Trouble has found it's way to Lochdubh in the form of "poison pen" letters. I'd actually never heard that term before. It's easy to figure out from context though - letters sent filled with nasty accusations and meant to upset people.

Most people think they're annoying but harmless. Hamish worries that they might lead to more drastic actions if some hard truths are revealed.

Hamish's worst fears comes to life when the postmistress winds up dead, possibly by suicide. When the poison pen writer herself is also murdered Hamish will have to dig deep into some secrets of the townsfolk.

The ending and motivation for the murders was an odd one in this one. I didn't quite buy it, but as I've said, when I'm with Hamish I'm happy, and honestly 80% of the joy in this series comes from the atmosphere and Beaton's delightfully humorous writing.

Constable Hamish Macbeth is involved with more murders than usual There is also someone who is writing vicious letters to local people. These letters stir up emotions and gossip.
In this book Hamish has more than his usual problems with women. He has a difficult time juggling women on a routine basis but this story has several women who are interested in him and he does not know how to handle it.
I love this series of cozy mysteries.

Been listening to these as audiobook.
Relaxing to listen , every story has a main character whose job is to get killed by chapter 2 .
Then Hamish solves the crime with help of his love interest either Pricilla or Elspeth.

I don’t know how they read , coz I have been consuming them in audio book format with graham Malcom. Or David montieth reading them . So they really feel like an audio drama and not at all bookish

It’s like Pop corn , you can keep binging and not worry a lot about calories.

Another fun small village mystery in this series. There isn't much more that I haven't said about this series, but I continue to enjoy it. I love how Hamish is casually smarter than everyone else. And how the author can write very silly characters who aren't too over the top, but are sometimes hard to believe. Nosiness and jealous always seemed to prevail over common sense, typically getting people into trouble. Hamish being attracted to everyone women he's with (it seems) may get old, but luckily it's usually presented in such a fun way.

I had a strong feelings of déjà vu as I read this but eventually put it down to the formulaic nature of these novels. Hamish contends with a spate of vicious letters targeting a nearby village - most are well off the mark, but it’s only a matter of time before one strikes home. Against the usual backdrop of his shambolic love life, Hamish sets out to find the writer before murder and mayhem ensue.

Love this series so much and especially love lanky redheaded constable, Hamish Macbeth. He's unambitious, intelligent, humorous with a special Highland sensory gift that helps him in his job to care for and keep his villagers safe. He often goes above the call of duty to help when sensing there is a special need for help. To the start of each chapter, the author likes to put a piece of prose or quote, etc. that relates to the chapter.

Another fun adventure featuring Hamish Macbeth. This one had a lot of different subplots, with many characters striving to get ahead of the pack and solve the mystery.

It was great to see most of the action in Lochdubh, and great to see Hamish not trying to get the attention of Priscilla. I enjoy these books more without the whole Hamish-Priscislla story like taking over. The addition of Elspeth to the last few books has been thoroughly entertaining, and I hope her character stays around for a few more books. I find her a bitter fit for Hamish.

The mystery was great in this story, with the many layers peeling away as the story continued. It kept me wondering right until the end, and that's the sing of a great mystery.

This is the 19th edition of the Hamish Macbeth mysteries by M.C.Beaton. Macbeth is a police constable in a Highland Scotland village called Lochdubh. I have to check to see how many murders actually occur in rural Scotland some time. It can't be anywhere close to the number that goes on in these mysteries. To get back to the story here, the scenery, characters and story are always engaging in this series. Macbeth, like Sherlock Holmes, is a terrific policeman and has no clue romantically. He has more personality than Sherlock.

I enjoyed this book very, very much. So much that I read it in just over 24 hours -- a feat I haven't accomplished in at least a year, probably more like two.

Winter is on its way to to the Scottish Highlands and Constable Hamish Macbeth is on edge while investigating a rash of poison pen letters that have been sent to residents of the nearby village of Braikie. Soon his fears become manifest when two suspicious deaths happen within days of each other. Hamish uses his knowledge of the locals and his intuition to investigate while rebuffing the overtures of now-engaged Priscilla's friend from London.

I liked everything about this book. I liked Hamish's thoughts and actions (which, as you know, I don't always). I liked reading about the thoughts and actions of the other focus characters. I liked this plot and trying to connect the dots. All of these things, along with Beaton's always-wonderful writing, made for a delightful reading experience. And, as has been the case for the last few books, I'm very interested in seeing where the events in the last chapter lead in the next book in the series.

This turned out to be a rather complicated plot, as a poison pen writer sends notes to villagers, some of them end up dead, and Hamish has to figure out how they are all connected in order to find the murderer. A young friend of Priscilla's comes to Lochdub in an effort to make her jealous with Hamish, thus complicating his life. A good listen.

I like the character Hamish Macbeth and this series HOWEVER I have a problem with this particular book. Hamish remembers that a dentist had been killed in Braikie (Death of a Dentist) and that an elderly man, Fred Sutherland, lived above the dentist's office. He wondered whether Fred still lived in that same place. SERIOUSLY??? Certainly Hamish has found lots of dead bodies in various places, but HOW WOULD HE HAVE FORGOTTEN that Fred was killed not long after the dentist??? WHERE ARE THE COPY EDITORS??? WHY can't authors keep track of the stories they have created?

Worse one in the series I've read