Review: Death of a Liar

Summary: Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is alarmed to receive a report from a woman in the small village of Cronish in the Scottish Highlands. She has been brutally attacked and the criminal is on the loose. But upon further investigation, Hamish discovers that she was lying about the crime. So when the same woman calls him back about an intruder, he simply marvels at her compulsion to lie. This time, though, she is telling the truth. Her body is found in her home and Hamish must sort through all of her lies to solve the crime. -- Grand Central Publishing

I feel as if I am so late to the game on the Hamish Macbeth mystery series. But better late than never, and that's definitely the case with DEATH OF A LIAR by M.C. Beaton. DEATH OF A LIAR is the 30th book in this series -- isn't that amazing? I was very hesitant in starting with book 30; however, I am happy to say that I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. It's no wonder that this series has been so long-running and so successful.

In DEATH OF A LIAR, Sergeant Hamish Macbeth receives a call from a woman in Cronish, a small village in the Scottish Highlands. She claims she was attacked and that the man escaped. Hamish is quite alarmed but soon realizes after investigating that her story doesn't add up. In fact, it seems this woman not only lied about her attacker, but she also has quite the reputation of being a story-teller.

When this very same woman calls back and claims there is an intruder on the loose, Hamish doesn't believe her. However this time, it seems like she was telling the truth! The woman is found dead outside her home, and Hamish has to start separating fact from fiction in this strange case.

While all of this is happening in Cronish, things are also heating up in Lochdubh. A couple relatively new to the area is found murdered. Hamish is kept away of this case because of office politics, but he's too smart and knows too much about the town to keep him away from trying to solve this case too!

I really liked DEATH OF A LIAR. I loved the setting of the novel, in a Scottish Highlands village; and the characters were definitely... well, characters! Unfortunately I've never been to Scotland, but I loved the vivid images described in the novel as well as the odd assortment of townspeople.

I mentioned earlier that this was my first experience with Hamish Macbeth, and I have to say that he was a fantastic character. I loved his Scottish "tendencies" as well as the way he dealt with both the victims, the townspeople, his co-workers, and even the women from his past. There were more than a few laughs in this novel; however, Hamish was all business when it came to figuring out the crimes!

In addition to the beautiful setting and interesting characters, DEATH OF A LIAR had some intriguing mysteries. I admit that I didn't figure anything out about either one, but I was more focused on just loving the rest of the book to worry about solving any crimes. I was pleasantly surprised by how Hamish worked through the murder mysteries and also by how much suspense was incorporated into this book.

Overall, DEATH OF A LIAR was a very fun read -- I wouldn't hesitate to read any of the other 29 books in the series or any future ones. Recommended to fans of mysteries and cozies.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Mystery Mondays is a regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read. Mystery Mondays is a regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.