Death of an Honest Man

“I swear that beastie scrambled my brains. I sometimes think there are things in Sutherland that are weird and don’t happen anywhere else because the rock here is the oldest in the world and it is only covered with a thin layer of soil.” — Hamish

It’s summer in the highlands and our favorite copper is still working with the easygoing but clumsy Charlie Carter in the latest Hamish Macbeth entry from M.C. Beaton. Like all the others, it’s delightfully, hilariously politically incorrect, and will have you laughing out loud despite some rather gruesome murders involving a peat bog. Hamish has never liked the sour village of Cnothan and now that the stuffy Paul English has moved in he likes it even less. At their first meeting, show more English automatically assumes Hamish and Charlie are a couple because of Hamish’s red hair — which surely must be from a bottle?

English’s “Speak as I find” policy does not bode well for his chances of survival and soon he has gone missing. He’s found dead of course, as Hamish expects, but has offended so many there appear to be no end of suspects — most of whom Hamish knows well. Hamish discovers that English was paying slave wages to his housekeeper. But Granny Dinwiddy suddenly takes an expensive cruise with a friend, and there is a suicide aboard. Back in Cnothan, what does Mrs. McSporren’s daughter mean when she says she saw the female reverend, Maise Walters, and Paul English having “carnival” knowledge? And can one person be in two different places at the same time?

Like every entry in the series, the story moves faster than a thirsty hummingbird and there isn’t time to dwell on the darker aspects of the narrative: such as a demented Blair lusting after Charlie’s new love, Annie West, or his attempts to kill him. Or even that strange beastie in the woods Hamish saves from death, swearing it is Sonsie, while all the villagers — and Lugs — believe it is an evil creature that cannot be trusted. Readers will come across laugh-out-loud moments such as Archie’s tours of the peat bog, and a moment when Hamish believes Lugs has actually spoken to him!

Rest assured, Paul English is not the only one who finds the peat bog not to his liking! The black humor actually gets very dark towards the end of this one as Hamish’s solution to catching a killer but not taking the credit for it is a bit gruesome indeed! Wildly politically incorrect social commentary, gut-bustlingly funny observations, an absolutely charming setting, and a likable protagonist make this mystery in the Hamish Macbeth canon terrific for long-time fans. The ending, in fact, makes this one a must read for those who’ve followed the series for ages, but I cannot say why. Highly recommended! show less

All of us know have come across the person who says impossibly rude things whose defense is always, “I’m just being honest.” Honesty becomes the hall pass for racism, sexism, bigotry, meanness, and spite. I think honesty would like to bow out, but as long as there are people, there will be the “honest man” who steamrolls through life making enemies everywhere and every day.

Paul English is just such an honest man, honestly awful, and sure enough, he ends up dead in a peat bog. The question for Hamish and his colleague Charlie is who didn’t want to kill him. For some, the only reason to look for the killer is to know where to send the thank you cards. Hamish, though, doesn’t like the idea of a killer running around his show more patch. Once that taboo is broken, murderers often kill again, and sure enough…

Meanwhile, Hamish and Charlie have to deal with the corrupt, drunk cop Blair who Hamish thinks is homicidal. The internal drama among the police is shockingly bad.

Having watched the entire Hamish Macbeth series, I thought I knew what to expect from Death of an Honest Man by M. C. Beaton. I know that TV adaptations may diverge from their originals. For example, while the television series has Phryne Fisher and Jack in a will-they-won’t-they romance, there is no romance in the books. Characters disappear or merge into a composite, and sometimes even the crime and the bad guy turn out differently. But I think this is the first time where the mood of the novel is in sharp contrast to the TV series. There is far more menace in the books. There is something genial and charming in the TV series, Hamish is bemused by the locals. Here Hamish is more a part of the local community, not so much an observer.

I liked Death of an Honest Man. There is a strong sense of the community and of place. The mystery is satisfyingly complicated. There’s a bit of deux ex machina and hints of supernatural intervention, but then it is rural Scotland and in keeping with the community sensibility. I was less sanguine about the Blair storyline and the seeming acceptance of domestic violence. Still, it makes me interested in reading more.

I received an e-galley of Death of an Honest Man from the publisher through NetGalley.

