Death of a Gossip

The Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, Book 1

By: M. C. Beaton

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

When society widow and gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joined the fishing class, she wasted no time in ruffling the feathers - or was it the fins? - of those around her. Among the victims of her sharp tongue and unladylike manner was Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet not even Hamish thought someone would permanently silence Lady Jane's shrills - until her strangled body is fished out of the river. Now, with the help of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Hamish must angle through the choppy waters of the tattler's life to find the murderer. But with a school of suspects who aren't ready to talk and dead women telling no tales, Hamish may be in over his head, for he knows that secrets are dangerous, knowledge is power, and killers usually do strike again. Includes the bonus story "Knock, Knock You're Dead".

©2013 M. C. Beaton (P)2016 Blackstone Audio

Death of a Gossip

A great book for Hamish fans. This one started it all! I loved it! Next!

Where It All Started 😊

The first of the Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, Death of a Gossip, finds the humble constable visiting his friends who run a fishing school, and having a cup of coffee. This particular class of students has a wide range of folks from a twelve year old boy to a gossipy woman who drives them all mad . . . that is until she is found in the water, bound and strangled to death. With no shortage of suspects and thinking that this small town constable is unable to investigate a murder, they send in "real policemen" who take over Hamish's office, forcing him to look into the murder on the "down low". Since everyone thinks he's incompetent, that isn't too difficult. Wiser than he looks or acts, Hamish is able to get into the heads of both the locals and the tourists, trumping anything the real coppers can come up with. Excellent listen, full of the atmosphere of a small village in Scotland and all the wit and wisdom I've come to expect from M.C. Beaton.

An ok part of the series

I read all of these and watched the series on DVD back in the day. Have enjoyed them very much. This one is not as strong as some of the others, but it was easy enough to put it on a higher speed to hurry it along toward the whodunit. It's a good introduction to the series, and Hamish is a quirky and likable character—fun to get to know as the series progresses.

Slow starting but improved

I had a hard time getting into this story. It got better and I enjoyed it at the end. The narrator was good, I liked the different accents he used, the American accent sounded a little forced but ok.

LOVE that Hamish

Love Hamish and the Narrator's voice. Perfection. Going back where it all started reminded me why I don't like Ms. Halburton-Smythe. I much prefer Elsepth. She knows how to love. I had also forgotten how the author disses on Hamish. In this book it kinda seems like she doesn't like him.

For Readers New to Hamish. Get caught up and then read Agatha Raisin. Soooooo much FUN!!!😉😍🤗😎