Death of a Poison Pen was a great bit of popcorn to start off a long weekend. Hamish Macbeth is a fun character, there is a good mystery, and we get to spend time with the usual cast of Scottish Highlands misfits and nutters. I am happy to mention that the books in this series can be read in no particular order and still enjoyed. MC Beaton is a talented novelist who consistently produces books that are light-hearted, enjoyable, and a cut above your typical "cozy" mystery.

Very poorly written with dull characters and little plot. Poison Pen letters, really?? I won’t be reading another.

Bit more complicated and dark than most of this series, I did enjoy it.

I hope Hamish won't end up with Priscilla but I'm afraid that's what's going to happen. I'm not a big fan of hers and find it irritating that some people in Lochdubh are acting like Hamish is some kind of Casanova having different girl all the time when Priscilla had like 10 different boyfriends in the books. Now she's supposed to marry a new one (I think we found it out in last book) but she doesn't really want to. I mean, Hamish at least cared about those women he spent time with, she decided to marry one probably because he has a career and asked. Elspeth is not perfect either but I feel like she'd suit him much more. She's not telling him on every other page that he should get promoted.

This series is mildly entertaining, with the protagonist a harassed policeman in a small Scottish village, a village very much like the English villages of Christie: filled with gossip, malice, and also charm and kindness. The puzzle is well woven, though the solution is just a bit too obvious--but a satisfactory read with a touch of jeopardy at the climax.

A little more than halfway through, I am...not sure. So far this is a fast-paced mystery, and I certainly want to find out whodunnit, but the writing is not totally up my alley. I'll certainly stick with it though, and may find others as quick mystery reads. I think I like more descriptive writing, even if it slightly slows down the pace. Ah well.

After finishing, and reading the first in the series, I am even more disappointed in the choppiness of the writing. I will be trying the series again, but this one seemed so stripped-down, and the character of Jenny was so irritating...I don't know.

Just finished this one. Great fun story of prudish, religious types who let their fear of "bastard-hood" create a terrible chain of murders. The touch of Scotland in this one is strong. I always enjoy Hamish MacBeth -- and I've been M.C. Beaton long before she started the successful mystery series. (There are two continuing series).

This is one of the best books in the series so far. The characters really came to life and were lovable, funny, and sinister. The clues are logical and clever so that readers with a strong ability to deduce the murderer in mystery stories should be able to identify the murderer before they are revealed. I’m glad that this far into the series Beaton continues to write a funny and engaging mystery.

I wanted to read a Hamish Macbeth book since I'm going through a Scottish murder mystery phase. (I adore the TV show and own it on DVD) I didn't have a list of the order so I grabbed this one from the library. It was pretty good! M.C. Beaton is good at doling out clues but not giving much away, and the adorable close-knit village of Lochdubh really comes through. There is an odd main character, Jenny, who shows up from London to chase Hamish and spite her friend Priscilla who is Hamish's ex. I guess when you're on #19 of a series you want to mix things up a little. I'll definitely be trying to figure out the order and reading an earlier one.

3.5/4

I remember listening to this Hamish Macbeth several years ago on a road trip. I enjoyed it then, and I enjoyed it again this time around. I forgot how flighty some of the characters are in the earlier books, and the characters in this book were no exception. I don't know how to explain it, but this novel had a bit of a darker atmosphere to it than some of the other series installments. Graeme Malcom did an amazing job narrating Hamish's misadventures as always. It appears that Mr. Malcom has passed away. My condolences to his family and loved ones. I will miss hearing him narrate new Hamish Macbeth stories.

You know, I don't really know why I read this series or the other one by her - everyone in the books is rude, abrupt and malicious. I like the settings - British villages. I like the genre. But the characters are so unpleasant that I never really enjoy the books themselves. They are ok for car listening - when I have to be there anyway, but I won't read them at home.

One of the best in the Hamish Macbeth series, this one has all I love: a real mystery at the heart of the murders, unexpected twist in discovering who it is, love interest that heats up among three women, one getting the prize (at least for now), and a plot that touches many of us--the hurt of rumor and accusation and using secrets to make serious trouble-- Lochdubh in all its glory, Blair in all his awfulness, and Hamish, as ever, the Hamish we love.
Doesn't ever drag, and it seemed there was a little more to Hamish than there had been. Plot was racing along and I read fast, so just had to start over and re-read --and a double pleasure. Seeing through facades is one of Hamish's best qualities, and his half-hopefulness that one of his ladies will stay with him is a facade he never sees through, for he is a loner and a man who loves his comforts. But give him a nasty bit of work and he'll figure it out, and be kind throughout. I stay smiling for days after I've read a Hamish and this will be one of my forever favorites.