Death of a Liar

The scones these Highlanders are always eating make my mouth water. In this book I also encountered Scottish baps. I had to look on the Internet to find out what they were. They make me want to go to Scotland.Baps play a role in the plot. So do fairies. There’s even a flash of possible divine intervention. It starts with the murder of a woman who lies compulsively. An unpleasant English couple are also murdered. The bodies show signs of torture.Hamish senses big money behind these crimes — the kind generated by bank robberies, drugs, human trafficking and/or prostitution.Meanwhile, Hamish is hard pressed to save his police station from closure. On top of that someone’s trying to kill him. On top of that, he’s having his usual bad luck with women.Never a dull moment in Hamish Macbeth’s Highlands!

Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth lives in Lockdubh, a small town on the northern Scottish coast. Living with him at the police station are his dog and cat, and his policeman helper, Dick Fraser, who wins prizes at quiz shows and would be a better housewife than a policeman. Although Hamish solves all of the murders on his rather large patch of rural Scotland, he tries to avoid promotion because it would mean having to leave the lazy lifestyle that he loves in Lockdubh. Hamish would like to get married, and he feels that having Dick in the police station is somehow responsible for keeping away any available women. His two former fiancees, Priscilla and Elspeth, manage to remain in his life.In Death of a Liar, Hamish and Dick receive a call from a woman in neighboring town and turn up only to find that she is a pathological liar and there was no crime at all. A few days later, a couple, who has recently moved to Lockdubh, is found murdered and Hamish's nemesis, Detective Chief Inspector Blair takes over the investigation. Not long after that, the pathological liar is also found murdered and Hamish believes the two cases may be related. As Blair tries to keep him out of the loop, Hamish meets two more women to whom he is attracted, tries to think of ways to get Dick out of the police station, and eventually solves the murders, while managing once again to remain in Lockdubh.I have enjoyed the Hamish Macbeth series throughout the years. They are very light easy reads, and the mystery is usually a fairly solid one. I enjoy "catching up" with the same cast of characters, who have become like "friends" over the years. It is not hard to see, however, that MC Beaton is growing older as the books are not as well written as they used to be. Please don't get me wrong, these books are not meant to be literature classics, but just fun, light reading. I found this one to be a little better than the last, but there were some things about it that rather annoyed me. A couple of times in the book there was an explanatory passage and then a chapter or two later almost the same explanatory passage. Also, late in the book, the author refers to Amanda Brodie, instead of Angela Brodie. I have to wonder why the editors would not have caught some of these things.I will still continue to read the Hamish Macbeth series, but if you are new to the series, I would definitely suggest that you begin with the first several books, as those are the best written and most enjoyable. You could read this as a stand-alone, but I don't think you would get the same amount of pleasure from it.

M.C. Beaton is one of the many pen names of Marion Gibbons (nee' McChesney) born in Glasgow, Scotland. She is a very prolific writer of romance and mystery novels since 1979. One of her most well-known series is that of the Hamish Macbeth mystery series. Beginning with DEATH OF A GOSSIP (in 1985), DEATH OF A LIAR (just released in 2015) is the 31st title in this series. (All titles begin with DEATH OF...... except for a Christmas special entitled A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS.)Hamish is a laid-back (to say the least) policeman working out of the local police station in the remote Scottish fishing village of Lochdubh. He loves this setup and keeps chickens, a small flock of sheep and several pets. He has transformed the small, local municipal building into his own croft. He is always fighting against closure and consolidation of his position and police station and he sometimes `bends the rules' when it is in his personal (or station's) best interest or to help the somewhat eccentric Lochdubh citizens.Hamish Macbeth was produced as a British tv series from 1995 to 1997, starring Robert Carlyle.I viewed a few episodes and was disappointed that the characters were only loosely based on the characters in the books. The `ambiance', however, was similar; the storylines and acting were good and the series was beautifully filmed.I have read every Hamish Macbeth title and enjoyed them all. DEATH OF A LIAR is no exception.The remote Scottish Highlands, its inhabitants and its culture are the real main characters and `stars' of the series. The mysteries are fast-paced; the characters are interesting and eccentric; Hamish's police methods are refreshingly sensible and practical; I always feel like a `dram' of whiskey while I am reading; and I am attached to Sonsie and Lugs (Hamish's pets). I get a bit exasperated with Hamish's `woman troubles' and while this perpetual `set in his ways' bachelor is endearing in many ways, he can quickly become petulant and querulous if his routine is disturbed or his personal viewpoints challenged.I would heartily recommend this mystery series.

It's small just to take it with you everywhere.

J'adore

As always thoroughly enjoyed it. Will now wait for the next one to come out. Will Hamish ever find true love?

nay, for me the book is not as bad as some People wrote................ the Highland theme is nicely weaving through this book as well as all the animals and weather effects we know from other, earlier books. I have read them all - after Death of a Liar I am confident that the series may go on well. I think nevertheless the Scenarios should remain in the Highlands, little villages and countryside People is what makes These books that cozy and nice. I do not like Hamish to investigate too much in town :o)) countryside mysteries are his best Features! The Fox theme - I like it. More animals could not hurt :o))

like all the other macbeth books an excellent read