Death of a Dustman (Hamish Macbeth Book 16)

With his neat new uniform, big new truck and important new job as head of Lochdubh's state-of-the-art recycling center, dustman Fergus Macleod is a force to be.
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Lists with This Book. It features Hamish Macbeth, a tall redheaded policeman whose knack for solving crimes makes it difficult for the unambitious copper to avert promotion so that he can remain in the quirky village. This series is a refreshing change from just about everything else out there. Fans adore Hamish and the quirky residents of Lochdubh. It is made worse by drunk dustman garbageman Fergus Macleod, who lets his laughable, sparkly new uniform and higher salary go to his head. Soon, everyone in Lochdubh is ready to murder the wife-beating lout.

When the Currie sisters report a bad smell coming from one of the huge recycling bins, Hamish discovers someone has acted on their impulse. In Death of a Dustman, Hamish has a new helper named Clarry. Big and slovenly, Clarry loves to cook more than he loves policing, and is soon sweet on Martha, the beleaguered wife of Fergus. The situation quickly goes from bad to worse as Hamish discovers that Fergus may have been blackmailing his beloved neighbors.

Mix in a pretty new schoolteacher, a second murder, and a shady new hotel owner, and you have the makings for another delightful mystery filled with laughs, and a few poignant moments. Just a fabulous series that will certainly offend those who are offended by everything nowadays anyway, but delight a great many more readers. Death of a Dustman is another great read in a popular series full of them.

Putting on your mystery solving cap is really unnecessary when reading a Hamish Macbeth novel — and might in fact impede your enjoyment of them. A Hamish Macbeth mystery is the next best thing to actually visiting the Highlands, and Death of a Dustman is a nice vacation from weightier reads. View all 8 comments. Oct 17, Jessica rated it it was amazing Shelves: I'm telling you, people: Beaton's books are like potato chips!

Every single one is a delight, a joy, a little vacation for the reader! I love her romances as Marion Chesney, I love her mysteries as M. Death of a Dustman brings us garbage collection gone terribly awry, vicious recycling, blackmail, murder, suicide, burly Highlanders chucking large hammers about, superstitions, lies, and a lot of dinner dates at the local Italian restaurant.

It is good I'm telling you, people: It is good to be back in Lochdubh! View all 4 comments.

Death of a Dustman (Hamish Macbeth, book 16) by M C Beaton

Feb 27, Geri rated it really liked it. I always have loved the Death of Books So I liked this one very much as well. You can just feel the setting of the Highlands. This was my first Hamish Macbeth book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have read almost all of the Agatha Raisin books by M.

Beaton so thought I would give Hamish a try. The little Highland town of Lochdubh is on the surface a very peaceful and sleepy place where the pace of life is easy going and everyone knows every one else and their business, or do they? When Fergus Macleod, abusive drunk and wife beater is promoted from dustman to 'Environment Officer' it goes to his head and he becomes eve This was my first Hamish Macbeth book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

When Fergus Macleod, abusive drunk and wife beater is promoted from dustman to 'Environment Officer' it goes to his head and he becomes even more obnoxious than usual. A string of events is set in motion and soon many of the villagers find themselves dragged into a murder investigation, we soon find out that beneath the smooth surface of village life things are not as peaceful and innocent as they appear to be. Hamish Macbeth finds himself in quite a quandary as to how to solve the crimes and also how to protect the reputation of some of his neighbours and friends in the village whilst still bringing the culprit to justice.

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A very easy and interesting mystery, I shall definitely be reading more in the series. Apr 27, C. Prince rated it it was amazing. Never leave home without Hamish Macbeth. What will I do when I've come to book 30 or is it I'll think on that later. I love the Scottish terminology and was interested to learn that a "dustman" is a garbage man. So, right there I've improved my vocabulary.

Beatton continues to rev up the motives and possibilities of murder. Just when you might suspect a writer would be getting stale, she surprises the reader. The common dustman, severe alcoholic and wife abuser is promoted to Envi Never leave home without Hamish Macbeth.

The common dustman, severe alcoholic and wife abuser is promoted to Environmental Officer, uniform included. He struts with grandiose self importance and uses his new power to distress every citizen in the small town of Lochdubh lock doo , Scotland. We can always depend on murder by the title.

Now, if you haven't met Police Constable Hamish Macbeth, I suggest you go back to book 1 and have a grand time.

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I am really starting to find MC Beaton's knack of constructing Agath Christie-esque plots really appealing. Hamish this time is on the trail of the murderer of an unpleasant and unpopular dustman who was murdered and put in a dustbin hilarious. There are various red herrings along the way, but the relationships are all rather complicated and I was excited to learn who the culprit was at the very end. I also love hearing about Hamish's various policemen that come and go, either because they are I am really starting to find MC Beaton's knack of constructing Agath Christie-esque plots really appealing.

