Death of a Scriptwriter by M.C. Beaton

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

In the fourteenth installment of the Hamish Macbeth mystery series, readers find the town of Drim, Scotland, center stage for a television adaptation of Patricia Martyn-Broyd's book. Rumors surface that the scriptwriter for the television adaptation, Jamie Gallagher, has completely changed Martyn-Broyd's character from a respectable woman to a wild hippie from the 1960s. Police Constable Hamish knows trouble when he sees it, and he can only think of bad things happening in Drim. Tempers flare on the set, and pretty soon three deaths take place, making Hamish hard at work again finding the killer or killers.

I absolutely love the Hamish Macbeth series. Over the years, patrons have recommended the series to me, and when I started reading the books a few years ago, I have been hooked since. Each book in the series is a quick read and a very interesting and at times comical look at the townsfolk of Lochdubh. Hamish seems to have a brilliant mind, though he is a self-proclaimed unambitious soul with no intention of making his mark in the police world. Beaton has created a delightful mystery series, one that cozy mystery readers will adore. If you are not familiar with the Hamish Macbeth series, I would suggest starting with the very first in the series, Death of a Gossip. Beaton also writes the Agatha Raisin mystery series and books under her real name, Marion Chesney.

Reviewed by Jessica