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Death of a Poison Pen

Series: Hamish Macbeth
3.87 goodreads logo

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( 6,273 ratings, 387 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Death of a Poison Pen by M.C. Beaton, the quiet village of Lochdubh is rocked by a series of anonymous poison-pen letters that arouse tension and suspicion among the residents. When one of the recipients is found dead under suspicious circumstances, local constable Hamish Macbeth finds himself delving into the tangled web of small-town intrigue. Balancing humour and suspense, Macbeth's sleuthing uncovers secrets and motives as he attempts to restore peace.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy cosy mysteries set in picturesque villages, where local charm contrasts with dark secrets and intrigue. With a loveable and quirky detective facing off against a cunning antagonist, it’s perfect for fans of character-driven mysteries filled with red herrings and surprising twists.

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The 19th Hamish Macbeth murder mystery delightfully re-jacketed.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A sudden outbreak of maliciousness strikes the town of Lochdubh in the form of a rash of poison pen letters. Things turn deadly when the local postmistress is found hanged in her room... with a vicious note beneath her dangling feet. Though his superiors call it suicide, PC Hamish Macbeth pronounces it murder.

But Hamish is soon distracted by Jenny Ogilvie, a friend of his ex-fiancΓ©e, who arrives in Lochdubh to seduce him. And then he's ambushed by local reporter Elspeth Grant, who sets out to land the story - and Hamish - for herself.

Caught in the middle of this volatile case, Hamish faces dangerous romances... and a blackhearted culprit wielding a mighty - and lethal - pen.

Praise for the Hamish Macbeth series:

The much-loved Hamish Macbeth series. Beguiling blend of wry humour and sharp observations about rural life. - Good Book Guide.

It's always a special treat to return to Lochdubh. - New York Times Book Review.

The detective novels of M.C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status. - Anne Robinson, The Times.

Series: Hamish Macbeth

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  • Death of a Spy
    All Sergeant Hamish Macbeth ever wants is a quiet life in the tranquil surroundings of Lochdubh, his home village in the Scottish Highlands. Although the area he polices is vast, he's happiest when he's working alone, yet the police authorities insist he has an assistant. In the past, they have supplied a variety of problematic misfits, but they surpass themselves...
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  • A Highland Christmas
    In dark, wintry Lochdubh, Christmas cheer is about as welcome as a flat tyre on a deserted road. The Calvinist element in town has always resisted what they view as secular frivolity, so for most of the townsfolk there'll be no carols, feasting, gifts - or even whisky on Christmas Day! And for PC Hamish Macbeth, there's no holiday from...
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  • Hamish Macbeth: Death of a Smuggler
    The page-turning new mystery in the bestselling Hamish Macbeth series! Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is craving peace and quiet. But visitors to his home village of Lochdubh, nestled in the Scottish Highlands, have other ideas... Hamish and the new love in his life, Claire, have holiday plans. But thoughts of rest and relaxation are rudely interrupted by the arrival of a...
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  • Death of a Poison Pen
    A sudden outbreak of maliciousness strikes the town of Lochdubh in the form of a rash of poison pen letters. Things turn deadly when the local postmistress is found hanged in her room... with a vicious note beneath her dangling feet. Though his superiors call it suicide, PC Hamish Macbeth pronounces it murder. But Hamish is soon distracted by Jenny...
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  • Death of a Bore
    Not bored to death but murder most foul . . . Celebrated author John Heppel is known in Lochdubh as a self-important bore, prone to belittling the scribblings of the locals in his creative writing class. So when he's found dead, his mouth oozing ink, it seems a fitting fate. But for PC Hamish Macbeth the murder is more than...
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  • Death of a Village
    Trouble is afoot in the remote Scottish fishing village of Stoyre, where the inhabitants are acting kind of... fishy. On a routine visit, Hamish Macbeth finds the pub empty, the church unexpectedly full, and the very air permeated with fear. Then an explosion levels a holiday cottage which the locals call 'an act of God'. Hamish has another theory, one...
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  • Death of a Gossip
    When society widow and gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joins the local fishing class, she wastes no time in ruffling the feathersβ€”or should that be fins?β€”of those around her. Among the victims of her sharp tongue is Lochdubh constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet not even Hamish thinks someone would seriously want to silence Lady Jane's shrill voice permanentlyβ€”until her strangled body...
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  • Death of a Kingfisher
    'Explosive and engaging' - Booklist A featherbrained scheme to make cold, hard cash... PC Hamish Macbeth can't help but admire the resourcefulness of the Highlanders during the Recession - in tough times they have to lure tourists to their sleepy towns and the quaint village of Braikie has come up with a novel solution. It really doesn't have that much...
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  • Death of a Ghost
    There are many ruined castles in Scotland. One such lies outside the village of Drim. Hamish begins to hear reports that this castle is haunted and lights have been seen there at night, but he assumes it's some children or maybe the local lads going there to smoke pot, or, worse, inject themselves with drugs. Hamish says to his policeman,...
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  • Death of a Traitor
    A missing person report is not usually something that Hamish Macbeth sees as cause for undue distress. Should a child or a vulnerable person vanish, it's an urgent matter that needs to be treated seriously, but in Macbeth's experience, most other people who go missing tend to turn up again before long. So when Kate Hibbert disappears after having last...
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  • Death of a Cad
    When Priscilla Halburton-Smythe brings her London playwright fiancΓ© home to Lochdubh, everyone in town is delighted... except for love-smitten Hamish Macbeth. Yet the affairs of his heart will have to wait. Vile, boorish Captain Bartlett, one of the guests at Priscilla's engagement party, has just been found murderedβ€”shot while on a grouse hunt. Now with so many titled party guests...
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  • Death of a Green-Eyed Monster
    No one in Lochdubh expects Dorothy to stay for long... She is, after all, entirely unsuitable. She's an uptown girl, used to a fancy lifestyle in the big city of Glasgow. She'll never fit in. And how is that work-shy rogue Hamish Macbeth supposed to get anything done when his new assistant is such a distraction? The village needs a...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Death of a Poison Pen by M.C. Beaton is praised for its charming depiction of a small Scottish village, filled with quirky characters and engaging plot twists. The novel features Hamish Macbeth, whose sleuthing skills are both endearing and cleverly depicted, appealing to fans of cosy mysteries. Some reviewers appreciate the light-hearted mystery and the entertaining narrative style characteristic of Beaton's work.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472124555

