Death of a Traveling Man

The Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, Book 9

By: M. C. Beaton

Narrated by: Shaun Grindell

Lochdubh constable Hamish Macbeth's life is going to pot. He has - horrors! - been promoted, his new boss is a dunce, and a self-proclaimed traveler named Sean and his girlfriend have parked their rusty eyesore of a van in the middle of the village. Hamish smells trouble, and he's right, as usual. The doctor's drugs go missing. Money vanishes. Neighbors suddenly become unneighborly. The tension only explodes after the itinerant Sean is found brutally beaten to death in his camper. Suspicion quickly falls on his girlfriend, but with nobody willing to talk, the canny Hamish faces the tough task of worming the facts out of the villagers. As he uncovers a bizarre story around the murdered traveler, Macbeth knows he must find the truth soon - before the killer gets away for good.

Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth's new promotion means more money, but it also means that an eager beaver of a policeman has been thrust upon him, interfering with Hamish's easygoing way of life. Fans of the lazy Hamish will delight in seeing him pitted against a zealous young officer while solving a disturbing murder.

©2013 M. C. Beaton (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Is Hamish a hero?

Best book so far. Hamish is sometimes getting the respect he deserves and is more definitely taking care of his village. The overall story arc develops further. (Unfortunately, Touser has no special role)
Can you imagine 2 cops living amiably like college roommates? A town and time with no internet or cellphones and only 4 TV channels if you happen to have a TV? Sweet nostalgia.
Alas, Narration is still subpar but maybe less singsong.

M C Beaton classic

A series I can always revisit, with familiar quirky characters. Hamish is clever yet humble.

TWs yikes! 1993...was a while ago

Good gravy. There's sexual assault, transphobia alcohol abuse and it's all dealt with in a way that makes me realize who things have changed in the past almost-30 years since the book was written. A 2020's audience should take that with a grain of salt, especially, I think, with the setting being rural remote, so it was even more old fashioned thinking being portrayed. All that aside, this is another good Hanish MacBeth story and the conclusion will put a smile on your face.

Wonderful story!

I loved this book! I must say though, I felt bad for poor Hamish. To me, he seems really misunderstood and easygoing. He has a life his peaceful (relatively) crime-free village, with good people, and, he's unorthodox. I don't think he's like a lot of other fictional policemen I've read about. While he believes in and upholds law and order, he uses arrest as a last resort. All in all, I love this series, and I loved this story! I can't wait to see what life has in store for Sgt. Macbeth. :-)

Great

Another great addition to this fun mystery series! Will Hamish really marry Priscilla? Hmmm. We will have to see! So glad there are a lot of books in this series!