BOOK REVIEW: Death of a Policeman, by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Policeman
A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
Author: M.C. Beaton
Publisher: Grand Central
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
Source: NetGalley
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Review first appeared on Cozy Little Book Journal on February 4, 2014

M.C. Beaton is back! After far too many disappointing entries into what I had started calling my "formerly favourite series," I can honestly say that M.C. Beaton has penned the best Hamish Macbeth mystery in years. I had no expectation that I would like this--I've been sorely disappointed by the last several books--but I can't help myself. I just have to read every new Hamish Macbeth as soon as it comes out. I keep hoping that the next one will be as good as the earlier ones that made me fall in love with the series in the first place (like Death of a Prankster or Death of a Poisoned Pen). And, I'm happy to say, this one finally was!




I'll admit when I first read the title part of me wondered if the policeman in question was Macbeth himself, whether this would be the last in the series. Actually, the thought was exciting. I felt the series had gotten so stale and predictable that the only thing that grew from book to book was the body count (remember Death of a Chimney Sweep?). I thought a proper death would be a fine end to great character. Without giving too much away, I will say that my predictions were wrong and it is not his own death that Hamish must investigate.

But if Beaton has more books like this in her, I'm happy to see the series continue on. She avoided the clichés that have plagued the last few novels. Never once did she insist that "Hamish's speech became more sibilant when he was angry" for instance (which was one of my complaints in Death of Yesterday). Even the description of his pets (a dog and a wild cat) was done in a new way (researchers come to Lochdubh to find a rare wild cat, rather than just having Hamish's neighbours complain about his "beasties").

And the addition of his sidekick, Dick, is a surprisingly welcome one. Dick can make all the mistakes--romantic and otherwise--that we've previously seen Hamish make over and over and over again, so it doesn't seem so silly that Hamish never learns from his mistakes. Sure, all the characters age at the rate of comic strip characters, but I'll let that slide if the writing remains fresh. After all, how old should Hercule Poirot have been by the time Agatha Christie published his last case?

I was pleased with the book from start to finish. I was able to figure out both the killer and the red herrings, but in a way that was pleasing rather than boring. And the anticlimax was relevant and not needlessly long (as I had complained in previous books, like my reviews for Death of a Kingfisher or Death of a Witch). Sure, there were some unsettling attitudes towards things like domestic violence, sexual assault and drunk driving, as there are in most of the books in this series (I was particularly bothered by that in Death of a Glutton), but it's within the realm of "backwards attitudes in this particular village" instead of "gratuitous and vulgar."

I'm so glad I stuck with this series because I really loved this book!