Death Of A Village
By: M. C. Beaton
Published: 2003
Audiobook Read by: Graeme Malcolm
My rating: SPECTACULAR
I have been having the most wonderful run of great books chosen at random off the shelves! When I picked up this particular book I had no idea who this author was or anything about the books she writes but I was definitely pleasantly surprised!
Hamish Macbeth is a wonderfully written character. I loved his simple outlook on life and the way he cares so much for the people on his beat. The little town of Lochdubh Scotland couldn't have a better protector. As Hamish goes about his normal police activities he finds that things are just a little bit off in one of the little villages in his district. Finding the locals tight lipped and having nothing to justify his apprehension he has to leave it alone....officially. However, Hamish isn't the kind to play by the rules so he takes it upon himself to do a little snooping of his own....unofficially. He knows that something isn't right but is thwarted at every turn by the locals who absolutely refuse to talk. It is only after several criminal acts happen that he finally is able to open an officially inquiry.
I loved this book for several reasons. The most excellent mix of good humor, engaging mystery, and heart make this a wonderful story. I enjoyed the way the book doesn't focus only on the main mystery but follows Hamish as he solves other crimes along the way. His relationship to the other characters is fun to hear about with so little going unnoticed by the town gossips who love to meet at the market to report everything they see. I also loved the relationship between Hamish and his dog. Too often the dog is left out of the story when it is really an integral part. Hamish would do anything for his dog and the bond between them is very touching. In the end, Hamish saves the day but there is much more than just good detective work in this book, there is a delightful glimpse into the simple lives of simple folk in the Scottish Highlands.
I listened to the audio book read by Graeme Malcolm. He does a wonderful job with this book but is slightly lacking in expression. His voice is very easy to listen to though, and I loved his accent!
Overall, this is a SPECTACULAR book and I loved every bit of it! I was very happy to find that there are many other Hamish Macbeth books and look forward to spending many more hours in Lochdubh seeing what adventures lie ahead! I highly recommend you give this book a try, I don't think you'll regret it!
This book sounds so good. It might be just the type of book I like. I love learning new things about Scotland. The heritage is all new to me. I'll get this book at a library if I can find it. Thanks for the tip. And good to know that if I do love it, the author has others.
ReplyDeleteDon't you hate it when you read a few good books from an author and then you can't find any more?
This is actually #19 of the Hamish Macbeth books. I pulled it randomly off the shelf. Most of the older ones aren't available on CD so I am getting the first one in print form to read to my wife. I'm looking forward to them! One author that I wish had written more is Olive Ann Burns. She wrote Cold Sassy Tree, (I reviewed it on here a while back) but apparently there is only one other book and it wasn't even finished when she died. Oh well, maybe we should be thankful, there are so many great books out there that we'll never get to read them all anyway! :) Hopefully God will have all the good ones in Heaven for us since we'll have eternity to read them all! :)
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