Book Review: Death of a Bore

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Death of a Bore     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
M. C. Beaton
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Cozy   Police Procedural
Series: Hamish MacBeth # 21
Mysterious Press, Feb 2005, 248 pages

Hamish Macbeth is expecting a routine time in the quiet Highland town of Lochdubh, when John Heppel, a writer appears on the doorstep. When he proposes forming a writing circle, the residents of the town are quite keen. However, when it becomes clear that the circle is nothing but a vehicle for Heppels self-promotion and criticism of others, they are less keen. Heppel is suddenly viciously murdered and it is down to Macbeth to solve the mystery. However, he has a new boss, man-eating Heather Meikle, who is keen on seducing Macbeth. Macbeth may be hapless in love, but he knows how to solve criminal cases. Can he solve this one? Once again, M. C. Beaton has successfully written a very enjoyable tale about Highland life. Admittedly, there may be more murders in Lochdubh than any other Highland town, but Beaton writes about them so well, the reader will scarcely care. As ever, the character of Hamish Macbeth is well constructed and detailed, and the reader will undoubtedly be smiling as Macbeth manages to extract himself from various scrapes and solve problems in inventive ways. It is always hard to know what to say about a Hamish Macbeth mystery as there is rarely anything to fault. Here, we get the usual humorous, enjoyable characters, such as the Currie sisters and the continuous merry-go-round of disaster that is Hamish Macbeths love life continues at full speed. Fans of the series will be delighted in this latest offering and it seems that the series has got plenty of life left in it yet.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com