I also love hearing about Hamish's various policemen that come and go, either because they are so useless or because a better job comes along - this time it's a wannabe chef. As always, I speed through these, so am now trying my best to stretch each book out as long as possible. Please keep writing Ms Beaton!! Sep 01, Spuddie rated it really liked it. One of the councilwomen in Strathbane, eager for some attention, targets Lochdubh for her 'go green' campaign and enlists the local dustman, Fergus Macleod, to get the residents to separate their rubbish for recycling.

Fergus, a nasty, wife-beating drunk who was on the verge of losing his job before Mrs. Fleming got him a new uniform and reason to be nasty, of course ends up dead. There's hardly a villager who hadn't been heard threatening him at 17 Hamish MacBeth Scottish cozy police mystery. There's hardly a villager who hadn't been heard threatening him at one time or another, but when a second man, a crofter named Angus also dies, the suspect list narrows a bit.

Hamish, now a Sergeant with yet another PC--Clarry, this one a great cook but not much in the grooming and cleanliness department--learns that Fergus was blackmailing several Lochdubh residents and wonders if Angus found out somehow and one of those people killed him? Hamish keeps this news to himself, wanting to protect his fellow villagers, and of course it ends up disastrously and by the end of the book, Hamish is once again a lowly PC and Blair gnashes his teeth as his red-haired menace once again escapes being sacked.

An enjoyable, light read and this one had a solution that I didn't anticipate, at least for part of it. Aug 03, Anne rated it it was amazing. A very enjoyable and comical book, starring Hamish Macbeth in pursuit of the murderer and equally in pursuit of the love of Priscilla. The victim in this instance is a nasty piece of work, a drunk and abusive dustman, promoted to Environment Officer, and given a swanky new uniform. The new environment officer, Mrs Fleming, is equally unpopular with the residents of Lochdubh.

But she is a great comedy character, with her sense of self importance and determination to make a name for herself. The my A very enjoyable and comical book, starring Hamish Macbeth in pursuit of the murderer and equally in pursuit of the love of Priscilla. The mystery of who committed these murders keeps you interested and intrigued to the end, but along the way there are more that a few laugh out loud moments.

I can recommend Death of a Dustman to fans of M C Beaton and to anyone who enjoys reading detective fiction and comedy. Comedy and misery combine to make another satisfying mystery from M. The death of a cruel dustman leaves Lochdubh littered with lies, suspicions As is too often the case, Hamish finds himself suppressing evidence from Strathbane in an effort to protect the villagers.

While his intentions are noble, some day he's going to truly go too far. While Hamish is conducting an infinite round of interviews, we also get to know his new constable. It's obvious that, li Comedy and misery combine to make another satisfying mystery from M. It's obvious that, like Willie, he's useless as a policeman.

It's seems that a running joke is born. There are plenty of sad stories explored here, but lots of funny and sweet moments as well. The result is a lovely balance that keeps Lochdubh from feeling too cozy to be real. Review - I particularly loved Clarry in this one, only in this book really, but an excellent character, and very well developed considering how relatively minor he is.

Still love Hamish and how he always manages to stumble onto the right answer. One of the best Hamish Macbeth mysteries I've read so far - very cleverly done, and the suspects were many, making it difficult to solve. This is the kind of mystery that I love. Description as good as ever.

Aug 08, Badseedgirl rated it liked it Shelves: For a book that started out so light-hearted, well you know except for the murder, this novel sure did end dark. My goal is to complete the series by the end of the year, so I can start on Miss Marple for Haha, American me thought a dustman was like a chimney sweep. I felt a bit lost at first, having skipped a book or two not available from my library , but it's not too hard to figure out what's going on in the village.

Thankfully he wasn't womanizing in this installment. Oct 30, Kelsey Hanson rated it liked it Shelves: This was a darker novel than some of the others. I admit that sometimes the author's viewpoints really irritates me. She sometimes makes women seem stupid or makes light of serious issues like domestic abuse. This is a bit more serious than the others and at least shows the consequences and as a plus it actually stays pretty focused on the actual mystery instead of the rest of the plot. Oct 27, Karen rated it liked it. I did not enjoy this as much as the other Hamish Macbeth series books I've read.

It was dark, depressing, and seemed to ramble on forever. The ending was horrible. Jun 01, Susan Webb rated it it was amazing. I liked this Hamish Macbeth story. Hamish tries so hard to protect the privacy of a few villagers and it wears him down. He solved both murders and yet it was his strange dog that told him of the ending of one of the murderers. I don't want to say too much and give anything away. This was one of the better Hamish Macbeth stories I have read.

Nov 28, Heidi Burkhart rated it really liked it. It was fun to enjoy another Hamish Macbeth mystery. Hamish seems to have matured a bit in this volume, which was a nice touch. Feb 21, Deanne rated it liked it Shelves: When lochdubh gets a new dustman and goes green the villagers are soon threatening to kill him, so when someone puts him out with the rubbish there are lots of suspects. Not garbage collectors or sanitation engineers, but dustmen.

And Lochdubh's dustman is a drunk named Fergus Macleod who lives in a run-down cottage and abuses his wife and four small children. Death at the Happiness Club. Death of a Dean. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage. Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House. The Quiche of Death. The Agatha Raisin Series, Books The Walkers of Dembley.

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