Death of an Honest Man at Hachette Book Group | Grand Central Publishing
M. C. Beaton author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/9781455558315/ show less

Hamish Macbeth has just met the most unpleasant man to arrive in his jurisdiction. Paul English considers himself to be honest, but he is boorish, mean-spirited, and greedy. In fact, this is what got him killed. After an altercation at a local pub with some foresters, Hamish handcuffs the man but he manages to escape - handcuffs and all. It is not long before his body is found in the bogs, handcuffs and all. While it is considered an accident, Hamish doesn't believe it; and after examining the body himself, he finds marks of a stabbing. Now it becomes a homicide investigation, and Hamish is up to his ears in suspects.

Unfortunately, then there's Chief Inspector Blair, who hates Hamish with a passion and wants rid of him. When he comes show more nosing around, Hamish's policeman Charlie Carter is angered by something Blair does and throws him in the loch. But Charlie is tired of being a policeman and decides to leave before he can be punished, which leaves Hamish in need of a new one. Blair, in his deranged mind, sends Silas Dunbar - with instructions to report on everything Hamish does. Hamish, in his wisdom, knows Blair and uses Silas for his own means...

Then there's the matter of Hamish's beloved cat, Sonsie. Taking the wild cat to a sanctuary was the worst thing he's ever done, in his mind. So he sets out to find her. When he sees an injured cat, he assumes it's Sonsie and takes her to his vet for care. While everyone insists the cat is not Sonsie but evil, Hamish refuses to listen. The villagers believe it's evil and cast a spell, but Hamish persists - even when his dog Lugs is afraid of it.

These three events, seemingly unrelated, are tied together in this delightful mystery. The plot is one event after another, all commingling seamlessly to create another excellent Hamish Macbeth mystery.

Hamish himself is an enigma - he's a very clever policeman who uses his instinct to solve crimes, yet he has no desire to leave his beloved village and be promoted, so he allows others to take the credit for his work - even while the 'others' is oftentimes Blair.

This book was sheer pleasure to read. Ms. Beaton has shown herself time and again to be a talented storyteller, and this latest is no less enjoyable than the first in the series. While the tale weaves its many threads together, we are drawn to not only the murder itself, but the many subplots within, not the least of these being his genuine sorrow at losing Sonsie and his desire to have her returned to him. This alone was worth reading the book.

While I will say no more lest I give away too much, I will say that the ending was quite satisfying indeed. In fact, I do believe that Death of An Honest Man is one of the best in the series, and I eagerly await the next. Highly recommended. show less

Paul English is an obnoxious incomer, constantly insulting everyone he meets and claiming that he is “just being honest.” He mistreats his elderly housekeeper, who certainly should not have been working at her age, but she is able to neatly turn the tables on English and force him to pay for a cruise and a new set of clothes for her. Then she unexpectedly jumps into the ocean, a suicide - or did she? Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is not too bothered about her, but when English is killed, there are all too many suspects given how disliked he was. In the meantime, Hamish’s constable Charlie Carter has left the force and returned to the Isles, where he is to marry and raise sheep; his new constable, Freddy Ross, is amiable enough show more but perhaps not tough enough for police work. And Hamish is still mourning his beloved wildcat Sonsie, whom he still hopes to recover one day….As the last novel in the series written by Ms. Beaton, this book unfortunately is as scattered and poorly edited as the several previous ones; for example, I lost track of how many times the missing cell phone of the murder victim was not found, found and sent to Glasgow for analysis, found to be a throw-away, not found again and then, um, forgotten completely. But a reunion at the end makes up for many things, and on that happy note I will leave this series, glad to have met Hamish Macbeth and the inhabitants of Lochdubh! show less

Not my Hamish
Review of the Hachette audiobook edition released simultaneously with the Grand Central Publishing hardcover edition (February 20, 2018)

Death of an Honest Man finds Hamish Macbeth and yet another new constable chasing down the clues to the murder of yet another outlander who had offended the locals with his frank and often insulting opinions and comments. A lot of this one had uncharacteristic elements, especially when the normally sharp and perceptive Hamish brings an injured actual fierce wildcat back from the moors and insists to all the locals that it is his missing tame wildcat Sonsie. The ridiculous subplots of Chief Inspector Blair trying to arrange to have Hamish murdered (this time it is blamed on his medications) show more are also getting tiresome. I hope that the conclusion* to the series finds a way to bring it back to the spirit of the early books. The delay of the final book makes me suspect that an additional writer had to be hired to complete the posthumous work.

I did find this one to be below average for the series perhaps due to over exposure (I've read/listened to about 30 Hamish Macbeths in the past year of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders here in Ontario, Canada). I do remember the bulk of the series with fondness, but it was the earliest books of the series that were the more charming.

