Death of a prankster

Tousle-haired village bobby Hamish Macbeth must walk a fine line. Too much native Scottish canniness will lead to promotion, more work, and a one-way ticket from his beloved village of Lochdubh; a show of too much affection for the fair Priscilla, daughter of the local landowner turned hotelier, might lead her to guess that he is smitten with her. So he cadges a nip or two at the hotel, walks his dog, and helps his lumpen superiors when murder strikes--which, in the sure hands of the prolific Beaton, occurs at an alarming rate. Here the victim is the much-loathed, prankish patriarch Arthur Trent. Surrounded by his nearest and dearest--a brother, an ambitious and shrewish sister-in-law, two spinster sisters, an adopted son with a bimbo wife, a nephew and his pink-haired girlfriend--Trent leaves no mourners, only greedy relatives angling for a share of the estate. A case that Hamish Macbeth fans will relish. ~--Peter Robertson

Scottish constable Hamish Macbeth, following Death of a Gossip in his seventh case, once again nails a murderer despite the crude bullying and dim detecting of his nemesis and superior, Chief Detective Inspector Blair. Wealthy local Andrew Trent, notorious for practical jokes that have far exceeded short-sheeted beds and whoopee cushions, has summoned his would-be heirs to his northern mansion with the false announcement that he has only a short time left to live. Braving the Highlands winter are his adopted son and his TV-star fiancee, two spinster daughters, his brother (with his brittle wife) and his scientist stepson (with his punk, pink-haired girlfriend and colleague). After Andrew is murdered in a prank that backfires, Macbeth wends his way through a tangle of family squabbles and secrets. Another murder and an attempt on a third victim follow in this readable tale that doesn't, however, bear close scrutiny. Illogic abounds and the final confession is precipitated by a wild coincidence. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A feeble new adventure for Scottish constable Hamish MacBeth of Lochdubh village (Death of a Snob, etc.). Smart, sweet, and totally unambitious Hamish is confronted with the murder of millionaire Andrew Trent--a cruel, near-certifiable practical-joker whose family had gathered in response to the message that he was dying. Just one more joke, of course--but someone had had enough, and the old man was found stabbed to death in what looked like the execution of still another prank. His adopted son Charles; spinster daughters Angela and Betty; brother Jeffrey; Jeffrey's grasping wife Jan; her mother-fixated son Paul; and a couple of unrelated tag-alongs, as well as the Spanish houseman and cook--all are subjected to the lashing interrogations of Hamish's despised superior, Inspector Blair, who gets nowhere. It takes a second murder--plus a bright idea from Hamish's friend Priscilla--to sort it all out. A clumsily contrived puzzle, full of unreal characters, artificial dialogue, and a surprisingly harmless Hamish. Beaton coasting.