First sentence: Henry Withering, playwright, slumped down in the passenger seat of the station wago after another bleak look out at the forbidding landscape.
Premise/plot: Death of a Cad is the second mystery in the Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton. Priscilla Halburton-Smythe has brought her fiance home with her. They'll be a country house party to celebrate their engagement, or, else it's to celebrate his success as a playwright. Most of the invited guests are a pain. Henry included. No wonder Priscilla keeps finding ways to spend time with Hamish MacBeth instead--much to her parents disapproval.
My thoughts: Being a murder mystery, readers can guess that one of the guests at the party will be the victim, and, another guest at the party will be the murderer. And of course, Hamish MacBeth will be the one to solve the crime. I welcome predictability in murder mysteries. I do. If the style of the writer suits the reader, knowing that there are thirty-something books in the series is welcome news. I'd like more of the same, please. My mom has read almost all of the series in about three or four weeks. She can't get enough of Hamish MacBeth. I'm a bit more reluctant, but, I am hoping that if I ever see the television show I'll be won over.
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
2 comments:
I love it when I find a series that works for me, but I realize that I'm pickier than I thought I was. I just rejected a series because it seemed to me that the author didn't like any of her characters. It felt more to me like playing a board game than getting involved in the novel the way that I enjoy.
Give this series a chance. I have grown to really like it! There is something nice about the predictability of a long series like you said.
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