Death of an Outsider (A Hamish Macbeth Mystery, 3)

Death of a Outsider sees Hamish Macbeth leaving his beloved Lochdubh to spend three months covering for a police officer in the Highland town of Cnothan. With his beloved dog, Hamish gets to know the locals and discovers he's not the only "outsider" in Cnothan. There are quite a few, a lovely lass from Canadian and a married couple that the locals cannot stand. It seems that Mr Mainwaring has a way of causing the locals to dislike him, as he picks and prods his way into all their lives. When a skeleton turns up dead and it is discovered to belong to Mr Mainwaring, Macbeth and Inspector Blair set out to investigate the case and find out who disliked Mainwaring enough to want him dead.I've liked the first two books in this series and I'm continuing on by listening to book 3, Death of a Outsider, on audio. I love seeing what Hamish gets up to and it's nice to see him away from Lochdubh for this adventure. He's trying to keep his mind off Priscilla, his crush and the girl that he can't quite see a future with, even though he wants to. He finds things interesting in Cnothan - especially with a very unattached Canadian artist. And of course there is a murder to solve!!Speaking of the murder. I read a lot of murder mysteries and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised of who Mainwaring was killed and the discovering of his skeleton. Yes not a corpse but a skeleton. I haven't seen this in a previous mystery and I love how creative M.C. Beaton was with this.I really enjoyed Death of a Outsider and will listen to more of these books on audio. It seems that there was a new narrator with this one - Shaun Grindell. He provides the voice for the rest of the audios in this series, and while it took me a little while to get used to his narration I am looking forward to seeing how he narrates future books.

The Hamlisch Macbeth books are vaguely similar to the TV series, however the TV writers created a different cast of characters entirely, and refined Macbeth’s persona. Still, the books are well-written and the plots and action are engaging.

This was another quick mystery by M.C. Beaton based in the Scottish Highlands. Hammish Macbeth is required by his superiors to leave his beloved little town, which sees very little crime and go to another more northern town of Cnothan. Cnothan seems to be more darker than Hammish is used to, and does not like outsiders...and immediately, Hammish feels cranky and out-of-sorts. The people are not friendly, but they are more friendly to him and ready to gossip about one particular man they all seem to loathe. When that man turns up dead, and skeletonized in a lobster tank, and then Hammish's nemesis, Inspector Blair shows up to take over the investigation...Hammish's life becomes almost unbearable. So he really wants to solve this murder so he can return to his Lochdub, and normal life.This book was a bit 'darker' than 'Death of a Cad', and not as clean. But it was still a fun read and very fast. These are fun books to get on Kindle (cheaper too). You can recognize that these books were written in the 1980's because of the politics, the news, and even the mention of the clothing (Beaton mentioned the big pads in the women's dresses). So that ages the books a bit, but makes them interesting as well...These are fun books and good books, but not great writing on the par of Shakespeare or Tolkien which is why I'm not giving it five stars.

So glad this is a long series. Such fun to read! Good mysteries and fun characters. I need to slow down. I’m reading them one after another.

In this third book in this cozy mystery series, Constable Hamish Macbeth, along with his dog, Towser, is parted from his beloved village of Lochdubh, when he is temporarily transferred to the village of Cnothan for several months to cover for a fellow officer who is on an extended vacation.Unhappy at this turn of events, Hamish tries to make the best of it, though the villagers are far from friendly. Things start looking up for Hamish, when he catches the eye of Jenny, a pretty young local artist. She helps Hamish take his mind off Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, who has taken off for London. Then, a murder takes place, and Hamish is firmly in his element, despite obstacles thrust in his way by none other than Deputy Chief Inspector Blair.Laced with sly humor and engaging characters, this series gets better with each book. As with all cozy mysteries, it is not so much the mystery that is of import but the characters that revolve around the mystery. While the mysteries are intriguing, they are the framework around which the characters evolve. In the endearing character of Hamish Macbeth, the author, a born storyteller, has created a sure fire winner, who is bound to win many fans of the cozy mystery genre.

Like the other books by Beaton, the story is intriguing and the characters are compelling. I especially like imagining Rural Scotland . It's my ambition to personally visit the area someday.

Love Hamish Macbeth Mysteries and the quirky human characters. Will I ever think of a lobster as an edible again? Probably not.

Love these easy, breezy books particularly in Covid time. Takes me to a country I've visited and I can just see the hills and lakes as the author writes about them. My only negative on this book is the narrator isn't as good as that of books 1 & 2. I'm hoping that future books will be a different narrator.

I love all the Hamish MacBeth books. They are a quick read, along the lines of Agatha Christie stories, more intelligence than shock/graphic description, just the ticket when you want a mystery that is light and entertaining.

never disappoints to provide a great read

very good

love hamish macbeth

This is the third Hamish in the series and a good one at that. In this story there is a ficticious village in the Highlands called Cnothan that is far from the ideal village. It is full of rude and anti-social ignorant villagers who shun newcomers (especially English) and are most unapproachable people. It is not a very picturesque village that would make you want to visit which Hamish has been seconded to (and absolutely hates) whilst covering for the local bobby who's on holiday.Here is Mr Mainwaring, an Englishman who takes it upon himself to interfere in other people's lives by offering his opinion, telling people what to do and basically being obnoxious. Well you can imagine why he becomes a murder victim. Lots of possible suspects and not necessarily easy to spot the murderer until it is unveiled to you by Hamish who again managed to steal his Boss Blair's thunder.Very good book where you find that not all Scottish Highland villages are ideal.