Death of an Outsider

The Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, Book 3

By: M. C. Beaton

Narrated by: Shaun Grindell

Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is the third book in the much-loved Hamish Macbeth series from the author of the best-selling Agatha Raisin series.

The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or more accurately, has been dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remains of the murdered victim are his bones. But once the lobsters have been shipped off to Britain's best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth.

Exiled to the dreary outpost of Cnothan, Macbeth sorely misses his beloved Lochdubh, but before he can head back home he must first contend with a detective chief inspector who wants the murder hushed up, a dark-haired lassie who is out to seduce him, and a killer who has made mincemeat of his last victim - and will no doubt strike again.

©2013 M.C. Beaton (P)2012 AudioGO

Easy charm

Would you listen to Death of an Outsider again? Why?

Yes, the stories are simple, and easy to listen to. If you are looking for complicated and suspenseful, then this is not for you, but If you like Agatha Christie kind of mystery, a little more watered down, then you will like this story.

What did you like best about this story?

I actually like the main character Hamish, he is amusing and I also like the interactions of the villagers.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narrator is o.k. I like his characterization, but the voice he uses (I am guessing his own) when he is just reading, is a little boring. It feels paced too exactly, and maybe a little too slow.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, extreme reaction. Just a pleasant read.

Fun

I liked the change of town and I liked Hamish finally got a little love interest. The whole lobster thing was pretty creative.

Love the narration

If I read this book I would never hear the wonderful accents from the region. I love these fun books!

Hamish at his very best!

Great story filled with quirky characters and a mystery that keeps you guessing. MC Beaton at her finest!

My Favorite So Far

Where does Death of an Outsider rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the genre this listen is in my top 10

What did you like best about this story?

Hamish travels to another town and meets more than a few despicable characters.The storyline moves along at a good pace and a few twists in the plot are page turners.

What about Shaun Grindell’s performance did you like?

His voices match the darker storyline in this third book. I strongly disagree with the negative reviews given Grindell.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My frustration with Hamish's, I'm a doormat, wipe your feet was somewhat mollified by his in your face approach to some real schmucks. He also kicked some butt.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to listening to the remainder of the series..

A 'Heads Up'. My download had chapters out of sequence and I can't be certain some content isn't missing. I struggled through but find this sloppy QC unacceptable. Not the first time with bad downloads. Wake up Audible. People do read reviews.

Fun listen

I love the Hamish stories. This narrator was authentic in his accents and easy to listen to. We enjoyed it.

Narrator is better

The narrator for this book is MUCH BETTER than in the first two. These can be made or marred by the reader.

Good story

The story was another good Hamish Macbeth story. The narrator made it a challenge with his rhythmic tambour. While others read this in a more narrative way, they did so in a way that gave it life.
This narrator had a decent voice and mostly I was able to follow characters, although it became a challenge from Macbeth to a few of the other male characters.
He just needs to become more conversational with the narration which will bring more life to the story and allow the listener to be brought into the story and not have to strain to keep with it.

Hamish Macbeth is a fun character to follow, along with the other characters M. C. Beaton has created in these books.
I am eager to begin the next Hamish Macbeth book.

3rd Hamish Macbeth is lobsterific

A bit funnier than the previous Macbeth adventure. I’m liking this series and this tale has a good bit of comedy including the bizarre involvement of lobsters.

Slow starting

Missed the other narrator, Antony Ferguson, but eventually got used to this one. However, there were times I hadn't a clue what was being said, the accents were so thick. Still, I did enjoy this book.