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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's probably my fault for coming in with zero knowledge about the series but there's way too many unlikable characters in this story 😠there's simply no one for me to look forward to.
Usual M.C. Beaton fare. Easy, quick read. The mystery is slight.
The problem I have with these is that they're like Twinkies. Easy enough to gobble down, pleasant enough, but ultimately never that satisfying. I was trying to pin down why--after all I don't need every mystery I read to be of Dorothy Sayers or Ngaio Marsh quality--and I finally settled on the narrative style. Beaton uses the POV structure. She paints these interesting petty little characters, but when she tries to slip into their persona, it's all very surface, but the touch is never that deft or convincing. Jenny is determined to go to Scotland, apparently with the aim of bagging her friend, Priscilla's boyfriend, Hamish Macbeth,but it's never very clear why. And as Beaton switches from character to character, the mystery of what makes Jenny tick is never really solved. It seems to me that rather from switching through half a dozen perspectives, it would have been a stronger book if Beaton had either done third person omniscient or let us see Lochdubh, Macbeth, and the other characters through one character's eyes.
The problem I have with these is that they're like Twinkies. Easy enough to gobble down, pleasant enough, but ultimately never that satisfying. I was trying to pin down why--after all I don't need every mystery I read to be of Dorothy Sayers or Ngaio Marsh quality--and I finally settled on the narrative style. Beaton uses the POV structure. She paints these interesting petty little characters, but when she tries to slip into their persona, it's all very surface, but the touch is never that deft or convincing. Jenny is determined to go to Scotland, apparently with the aim of bagging her friend, Priscilla's boyfriend, Hamish Macbeth,but it's never very clear why. And as Beaton switches from character to character, the mystery of what makes Jenny tick is never really solved. It seems to me that rather from switching through half a dozen perspectives, it would have been a stronger book if Beaton had either done third person omniscient or let us see Lochdubh, Macbeth, and the other characters through one character's eyes.
another delightful Hamish Macbeth story. these are the perfect antidote to the really edgy, dark, and grizzly crime novels i've been reading lately. Beaton presents well written and comfy crime.
medium-paced
mysterious
Another led detective I don't much care for. It's difficult because I prefer mysteries where there's no overarching series story of the detective's life, or a lot of focus on the detective and their life. I guess a lot of people do like it, and series in general. Which I also don't. This story does feel like a modern version of the golden age mysteries. Mobile phone aside, it probably would fit in easily with the ones written by golden age authors in the 70s.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hamish is at his rollicking best once again. In this story, a bitter person begins to send poison pen letters to members of a neighboring community, and then people start to die. While the investigation proceeds, A rival of Priscilla's from the city. ventures north to steal the heart of Hamish, but ends up mucking up things pretty well. Lots of car crashes and brave rescues.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Another fun small village mystery in this series. There isn't much more that I haven't said about this series, but I continue to enjoy it. I love how Hamish is casually smarter than everyone else. And how the author can write very silly characters who aren't too over the top, but are sometimes hard to believe. Nosiness and jealous always seemed to prevail over common sense, typically getting people into trouble. Hamish being attracted to everyone women he's with (it seems) may get old, but luckily it's usually presented in such a fun way.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In Death of a Poison Pen Hamish Macbeth is called to solve a spat of malicious letters being anonymously sent to the people of the village of Brainier, which results in the mysterious death of two people. Of course he solves the crime, and of course someone else manages to take the credit.
Things appear to be moving along with his new love interest Elspeth Grant seem to be moving along well, but the return of that Bitch Priscilla Halburton-Smythe to Lochdubh at the end of the novel is probably the death knell of the relationship.
This is the 19th book in the series, and although they were getting a bit draggy, things seem to picking up with more interesting plotlines. Eleven books left in the series.
4 of 5 stars
Things appear to be moving along with his new love interest Elspeth Grant seem to be moving along well, but the return of that Bitch Priscilla Halburton-Smythe to Lochdubh at the end of the novel is probably the death knell of the relationship.
This is the 19th book in the series, and although they were getting a bit draggy, things seem to picking up with more interesting plotlines. Eleven books left in the series.
4 of 5 stars