• Death of a Gentle Lady

  • A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
  • By: M. C. Beaton
  • Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
  • Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (769 ratings)

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Death of a Gentle Lady  By  cover art

Death of a Gentle Lady

By: M. C. Beaton
Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
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Publisher's summary

Gentle by name, gentle by nature. Everyone in the sleepy Scottish town of Lochdubh adores elderly Mrs. Gentle - everyone but Hamish Macbeth, that is. Hamish thinks the gentle lady is quite sly and vicious, and the citizens of Lochdubh think he is overly cranky. Perhaps it's time for him to get married, they say.

But who has time for marriage when there's a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story, and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior.

Great Scot! Don't miss more of Hamish Macbeth's cases.
©2008 Marion Chesney (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"Malcolm's polished delivery meshes perfectly with the dialogue, small-town setting, and the atmosphere." ( Booklist)

What listeners say about Death of a Gentle Lady

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Performance
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This is just a great story

Hamish is a great character. Nothing like the normal hero, he's just a guy doing the best he can despite all the problems tossed at him by the people around him. I can believe that these are real people, and have real emotions. And it's very funny. I highly recommend it.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best narrator for a really good series!

I love the Hamish MacBeth series. Always a fun listen, but especially when Graeme Malcolm is narrating. (He is not the only narrator in this long set of stories).

Hamish is a simple (but not simple-minded!) constable in a tiny Scottish village. He has consistently refused promotions because he loves the town and its inhabitants. He and his pets happily live in the police station, and he loves his job. But not everybody on the force likes him, and in addition to the usual good murder mystery, this book has a lot of focus on one senior police member who would love to see him gone--permanently, even fatally.

So Hamish is more or less coping with two situations here. The death of a couple of people and the background story of his superior trying to get rid of him.

These books are filled with good stories, well-developed characters and a lot of wit. And unlike many series, over time I've listened to all of them out of order, and never felt any problems. It's probably better to read them from the beginning first, but I think not absolutely necessary. If you want something light, fun and a good mystery, I recommend this book and the whole series.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Death of a Gentle Lady

Hammish McBeth is a most appealing protaginist and the village of Lochdue and its' characters are equally fetching.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Scottish Who Done It

Thoroughly enjoyable, quirky tale of murder in Scotland . . . it was a fun listen and I got a tickle out of how Hamish got his revenge.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious Whodunit

This was my first listen of a Hamish Macbeth book, and I'm glad to see that there are many more out there. I love the characters in this book, especially that of Hamish. I completely understand his obsessive need to make sure his dog and cat are all right. The story was excellent and the characters unusual. It was a delightful experience. The narrator has the requisite Scottish brogue, and I found myself speaking with that lilt after listening to the book for a couple of hours. My only criticism is that there wasn't much voice variation among the characters, and his Russian inspector didn't sound Russian. But I highly recommend this book. No F-bombs! Good clean mischievous fun.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

I dearly love reading about Hamish McBeth. The books about him, this included, are interesting, make you think. Even though they are dealing with murder they are not "dark" but light. Hamish is a lovable character as are all the regulars. You invariably feel good at the end of the book. I've listened to nearly all of them.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hamish Outwits Them All!

I have no idea if the portrayal of the Scottish Highlands in this series is accurate. It doesn't matter to me. It's an interesting place to visit via the Hamish MacBeth stories. Hamish is a very clever village policeman who loves his job in the village of Lochdubh and constantly has to fight against being promoted and forced to live in a city.

This is a cozy series filled with unique characters and intricate mysteries. The combination of action and humor is very entertaining.. If you are looking for a few hours of diversion, this book is a good bet.

Graeme Malcolm is a superb narrator. His voice is smooth, his pronounciation clear. For me he is one of the best in the business.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • GW
  • 04-08-14

Light reading

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Not really. I like the characters and the story was interesting.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I was entertained by the story but it wasn't as suspenseful as I'd hoped it would be. I didn't guess the ending but this wasn't a nail-biter.

Which character – as performed by Graeme Malcolm – was your favorite?

My favorite character was Hamish MacBeth.

Did Death of a Gentle Lady inspire you to do anything?

About the only thing it inspired me to do was to see if there was anything else available by this author. I know the book is part of a series and so after listening to this one, I thought I might enjoy listening to a few more of Hamish MacBeth's mysteries.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

nice

....simple story but likeable characters in a nice small town
I could see myself wanting to live in the town and be friends with these people.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Death of a Gentle Lady

Gentle lady was the outside persona she presented. But underneath was a termagant. Who could have murdered her?

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