For Love or Money?

Death of a Hussy
A Hamish Macbeath Murder Mystery
by M.C. Beaton

Genre; Fiction/Crime/Mystery
Publisher; Constable & Robinson/London/2008
Pages; 204

Plot; Maggie Baird is a cold and unfeeling woman who has more than her fair share of money in the bank, so when she dies under mysterious circumstances is it the money the murderer is after?

At the time of the murder Maggie has five suspect house guests; the young and timid niece whom Maggie constantly puts down and four former lovers who are there at the invitation of Maggie who is looking for a marriage proposal. A has-been musician, an advertising industry failure, an unlucky gambler and a car salesman.

With five broke house guests looking to get rich and all with the opportunity, who is the culprit? Who tampered with the car? Who has the most to gain?

My Thoughts; Death of a Hussy is offbeat, intriguing, enthralling and entertaining. This is a great book for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Beaton has a very relaxed and easy-to-read writing style which isn't overly descriptive and, at times, says exactly what you are thinking (whether that thought is politically correct or not).

There are two really great things about this book. The first point is the book's complete intrigue. Not until those final pages did I even have a clue as to the books ending. Beaton has a wonderful ability to lead your suspicions in several ways at once, keeping you in the dark all the way until the end. This not only builds and holds the reader's interest but also makes for great entertainment.

Secondly, is the characters. I really enjoyed reading about this blend of misfit characters. Wild seducers, insipid victims, wheeler-dealers, corruptors, religious know-it-alls, this book has them all.

After reading this book I am tempted to run to the bookstore to find others in the series and I recommend it as a wonderful, quick-yet-satisfying read which will hook you into the series too.

This book goes towards Challenge 9 of the Take Another Chance Challenge for book with the same title, when teamed with Death of a Prima Donna.

Happy Reading!