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Death of a Macho Man (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries) | 
 enlarge | Author: M.c. Beaton
Publisher: Warner Books
Category: Book
List Price: £5.99
Buy New: £1.31
You Save: £4.68 (78%)
New (4) Used (10) from £1.31
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 65785
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Reissue
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 0446403407
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780446403405
ASIN: 0446403407
Publication Date: July 31, 1995
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ships from the United States...Please allow 14 to 21 working days for delivery.....Brand New!!! Never Used!!!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Two Novels in One April 20, 2007
Donald Mitchell (Boston)
It's always a challenge keeping a mystery series fresh. Many times readers will react negatively to changes you put in place. In Death of Macho Man, M.C. Beaton does something few mystery writers could accomplish: She builds up enough plot complications for two mysteries and lets her characters be much more active than usual. The result is immensely satisfying for giving you more of what you like about Hamish Macbeth stories: Mysterious deaths; unexpected motives; romantic complications; prickly interactions with Priscilla Halburton-Smythe; failed attempts by Detective Chief Inspector Blair to get Hamish fired; by-play with the Lochdubh villagers; and exciting action sequences. Don't miss this book!
As usual, an outsider is causing problems in Lochdubh. Randy Duggan claims to have been a professional wrestler in America and likes to brag about his exploits. He has plenty of muscles and tattoos, but his stories don't always ring true. Duggan can usually gain an audience by buying drinks all round with his wad of cash. But after awhile, even free drinks begin to pale as Randy's need to brag nonstop in unconvincing ways becomes boring. Physical confrontations start and Hamish has to sort things out. Duggan wants a piece of Hamish and Hamish makes the mistake of agreeing to fight Duggan while Hamish is off duty. The whole area gets a bet down and arrives to watch the fun. Things turn nasty, however, when Duggan is found dead with his head blown off by a shotgun. Naturally, Hamish is the top suspect.
From that taut beginning, the story builds in intensity as Hamish works in secret to find the real killer. Priscilla Halburton-Smythe has her biggest role in many books, and all of the challenging dimensions of their relationship are put to a test (including teaching Hamish how to use a computer). The mystery deepens as Hamish begins to find out unpleasant facts about two local residents. Everything is up in the air once the pathologists realize that Duggan has had plastic surgery. What was he trying to hide?
A great subplot in the book is the attention paid to Hamish's relationships with his friends among the villagers. As the investigations continue, Hamish finds himself in trouble with the villagers as well as with the police leaders in Strathbane.
You'll also like seeing Hamish become a lot more reckless and less lazy. It shows a side of him that only occasionally is revealed in the earlier books.
Highly recommended!
Two Novels in One April 20, 2007
Donald Mitchell (Boston)
It's always a challenge keeping a mystery series fresh. Many times readers will react negatively to changes you put in place. In Death of Macho Man, M.C. Beaton does something few mystery writers could accomplish: She builds up enough plot complications for two mysteries and lets her characters be much more active than usual. The result is immensely satisfying for giving you more of what you like about Hamish Macbeth stories: Mysterious deaths; unexpected motives; romantic complications; prickly interactions with Priscilla Halburton-Smythe; failed attempts by Detective Chief Inspector Blair to get Hamish fired; by-play with the Lochdubh villagers; and exciting action sequences. Don't miss this book!
As usual, an outsider is causing problems in Lochdubh. Randy Duggan claims to have been a professional wrestler in America and likes to brag about his exploits. He has plenty of muscles and tattoos, but his stories don't always ring true. Duggan can usually gain an audience by buying drinks all round with his wad of cash. But after awhile, even free drinks begin to pale as Randy's need to brag nonstop in unconvincing ways becomes boring. Physical confrontations start and Hamish has to sort things out. Duggan wants a piece of Hamish and Hamish makes the mistake of agreeing to fight Duggan while Hamish is off duty. The whole area gets a bet down and arrives to watch the fun. Things turn nasty, however, when Duggan is found dead with his head blown off by a shotgun. Naturally, Hamish is the top suspect.
From that taut beginning, the story builds in intensity as Hamish works in secret to find the real killer. Priscilla Halburton-Smythe has her biggest role in many books, and all of the challenging dimensions of their relationship are put to a test (including teaching Hamish how to use a computer). The mystery deepens as Hamish begins to find out unpleasant facts about two local residents. Everything is up in the air once the pathologists realize that Duggan has had plastic surgery. What was he trying to hide?
A great subplot in the book is the attention paid to Hamish's relationships with his friends among the villagers. As the investigations continue, Hamish finds himself in trouble with the villagers as well as with the police leaders in Strathbane.
You'll also like seeing Hamish become a lot more reckless and less lazy. It shows a side of him that only occasionally is revealed in the earlier books.
Highly recommended!
A great book and a great mystery March 4, 2005
Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, IL USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is the twelfth in a series of mysteries featuring the detective work of small town, Highland Scottish detective Hamish Macbeth, P.C. A loudmouthed bruiser of a man has established himself in Lochdubh, but when he starts to bully those smaller than himself (everyone), Hamish decides that it is time to deal with him. But, when the man is found dead (drugged, tied up, and blasted with a shotgun), Hamish sets out to find out who did it and why. And when a second person is murdered, the plot continues to thicken...Being a dyed-in-the-wool Hamish Macbeth fan, I can tell you that this is another great Hamish mystery, just as good as the rest. The story was quite fascinating, and I have always enjoyed M.C. Beaton's (pseudonym of Marion Chesney) Highland setting - the characters are quite fascinating as is the environment of the Highlands themselves. Overall I thought that this was a great book, and a great mystery. If you like mysteries, or are merely interest in the Scottish Highlands, then you must get this book!
 Hamish is up to his old tricks again! November 4, 2000
"Reading a Hamish Macbeth book is like taking a vacation in the Highlands to enjoy the local color and heather-scented air," according to the book's liner notes. Well, possibly. Nonetheless M.C. Beaton's "Death of a Macho Man" continues the Macbeth saga in the small village of Lochdubh, Scotland. It follows Beaton's "tried and true" formula for her Macbeth books, of course. That said, this series is still a most readable, most interesting set, and I wouldn't think of missing one. In this one, naturally the macho man, after threatening, taunting, aggravating, and bullying (not to forget bragging) the locals--which on one occasion leads to a very nasty fight--our man comes up dead. Randy Duggan is so obnoxious that he even gets under Hamish's skin. Duggan issues a challenge to Hamish to settle their differences with a boxing match! Of course, everyone in the village is excited about this! But on the night of "the big fight," Duggan is found shot to death--which takes care of the boxing match! But it also sheds great suspicion on Hamish. And from here on out, Beaton's "main man" is on the trail to find out who really did kill him (not that there weren't plenty of other suspects, as well!). Again, we meet up with Hamish's ex-fiancee Priscilla and his nemesis Sergeant Blair. Lochdubh and its denizens soon become "family" with this series!
 A Good Quick Read June 1, 1999
I found this an easy novel to read. Entertaining even though I rather figured out the villan(s) before the final page, which is a coup for me. But definetly a fun novel to read when your head space doesn't allow you room to get mired down in too much complexity.
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