Murder Tales: The Valentine Companion

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There is always a mystery, as Hamish solves the murder without trying to take credit for it. He doesn't want to be transferred from his little community of Lochdubh, which is sure t Just finished reading this book, and I have to thank Cindy Sawyer for putting me onto the Hamish Macbeth books.

He doesn't want to be transferred from his little community of Lochdubh, which is sure to happen if Strathbane Headquarters gets a clue he's as smart as he really is. He's always eager to give credit to someone else. This book finds the newly promoted Sergeant Macbeth getting a new police constable, which he doesn't want.

Josie McSween has fallen in love with the sight of this tall, attractive, red-haired drink of water and comes to Lochdubh with plans to become Hamish's wife. Hamish doesn't share her enthusiasm and pushes her off on whatever job he can devise to get her out of the way. When a young woman is blown up by a letter bomb he must use Josie's help, but often finds her more of a hindrance than a help.

But Josie doesn't give up her plans to trap Hamish into marriage. The book begins with Hamish at the altar waiting to get married. When the preacher asks if anyone can give reason why these two should not be married, Hamish mutters, "Dear God, if there is a God, get me out of this. Some of the Hamish Macbeth books are better than others, but I loved this one. I felt it was strong in so many areas - character, story, plot, etc. It's my once-a-year Hamish Macbeth fix. Marion Chesney Beaton is from the Highlands of Scotland and writes about them with such love. I have to go there someday.

If anyone has heard of the BBC television series of Hamish Macbeth and is interested in seeing it, just know that the books and the tv show share little in common. Their only similarities are the name of the main character, his profession, and the name of the town. I love both and have learned to deal with them as separate entities. The tv series doesn't deal with murder, but with things that happen in and around the town.

The books always have a murder that Hamish solves. Both are well worth the time, at least in my humble opinion. Feb 05, AndreaH rated it liked it. Another one of these cozy mystery read in an evening. The book opens with perpetual bachelor Hamish MacBeth standing at the altar as the groom. It's just wrong, and we know by the end that Hamish will be saved from the ball and chain, especially when the next chapter opens with a flashback. Hamish has been promoted again and given a constable, who turns out to be a young woman who sets her sights on the flame-haired bachelor.

They are soon patrolling a fair together, and the fair queen's crown is Another one of these cozy mystery read in an evening. They are soon patrolling a fair together, and the fair queen's crown is stolen. MacBeth solves that crime, which is quickly followed by the murder of the young fair queen.

Turns out the very pretty girl was a bit of tart, and cruel about it too. Hamish and his constable soon have too many suspects, although the constable is more concerned with trapping Hamish into proposing. How she goes about it is more diabolical than the plot carried out by the queen's murderer. And Hamish's gal pal Elspeth is the one to save him, proving once again she is as good a detective as the rangy Scots. Jan 23, Judy rated it liked it. I can't believe that this is the 25th book in the Hamish MacBeth series and the series is still going strong.

Hamish MacBeth is in trouble--big trouble. He has been promoted to sergeant and has a new assistant, Josie McSween who is definitely not cut out to be on the police force unless she gets a role in CSI or Law and Order and who is determined to marry Hamish. Also, a hired killer has a contract on Hamish with interesting results--think protective pets.

And to make matters worse a beauty q I can't believe that this is the 25th book in the Hamish MacBeth series and the series is still going strong. And to make matters worse a beauty queen, Annie Fleming, is killed by a letter bomb on Valentine's Day leading to the total unmasking of her character and to several more deaths. I started this book last night and stayed up until the wee hours finishing it.

I can only hope that M. Beaton has already started the 26th adventure of Hamish MacBeth. Mar 28, Tom Donaghey rated it it was amazing Shelves: This time, MacBeth is about to be married and we follow the story leading up to the wedding. There is also the death of a local beauty queen to be investigated, but that is just icing on the wedding cake. Beaton provides a compelling tale filled with her trademark humor and wit and added dashes of charm as Hamish has to solve both the murder and find a solution to his marital situation.

Only, this time, he is in over his head as far as the bride to be is concerned. Jul 22, C. Prince rated it really liked it. As I get to the end of the series, I try to read slowly, to answer the questions that have cropped up in the previous 25 books. With each book the author has to be very clever and contrive a new means of motive and death without repeating the same ol' same ol'. But wait, the subplot may override the mystery.

Unlikely Valentine

Hamish to be married? And not to Elsbeth? We know he and Priscilla are only fantasies to each other and Hamish is repelled by his new As I get to the end of the series, I try to read slowly, to answer the questions that have cropped up in the previous 25 books. We know he and Priscilla are only fantasies to each other and Hamish is repelled by his new underling Josie who plots to be Mrs.

She's charming to the villagers and everyone thinks it a perfect match. How does she get him to the altar? Read on, Macbeth lovers. There's more than meets the eye. Aug 10, Karen rated it really liked it. I love the character of Hamish Macbeth and I love how he loves and cares for his wild cat and dog. He has integrity and is willing to do the right thing at his own expense. In this story Hamish is not only dealing with murder, but the unwelcome attentions of a pushy police woman who is set on getting him to the altar by whatever underhanded means she can.

