REVIEW: Death of an Outsider

Death of an Outsider
Author: M.C. Beaton

Nothing ever seems to go right for Hamish MacBeth. He's sent away from his usual post at Lochdubh to Cnothen while the local constable is away on an extended vacation. MacBeth arrives with his faithful dog Towser to discover the little village really doesn't like outsiders. Then there's William Mainwaring....an Englishman who seems to enjoy angering everyone he comes across with his snide know-it-all comments. MacBeth can't be his usual lazy, slow-going self with all the strange goings on....witches jumping out scaring people, disappearing locals and, of course, the dead body eaten by lobsters at a local fishery. With a sigh and resignation to responsibility, MacBeth is on the case to find out who turned a local character into fish food.

I enjoyed this book. There is some good character development for Hamish. He does more in this book than just pine for his dream woman, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. He branches out a bit. Maybe being away from Lochdubh for a bit is good for him? Drama and murder follow him though....and the murder is definitely....distinctive. Tipping a body into a vat with lobsters is an interesting way to get rid of evidence. Eww. :)

Another great book in this series. Always a good mystery....and a lot of chuckles at the quirky village characters and Hamish's antics. The character reminds me of a Scottish version of Columbo. He seems to be bumbling....but he's actually very, very clever.

I listened to the audio book (Blackstone Publishing) version of this story. Narrated by Shaun Grindell, the audio is just under 5 hours long. Grindell reads at a nice pace and gives a great performance. Very enjoyable listening experience.

Death of an Outsider is the third book in the Hamish MacBeth series. There are 33 books in the series, so I have a lot of reading to do! Moving on to book 4 -- Death of a Perfect Wife. What trouble will Hamish get himself into next?? :)