By M.C. Beaton
Mysterious Press
Hardcover, Paperback, Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Audio CD (Unabridged) and Large Print Editions

Hamish Macbeth, the law in his remote Scottish village, senses trouble when a self-absorbed writer blows into town offering to help citizens become writers. The first writing class is as inane as Hamish expected.

John Heppel uses his captive audience to talk about himself, having to be reminded that his “students” have come to learn how to write.

Death of a Bore Excerpt Hamish Macbeth was lucky in that the village women liked nothing better than to enter a bachelor’s home and give it a good scrub. The next morning, despite his protests, a squad headed by the Currie sisters descended on him with mops and pails, dusters and brushes, and proceeded to clean every bit of soot out of his living room. He thanked them profusely even though they kept giving him lectures on the benefits of marriage. He wanted to point out to the Currie sisters that they themselves had managed very well without getting married, but he feared the remark would hurt. ©2005 M.C. Beaton Published with permission

The conceited writer gives the townspeople a homework assignment that entails bringing a writing sample for the privilege of his critique.

Hamish attends the next session, certain that it can go no better than the first. Heppel rips apart each writer’s work with such a lack of tact that the crowd grows angry with him. Dark clouds gather.

John Heppel is later found dead in his cottage. His black tongue indicates that he has been made to drink the contents of a bottle of ink.

His cruel death is no surprise to Hamish, who refuses to believe that one of the townspeople he loves might be responsible for Heppel’s death. Hamish investigates the murder while wading through a cast of quirky characters and fending off inappropriate attention from his chief inspector – who happens to be female.

Bookworm's Briefing
M.C. Beaton writes an enjoyable mystery filled with dark humor and impressive wit. A quick read, Death of a Bore is more than a story with a great title. It is a good story that provides Hamish MacBeth fans with a long-awaited sequel to a long line of mysteries solved. The author, who is also credited with having written the Agatha Raisin series, is a film commentator on BBC television.