This is a great addition to M. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series. Dec 29, Mary K.

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So far my favorite Hamish Book. So good I read it twice. Jul 17, Kate rated it really liked it Shelves: After all, if it waeren't for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighbouring village, there wouldn't be a wedding at all. For if was a myster "Amazing news has spread across the Scottish countryside. For if was a mysterious Valentine's Day package -- delivered to the victim before her death -- that initially drew Hamish and Josie together on the investigation. As they work side by side, Hamish and Jose soon discover that the woman's list of admirers was endless, confirming Hamish's suspicion that love can be blind, deaf And Jose was much more interested in insinuating herself into Hamish's house, heart and bed than she was in her duties as a policewoman.

She helped solve the murder, but only in an effort to impress Hamish and win him over. Our Josie has a drink problem. Wellington, the minister's vast tweedy, highly respectable wife, hauls her off to an AA meeting. Josie is in complete denial of her addiction and has no thought of quitting, so she has to dissemble to keep Mrs.

Wellington and Hamish from insisting that she keep up with the AA. There have been hints in previous books of the author's familiarity with the AA 12 Step Program, but this is the first book that brings it out in the open. It provided an extra level of enjoyment for me -- always enjoyable to watch the alcoholic brain at work.

Jan 05, Gaby rated it really liked it Shelves: Beaton gives us a detective cozy with a romantic comedic subplot set in Lochdubh, a picturesque Scottish village. The tone, pace, and setting take you to a fictional village where everyone knows each other and each other's business quite well.

Even if you're new to M. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series as I am, you'll easily figure out Lochdubh's characters, from Angela Brody, the doctor's wife and good friend of Hamish Macbeth, to crotchety Mrs. Wellington, who rents out rooms to the new constable Josie McSween, to Sir Andrew Etherington who lends out the diamond tiara for the annual fair day parade. Hamish Macbeth, our lead character and a perpetual bachelor, is clearly set in his ways.

But the sudden murder of a young beauty queen, Annie Fleming, disrupts Hamish's routine. The murder draws Hamish and Josie into a complex investigation, full of twists and turns, and unexpected discoveries. Things are never as they seem, even in this small Scottish village.

A mystery cozy of the best sort, M. Beaton's Death of a Valentine, is a fun, entertaining read. If you're looking for a mystery of the Agatha Christie sort with the quirks of Scotland, I recommend Death of a Valentine! Grand Central Publishing January 12, , pages. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Sep 26, Jerry B rated it liked it. This is another 25! This is our second visit to the little Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh, and as before, there are a couple of murders, starting with a beauty queen who was popular with just about every man in town, generating plenty of suspects. Meanwh This is another 25! Meanwhile, a young lassie cop has been added, much to his horror, to Hamish's station; and she decides to woo her superior all the way to the wedding chapel, eventually drugging him and faking a pregnancy, in her alcohol-steeped delusions about being his mate.

Whether they will wind up at the altar, as the prologue implies, is almost as big a mystery as the whodunit itself! These light-hearted stories are probably just a notch above a cozy, with the humor of Hamish's various dalliances with girlfriends, his pets, and his simple-minded, but clever and dogged pursuits of the bad guys comprising the compelling elements of each tale.

Easily good for a couple of hours of amusement and entertainment, who can complain? Aug 22, Lisa rated it liked it. My first foray into the Hamish MacBeth series is Seems to be my modus operandi--read something deep into a series and then start at the beginning. In this case, I will try and start at the beginning. I find the short, snippy style of Beaton complements MacBeth's demeanor, but maybe that's just because he's trying to be curt with Josie, as well he should.

For such a wonderful detective, though, I would have expected him to be more suspicious. Oh, wait--don't have to decide; I can read them all! Thank goodness for libraries; what would I do without them? Dec 21, Linda rated it it was ok Shelves: I love Hamish, his wild cat Sonsie, and the setting in Scotland.

But the unreasonable number of women who fall for Hamish and then do crazy things-- really now! He's not that cute. Fun, but would have been more fun without the misogynist story line. And my, the bodies do pile up for such a small town. Sep 05, Suzanne Auckerman rated it liked it. Hamish MacBeth is the detective is this series and is very likable, mainly because of his devotion to his cat and dog. The mystery was interesting and not easy to solve.

But the character of Josie MacSween was unbelievable and was distracting to the mystery. Nov 25, Karen rated it it was amazing.

A very amusing tale with great characters. Poor Hamish just wants to be left alone to do his policing in his small town--no promotions, no interference. However, murder trumps that. Nov 08, Heidi Burkhart rated it really liked it. The Hamish Macbeth mysteries can be a little bit corny, but I still really enjoy them. Dec 04, Catherine rated it liked it. Hamish is an interesting character. This was an ok read,but i do need to try harder to find good books. Another great book by M.

