Death of a Gossip

Death of a Gossip

First edition
Author M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney)
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series Hamish Macbeth
Genre Detective, Mystery novel
Publisher St. Martin's Press
Publication date
1985
Media type Print
Pages 166 pp (Hardcover)
ISBN 0-312-18637-1 (first edition)
OCLC 11290121
823.914 19
LC Class PR6052.E196 D4 1985
Followed by Death of a Cad

Death of a Gossip is a mystery novel by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney), first published in 1985. It is set in the fictional town of Lochdubh, Scotland and is the first novel of a series featuring the local constable Hamish Macbeth.

Plot

Eight people of varied background meet in the fictional village of Lochdubh in Northern Scotland. They attend the Lochdubh School of Casting : Salmon and Trout Fishing, owned and operated by John Cartwright and his wife Heather. What should be a relaxing holiday amid glorious Highland lochs and mountains becomes a misery. One of the party, Lady Jane Withers, a society widow and notorious gossip columnist, upsets everyone with her snobbishness, sharp tongue and rudeness. Lady Jane soon learns that each of her fellow guests has a secret in their past that they would prefer to remain unknown. When her Ladyship is found dead in Keeper's Pool, no-one is surprised and everyone is relieved.

Hamish Macbeth, Lochdubh's local policeman, has to search for a murderer amongst the many suspects. No-one is willing to talk. With the assistance of Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, the love of his life, Hamish solves the mystery in his usual unorthodox style. Hamish's success does not endear him to Chief Inspector Blair, a senior detective from the nearby fictional town of Strathbane.

Characters

Genre

Death of a Gossip is a slightly modified version of an English Drawing Room Mystery.[1] This type of mystery brings together a group of people, one of the group is murdered and the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth solves the crime by careful observation of the group. At the end of the novel they are all brought together in a drawing room where one by one each person is shown to be innocent and the guilty party is exposed.

Publication history

External links

Footnotes

  1. Deandrea, William L. (1997-05-07). Encyclopedia Mysteriosa: A Comprehensive Guide to the Art of Detection in Print, Film, Radio, and Television. Prentice Hall. p. 401. ISBN 978-0-671-85025-8.
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