Book Review: Death of a Ghost (Hamish Macbeth, #32) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Ghost by M.C. Beaton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oh Hamish, how I loved ye.

I'm pretty sure I've read almost all of the Hamish Macbeth books (this is #32), including the little stories. I think I might have missed one before this one, somehow, because I didn't remember quite how Hamish got the poodle, although I do remember how he lost Sonsie. I've enjoyed them all, for the most part, being a lover of cozy mysteries.

This one was not so great.

It seemed like new characters, who could have been more interesting if fleshed out a little more, were popping up every chapter, along with the good old friends you expect from the books of the past.

There really wasn't a Death of a Ghost, rather a fake ghost was being used to cover up scurrilous activities in the old castle now inhabited by former police bigwig Handy Ebrington, who also has a shady past. Hamish and his new co-hort, Charlie, inspect the scene, lose a body, and are off to solve the mystery. There are dead anti-religion professors, wife-beating religionists, drug-dealers, smugglers, the ever-loathsome Inspector Blair, and a new adversary in the police.

This one felt as though M.C. Beaton has just got tired of Hamish and his world and would like to stop. I know she was dealing with the loss of her beloved husband last year, which of course would cause anyone to lose focus. I hope the new book coming out in 2018 will be more like the old Hamish.

Annie

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