Hamish gets to go undercover to bust a drug ring...the murder in this "episode" seems very secondary, almost like an afterthought. Interesting story line, but not my favorite. Not nearly enough of the locals. I have really enjoyed this series overall though...light, quick, great characters, and Shaun Grindell is an amazing reader.

I find Hamish Macbeth stories to be totally soothing. The characters are so fantastic and the murder mysteries always intriguing. This was another great story.

Hamish visits with a new resident of his area. A few days later the man is found dead of an apparent over dose. however, Hamish thinks it is murder not an over dose. His bosses do not think it is murder. Hamish decides to take time off work and go undercover and find out the truth.
He ends up getting in contact with another department and they assign him to work with Oliva, a tough policewoman.
In the long run, Hamish still has issues with women and it is interesting to see how his relationship with Olivia progresses.

Normally, the overdose death of a heroin addict would hardly raise police suspicions, but our favorite Scottish constable, Hamish Macbeth, is unlike most police and he wonders about more than a few incongruities. And what does it all have to do with new sightings of another monster in the local loch. Hamish suspects nothing more than a new family of seals. In order to collect more information about the heroin overdose, Hamish, with the surprise approval of his Strathbone superiors, goes undercover, literally and figuratively with a notorious detective inspector posing as his wife. Those knowing Hamish will recognize the scenario for trouble and sure enough. But the real trouble is caused by that pesky detective inspector Blair, who remains so envious of Hamish's local success.

My first Scotland series. I have read books 1 - 21. The premise is interesting specifically how the protagonist refuses to give up his pleasant lifestyle to raise up in the ranks and live in a place that does not being him joy and would significantly decrease his love of life. The protagonist is negatively judged because he prefers the simple, lovely life, rather than raise through the ranks.

The story lines and the characters are generally interesting. In some of the books, the lovesickness of both the protagonist and his on and off love interest can get very tiresome. However, it may have been more tiresome because I read the stories back to back. I have taken a break from reading more of the books, but do look forward to getting back to them in a few months.

Ok. I’ll admit I picked this book because of its title. A mystery of someone who struggled with drugs and the early conclusion was that he died of an overdose. Hamish did not believe it and went in search of the real murderer(s).

I listened to the audio book and the strong brogue sometimes was hard to understand and the story meanders in different directions. Hamish feels like the Scottish Colombo.

“There’s almost a sort of unholy glee when a drug addict dies. Silly bugger, he had what was coming to him. That sort of thing. Though, a lot of respectable businessmen, as you know, cause doctors and hospitals no end of expense and trouble with their drinking. But when one of them dies of a stroke or cirrhosis of the liver or pancreatitis, no one ever says he had what was coming to him. And drug deaths are often among the young. And there’s and awful prejudice against young people.- Hamish.

But if you consider, said the doctor, that there are warnings the whole time against the effects of drugs and no warnings against the effects of alcohol other than the usual don’t drink and drive warnings. People are apt to think ‘well they were told what would happen’, like smokers.

Could be, pointed out Hamish cynically, because the highest proportion of alcoholics are among the medical profession.”

Enough already. I'm done with series. it just went to unbelievable

Nachdem einige der Macbeth-Krimis sich in ihrer Handlung nun schon wiederholten, ist es durchaus löblich, dass die Autorin diesmal neuen Schwung in die Reihe bringen wollte. Hamish ermittelt erst in Strathbane undercover in einer "Kirche", danach geht es undercover weiter als Drogenboss in Amsterdam. Alles anders, alles neu, aber leider nicht besser. Im Gegenteil, was hier an Polizeiarbeit passiert, wirkt so unglaubwürdig, so dilettantisch, dass es keinen Spaß macht zu lesen. Generell, wie Hamish sich verbiegen muss und wie furchtbar unsympathisch seine Vorgesetzte daherkommt... Nein, das war nix.

