Death of a Glutton

When a matchmaking service for the rich sets up a week-long session with eight “customers” at Tommel Castle Hotel, it is assumed that the four matched pairs will enjoy the rarified air of the Highlands, but trouble soon infiltrates the would-be love nests in the form of Peta, the grossly obese glutton who co-owns the matchmaking service (although she does none of the work). Not only is Peta loud and vulgar, she eats like a pig - worse than a pig really, taking not only her own portion of a meal but everybody else’s too. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when she disappears one morning, having left a typewritten note stating that she was taking an early bus away from Lochdubh, but it is not too long before a couple of children show more come across her dead body, her mouth stuffed with a huge apple. Of course, Chief Detective Inspector Blair has no qualms about who to arrest, but PC Hamish Macbeth is quite sure that he is wrong, and that someone else might be in danger as well….This is the eighth book in the Hamish Macbeth series and like the ones before it, it’s light and funny and full of quirky characters. We get more of the on-again, off-again potential romance between Hamish and Priscilla - their relationship seems to veer between very prickly and quite cozy - but it is Hamish’s ability to suss out the truth that always stands out in these books. A good comfort read, and I’m glad I have many more to go in order to catch up with the whole series; recommended! show less

Charm, humor, and the hilarious political incorrectness of Death of a Glutton make this entry in the long-running Hamish Macbeth series great fun. Hamish’s dog, Towser, and the possibility of Hamish and Priscilla reigniting the flame after their first break-up mark this as an older entry, but all the characters in the quirky Highland village of Lochdubh are in place for a delightful romp full of black humor and social satire, and of course, murder.

The bane of Hamish’s existence, Blair, is on vacation in Spain in this entry, as a slew of of people looking for love descend on the Tommel Castle Hotel while the colonel is away. This leaves Priscilla to play hostess to the would-be couples. Each person has entrusted Maria at Checkmate show more with finding them a suitable companion. It quickly begins to go awry, however, when the couples she’s matched have other ideas, including Jennie Trask, who is looking for the man of her dreams. A musical chairs atmosphere ensues as from one moment to the next, the partners might change!

Further complications come calling in the gluttonous form of Petra, a rich and vain woman who has a financial interest in Checkmate but refuses to be bought out. Beaton delivers some incredibly hilarious and wildly politically incorrect moments from the reactions of the lovelorn to this incredibly boring woman of tremendous girth whose table manners are as gauche as her appetite is enormous. What’s worse, is that she’s very rich, and looking for love herself — and not shy about horning in on a budding romance. As if that weren’t enough to anger some of the female members, she’s brought along her strikingly sexy niece, Crystal.

Well, you can already see what’s going to happen, but who done it, isn’t quite so easy to figure out. Jenny’s got eyes for Hamish, there’s a cook with a police record prone to violence, and a member of the Checkmate group named Deborah wants to play Sherlock Holmes. If that weren’t enough to put Hamish in a foul mood, Blair returns early from Spain and takes over the investigation. But don’t worry, the lanky, unambitious redheaded constable we love has a plan to catch a killer. It might, however, cost him a TV set, and earn him a promotion he’d do just about anything to avoid.

The tone and pattern of this wonderful series had already been set by Beaton when she wrote Death of a Glutton and one of the truly enjoyable aspects of this series is that no matter where you’re at chronologically, readers can pick up one set during any point and feel right at home in Lochdubh. This is an earlier one, charming and at times very funny. Beaton focuses more on Petra’s vain, highhanded manner, and her ability to rile up others, than anything else, so while politically incorrect, it is in no way mean spirited, as some might have you believe. Another good read in a series that has much to offer both mystery lovers, and those who enjoy a good laugh. show less

The glutton was a monstrous character, the only surprise was that she hadn't been killed sooner. Lots of twists and turns. I didn't guess who it was that did it and I liked that. Hamish didn't let Blair take the credit this time. And that he and Priscilla finally had an honest conversation, even if they were interupted.

My guilty pleasure. Hamish Macbeth is a great character. Sutherland is a great setting. The writing is accessible. The plots are improbable but amusing. Sometimes, the grammar is careless or clunky but always with pace and intrigue.
Sadly, the author is no longer with us but she has left a substantial legacy. there are a lot of books in this series and then there is the Agatha Raisin series too.
My biggest reservation, as someone living in the North-west of Scotland, is the patronising way she characterises the local population. Then again, she is just as disparaging about everyone from policemen and lawyers to hoteliers and farmers.
In my reading life, these books fill a similar need to the wonderful Alexander McCall Smith’s Mma show more Ramotswe (No.1 Ladies Detective Agency) series. The difference is the quality of writing which is far superior in all McCall Smith’s many books. show less

Macbeth and the Greedy Woman
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2013*) of the St. Martin's Press hardcover original (1993)
*audiobook edition narrated by Shaun Grindell, there seems to be an alternative audiobook narrated by David Monteith.

After discovering M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series due to the Estonia cameo in "Death of Yesterday", I started to seek out the earlier books by finding several at Toronto's Sleuth of Baker Street. I enjoyed those and found them to be an especially delightful diversion during this continuing pandemic. My next plan was to go back and read the series in order. I then discovered the rather terrific bonus that most of the books are available for free on Audible Plus, a show more service that I had previously been underwhelmed by (some early attempts with longer books had audio difficulties, with book narrations freezing in midstream). Beaton's shorter books (usually 4 to 5 hours on audio) seem to be perfect for this medium.

Death of a Glutton, also titled Death of a Greedy Woman in some markets, is the eighth of the series and continues the audiobook editions with the voice of Shaun Grindell in an ongoing excellent performance. Macbeth has to sort out the culprit from among the suspects in an online dating service, when the co-owner is murdered on an outing in the Highlands. show less

Another delightful outing (if when expecting a murder this can be the case) to the Scottish Highlands with Hamish Macbeth and the village of Lochdubh. These are lovely visits to this village and the characters we find inhabiting each book; although M C Beaton does have a habit of creating a horrible character in these books that everyone wants to kill. Then it is left to Hamish to try and unearth the murderer which he does in a very quiet manner much to the chagrin of Detective Inspector Blair. You know what to expect from these books but they are a good read as a result of this.

Hamish Macbeth, highland police constable, is once again up to his ears in murder. Will Hamish find the murderer? Of course. Will he find true love? Are you kidding? M. C. Beaton creates lovable, fallible characters and the formulaic nature of her plots is part of their charm. As long as you don't try to read a steady diet of them, they are delightful.