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| Death of a Gentle Lady (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 24) | 
 enlarge | Author: M. C. Beaton
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $23.99
Buy Used: $2.87
You Save: $21.12 (88%)
New (43) Used (50) Collectible (1) from $2.87
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 78188
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0446582603
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780446582605
ASIN: 0446582603
Publication Date: February 11, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 The signs of shoddy research and stale situations are showing May 16, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
+++ May contain spoilers+++
I have read this entire series and for the most part have found it enjoyable, but it is becoming more and more implausible and filled with less detecting and more of the "Oh I just stumbled on the conclusion" Situations thrown in not as red herrings but as dumb asides. One gathers that the main portion of the story takes place in a space of less than a month but a complete production of Macbeth is mounted, which served very little purpose other than to show someone's feet ! Total loss of memory from previous books -- Angela appears to have cleaned her kitchen for the first time however one of the series had her cleaning all the time - so she had forgotten this ? Places in the story where his cat and dog are with him and then suddenly they are at home but no explanation of how they got from being with him to not. We had to learn not once but twice how Elsbeth had been jilted - like we had forgotten the answer from 50 pages earlier. And what's up with two young people in the same book being sent to live with others and they were raped and abused. The time line of the life of Mrs Gentle was very skewed - if this killer was actually her first child he would have been in his mid 50s no doubt and yet he did say he looked for her after her marriage well did he do that at the age of 3 or was he an adult ? It was stated early in the book that Mr Gentle had died when Sarah was quite young so he must have been dead at least 40 years ! So was Mrs Gentle around 80 or 90 ? And what is up with the Russian police officer - oh come on I can't believe that the Russians would waste money sending her to the highlands to engage a policeman of no rank to come back to Moscow to study his methods. The plots with Blair are reaching the triteness of a villian tying a damsel to a railroad track. Please Ms Beaton tighten up the story lines a little - keep the charm and the wit but make the read a little more of an intelligent read -So far my only consolation is that I get these books from the library paying $7 for this would have been a tragedy.
 No longer "cozy" but still familiar May 7, 2008
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
Here we have another visit with cunning unambitious Scottish PC Hamish Macbeth. Watch as author Beaton trots out the trademarks: Hamish's doting on his animals; his inability to ask either of the women in his life those four fatal words: "will you marry me?"; his ability to tell whopping lies and still appear charming; his wiles to score free meals. 14 or so novels into the series and these antics never vary: the more the series grows, the more it remains the same.
The most noticeable change is the tinges of violence Beaton has begun to stipple into her quirky Highland fingerpaintings. Handguns are brandished; there are bombs.
Then there are the gaffes as the author dabbles into criminal psychology. It's a glaring gaffe surrounding homosexuals as opposed to pedophiles.
These missteps signal that Beaton is venturing further into more complex forms of psychological suspense writing that are ill suited to her talents.
I do note the implausible way she allowed Hamish to trick his nemesis Blair into marriage. Could be trickery will be the only way to get Hamish to the altar, too.
 Take a vacation without leaving home April 18, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Great mystery, great characters. Set in a small village in Scotland. The narrator's voice acting and accent along with the author's wonderfully descriptive writing will have you believing you are indeed visiting the highlands.
Hamish does it again!!! April 16, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Once a year my whole family gets a treat, A "Hamish Macbeth" Book!!!!!
We wait with bated breath for a new "Hamish" book. We have been enjoying this mystery book series for years. We have never read one we didn't love!
If you enjoy quirky detectives and Scottish villages, these books are for you!! Thre are 23 books to read and enjoy. Just read them slowly and savor the flavor of each book! We are awaiting next year's installment. May the time pass quickly!!
A little escape to the Highlands, with crime on the side April 13, 2008
Canny Scot Hamish Macbeth, the policeman in the Highland village of Lochdubh, is skeptical about newcomer Mrs. Gentle. She bought an old mansion perched on a seaside cliff. Most of the locals think the elderly woman is sweet, ladylike and classy with her white hair, fine clothes, genteel manners, and hefty donations to local charity. But Hamish heard her viciously tongue-lashing her daughter in private. He isn't taken in by her sweet public face.
Mrs. Gentle doesn't like Hamish either. She tries to get the Lochdubh police station closed, which would send Hamish to the grim local city Strathbane, a fate worse than death to his crofter's soul. He desperately proposes a marriage of convenience to Mrs. Gentle's maid - which would solve that young woman's problems with the immigration laws - because it's unlikely that the police force would close the Lochdubh station with a married policeman in residence. But his bride goes missing on the wedding day.
Soon after, Mrs. Gentle is found dead. Hamish is off on the trail of a murderer, avoiding the dread Chief Inspector Blair by working mostly with Blair's subordinate on the Strathbane force, Det. Inspector Jimmy Anderson. As Hamish suspected, they learn that Mrs. Gentle was not as gentle - or genteel - as she liked to pretend. There are suspects in her family circle, and links to the Russian Mafia.
Hamish's investigations are often complicated by female police officers who are aggressive, hard-drinking, amorous - or some combination thereof. This time Russian police inspector Anna Krokovsy arrives, and Hamish is ordered by the top brass to work with her. What with the hard-nosed Anna to deal with, someone planting a bomb in his police station, an amateur village production of Hamlet in the works, and the return to Lochdubh of both of Hamish's former love interests - Elspeth and Priscilla - Hamish has a lot on his plate. Will he succeed in unmasking the murderer in spite of this load of complications, some of them potentially lethal?
I've been reading this series for years and have rarely felt let down by M.C. Beaton, a consummate storyteller. This book is a good light read, not only for the unraveling of the crimes but for the ongoing subplot involving the horrible Chief Inspector Blair. Blair's rabid hatred of Hamish is only exceeded by his own alcoholism, which once more lands Blair in rehab. After he's out again, Blair seizes on a chance to set up Hamish and get him in trouble with the brass. Is Blair's evil craftiness for once going to be more than a match for Hamish's sensitive nose for trouble? It's well worth it to read this story to the very end.
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