Death of a Gossip

The Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, Book 1

By: M. C. Beaton

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

When society widow and gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joined the fishing class, she wasted no time in ruffling the feathers - or was it the fins? - of those around her. Among the victims of her sharp tongue and unladylike manner was Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet not even Hamish thought someone would permanently silence Lady Jane's shrills - until her strangled body is fished out of the river. Now, with the help of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Hamish must angle through the choppy waters of the tattler's life to find the murderer. But with a school of suspects who aren't ready to talk and dead women telling no tales, Hamish may be in over his head, for he knows that secrets are dangerous, knowledge is power, and killers usually do strike again. Includes the bonus story "Knock, Knock You're Dead".

©2013 M. C. Beaton (P)2016 Blackstone Audio

Death of a Gossip

A great book for Hamish fans. This one started it all! I loved it! Next!

Where It All Started 😊

The first of the Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, Death of a Gossip, finds the humble constable visiting his friends who run a fishing school, and having a cup of coffee. This particular class of students has a wide range of folks from a twelve year old boy to a gossipy woman who drives them all mad . . . that is until she is found in the water, bound and strangled to death. With no shortage of suspects and thinking that this small town constable is unable to investigate a murder, they send in "real policemen" who take over Hamish's office, forcing him to look into the murder on the "down low". Since everyone thinks he's incompetent, that isn't too difficult. Wiser than he looks or acts, Hamish is able to get into the heads of both the locals and the tourists, trumping anything the real coppers can come up with. Excellent listen, full of the atmosphere of a small village in Scotland and all the wit and wisdom I've come to expect from M.C. Beaton.

LOVE that Hamish

Love Hamish and the Narrator's voice. Perfection. Going back where it all started reminded me why I don't like Ms. Halburton-Smythe. I much prefer Elsepth. She knows how to love. I had also forgotten how the author disses on Hamish. In this book it kinda seems like she doesn't like him.

For Readers New to Hamish. Get caught up and then read Agatha Raisin. Soooooo much FUN!!!😉😍🤗😎

LOVE IT

I loved the book and the narrator. The Classical touch and story and characters made it all a great read. Will definitely finish the series.

Love anything with Hamish McBeth!@

I am so excited that MC Beaton has her amazing Hamish McBeth murder mysterious on Kindle!! I absolutely love the narrators of all her wonderful stories!!

Easy Listening At Its Best!

I became familar with M. C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth through recently watching the 1995 series by the same name on Prime. I found the television program so thoroughly enjoyable that I had to explore the book by the same title. I have not been disappointed.

If you have seen the television series, this first novel sets-up the characters, with the exception of Macbeth in different roles, with different names, but the characterizations, as portrayed by the television show are sufficiently close enough to make it quite easy to figure out who is who. Furthermore, the basic premise remains exactly the same. Hamish is a loveable lawman, in the extremely laidback town of Lochdubh. The mystery is sufficiently compelling.

If you are looking for an exact replica of the dramatization for television, this book will disappoint you, but it you are willing to adapt and want to enjoy a quick story that captivates you to go on to the next book, Death of a Gossip is definitely worth your time!

An ok part of the series

I read all of these and watched the series on DVD back in the day. Have enjoyed them very much. This one is not as strong as some of the others, but it was easy enough to put it on a higher speed to hurry it along toward the whodunit. It's a good introduction to the series, and Hamish is a quirky and likable character—fun to get to know as the series progresses.

Slow starting but improved

I had a hard time getting into this story. It got better and I enjoyed it at the end. The narrator was good, I liked the different accents he used, the American accent sounded a little forced but ok.

Delightful!

Hamish Macbeth is the most delightful "copper" I have ever met. He deals with everything with charm and wit and leaves the Big Brass who are brought in to solve things staring at the solution with open mouths.
Priscilla is a big help in many ways - I do hope he can eventually see her for the perfect partner in all ways (or she may have to fight me off!).

Disappointing in many ways

The narrator was probably the worst I've listened to. I was utterly distracted and eventually almost angered by his inability to keep an accent consistent through a sentence or to keep character's voices (and genders) distinct. The story itself was also a disappointment, as I had enjoyed the old TV show--the characters and town were so quaint that I wanted to live in Loch Dubh, but none of that charm appeared in this book. Hamish Macbeth didn't come across as I expected--his knowing patience and subtlety from the TV program was not evident--he seemed a two-dimensional minor character instead. I was testing this as a cozy mystery for my book club, but will definitely pass on it.