Death of a Liar (Hamish Macbeth Series #30)

by M. C. Beaton

Overview

Travel to the Scotland Highlands with this classic Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery from the author of the Agatha Raisin series.

Death of a Liar: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery

Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is alarmed to receive a report from a woman in the small village of Cronish in the Scottish Highlands. She has been brutally attacked and the criminal is on the loose. But upon further investigation, Hamish discovers that she was lying about the crime. So when the same woman calls him back about an intruder, he simply marvels at her compulsion to lie. This time, though, she is telling the truth. Her body is found in her home and Hamish must sort through all of her lies to solve the crime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455504770
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Series:	Hamish Macbeth Series , #30
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	214,748
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 7.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

M. C. Beaton has won international acclaim for her New York Times bestselling Hamish Macbeth mysteries. The BBC has aired 24 episodes based on the series. Beaton is also the author of the bestselling Agatha Raisin series, which will air as an eight-episode dramatic series on Sky1, starring Ashley Jensen. She lives in the Cotswolds with her husband. For more information, you can visit MCBeaton.com.

Editorial Reviews

12/15/2014
At the start of Beaton’s highly entertaining 31st Hamish Macbeth mystery (after 2014’s Death of a Policeman), the Lochdubh, Scotland, police sergeant receives a phone call from Liz Bentley, who claims she’s been raped. Hamish and his team rush to the village of Cromish, where they learn from Liz’s doctor that she’s a chronic liar and still a virgin. But Liz’s second call for help is no lie, and Hamish discovers her dead body in a vegetable patch outside her house. Meanwhile, back in Lochdubh, someone tortures and murders Frank and Bessie Leigh, a couple new to the area. Detective Chief Inspector Blair, always eager to deny Hamish opportunities, keeps the Leigh investigation for himself. Hamish handles Blair and Superintendent Daviot nimbly, but stumbles badly with familiar flames Priscilla Halburton-Smythe and Elspeth Grant. There are nasty characters behind the killings, and Hamish’s deep knowledge of local folk and his keen observations lead him into danger. Beaton’s series remains as engaging as ever. Agent: Barbara Lowenstein, Lowenstein Associates. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"Highly entertaining...Beaton's series remains as engaging as ever."—Publishers Weekly

"This Hamish McBeth mystery is as quirky as the others. Hamish is an endearing character who coincidentally happens upon all sorts of mischief and finds himself wrapped up in the center of a murder investigation that hits close to home."—RT Times

"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."—New York Times Book Review

"Hamish Macbeth is that most unusual character, one to whom the reader returns because of his charming flaws. May he never get promoted."—New York Journal of Books

"With residents and a constable so authentic, it won't be long before tourists will be seeking Lochdubh and believing in the reality of Hamish Macbeth as surely as they believed in Sherlock Holmes."—Denver Rocky Mountain News

"Macbeth is the sort of character who slyly grows on you."—Chicago Sun-Times

From the Publisher

02/01/2015
Ignoring a call for help from a woman who had previously reported a false crime, Scottish policeman Hamish Macbeth is aghast to find her corpse the next day. Her murder is the third in the past week in the county of Sutherland. The other victims were the Leighs, a couple new to the Highlands. Hamish's boss and archenemy, Chief Inspector Blair, steers Hamish away from the more high-profile Leigh case and assigns him to probe the death of the liar, Liz Bentley. Hamish soon uncovers a connection between the two crimes but becomes entangled in danger as he investigates further. As usual, he also has trouble figuring out his love life. The beautiful baker Anka has caught his eye, yet Hamish faces competition from his sidekick Dick Fraser. Luckily, there's forensic expert Christine Dalray and old loves Elspeth and Priscilla to keep Hamish's mind and heart occupied. VERDICT The hero's dogged methods and the rotating cast of Scottish villagers are all present in Beaton's 30th installment (after Death of a Policeman) in the long-running series. What's missing is the humor—replaced instead by a nasty tone that seems out of place with the cozy surroundings. Here's hoping Hamish's next adventure will find him in a better mood.—Lynnanne Pearson, Skokie P.L., IL

Library Journal