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 August 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Constable

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 226g

Pages: 320

About the Author

M.C. Beaton (1936-2019) was the author of both the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series, as well as numerous Regency romances. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages and have sold more than twenty-one million copies worldwide. She is consistently the most borrowed UK adult author in British libraries, and her Agatha Raisin books have been turned into a TV series on Sky.

Also by M.C. Beaton

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  • Agatha Raisin and the Curious Curate
    He was a vicar to die for - and he did! Agatha is going through a man-hating phase and so is unmoved by news of the captivating new curate. But when she meets the golden-haired, blue-eyed Tristan Delon, she is swept off her feet... along with every other female in the village. She is positively ecstatic when he invites her...
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  • Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death
    Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death features Agatha Raisin's neighbouring village of Ancombe, which is usually the epitome of quiet rural charm. However, the arrival of a new mineral-water company, which intends to tap into the village spring, sends tempers flaring and divides the parish council into two stubborn camps. When Agatha, who just happens to be handling the...
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  • A Highland Christmas
    In dark, wintry Lochdubh, Christmas cheer is about as welcome as a flat tyre on a deserted road. The Calvinist element in town has always resisted what they view as secular frivolity, so for most of the townsfolk there'll be no carols, feasting, gifts - or even whisky on Christmas Day! And for PC Hamish Macbeth, there's no holiday from...
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  • Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham
    The local ladies all deem Mr John a wizard, so when Agatha finds a few grey hairs on her headβ€”and the rinse she tries at home turns her hair purpleβ€”she makes a beeline for the handsome Evesham hairdresser. As well as sorting out her hair, it soon becomes clear the charming man also has designs on her heart. However, their...
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  • Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
    The morning of Agatha's marriage to James Lacey dawns bright and clear. But her luck runs out in the church when Jimmy, the husband she had believed long dead, turns up large as life and twice as ugly. Agatha has a go at strangling him. James breaks off the engagement. So when Jimmy is found murdered the next day, Agatha...
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  • Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden
    Eye of newt, toe of frog . . . and murder most foul! Left with bald patches thanks to the wicked doings of a murderer from a previous investigation, Agatha flees to coastal Wyckhadden to re-grow her lost locks. With hair tonic supplied by a local witch, Agatha's tresses begin to flow - but the witch is found bludgeoned to...
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  • Death of a Village
    Trouble is afoot in the remote Scottish fishing village of Stoyre, where the inhabitants are acting kind of... fishy. On a routine visit, Hamish Macbeth finds the pub empty, the church unexpectedly full, and the very air permeated with fear. Then an explosion levels a holiday cottage which the locals call 'an act of God'. Hamish has another theory, one...
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    $2799
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  • Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist
    Cold-blooded murder heats up Agatha's summer holiday! Agatha travels to Cyprus, only to contend with her estranged fiancΓ©, an egregious group of truly terrible tourists, and a string of murders. In this sixth entertaining outing, Agatha leaves the sleepy Cotswold village of Carsely to pursue love - and finds a murderer. Spurned at the altar, she follows her fleeing fiancΓ©,...
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  • Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
    An unexpected hike to the Other Side... After time away, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village of Carselyβ€”and to her handsome neighbour, James Lacey. True, James seems less than thrilled to see her, but Agatha is soon distracted by a sensational murder. The victim, found in a field, is young hiker Jessica Tartinck, who spent her life enraging...
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  • Death of a Kingfisher
    'Explosive and engaging' - Booklist A featherbrained scheme to make cold, hard cash... PC Hamish Macbeth can't help but admire the resourcefulness of the Highlanders during the Recession - in tough times they have to lure tourists to their sleepy towns and the quaint village of Braikie has come up with a novel solution. It really doesn't have that much...
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  • Agatha Raisin in Down the Hatch
    β€˜Every new Agatha Raisin escapade is a total joy’ ASHLEY JENSEN β€˜No wonder she's been crowned Queen of Cosy Crime’ MAIL ON SUNDAY β€˜A Beaton novel is like The Archers on speed’ DAILY MAIL β€˜The detective novels of M C Beaton have reached cult status’ THE TIMES Nothing could be more relaxing or sedate than a quiet game of bowls...
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  • Agatha Raisin: Beating About the Bush
    Every new Agatha Raisin escapade is a total joy β€” ASHLEY JENSEN No wonder she's been crowned Queen of Cosy Crime β€” MAIL ON SUNDAY A Beaton novel is like The Archers on speed β€” DAILY MAIL The detective novels of M C Beaton have reached cult status β€” THE TIMES Irresistible, unputdownable, a joy β€” ANNE ROBINSON Agatha Raisin:...
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