TITLE: Death of a Snob AUTHOR: M.C. Beaton
STARTED: October 9, 2010
FINISHED: October 9, 2010
PAGES: 151
GENRE: Mystery
FIRST SENTENCE: Police constable Hamish Macbeth was a desperate man - ill, friendless, and, at the approach to Christmas, near to death.
SUMMARY: [From Amazon.com
] Series detective Hamish Macbeth, with more couth and tenacity than the usual Scottish villager, visits a health farm on the Hebridean island of Eileencraig to investigate a woman's suspicions that someone wants her dead. He joins a holiday house party there, and meets an unconscionable snob who ends up with a broken neck. Hamish suspects more than an accident, and with the aid of an attractive cookbook writer, he nails the culprit. This efficient little caper, full of gentle humor, quick character sketches, and easy movement, will endear itself to Hamish fans and newcomers as well.THOUGHTS: Ah, Hamish. You are so adorable.
I wanted to read this series from book one, but this was the earliest book available at my library. Good thing you can read these babies out of order. Once again, I, not a fan of mystery, quite enjoyed this book. There's just something addictive about Hamish's wit, smarts, and quaint take on life. I enjoyed spending time with him as he navigated his way through a most interesting Christmas season.
Like Death of a Maid, I didn't care about the mystery itself, but I was in love with Hamish and all the situations he encounters. Beaton has a way of making all the characters in her novels fun to read about. They may grace the book for only a few pages, but they are all enjoyable. In this book, I particularly liked the man who thought his truck was possessed.
Finally, for a mystery novel, it sure took a long time for a dead body to show up.
Bonus points to Beaton for throwing in a minor subplot about romance novels that left me cackling.
P.S. Everytime I read this series (all of twice now), I have an urge to drink tea and eat scones. I may have to prepare some next time.
RATING: 6/10 [Good]
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