This was a very good one and I believe it is the first one. Hamish is brilliant at solving the murder. Read it first if you can get a copy. It is only 179 pages so you can read it very quickly and it is hard to put it down.

A nice cozy mystery set in the Scottish Highlands involving a fishing school, the murder of a gossip columnist and a cast of suspects each with their own dark secrets. An easy 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A cozy mystery set in a small Scottish town around a fly fishing class. Just the setting is enough to recommend it, but the characters were also a lot of fun. Some were over done, but I really liked Hamish. He's still a bit of a mystery. I was disappointed that the murder mystery wasn't solvable by the reader & relied on a confession at the end, though.

Still, it was a fun, quick read. I may go on to read some more, but I'm not in a rush.

Update Jan2022: I see there is a UK TV show made based on this series. It's free on TubiTV here:
https://tubitv.com/series/300005736/h...

DEATH OF A GOSSIP - G
Beaton, M.C. - 1st in series

When a famous gossip columnist is murdered at the local fishing school, no one is ready to talk. It's up to Hamish Macbeth, with the inspiring assistance of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, to sniff out the right rat amid all the cunning anglers with secrets to hide. But someone has baited a hook for him . . .

Enjoyable, light book

3.5 stars. i really enjoyed the tone of this book! it was a very entertaining cozy mystery with a dash of spice. safe to say i will be continuing this series.

Definitiv eine Reihe, die ich weiter verfolgen werde :)
Hamish Macbeth könnte Hercule Poirots träger Zwilling sein.
Und Priscilla und Hamish werden von mir geshipt!

On a fishing tour in Scotland, a nasty gossip winds up dead. On the principle that it'll be less work to solve the case than wait for someone else to do it, local police officer Hamish Macbeth fashes himself to find out who dunnit.

An easy, low-key read celebrating human foibles.

I've read the first 6 books in the HAMISH MACBETH cozy mystery series, individual star ratings as follows:

2* - Death of a Gossip #1
3* - Death of a Cad #2
4* - Death of an Outsider #3
4* - Death of a Perfect Wife #4
3* - Death of a Hussy #5
4* - Death of a Snob #6

As indicated by the first low rating I took a bit of time to connect with the characters and the series. Now I'm thoroughly enjoying them - the perfect series to read during this scorching spring, when it's too hot and windless to read anything that requires concentration! Plot lines are kept relatively simple (I've guessed the murderer within the first few chapters in all 6 books), but the characters - whether main such as Hamish & Priscilla, or the many colourful secondary characters that litter the pages - are a delight. Fun and light-hearted, with a touch of depth that unexpectedly pops up.

Hamish Macbeth ist ein Dorfpolizist in den schottischen Highlands. Er genießt keinen besonders guten Ruf, gilt als bequem und faul. Doch als in der ortsansässigen Angelschule eine Tote aus dem Wasser gefischt wird, gelingt es Macbeth mit seiner Menschenkenntnis und einer guten Portion Glück, dem Täter auf die Spur zu kommen.

Mein Leseeindruck:

Vor kurzem erst habe ich die "Agatha Raisin" - Reihe der Autorin mit großer Freude gelesen und war nun gespannt auf ihre "Hamish Macbeth" - Reihe. Den Stil der Autorin erkennt man sogleich wieder, auch wenn ich sagen muss, dass mir Agatha Raisin besser gefällt als Hamish Macbeth - bisher jedenfalls. Doch auch mit dem ersten Band dieser Reihe hatte ich durchaus schöne Lesestunden. Hamish Macbeth ist ein Charakter, mit dem ich noch ein wenig warmwerden muss, der mir aber durchaus nicht unsympathisch ist. Die Figuren wirken alle wieder sehr schräg und überspitzt dargestellt, was man sicherlich mögen muss. Auch merkt man dieser Geschichte sehr gut an, dass sie schon etwas älter ist. Aber gerade das hat mir sehr gut gefallen; es macht den Charme dieses Buches aus.

Ich fühlte mich durch diesen ersten Band gut unterhalten und freue mich auf die Fortsetzung!

I liked the characters but wanted more from Hamish's perspective rather than that of one of the suspects.

The female characters were all drawn from the worst stereo types.

I just love this series. Hamish is a handsome redheaded constable in a small village in Scotland. If I were single...just kidding. Poor Hamish does not have a lot of luck in love.

Plenty of murders happen in and around this small village, and it is up to Hamish to get to the bottom of things. His methods are pragmatic and inspired. The results are always satisfying.

I read the first Hamish somewhere in the middle of the series, but went on to read every last one of them. I choose book number one, but I can't remember the details as it has been sometime since read. However, I confidently give it five stars because I have loved every story. I'd love to read them all again, but, so many books, so little time.