Halburton-Smythe; failed attempts by Detective Chief Inspector Blair to get Hamish fired; by-play with the Lochdubh villagers; & exciting action sequences. Don't miss this book!
As usual, an outsider is causing problemsin Lochdubh. Randy Duggan claims to have been a professional wrestlerin America & likes to brag about his exploits. He has plenty of muscles & tattoos, but his stories don't always ring true. Duggan can usually gain an audience by buying drinks all round with his wad of cash. But after awhile, even free drinks begin to pale as Randy's need to brag nonstopin unconvincing ways becomes boring. Physical confrontations start & Hamish has to sort things out. Duggan wants a piece of Hamish & Hamish makes the mistake of agreeing to fight Duggan while Hamish is off duty. The whole area gets a bet down & arrives to watch the fun. Things turn nasty, however, when Duggan is found dead with his head blown off by a shotgun. Naturally, Hamish is the top suspect.
From that taut beginning, the story buildsin intensity as Hamish worksin secret to find the real killer. Priscilla Halburton-Smythe has her biggest rolein many books, & all of the challenging dimensions of their relationship are put to a test (including teaching Hamish how to use a computer). The mystery deepens as Hamish begins to find out unpleasant facts about two local residents. Everything is upin the air once the pathologists realize that Duggan has had plastic surgery. What was he trying to hide?
A great subplotin the book is the attention paid to Hamish's relationships with his friends among the villagers. As the investigations continue, Hamish finds himselfin trouble with the villagers as well as with the police leadersin Strathbane.
You'll also like seeing Hamish become a lot more reckless & less lazy. It shows a side of him that only occasionally is revealedin the earlier books.
Highly recommended!
A great book and a great mystery - By: Kurt A. Johnson, 04 Mar 2005 This is the twelfthin a series of mysteries featuring the detective work of small town, Highland Scottish detective Hamish Macbeth, P.C. A loudmouthed bruiser of a man has established himselfin Lochdubh, but when he starts to bully those smaller than himself (everyone), Hamish decides that it is time to deal with him. But, when the man is found dead (drugged, tied up, & blasted with a shotgun), Hamish sets out to find out who did it & why. And when a second person is murdered, the plot continues to thicken...
Being a dyed-in-the-wool Hamish Macbeth fan, I can tell you that this is another great Hamish mystery, just as good as the rest. The story was quite fascinating, & I have always enjoyed M.C. Beaton's (pseudonym of Marion Chesney) Highland setting - the characters are quite fascinating as is the environment of the Highlands themselves. Overall I thought that this was a great book, & a great mystery. If you like mysteries, or are merely interestin the Scottish Highlands, then you must get this book!
Hamish is up to his old tricks again! - By: , 04 Nov 2000 
"Reading a Hamish Macbeth book is like taking a vacationin the Highlands to enjoy the local color & heather-scented air," according to the book's liner notes. Well, possibly. Nonetheless M.C. Beaton's "Death of a Macho Man" continues the Macbeth sagain the small village of Lochdubh, Scotland. It follows Beaton's "tried & true" formula for her Macbeth books, of course. That said, this series is still a most readable, most interesting set, & I wouldn't think of missing one. In this one, naturally the macho man, after threatening, taunting, aggravating, & bullying (not to forget bragging) the locals--which on one occasion leads to a very nasty fight--our man comes up dead. Randy Duggan is so obnoxious that he even gets under Hamish's skin. Duggan issues a challenge to Hamish to settle their differences with a boxing match! Of course, everyonein the village is excited about this! But on the night of "the big fight," Duggan is found shot to death--which takes care of the boxing match! But it also sheds great suspicion on Hamish. And from here on out, Beaton's "main man" is on the trail to find out who really did kill him (not that there weren't plenty of other suspects, as well!). Again, we meet up with Hamish's ex-fiancee Priscilla & his nemesis Sergeant Blair. Lochdubh & its denizens soon become "family" with this series!
A Good Quick Read - By: , 01 Jun 1999 
I found this an easy novel to read. Entertaining even though I rather figured out the villan(s) before the final page, which is a coup for me. But definetly a fun novel to read when your head space doesn't allow you room to get mired downin too much complexity.
