Death of a Bore (Hamish Macbeth Series #20)

by M. C. Beaton Narrated by Graeme Malcolm

Overview

When John Heppel, a visiting writer to Lochdubh, first proposes forming a writers' circle, the idea is met with much enthusiasm from local residents. However, once the classes get underway, attendance quickly falters due to one undeniable fact: John Heppel is a long-winded, consummate bore. But is dullness a motive for murder? Hamish Macbeth wouldn't ordinarily think so, therefore when Heppel is found dead, Hamish begins looking for deeper meaning in the writer's stories, including a strange, unfinished soap opera script that seems to suggest a more sinister motive behind its author's unhappy ending.

Editorial Reviews

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The Barnes & Noble Review
Fans of the critically acclaimed Hamish Macbeth whodunits are in for a real treat with Death of a Poison Pen. Police constable Macbeth knows that, in most cases, the wild accusations and scandalous suppositions in poison-pen letters are an annoyance, not a genuine threat. But, from the first, Hamish suspects that what's going on in the remote village of Lochdubh is no ordinary case. When the village postmistress is found dead with a poison-pen letter at her feet, the coroner confirms Hamish's worst fears, that the woman's apparent suicide was in fact a carefully concealed murder. Now it's up to Hamish to trace the letters and the escalating violence to the source. His efforts are both aided and complicated by the arrival of Jenny Ogilvie, a lovely lady whose passion for Hamish is only equaled by her dangerous curiosity about the murderous poison pen who is her rival for Hamish's attention. Sue Stone

Kirkus Reviews

Egotistical TV personalities, an obnoxious boss, and a tidal wave of villagers bent on marrying him off can't stop Constable Hamish Macbeth from finding out who murdered Lochdubh's writer-in-residence. John Heppel has written Tenement Dust, an account of growing up poor in Glasgow, and his script for the soap opera Down in the Glen is being filmed by Strathbane Television. No wonder the village hall is packed to the rafters for his writers' workshop. Unfortunately, his brutal critiques of their works prompt the villagers to pelt him with tomatoes, leaving Hamish (Death of a Village, 2002, etc.) a plethora of suspects when Heppel turns up dead in his crofter's cottage in nearby Cnothan. Detective Chief Inspector Blair wants Hamish to pound the pavement in Lochdubh and interview the likes of twin spinsters Jessie and Nessie Curran. But Hamish's eye is trained on Strathbane, where producer Harry Tarrant hectors secretary Alice Patty but is fiercely protective of the late scriptwriter, and prima donnas of both sexes, from actresses Ann King and Patricia Wheeler to director John Gibson, have tantrums on and off the set. Meanwhile, schoolteacher Freda Garrety has her eye trained on Hamish. So does reporter Elspeth Grant, Hamish's ex-girlfriend, who thinks maybe she made a mistake leaving the highlands for urban opportunity in Glasgow. Quirky but well-plotted: Hamish's 20th offers humor, intrigue, and local color galore. Agent: Barbara Lowenstein/Lowenstein-Yost Associates

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169524185
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	02/01/2005
Series:	Hamish Macbeth Series
Edition description:	Unabridged

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