*No. 34 Death of a Green-Eyed Monster (2021/22?) has yet to be released due to delays following M.C. Beaton's (aka Marion Chesney's) passing in late 2019. Confusingly, this was tentatively titled as Death of a Love in early teasers. show less

Why did I read it? I adore the Hamish Macbeth series, and this was the latest edition.

What's it about? An incomer arrives in Cnothan, and town on Hamish Macbeth's beat. Paul English considers himself an honest man, but on calling on the incomer to welcome him to the community Charlie, Hamish's constable, lands them both in trouble at headquarters.

Paul English works his way around the communities, spouting his views on the shortcomings of the locals directly to their face, causing hackles to rise.

"I could kill that man," could be heard from Lochdubh to Cnothan. And, so ...

What did I like? Honestly, the soothing tones of David Monteath were perhaps the only lovely thing about this particular episode of life in Lochdubh.

What didn't I show more like? Oh dear. It seemed to me that the author, M.C. Beaton 'phoned it in'. There were so many errors in the book.

(1) Lucia Lament was noted as the daughter of Mr. Ferrari; however, in earlier books, we learn Lucia is a distant relative of Mr. Ferrari brought over from Italy to work in the restaurant in Lochdubh, after Mr. Ferrari's immediate family took over the running of his first restaurant.

(2) Initially, it is said Silas' father died when he was two, then, later, it is said his father died 10 years previous. So, either Hamish's new constable is 12 years old, or this is yet another error in the narrative.

(3) It seems the forensics team has been re-populated with boozy blokes, who I thought had been replaced a few books back.

There are many more inconsistencies like this that regular readers/listeners might pick up on.

How many constables can Hamish get through in one book? Charlie Carter, who has been with Hamish through a few books, seems to have been unceremoniously pushed out of the series. Larry Coomb appears, and is gone within a few short paragraphs. Enter Constable Silas Dunbar. Exit Constable Silas Dunbar. Enter Freddie Ross. Exit Freddie Ross. Then, at the very last, enter a WPC, Dorothy MacIver.

Why bring Elspeth back into Sutherland at all? Her contribution to the narrative was negligible, with the low level rivalry between her, and Priscilla for affections of Hamish becoming increasingly tedious in its repetition. And, the rivalry between the two of them, and Sonsie is reignited upon the cat's incomprehensible return.

The storylines featuring Colonel Halburton-Smythe, and Chief Inspector Blair were so far beyond believable, and extremely disappointing. Yes, this is fiction, which often strays from reality as it is set in an idyllic version of the highlands, but these narratives were just too far-fetched, and stretched far beyond the known behaviours of these long-term characters formed through the previous 32 books. These tangential stories seemed ill formed, and very ill judged. It's almost like they were padding for the scant murder mystery, which, itself, seemed poorly thought out, and too closely related to other victims, and plots in the series.

There are other disappointments, but I have listed only what I see as the major faults here. Overall, the book felt disjointed, the main narrative was thin, and the side stories not as believable as in the past. At times, the superstitious and supernatural elements felt more real than anything else.

Also, having listened to this audio series in its entirety several times now, I have begun to notice mistakes in the text, e.g. the wrong character having said a line. Unfortunately, this is also true of “Death of an Honest Man” having listened to it three times now.

Would I recommend it? Honestly, no. Not even to fans of the series. I sincerely hope the next two books in the series, which M.C. Beaton has confirmed she is contracted to write, are not so badly composed as this one. I want a return to the Hamish Macbeth and inhabitants of Lochdubh I have grown to love. show less

I love Hamish Macbeth, but I must admit I am a little tired of the pace of these books. Ms. Beaton hurries from one thing to another to another with no lead-up or prepatation. I realize that I don't require any more explanations about Hamish and his behaviour as I've been reading and loving these books from the very first one, but a little preparation and set up before changes in plot, scenery or people would be nice. I always feel a little out of breath when I close the book. And really! Chief Inspector Blair! Let's get rid of this guy. How he can keep coming back after his drunken episodes and his breeches of protocol is beyond me. What I did enjoy about this book, other than wonderful Hamish himself, is the direct references to the show more "feyness" of the Scottish people. They are a superstitious lot, and that comes out endearingly in all the books. Yes, I will continue to read Hamish. The thought of giving him up leaves me with a sense of loss. show less