"Death of a Prankster"

If you've been following my blog, you know that I've been reading the Hamish Macbeth mysteries in order and I've just finished "Death of a Prankster." Andrew Trent is old, rich, and a practical joker. When he summons his family home for a deathbed farewell, they all respond in hopes of inheriting some of his money. As it turns out, he's just playing another trick on them and their time in his household is a series of practical jokes. Finally, someone seems to have tired of his pranks because Trent is discovered murdered in his own home. Constable Hamish Macbeth involves his old flame, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, in helping him solve the case. This one has a lot of twists and turns and I didn't even figure out who did it until near the end -- perhaps because readers were kept in the dark about a few important facts! It's an enjoyable and very quick read!

pazt

"Death of a Gossip"

This "whodunit" by M. C. Beaton is set in the wilds of Scotland where a diverse group have gathered to attend a fishing school. When one of the guests is murdered, the local village constable, Hamish MacBeth, is deemed not experienced enough to investigate the case so Detective Chief Inspector Blair along with two assistants arrive to solve the murder. In the meantime, despite being told by Blair to stay out of the case, MacBeth quietly does his own investigation to successfully find the murderer. He has a little help from Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, the daughter of a local landowner who is not at all pleased at the interest the local constable is showing in his daughter.

This is the first in a series of Hamish MacBeth mysteries (Copyright 1985) written by Marion Chesney (an author of historical romances) writing under the pseudonym M. C. Beaton. There appear to be 27 Hamish MacBeth books. I found a paperback copy of this book at my local library and it has a label on the outside which states, "The condition of this book may not be typical of ....Libraries quality. New copies of this out of print title are not available."

Initially, I had difficulty following all the characters and had to paper clip the Cast of Characters list at the start of the book so I could refer back to it often. Otherwise, it was a quick and fun read and I'm looking for the next book in the series.

pazt