Former drug addict Tommy Jarret rents a Scottish chalet to check out reports of a sea monster. But when he is found dead of an apparent drug overdose, constable Hamish Macbeth suspects foul play. Teaming with Glasgow Detective Inspector Olivia Chater, Macbeth goes undercover and dives into the underworld to root out a cartel secretly entrenched in the Highlands.

E' la prima volta che leggo questa serie, con protagonista Hamish Macbeth, dopo aver letto qualche episodio di quella più nota con protagonista Agatha Raisin. Di entrambe posso dire che sono serie carine e distensive, forse non le leggerei tutte d'un fiato, ma risultano entrambi gradevoli come gialli da leggere senza trame troppo contorte o liste infinite di personaggi tra cui perdersi.
Hamish Macbeth è un poliziotto in gamba, che alla carriera preferisce la vita tranquilla del suo paese; ha rinunciato pertanto alle promozioni ottenute, rimanendo semplice agente e continuando a vivere nella stazione del suo paesino, allevando pecore e coltivando l'orto. Il suo lavoro è fatto di piccoli furti, qualche litigio da placare e piccoli altri inconvenienti che si risolvono per lo più facendo un discorsetto ai suoi compaesani. Eppure il suo superiore Blair lo odia di cuore, non sopporta che giunga sempre alla conclusione dei casi più complicati, che voglia indagare anche quando non è necessario ed è roso dall'invidia. Quando all'improvviso, nei piccoli appartamenti fittati da un suo amico, viene trovato morto un giovane ex tossicodipendente ed il caso viene archiviato come overdose, il fiuto di poliziotto di Hamish non riesce a non emergere: per lui si tratta di omicidio e vuole andare fino in fondo alla faccenda. Si trova così a poco a poco invischiato in un giro di droga e soldi che lo porta addirittura a dover indagare sotto copertura insieme ad una donna affascinante di nome Olivia Chater.
La trama si fa quindi un po' tirata, poco credibile nel passaggio da piccola indagine di provincia ad azione di spionaggio. Nonostante questo il protagonista, nella sua ingenuità intelligente, non può non ispirare simpatia; i compaesani, ognuno con le proprie caratteristiche e le proprie fissazioni, sono un contorno altrettanto ben fatto. La trama è come detto un po'esagerata, eppure per nulla banale ed alla fine ti coinvolge e incuriosisce.
Come per Agatha Raisin non ho letto il primo episodio, ma direttamente uno a metà serie, ma si tratta di uno di quei casi in cui l'ordine non fa troppa differenza, si possono leggere come episodi separati senza troppi buchi da riempire.
Una lettura gradevole, sicuramente leggerò qualche altro episodio della serie.

(2.5 stars) This is not a typical Hamish Macbeth storyline as we have come to know it, and the radical departure is somewhat unsettling. Through the course of this book we somehow move from the death of a former drug addict in a remote cabin, to a money-grabbing New Age cult, to underworld drug smuggling; and Hamish transforms from ordinary village constable, to masquerading as a homeless man living in his car, to masquerading as a drug kingpin.

The drug story takes precedence and introduces us to Hamish’s latest (temporary) love interest, Detective Inspector Olivia Chater, his commanding officer in an undercover operation which takes them from Strathbane to Amsterdam and back again, though of course they end up in Lochdubh for the finale.

However unlikely, it’s still a fast-paced, enjoyable story (except for something stupid that happens at the very end). Here’s hoping the next one is more conventional.

I enjoyed this installment of the Hamish Macbeth series, though not as much as I would if Lochdubh played a more central role for the entire story. The beginning of the story is set in the familiar village, but then we are taken away from the Highlands, and into Strathbane and even overseas. Hamish is out of his element, and the story loses its way a little, as it basically becomes about going out to be seen by the underworld figures and spoken about. It lacked a lot of the charm of previous novels in the series.

There were elements to the story that were a little far-fetched, but I did enjoy the fact that the story wasn't overshadowed by the Hamish-Priscilla story line. Yet, Hamish did develop an interest in another female character, and I don't know if MC Beaton treated that character well in the story.

A good, quick read, and I will be eager to read more in the series.