Hamish and the WorldStoppers

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There were 33 novels, one novella and one short story published in the UK by Constable & Robinson before the author's death in 2019. A subsequent novel and a short story, begun as collaborative works with the original author and finished after her death by R. W. Green were published in 2022. In the Hamish Macbeth debut novel, Death of a Gossip (all of the Macbeth novels being with “Death of a” and end with some kind of career or adjective), eight people meet in Lochdubh. They all go to the same temporary school, all mainly trying to get away from their hectic lives and enjoy a small amount of vacation time. Lady Jane Withers, one of the members of the clan, is a notorious gossip. When she learns that each guest has a secret to hide, she is elated. Elspeth Grant – local news reporter and sometime love interest of Hamish. Her gypsy heritage gives her insights into her surroundings that Hamish comes to trust. Detective Chief Inspector Blair – who hates Hamish (mostly because Hamish is competent and Blair is not); a fat whisky drinker who, on several occasions, is hospitalised with alcohol poisoning.

Colonel George Halburton-Smythe – Priscilla's snobbish father. He dislikes Hamish immensely and considers him a most unsuitable friend for his daughter. On the other hand, Priscilla is pushing him for a career change, a better job. Hamish, tired of Priscialla’s plans and schemes related to their house and job, finds amusement in the fights of the village ladies regarding a man. But the amusement turns into a worry when a series of physical abuse, death threats, and murder of a charming man haunts the small village of Lochdubh. Because the murder might involve the criminal underworld, Hamish must accept assistance from other law enforcement operating out of the larger cities. There is a lot going on in DEATH OF A GREEN-EYED MONSTER, including Hamish and Dorothy getting engaged and making plans for their wedding. Beaton and Green do a superb job keeping the red herrings coming and the plot twists jumping out at you until the finale. You’ll just have to strap on your favorite kilt and visit scenic Lochdubh to find out exactly what is going on here. It was so bittersweet to read this book knowing that M.C. Beaton had passed away and that she’d had assistance with writing this book before her death. IF this had been my first read in the Hamish Macbeth series, I’d probably have rated the book a solid 4 or 4.5 stars. However, it was NOT my first book in the series – I’ve read them all. It was a good mystery and it was well written – it was just a little ‘off’ somehow. Hamish just wasn’t quite Hamish – I still loved him, but he wasn’t exactly the character I’ve come to know and love. I also didn’t get the book I had so very much wanted. I have to wonder if this is really the last book of the series or not because nothing was really wrapped up in the book and lots of ‘hints’ were there for things to come. The book I WANTED would have had a happily settled Hamish in his sweet Scottish village – and DCI Blair having been dropped in the deep ocean somewhere. That is definitely NOT what I got. So now, do I go on picturing our sweet, lovable Hamish spending a long, lonely life in Lochdubh – OR – will there be another book and another? If there are more, will they satisfy my Lochdubh hunger and my desire to see Hamish happily settled and living a life that isn’t lonely?Hamish just isn't . . . Hamish. He's just not that cheeky, caring, 'pushing the boundaries' rural copper that us followers of this series have come to love and respect.

I was worried that Hamish's romance with Dorothy was moving too fast and that she was too good to be true. Was I right? You'll have to find out for yourself. The first novel in the series, Death of a Gossip, begins with Hamish on the receiving end of sharp-tongued Lady Jane Withers. But with her murder, he’s immediately thrust into the limelight as the town of Lochdubh looks to him to solve the case and apprehend the person responsible for her grisly murder. Hamish must navigate the dangerous terrain of tight-lipped suspects, dead bodies and murder. Lately, our television channels have been swamped with modern police shows, all with the same basic protagonist. Generally speaking, we have a leading lad or lady who is too big for their job, believes themselves smarter than the office above them, and who tends to ignore direct commands in favor of a seemingly more morally-sound or logical quest. Long before Robert Carlyle played the enigmatic Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, he actually played Constable Hamish Macbeth on the BBC Scotland TV series of the selfsame name. To tell you this book broke my heart and left me terribly, terribly sad for Hamish would be putting it mildly – especially if there are no future books. I’m not sure if I’m glad I read it or not because, if it is the last book, my imagination was so very much better than where this went. That said, it was a good mystery and a good read even if it wasn’t the same as it would have been had M.C. Beaton written all of the words.

OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE

The mystery and crime-thriller genre features multiple similar novels from writers like Agatha Christie and Simon Brett. Other mystery titles include the Marion Chesney’s “ Agatha Raisin” series, The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries by Emily Brightwell, Room with a Clue by Kate Kingsbury, Dying in the Wood by Francis Brody and many others as well. There are so many things that don’t make sense to Hamish. Is all of it related to gangs bleeding over from the big cities into the Highlands? Who is the blonde woman in the blue car? What does the soldier, Keith Bain, have to do with any of it? His alibi certainly doesn’t hold up. Then, there is the American, James Bland. Who is he really and why is he in Lochdubh? We all know DCI Blair is up to no good – but what is it he is actually up to? M.C. Beaton (born Marion Chesney in Glasgow, Scotland) is the original author of both the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth books. Between 1995 and 1997, BBC Scotland aired a TV adaptation of the Hamish Macbeth book series. Robert Carlyle starred as Hamish Macbeth, a decision Beaton famously disagreed with. They didn’t know whether to make it a Whisky Galore or a soap. And they refused to show my books at any press conference. I was very hurt by the whole thing – and I’m bitter because I’m a very resentful person.

The 32nd book in the series, Death of a Ghost, has both an intriguing title and plot. There is a haunted house that has been plaguing neighbours with eerie, spooky sounds. When Hamish and his colleague, Charlie, go to investigate they find nothing out of the ordinary. Till Charlie falls through the floor into the cellar. They find a dead body propped up against the door but when they leave the castle briefly, the corpse disappears too. OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE Most of the “crimes” here are of the low-scale variety --- that is, until Alice McBride reports her husband missing. After Hamish and Dorothy take Alice’s statement, he shows her one of the many fishing spots where Mr. McBride likes to frequent to get away from the missus. Dorothy not only relishes the beautiful vistas of this area of Scotland, she also finds herself falling for her partner. She exclaims to Hamish that she’s never been happier in her entire life.

If You Like Hamish Macbeth Books, You’ll Love…

Robert Carlyle is a very fine actor but I got fed up with the whole lot of them. He insisted that Hamish Macbeth smoked pot and said if he wasn’t allowed to smoke pot he’d leave the series. It wasn’t the way I saw it. Archie Maclean – a fisherman who spends his time when not at sea at the harbour front or in the local pub to avoid his wife. Beaton has often been left out of plans for her own creations. "They wanted to do a making of Hamish Macbeth without even mentioning me at all," Beaton joked. "However, it does lead to ideas to killing people." [4] It was so bittersweet to read this book knowing that M.C. Beaton had passed away and that she’d had assistance with writing this book before her death. IF this had been my first read in the Hamish Macbeth series, I’d probably have rated the book a solid 4 or 4.5 stars. However, it was NOT my first book in the series – I’ve read them all. It was a good mystery and it was well written – it was just a little ‘off’ somehow. Hamish just wasn’t quite Hamish – I still loved him, but he wasn’t exactly the character I’ve come to know and love. I also didn’t get the book I had so very much wanted. I have to wonder if this is really the last book of the series or not because nothing was really wrapped up in the book and lots of ‘hints’ were there for things to come. The book I WANTED had a happily settled Hamish in his sweet Scottish village – and DCI Blair having been dropped in the deep ocean somewhere. That is definitely NOT what I got. So now, do I go on picturing our sweet, lovable Hamish spending a long, lonely life in Lochdubh – OR – will there be another book and another? If there are more, will they satisfy my Lochdubh hunger and my desire to see Hamish happily settled and living a life that isn’t lonely? Though the television series that was later created didn’t necessarily paint Macbeth in the same light as Chesney, it helped to get the name recognition that was needed to sell the books. It also may have had something to do with the amount of detectives who, in today’s modern age, don’t follow the rules.

Mrs. Wellington – the local clergyman's wife. She has a loud, booming voice and is at the heart of Lochdubh's village life. But just as the town of Lochdubh gets ready to celebrate, Hamish finds himself with a new murder on his hands. If he doesn't find the killer fast, Hamish's dream wedding could become a nightmare.The Hamish Macbeth show ran from March 1995 to May 1997. The show was loosely based on the books by M.C. Beaton, both featuring Constable Hamish Macbeth in the town of Lochdubh, Scotland. The show, however, was not a direct adaptation of the novels. Good afternoon, Sergeant,' she said, in a soft voice delicately laced with an endearing lilt that might have drifted in from the Western Isles on the summer breeze. 'Constable Dorothy McIver reporting for duty.' Working with friend and collaborator Rod Green (credited as RW Green), she added Hot to Trot to the Agatha Raisin book series (published posthumously). They worked together to carry out her ideas and maintain a similar voice – and she gave him her blessing to continue both the Agatha Raisin series and the Hamish Macbeth series after her passing. They work well together solving the few crimes that happen in ‘their patch’ as Hamish refers to it. Then, there is a murder, and ‘special’ investigators from Strathbane and even Glasgow descends on their peaceful little world. One of those investigators is DCI Blair who hates Hamish with a passion. Blair is the epitome of a dirty cop – Hamish knows it – Blair knows Hamish knows it. Hamish just can’t prove it – yet. Hamish and Dorothy conduct their own investigation since they’ve been told to stay out of the official one. It really gets personal for Hamish when Douglas (Dougie) Tennant is beaten and left to burn to death in his cottage near where the murder happened.