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Death of a Laird

A Hamish Macbeth Novella

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Death of a Laird

By: M.C. Beaton
Narrated by: David Monteath
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About this listen

When Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is sent to investigate reports that the wealthy new laird of the remote Naglar House has disappeared, north-west Scotland is hit by the worst storm in living memory.

The road is washed away, phone lines are down, mobile reception is dead and his police radio is out of order. He is trapped with the laird's high-class house guests. Then he discovers the laird's body.

Forced to remain overnight at the house, he interviews each of the guests and pieces together an alarming picture of clandestine infidelity, vicious jealousy, deadly revenge, lust, greed and fear. It begins to look like all of the guests had good reason to want the laird dead, but which one of them actually did the deed?

©2022 M.C. Beaton (P)2022 Hachette Audio UK Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedural Crime

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Critic reviews

"First rate...deft social comedy and wonderfully realised atmosphere." (Booklist)

"It's always a treat to return to Lochdubh." (New York Times)

"Befuddled, earnest and utterly endearing, Hamish makes his triumphs sweetly satisfying." (Publishers Weekly)
All stars
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I found the characters to be rather confusing although Hamish getting to grips with a problem up to scratch.

Characters confusing

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Hamish is back, it feels like your favourite uncle is sitting by the peat fire telling grand stories until the wee small hours.
keep the coming Rod Green, you do the grand old lady proud.

like a warm dram on a cold night!

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R. W. Green does not have an easy task, to produce a Hamish Macbeth story. So many people have enjoyed M.C.Beaton writing them alone for many years. I do take my hat off to him.
Please, Mr Montieth, why have you changed the voice you use for our beloved Hamish?

A gentle listen for the afternoon rest!

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The Hamish Macbeth books are by far my favourites amongst MC Beaton’s work. I love their gentle humour and they never failed to put me in a good mood. The early books would actually make me laugh out loud.
I take it this book has been ghost written by someone else (as I suspect the last couple of books in Hamish Macbeth series may have been).
This book is missing that humour. Without it, this story could be any old whodunnit and it’s not a particularly clever or suspenseful one at that. The book is well read by David Monteath as ever, but even his cannot save it. Such a disappointment!

What a terrible shame!

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Didn’t realise this was going to be just over an hour long, missed the usual turns and twists, and the villagers, even missed the last phrase repetition from the sisters

Disappointing

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Sadly, this ‘novella’ doesn’t have the character of a Hamish MacBeth story. There is more to a series of books than the main protagonist. One comes to expect visits to familiar locations and interactions with locals that have become part of the foundations of the series, this offering lacks both. The solution to the mystery is overly simple, nothing that would challenge our Hamish in any other story. A bit more complexity would have gone a long way. A cynic may say this was a money-making exercise, a kinder analysis may be an experiment in a new direction. Certainly not the best in the series.

Death of a Laird

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used to such good books, it’s wasn’t just that the book was so short, which was obviously disappointing, but felt very lazily written.

sad

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