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Death of a Bore

by M. C. Beaton

Death of a Bore continues the series by M. C. Beaton featuring Hamish Macbeth, the local constable in Lochdubh, Scotland. Ms. Beaton's Macbeth books are written in a typically Scottish style, with many of her sentences brief and to the point without wasting excess words – almost abrupt. Nonetheless, you'll be charmed and intrigued by all the goings-on in Lochdubh and its environs as well as by Hamish himself, who constantly fears he'll be promoted and forced to live away from his favorite locale!

Death of a Bore involves a writer, John Heppel, who has recently moved to Lochdubh and offers the locals there a writing course. The budding writers all show up at the first meeting to discover that Mr. Heppel is more interested in talking about himself than in any of their own efforts. He bores them to tears with his boasting, tears apart every story or script presented to him, dashes each one's hopes and dreams of success, and makes certain everyone there will wind up hating him. At no time does Mr. Heppel offer any constructive criticism. His arrogance and high-handedness lead to the majority of those who signed up for the classes asking for a return of their money.

Heppel has also just completed a script for Strathbane TV. When he's found giving an interview about a racist slogan painted on a local's store, Hamish suspects him of doing it himself just to get the publicity. Then John Heppel is murdered. Unfortunately, Hamish knows that everyone who attended John's first meeting has cause to place them under suspicion, but he also knows that even the most disgruntled among them wouldn't dream of going that far. So why was the man murdered? There must be another motive.

The murder brings Detective Chief Inspector Heather Meikle, Hamish's new boss, to Lockdubh. Heather soon proves herself to be as greedy in whiskey-drinking as some of Hamish' other police acquaintances, and worse yet, she soon sets out to conquer Hamish himself as a permanent love interest and mate. As if that weren't enough to deal with, Hamish soon finds himself confronted with a former girlfriend, Elspeth Grant, now a reporter who also possesses some psychic abilities.

Hamish becomes convinced that John Heppel's original script for Strathbane TV has something to do with the motive for Heppel's murder – especially after Heppel's cottage is burned to the ground in an attempt to destroy Heppel's computer. He goes with another detective from Strathbane, Jimmy Anderson, to visit Harry Tarrant of Strathbane TV, trying to locate the original script John Heppel wrote for their soap, 'Down in the Glen'. Tarrant doesn't have it, and sends them to Sally Quinn, their scriptwriter. But Sally doesn't have it either, and says Paul Gibson, the director, took all the copies with him when he went on location.

Elspeth Grant eventually finds herself alone with the murderer in a hotel room, and Hamish plans a fake fire to save her. Heather Meikle retreats to her hometown of Inverness and her plans to have Hamish transferred there are quashed, although Hamish' old nemesis Chief Detective Inspector Blair has replaced her. Blair's attempts to get Hamish transferred (just to get him out of the way) are foiled by Hamish' talk with Blair's superior, Peter Daviot. Everything ends well, with Hamish the owner of an injured cat (accepted without question by his dog, Lugs) and once again, no permanent girlfriend.

M. C. Beaton, who has written a number of books under other names as well as her own (Marion Chesney - which is where the 'M. C.' originates) is always entertaining when she writes about Hamish Macbeth or Agatha Raisin, (another cozy mystery series with its locale placed in a small village). Plots seemingly come easy to Ms. Beaton, and her primary characters always have at least one personality flaw that endears them to us as
being altogether human. Perhaps it's this reason that makes us look forward to each new literary effort!

Alan Paul Curtis

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