Death of a Liar

December 15, 2014
At the start of Beaton’s highly entertaining 31st Hamish Macbeth mystery (after 2014’s Death of a Policeman), the Lochdubh, Scotland, police sergeant receives a phone call from Liz Bentley, who claims she’s been raped. Hamish and his team rush to the village of Cromish, where they learn from Liz’s doctor that she’s a chronic liar and still a virgin. But Liz’s second call for help is no lie, and Hamish discovers her dead body in a vegetable patch outside her house. Meanwhile, back in Lochdubh, someone tortures and murders Frank and Bessie Leigh, a couple new to the area. Detective Chief Inspector Blair, always eager to deny Hamish opportunities, keeps the Leigh investigation for himself. Hamish handles Blair and Superintendent Daviot nimbly, but stumbles badly with familiar flames Priscilla Halburton-Smythe and Elspeth Grant. There are nasty characters behind the killings, and Hamish’s deep knowledge of local folk and his keen observations lead him into danger. Beaton’s series remains as engaging as ever. Agent: Barbara Lowenstein, Lowenstein Associates.

February 1, 2015

Ignoring a call for help from a woman who had previously reported a false crime, Scottish policeman Hamish Macbeth is aghast to find her corpse the next day. Her murder is the third in the past week in the county of Sutherland. The other victims were the Leighs, a couple new to the Highlands. Hamish's boss and archenemy, Chief Inspector Blair, steers Hamish away from the more high-profile Leigh case and assigns him to probe the death of the liar, Liz Bentley. Hamish soon uncovers a connection between the two crimes but becomes entangled in danger as he investigates further. As usual, he also has trouble figuring out his love life. The beautiful baker Anka has caught his eye, yet Hamish faces competition from his sidekick Dick Fraser. Luckily, there's forensic expert Christine Dalray and old loves Elspeth and Priscilla to keep Hamish's mind and heart occupied. VERDICT The hero's dogged methods and the rotating cast of Scottish villagers are all present in Beaton's 30th installment (after Death of a Policeman) in the long-running series. What's missing is the humor--replaced instead by a nasty tone that seems out of place with the cozy surroundings. Here's hoping Hamish's next adventure will find him in a better mood.--Lynnanne Pearson, Skokie P.L., IL

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2015
The thirtieth mystery in the Hamish Macbeth series is exceptionally entertaining and fast paced. It also has a sharp thematic edge as it explores several pernicious varieties of lying and deception. Series star Macbeth is like his namesake in being a Scot who moves from murder to murder, but Beaton's Macbeth, a constable in the Highlands, solves the murders that cluster in his tiny village of Lochdubh. The latest starts with a woman who calls Macbeth's cottage station saying she's just been raped; it turns out she has a history of crying wolf, and the local doctor and villagers have learned to ignore her stories. But the wolf does come to the woman's door soon after, leaving her tortured body behind and leaving Macbeth wracked with guilt. And then a couple new to the village is murdered. Macbeth must fight police higher-ups to discover a link between the murders. What he finds does more than that, extending to crimes far beyond the tiny village and putting his own life in danger. Beaton is no mere plot-spinner, however. What makes her Macbeth series stand out is the deft depiction of a Highlands village, with all its beauties and tensions and, especially, the complicated, endearing character of Macbeth himself, who wants nothing more than to lead a quiet life enjoying the beauty that surrounds him, if only women wouldn't keep getting in his way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)