Death of Yesterday

Death of Yesterday by M.C. Beaton              Audio Book:  5 hours 35 mins.              Mass Market Paperback Book:  304 pages              Genre:   Adult Fiction   Murder Mystery

Another great story by M.C. Beaton.    I truly enjoy her Constable Hamish Macbeth series,  the t.v. show was good too, if different from the lead character but I do love the stories set in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in the tiny town of Lochdubh.   M. C. Beaton’s writing is so genuine.   She paints all the characters vividly in your mind with her humorous critiques on how each person and animal mentioned in the stories looks, behaves and responds.   Delicious.   Like fine sweet treacle and a nice cuppa, just a joy to read and experience.   In this story there are a lot of murders rather than one big one.   People are dropping like flies and you aren’t sure who or how many murderers are afoot.    There are so many likely suspects with so very many reasons to commit murder,  lots of side ditties going on and two female rivals for Hamish’s attention, not to mention his fellow officer, Dick, who is around so much that the other constables ask when they are getting married?    Hamish finds solace in his hometown of Lochdubh, but, unfortunately he has a number of small towns he oversees as constable and it seems like something is going on everywhere.   He even consults Seer Angus to see if he can consult the spirits and find out any information on the gangload of potential perpetrators seemingly lurking everywhere in this one.    Factory workers forced to work for low wages and not allowed to speak to anyone about the conditions they work under, then of course the tight lipped Highlander attitude of being suspicious of anyone not from their town,  to critical busy body sisters who sassily report Hamish as being lazy and not doing his job because he isn’t finding the killers fast enough for them, to a serial killer who is not just a whiz at murder but a master of disquise and an escape artist that ranked right up there with Harry Houdini.    Great story, beautiful mini vacation to the Scottish countryside.     You always learn things from M. C. Beaton’s books like it never gets completely dark in the Highlands of Scotland but more of a misty glow in the offing.  Wow.   Makes you want to go there to see it for yourself.   Love the brougue in the dialogue, too.    Well written piece.    A quick read because you won’t want to put it down and it always feels like you are visiting a place familiar and cozy when you read about Hamish and all the happenings in his world.   The inhabitants begin to feel like the readers own neighbors they are fleshed out so well.   Sort of like a letter from home when you are living far away.     I do enjoy M.C. Beaton’s writing.   On to the next one!