Death of a Ghost

By: M. C. Beaton

Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm

Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sergeant Hamish Macbeth - Scotland's most quick-witted but unambitious policeman - returns in M. C. Beaton's new mystery in her New York Times best-selling series

Death of a Ghost

When Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth hears reports of a haunted castle near Drim, he assumes the eerie noises and lights reported by the villagers are just local teenagers going there to smoke pot or, worse, inject themselves with drugs. Still, Hamish decides that he and his policeman, Charlie "Clumsy" Carson, will spend the night at the ruined castle to get to the bottom of the rumors once and for all.

There's no sign of any ghost...but then Charlie disappears through the floor. It turns out he's fallen into the cellar. And what Hamish and Charlie find there is worse than a ghost: a dead body propped against the wall. Waiting for help to arrive, Hamish and Charlie leave the castle just for a moment - to eat bacon baps - but when they return, the body is nowhere to be seen.

It's clear something strange - and deadly - is going on at the castle, and Hamish must get to the bottom of it before the "ghost" can strike again.

©2017 M. C. Beaton (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"Longing for escape? Tired of waiting for Brigadoon to materialize? Time for a trip to Lochdubh, the scenic, if somnolent, village in the Scottish Highlands where M. C. Beaton sets her beguiling whodunits featuring Constable Hamish Macbeth." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Beaton and Malcolm at their best !!

What did you love best about Death of a Ghost?

Great Hamish novel with new characters and a fresh story line. Mr. Malcolm is, as always, one of the best narrators in the business.

Have you listened to any of Graeme Malcolm’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never heard a bad performance from Mr. Malcolm. He and George Guidall should give lessons to other narrators.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

MacBeth not so innocent or kind.

Hamish is still the intelligent detective, always searching for answers but after years of dealing with Blair,and town busybodies he's beginning to develop an edginess I hadn't noticed before. I think it's a really good read and the narration is excellent. I hope this is not anywhere near the last we hear of Hamish Macbeth.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Some darkness descends

In the last book Hamish finally snapped at the Currie sisters. Now he's finally snapped at the tweedy minister's wife, too! Oh, the joy it brought! Maybe now they'll stop trying to push Hamish into marriage. Maybe. Hopefully.

Chief Inspector Blair is moving from mean to evil. I did not see this coming. I don't want to act like I have a highland sense but there was some darkness with the usual humor in this book. Nothing to knock this out of the cozy category but things do seem to get a little heavy in this book, at least it felt like this to me. Thankfully & finally Superintendent Daviat is starting to change his feelings & mind about Blair. To be continued!

Do not pass on continuing the story. Read this one & the next or you'll miss out.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

As usual, another delightful episode in Hamish Macbeth's life. Love the humor & clever twists.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Who is really writing Hamish and Agatha?

Given the radical departure in content, style, tone and plot from previous offerings of both the Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series, I am constrained to ask, who is really writing these two series now?

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

love Hamish stories

Love Hamish stories. Can hardly turn them off! M.C. Beaton is a favorite author of mine!

I’ve read all the other Hamish books.

I’ve also listened to quite a few cozy mysteries. I enjoyed the voice of the narrator and the story line. However, I had a very difficult time differentiating the women’s voices including which ones were women. The second problem was that my mind kept wandering from the story. So I had to reverse and listen for almost the entire story. At the end I wasn’t sure who was in prison until I re-listened. I’d still recommend it and would listen to another by the author or narrator.

"murder is in the air"

Will Hamish be rid of Blair once and for all? The latest Macbeth story has Hamish ghost hunting but stumbling over a dead body instead. And as usual, another dead body soon turns up. There are hints of drug smuggling, battered wives, flirtatious women, fueding coppers and attempts at murder. An all around riveting tale. Hamish must stay on his toes to solve and get through this one.

Too Short!This was more like a short story than the lengthy

This was more like a short story than the lengthy entertaining novels I have gotten used to.

Hamish is growing up?

This episode in the life of Macbeth presents the undisciplined Highland copper in a slightly more mature phase of life until his favorite ladies, Priscilla and Elspeth, walk onto the scene, setting him back a few years. The plot, involving a couple of ill-fated policemen who disrupt Hamish's routine of gathering the eggs from his hen house and feeding his sheep, moves quickly to a satisfactory end, leaving the reader primed for another peek into Hamish's idyllic and otherwise idle existence. Beaton is a force for every writer to contend with.