Removal of a Malpracticing Skirt Chaser
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M.C. Beaton specializes in finding a scoundrel to kill off. Many times the person isn't so much an evil-doer as an unpleasant person. Some of the stories aren't quite as strong because removal of the obnoxious isn't nearly as interesting as elimination of the truly bad apple.
Death of a Dentist contains one of M.C. Beaton's most detestable victims, Dr. Frederick Gilchrist. The not-so-good doctor is famous for pulling teeth which can be saved (which his impoverished patients don't see as such a drawback), destroying perfectly good teeth with a slip of the drill ("The Great Australian Trench), and taking advantage of any woman who attracts his attention.
Normally, Hamish Macbeth, Lochdubh's finest police constable, attends an excellent dentist in Inverness. But excruciating pain drives Hamish first to Dr. Brodie who diagnoses an abscess which requires antibiotics before any dentist will be able to help him. No sooner does Hamish return to the station, and he learns of a large robbery of cash from a not-so-safe (which has a wooden back rather than reinforced steel). By the next day, Hamish is back in great pain and decides to look in on Dr. Gilchrist in near-by Braikie (an inspired choice of a name) rather than driving all the way to Inverness. Arriving at the office, no one's there. Hamish discovers one very dead dentist.
As usual, everyone else wants the credit for finding the thief and the murderer. Hamish, however, thinks that he should locate both because the crimes are on his patch.
No one is willing to tell Hamish what Dr. Gilchrist was really like. Hamish keeps prodding until clues start to spill out about the doctor's fondness for the ladies . . . that the ladies usually don't want to say much about.
As Hamish checks out matters, it's clear that other false notes are being sounded. What else are people hiding?
In the middle of the muddle, a beautiful hiker appears who turns out to be a friend of Priscilla's. Hamish is immediately smitten, but Sarah Hudson seems more interested in Hamish as a friend than as a lover. But Sarah does have one Priscilla-like ability; she is soon helping Hamish investigate and unravel the riddles.
Soon, Hamish has fallen into a bigger mess than he realized, and Sarah's help becomes crucial.
Before the book is done, you'll find that three crimes need to be solved and many major and minor mysteries resolved.
The misdirection in Death of a Dentist is excellent, and the plot will delight those who like lots of action and challenge in their Hamish Macbeth stories.
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Removal of a Malpracticing Skirt Chaser
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M.C. Beaton specializes in finding a scoundrel to kill off. Many times the person isn't so much an evil-doer as an unpleasant person. Some of the stories aren't quite as strong because removal of the obnoxious isn't nearly as interesting as elimination of the truly bad apple.
Death of a Dentist contains one of M.C. Beaton's most detestable victims, Dr. Frederick Gilchrist. The not-so-good doctor is famous for pulling teeth which can be saved (which his impoverished patients don't see as such a drawback), destroying perfectly good teeth with a slip of the drill ("The Great Australian Trench), and taking advantage of any woman who attracts his attention.
Normally, Hamish Macbeth, Lochdubh's finest police constable, attends an excellent dentist in Inverness. But excruciating pain drives Hamish first to Dr. Brodie who diagnoses an abscess which requires antibiotics before any dentist will be able to help him. No sooner does Hamish return to the station, and he learns of a large robbery of cash from a not-so-safe (which has a wooden back rather than reinforced steel). By the next day, Hamish is back in great pain and decides to look in on Dr. Gilchrist in near-by Braikie (an inspired choice of a name) rather than driving all the way to Inverness. Arriving at the office, no one's there. Hamish discovers one very dead dentist.
As usual, everyone else wants the credit for finding the thief and the murderer. Hamish, however, thinks that he should locate both because the crimes are on his patch.
No one is willing to tell Hamish what Dr. Gilchrist was really like. Hamish keeps prodding until clues start to spill out about the doctor's fondness for the ladies . . . that the ladies usually don't want to say much about.
As Hamish checks out matters, it's clear that other false notes are being sounded. What else are people hiding?
In the middle of the muddle, a beautiful hiker appears who turns out to be a friend of Priscilla's. Hamish is immediately smitten, but Sarah Hudson seems more interested in Hamish as a friend than as a lover. But Sarah does have one Priscilla-like ability; she is soon helping Hamish investigate and unravel the riddles.
Soon, Hamish has fallen into a bigger mess than he realized, and Sarah's help becomes crucial.
Before the book is done, you'll find that three crimes need to be solved and many major and minor mysteries resolved.
The misdirection in Death of a Dentist is excellent, and the plot will delight those who like lots of action and challenge in their Hamish Macbeth stories.
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Excellent as Always
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Ms. Beaton writes wonderful cozy Scottish mysteries. Her books are always a pleasure to read, and this one is no exception. Hamish MacBeth, her main character, is bewitchingly appealing, her townspeople deliciously predictable, her conclusions just plain reassuring. Comfort food for the mind.
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Another Home-Run for Beaton!
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This latest installment of M.C. Beaton's Hamish MacBeth series our hero suffers, perseveres and triumphs in his usual hysterical fashion. Set against the backdrop of the Scottish Lochdub, Hamish's perils begin with a woeful toothache and a lonesome heart. Beaton has brought back our hero, the hated Blair, the lazy Anderson and all the quirks of a quiet Scottish village. This time Hamish has a myriad of surprises to contend with. But he does it in rare fashion and without his beloved Priscilla! Always delightful, intriguing and easy to read, with Death of a Dentist Beaton has managed to combine humor, love and angst, thrills, spills and chills!
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Interesting characters and good story
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MC Beaton has created a successful formula for writing detective stories. The main character, Hamish is lovable, the local life (rural Scotland) is interesting, and the murder, itself, is revealed in an interesting manner known as the police procedural. All the stories of this series are worth reading but they are a little too short, require a small dose of incredulity, and could use a little more development. MC Beaton writes to a formula for her MacBeth and Raison stories. The real mystery is who is MC Beaton--she has over 7 pseudonyms by my count.
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