For pure reading enjoyment you can't beat this book. Agatha Christie move over. Feb 12, Beverly Lawrence rated it it was ok. Caught this title on the "Valentine" display table at my local library, and as I'm a fan of 'series' mysteries, the Highlands, and most things 'British' cannae beir the haggis, nor the bluid pudding, thanks all the same The author seemed on to a good story - an 'agreeable' murder, and the necessary investigation; a good understanding of 'village' police activity, as it differs from 'city' police activity; an interesting collection of possible suspects, as more Caught this title on the "Valentine" display table at my local library, and as I'm a fan of 'series' mysteries, the Highlands, and most things 'British' cannae beir the haggis, nor the bluid pudding, thanks all the same The author seemed on to a good story - an 'agreeable' murder, and the necessary investigation; a good understanding of 'village' police activity, as it differs from 'city' police activity; an interesting collection of possible suspects, as more information about the victim surfaced.

But then, the novel went from being a mystery to being a bit of a comedy, and a bit on the bawdy side, at that. It seemed the author started out as a sort of Agatha Christie, with 'the usual cast of characters', then morphed into a sort of P. Wodehouse, with an absurd relationship between her police sergeant and his constable, then threw in a bit of Rita Mae Brown, with companion animals 'assisting' in apprehending various dubious characters. Characters went from behaviour idiosyncratic to behaviour bizarre, which ultimately spoils what might have been a better story, if it had kept to just one genre.

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Read it for fun - if you've already read through all of the Bertram Wilberforce aka 'Bertie Wooster' stories, all the Sneaky Pie Brown stories, and can recite all the dialogs from Dame Agatha's stories. Jul 02, Liora rated it it was ok Shelves: This is the 25th in the Hamish MacBeth cozy mystery series set in Lochdubh, a village in the highlands of Scotland. MacBeth is a red-headed bachelor police sergeant who enjoys living alone with his dog and cat.

Unfortunately, his rank of sergeant entitles him to another police officer to come and help him out, so headquarters send the silly, romantic lush Josie McSween. Josie irritates him right from the start, but she is not easily put off with her romantic dreams. She is soon plotting how to t This is the 25th in the Hamish MacBeth cozy mystery series set in Lochdubh, a village in the highlands of Scotland.

She is soon plotting how to trap MacBeth into marriage. The murder mystery is almost a side story to this whole Josie McSween business, but basically a beautiful young woman is murdered by a letter bomb in a Valentine. As Hamish investigates, she turns out to be quite the town reprobate involved at some time or another with half the men in town, using them for her personal gain and then dropping them once they are no longer useful.

Hamish sets about in his usual slow, methodical way to sort out the suspects and figure it all out. I did not care for this as much as I did many of the other Hamish MacBeth mysteries because the whole Josie McSween character was just irritating to the extreme.

Do women like this truly exist, outside the imagination of certain types of men? Mar 02, Mary rated it liked it. Three stars, to me, seem to mean either "an enjoyable read, but perhaps a little formulaic" or "some really good stuff here, but also some flaws - uneven". I think I'd mean both for this title, but that may be because I'm coming in late to the series. The setting is vivid and interesting. I loved Hamish Macbeth's two "beasties", a dog and a wildcat. His new sergeant was well-drawn, and it was very uncomfortable to be in her head.

She's an extremely narcissistic, needy, romantic little twit Well. She's an extremely narcissistic, needy, romantic little twit who's determined to marry her new boss. So I'd say a large part of my problem with the book was this specific character, Josie. But she's also one of the things that's very well done. She is all too believable. Unlike her counterpart in the "Gamache" series, Josie never grows up. I also had some problems with the rather choppy prose, and the book takes place over a period of years, with most of the action compressed into a Highland early spring.

But it was a clever, pleasant read, and I might well have liked it more had I started this series at the beginning. Guarding the overseer's office, where Nick is being held, is a Triggerman named Dino. Sneaking close allows to listen to the conversation between the two of them, where Valentine convinces Dino that a crime boss is upset at him about his cheating habit during gambling.

Dino then runs out of the room to square things off with said crime boss, leaving the coast clear to free Valentine. Alternatively, Dino may be killed without waiting for him to leave. The control panel next to the office door can then be used to free Valentine. Speaking with Nick reveals why he is there and that they should leave as soon as possible.

On the desk behind him is the speech bobblehead. After talking with Nick, he will take the lead out of the vault where Skinny Malone and Darla will be waiting to stop the escape. With a few speech checks it is possible to turn them against each other or leave the vault without fighting at all.

Unlikely Valentine

If a certain stage of the unmarked quest, The Sight has been completed before coming to the vault, there will be an additional speech option that allows escape without any violence and Darla will depart also, as Skinny Malone will advise they have 10 seconds to leave.

Otherwise, the Sole Survivor and Valentine will need to kill Skinny Malone and his companions in order to leave. After exiting the vault there is a short conversation with Valentine where he directs the Sole Survivor to meet him back at his office in Diamond City. Upon arrival, speaking with Ellie will end the quest. Sign In Don't have an account?

I told Nick he was walking into a trap, but he just smiled and walked out the door like he always does.

Contents [ show ]. If I want his help in locating Shaun, I'll need to find him first.

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