Light-hearted piece of Tosh.

I got this because I had never 'read' M C Beaton before and I felt it might have some amusement value amid all the serious crime and thriller stuff I have been listening to of late. Having started I kind of felt I might just have made an error but, y'know, it turned into a really amusing hoot. Light, frivolous, but hugely enjoyable. Who knows, I may be back for more.

9 people found this helpful

Back to the beginning

it has been a while since I read this the first in a long series of Hamish books and has a flavour of the classic murder mystery in its setting. A fishing school in a beautiful highland setting turns ugly and the star of the series Hamish uses his family contacts and various other wiles to solve the case and helps a liitle boy out into the bargain. This is not hard hitting but rather a cosy escapism with touches of humour. I personally like the little bit about the higland midges when getting coffee in spite of Lady Jane. The author has actually lived in Scotland and the Cotswolds where she sets her other series about Agatha Raisin so is writing about what she knows.

6 people found this helpful

Classic murder mystery, first of a good series

David Monteath is a perfect narrator for the Hamish MacBeth stories. It's not great literature, but these are decent whodunnits, in the old style: without excessive violence, or dwelling on sadistic detail. The murder victim is always unlovable, scunners everyone in sight, and there is a very traditional cast of suspects, in a circumscribed location, so that a denouement in "the library" or similar is possible. Easier to manage in rural Sutherland than urban Central Belt...
Sutherland is WEATHER, all the west coast Gulf Stream warmth, but without the shelter God granted to more southern counties of Ireland, the islands, and Kintyre to preserve us from hibernation and procrastination.
The residents of Lochdubh are usually innocent souls, guileless, or only sinful in a small way; incomers often bring foreign vices, snobbery, greed, but also additional income. The men of Lochdubh certainly need a shakeup, but unfortunately this series has not yet given them the boot in the b---s they need.
Still, easy listening, amusing, agreeably resolved novels, with recurring characters to love or hate, nicely told.

4 people found this helpful

light hearted.

light hearted good read. good story telling helps reader see beautiful scenery and put faces to characters

2 people found this helpful

Relaxing

Absolutely relaxing . Could picture the highlands . Looking forward to the next one. Well done M C Beaton.

1 person found this helpful

Entertaining and amusing <br />

Perfect listen for times when you need something light to capture your attention , for a lazy afternoon or sleepless nights.

love the story, didn't enjoy narrator

really enjoyed the story and enjoyed reading the original book, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy the narrated version that much

fishing by m c Beaton !!!

I understand the need for a backstory but morefishing information than murder mystery? ?

2 people found this helpful

Strangely incongruous

An odd book. The main character Hamish McBeth was not prominently featured and so difficult to warm to as insufficiently featured. As this is the start of a series I would have liked to have got to know him better.
The language used was at times out of context ...
Given the gentleness of the ambience, setting and mood of the book.
Won't listen to any more of Hamish.

2 people found this helpful

Dated and predictable

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A tense plot; a convincing performance or engaging characters - none of which were evident here. This was my first and definitely last foray into the work of this author.

What was most disappointing about M. C. Beaton’s story?

It was confusingly dated in detail and style, the characters were 2-dimensional stereotypes and the plot, such as it was, was thin and predictable.

What didn’t you like about David Monteath’s performance?

To me, it felt as if he was as unconvinced about the story as I was. A lifeless performance.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No.

2 people found this helpful