Death of a Scriptwriter

Death of a Scriptwriter proved a very nice surprise even for a Hamish Macbeth fan such as myself. I've come to relish time spent in the Highlands with the quirky villagers of Lochdubh. I was a late-comer to this fun mystery series, and ended up reading them in quite haphazard fashion, completely out of order. I'm delighted to say it did not lessen my enjoyment of the series whatsoever. It has given me an appreciation for how charming the series truly is; and sadly was, now that the author has passed.

This older Hamish mystery has poignancy and depth, augmenting the well-plotted mystery. The trademark humor fans have come to enjoy is rife throughout, but this one has that special something which makes it stand out as one of the finest in show more the long-running series from M.C. Beaton. I would even say the character of Patricia Martyn-Broyd, a mystery writer whose better days are behind her, is actually quite memorable.

But before you begin to get the idea that Death of a Scriptwriter is too serious in tone, be reassured that everything we love about our favorite constable and those quirky Lochdubh villagers whom Hamish mooches food from while solving the mystery is here in abundance. When a television crew wants to film a local mystery writer's book, everyone wants to be a star. But Lady Harriet Vere has been changed in ways which doesn't please everyone. There are so many despicable souls running around the Highlands, in fact, the reader isn't sure who will be murdered, much less who will do the dirty deed.

As usual, Hamish has his nasty boss Blair with which to contend in the initial stages. But when Blair finds himself in hot water, Hamish discovers his replacement is even worse! Attempting to get over his breakup with Priscilla by catching the eye of a lovely lass who happens to be a suspect, Hamish will be confronted by quite a bit of violence before the case is solved.

Dark comedy and a good village mystery, supplemented by characters who've grown on us, make Death of a Scriptwriter a deceptively complex and poignant mystery. While this series is always entertaining, often grandly so, this one has some bite to it. I highly recommend picking this one up if you somehow missed it. Hamish's wild cat, Sonsie, and his dog Lugs are not around yet, but you'll have so much fun in Lochdubh, you'll barely notice. A terrific read. show less

The titular character of Death of a Screenwriter, the 14th Hamish Macbeth mystery, is Jamie Gallagher, a boozy, incompetent whose ego is only exceeded by the dreadfulness of his prose. To no one’s surprise — especially not his fellow co-workers — Jamie ends up with his head bashed on Constable Hamish Macbeth’s patch while filming a mystery series on location. The novel is amusing without getting too cynical or preachy — both pitfalls that can beset the author M.C. Beaton — and it’s a pleasure to try to determine who from amongst the crew of Strathclyde Television or the villagers from dreadful Drim loathed Jamie Gallagher enough to bash his head in with a rock. Needless to say, Hamish will discover who did it — and much show more more.

Hamish is finding himself rekindling his love of the beautiful but cold Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, but, luckily for us, they never seem to get together in this novel. Whenever Hamish and Priscilla are together, the novel suffers from all their immature longings and bickering, which really takes away from the mystery. While we dodged the bullet in Death of a Scriptwriter, I fear she may be back in the next novel, Death of an Addict. I can only hope that the course of true love — or, more likely, misbegotten lust — keeps not running smoothly. The mystery novel will be better for it. show less

Patricia Martyn-Broyd had not published a new novel in decades, not since 1965’s publication of The Case of the Rising Tides, which showcased her Scottish amateur detective, Lady Harriet Vere. She had moved to the Highland village of Cnothan with the hope that a change in scenery would jump start her creativity once again, but so far nothing has happened. So when a television company contacts her with the aim of adapting The Case of the Rising Tides, she is thrilled. Unfortunately, she soon finds that the scriptwriter, Jamie Gallagher, is set on “tarting up” the story, setting it in the 1960s with a swinging Lady Harriet and pot-smoking and lots and lots of nudity and sex. She is appalled, but cannot do anything about it - or can show more she? Patricia just needs to enlist the help of other people, including police constable Hamish Macbeth and some of the television crew….The 14th entry in the long-running Hamish Macbeth series bears many of the hallmarks of the series: a set of new characters, most of whom are quite unpleasant people, the unhappy love life of Hamish Macbeth, the jealousy of his superior Detective Chief Inspector Blair, and, of course, the villages and villagers of various places in the Highlands, creating an atmosphere all its own. I liked this one, even though I found the resolution a bit far-fetched; still, recommended. show less

I’m having a quandary with M.C. Beaton books at the moment - or this series, in that domestic violence frequently appears and there is often gaslighting of it rather than resolute condemnation. The weird thing is reading the “victim deserves it” attitude of some characters which frequently goes unchecked. I’ll persist for the moment but to be honest if it continues into future books I may have to walk away from this series.

Macbeth and the TV People
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2020) of the Mysterious Press hardcover original (1998)

Death of a Scriptwriter has Lochdubh village constable Hamish Macbeth dealing with the filming of a Strathbane TV series in the Highlands. The scriptwriter and some of the actors & production people are the apparent targets of either a vengeful local or one of their own. The original novel writer is on hand and is irate about the adaptation of her book. Perhaps this is author M.C. Beaton winking at the audience over the adaptation of her own books into the Hamish Macbeth TV series which also wasn't faithful to the books, but was at least charming in its own way.

This edition on Audible Audio has the show more excellent narration of series regular Shaun Grindell. show less

"Patricia Martyn-Broyd was not an easy woman to like. The hawk-nosed spinster had retired to Scotland, unable to write another book since her 1965 mystery featuring the aristocratic Scottish detective Lady Harriet Vere. Local constable Hamish Macbeth, with the telepathic ability of the Highlander, thought Patricia must be lonely beneath her rigid pride. A bit lonely himself since the breakup of his engagement, he extended his friendship. But that was before fame and the movie people arrived ...

"A British TV company had decided to feature Lady Harriet in a new series. They didn't reveal to Patricia that a buxom soft-porn film star would star as Lady Harriet, that nude scenes had been added, or that the starchy aristocrat now presided show more over a 1960s hippie commune. Hamish, however, had a bad feeling about the whole venture, especially when the production crew set up in the nearby town of Drim. The constable knew there would be trouble between the middle-aged, dour townsfolk and the flashy, urbane filmmakers. And there was -- murder.

"When one of the scriptwriters for the series is found dead, the tension escalates on the set and in the streets of Drim. And as Hamish pokes into the town's secrets and the TV people's hidden agendas, he finds a large cast of people who wanted to cut out the writer for good -- from the boozehound husband jealous of his actress wife's flagrant flirting to the tough, ambitious producer who was threatened with dismissal. Going behind the scenes, the detective knows he must resolve this deadly episode soon, for an impromptu killer is striking again, and again ..."
~~front & back flaps

This installation of the fabulous life of Hamish Macbeth acually made a bit more sense than the last one. Motives more understandable, characterizations more realistic, etc. And if you think you've figured out whodunnit as you read along, you're probably right. show less

I've read a bunch of Hamish MacBeth mysteries, but not in a number of years. I don't know if my memory of them is faulty, or if I've grown past them, but I didn't enjoy this one as much. All of the characters were fairly miserable, either being downright nasty or being absently neglectful and hurtful. The only decent characters were Hamish himself and his colleague Jimmy Anderson.

It was nice revisiting an old series, even if, in doing so, I learned that it's not something that brings me pleasure anymore.