Death of a Prankster (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 7)

I have purchased all of the Hamish McBeth mysteries for my recreational reading and am now consuming them all. If you identify with small communities and enjoy local color and characters, you will not be disappointed. This is not to say that you will not see parallels in the characters seated in the cubicles next to you on the 34th floor of a Manhattan office building (been there, done that). These books examine the human condition in a humorous manner but without condescension. Beaton (actually Chesney) obviously is fond of the locale she has crafted so well in the Scottish Highlands. Death Of A Prankster is a fun read especially for Hamish McBeth fans although it occurs "off site" from Lochdubh. This series is a excellent refuge for readers who have read all of the Midsomer Mysteries of Caroline Graham and crave more.

The entire clan has assembled at the highland manor house of an extremely wealthy old man who is thought to be on his last legs. There is, of course, the prospective heirs' hope of inheriting a fortune. In truth, the old man is an obnoxious practical joker who likes to embarrass people, and he isn't sick at all. Exactly why he called the family together is a bit vague. But then he catches a fatal dose of knife in the heart. As is the case in such books, everyone present has a good motive for killing the old man. And as is also usual, there is a storm that closes the roads and no one can go back home. Then another person is murdered. Constable Hamish MacBeth, lanky and redheaded, arrives to investigate, eventually aided by his sometimes girlfriend and followed by his lazy mongrel. Hamish is soon in conflict with a "professional" detective, one he has had problems with in previous books. Needless to say the killer is revealed and MacBeth manages to keep from being promoted ahd having to leave his Lochdubh home. This is not quite as good as some of the other novels in the series, but it is still a pleasant diversion.

This was my first M.C.Beaton book, and so far I have read many more. My mother bought it for me becasue she enjoyed his writing for a long time. This was a funny mystery because the prankster would play pranks even after he was gone... The best M.C Beaton book i have read.The humor and incidents leading to the crime are exciting and fast moving. I couldn't figure out who did it, and it takes a skill to make the reader wonder and not feel the need ot give up at the same time, without giving the answer away.