I can't decide what I like more - Ms. Beaton's characters, or her astute, slightly snarky asides and commentaries on .. well, nearly everything. Her depictions of tackiness - in decor, in behaviors, in social attitudes - are pitch perfect and often hilarious!

But I definitely like Hamish, and this was a grand tour de force for him. Next, please! ( )

The Thomases move to Lochdubh to begin a B&B. The wife, Trixie Thomas, is a forceful woman. Not only has she taken her husband in hand, but she is now convincing the wives to change their husbands' diets and routines while also leading demonstrations. While the women love her, the men are finding all of this change difficult, so they become the prime suspects in her poisoning. Along with another murder, Hamish must also grapple with the various aspects of village life, his own career, and his feelings for Priscilla.

Very cozy. Charming. Not a shred of intellect, but sometimes you just need a piece of chocolate. ( )

I picked this out of my elibrary listing, not knowing it was part of a series…and book 4 of the series! Yet, it didn’t matter. The author wrote the book in a way that felt stand alone. The characters, the setting, the era, all were complete and interesting.

I felt like reading something “easy going”. By that, I don’t mean simple, I mean something that flows easily and doesn’t jerk the reader here, there, and everywhere. The book is part of the Hamish Macbeth cozy mysteries and I enjoyed it immensely.

The setting felt old fashioned and laid back. The people of the Scottish town had distinct personalities and traits that I could relate to and the mystery itself was well thought out and entertaining.

I will read more by this author. ( )

Macbeth vs. the Incomers
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2013) of the St. Martin's Press hardcover original (1989)

After discovering M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series due to the Estonia cameo in "Death of Yesterday", I started to seek out the earlier books by finding several at Toronto's Sleuth of Baker Street. I enjoyed those and found them to be an especially delightful diversion during this continuing pandemic. My next plan was to go back and read the series in order. I then discovered the rather terrific bonus that most of the books are available for free on Audible Plus, a service that I had previously been underwhelmed by (some early attempts with longer books had audio difficulties, with book narrations freezing in midstream). Beaton's shorter books (usually 4 to 5 hours on audio) seem to be perfect for this medium.

Death of a Perfect Wife is the fourth of the series and continues the audiobook editions with the voice of Shaun Grindell in an ongoing excellent performance. Macbeth's calm life in Lochdubh is upset by the recent arrival of a pair of incomers who set up a bare bones bed & breakfast while scrounging for furniture from the other residents. The wife particularly seems set on riling up the resident female community with household makeovers. Macbeth has to solve a murder and restore order as usual. ( )