Death of a Scriptwriter (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 14) - Hardcover

Beaton, M. C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0892966440 ISBN 13: 9780892966448

Publisher: Mysterious Press, 1998

Synopsis

From the author of the Agatha Raisin television series...

DEATH OF A SCRIPTWRITER: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
HOLLYWOOD IN THE HIGHLANDS
With the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe away in London, Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth pines for company during the long Scottish winter. He gets his wish -- and more -- when a troupe of flashy, urbane filmmakers clamors into the nearby town of Drim. Before long bedlam erupts around their make-believe mystery ...and culminates in the sudden appearance of one very real corpse.
The initial suspect in the killing is one Patricia Martyn-Broyd, the aging mystery writer furious that her musty old cozies are getting a risque face-lift in their TV reincarnation. Yet, going behind the scenes, Hamish soon finds a town full of locals bitten by the movie bug and a cast of quarreling show business types, all harboring their own secrets, lies, and hidden agendas. And as the culprit strikes again, Hamish must quickly find the right killer -- or script the wrong finale to a show gone murderously awry.

About this title

About the Author

M. C. BEATON, hailed as the “Queen of Crime” by the Globe and Mail, was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels—the basis for the hit series on Acorn TV and public television—as well as the Hamish Macbeth series. Born in Scotland, Beaton started her career writing historical romances under several pseudonyms as well as her maiden name, Marion Chesney. Her books have sold more than twenty-four million copies worldwide.

A long-time friend of M. C. Beaton’s, R. W. GREEN has written numerous works of fiction and nonfiction. He lives in Surrey with his family and a yellow Labrador named Ossian.

From the Back Cover

Patricia Martyn-Broyd was not an easy woman to like. The hawk-nosed spinster had retired to Scotland, unable to write another book since her 1965 mystery featuring the aristocratic Scottish detective Lady Harriet Vere. Local constable Hamish Macbeth thought Patricia must be lonely beneath her rigid pride. A bit lonely himself since the breakup of his engagement, he extended his friendship. But that was before fame and the movie people arrived... A British TV company had decided to feature Lady Harriet in a new series. The constable knew there would be trouble between the middle-aged, dour townsfolk and the flashy, urbane filmmakers. And there was - murder. When one of the scriptwriters for the series is found dead, the tension escalates on the set and in the streets of Drim. And as Hamish pokes into the town's secrets and the TV people's hidden agendas, he finds a large cast of people who wanted to cut out the writer for good - from the boozehound husband jealous of his actress wife's flagrant flirting to the tough, ambitious producer who was threatened with dismissal.

Reviews

In his 14th bracing appearance, Scottish Highland police constable Hamish Macbeth (Death of a Dentist, 1997, etc.) investigates crimes visited upon those who tinker too much with a mystery series. Anxious to be back in print, elderly mystery writer Patricia Martyn-Broyd signs an options contract that cavalierly gives a television company all rights to her books. Poor Patricia should have read the small print. Her aristocratic heroine and staid story line are soon transformed into a wild 1960s romp, featuring buxom blonde actress Penelope Gates. Patricia is mad enough to murder the scriptwriter, Jamie Gallagher. She isn't alone. Penelope's jealous, often inebriated husband, Josh, is tired of his wife's clothes coming off in every part she plays. Jamie, Josh and Penelope all die in quick succession during location filming in the weird Scottish village of Drim, which is a mere stone's throw from lanky, laconic Hamish's hometown of Lochdubh. A good man cursed with a blustery, jealous superior and poor judgment in affairs of the heart, Hamish has a motley crew of actors and producers for suspects, in addition to the snooty yet vulnerable Patricia. There's a little less of Hamish himself this time out, and his romantic misfires feel cursory, but the environs are brooding and Beaton's affectionate wit remains dry and delightful. Mystery Guild featured alternate; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Once more to the Scottish Highlands and a new puzzle for Hamish MacBeth (Death of a Dentist, 1997, etc.), Lochdubhs one-man police force. On a mountainside not far from Lochdubh is Castle Drim, where a crew from Strathclyde Television is filming The Case of the Rising Tides, written by Patricia Martyn-Broyd, an icy but vulnerable snob living in nearby Cnothan. Her books have long been out of print, but her pride in the TV production is short-lived when she becomes aware that scriptwriter Jamie Gallagher is a hack; director Harry Frame will do anything for ratings; and Penelope Gates, playing Lady Harriet, the storys detective, is a soft-porn star with no objection to X-rated scenes. Theres plenty of tension on the set, with Gallaghers constant threats to fire aides Fiona King and Sheila Buford, and with locals vying for places in crowd scenes and one-line parts. When Gallagher is found murdered, his head bashed in, Detective Chief Inspector Blair, Hamishs despised superior, is quick to pronounce Penelopes jealous husband Josh Gates (found conveniently dead by the police) the culprit. Hamish has doubts about Gatess guilt but keeps a low profile until a second killing sets him quietly on the true murderers track. In this sloppily plotted outing, Hamishs sleuthing skill is vindicated by results, but his love-life remains depressingly nonexistent. Downbeat, too, is the portrayal of grim villages and their sour inhabitants. Still, Hamishs amiable persona manages to keep it all together, at least for his legion of ardent fans. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Mysterious Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0892966440
• ISBN 13: 9780892966448
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224