Short abridged story much like the novels. Vapid ( )

This was a Hamish short story that feels just like all the Hamish novels. She seems to get little plot ideas and sticks them all together over the last 10 or so books and I think they may be almost as enjoyable if release singularly as short stories or a collection of such. That's how they feel in the feel books anyway since a lot of the little mysteries do not seem at all connected to the main story. But always fun to visit Lochdubh, its quirky characters and "lazy" constable. ( )

Hamish Macbeth directs an auction house appraiser to Mrs. McPhie's house to see if she can raise some money to visit her daughter in Australia, but when a dead body turns up, Macbeth is left to figure out just how valuable Mrs. McPhie's things are. Nice little short story that shows the flavor of the Hamish Macbeth stories really well. It's obviously much too short to have a proper fleshed-out plot, but it's a nice read nevertheless. ( )

Knock, Knock You’re Dead! is a short story by MC Beaton featuring Police Constable Hamish MacBeth, which comes between Death of a Liar and her latest novel, Death of a Nurse, the 31st in the series.

Hamish periodically checks on the old and the single in his precinct. His first visit of the day is to Morag McPhie, a widow who keeps sheep. Morag wants to visit her daughter who lives in Australia, but she doesn’t have the money for the plane fare. Hamish suggests that she have an antique valuator look over her household items to determine whether she has anything valuable that she can sell. Coincidentally, a few days later, Hamish meets a valuator whose car has broken down and suggests that he visit Morag. That evening, Morag finds her neighbor dead in Morag’s parlor with a head wound. As usual, Inspector Blair takes over the case and makes an arrest. But once again, it’s up to Hamish to find the real murderer.

This story was a very easy and fun read. Hamish is a likable character and his intelligence and quick wit make him more than a match for any murderer. I have enjoyed reading this series over the years, and this short story did not disappoint. The quality of the series has slightly decreased over the past few years, but this story is nearly as good as some of the first Hamish MacBeth books.

A new reader would be able to get a good idea of what this series is all about without investing the time in an entire book while a fan of the series will have an enjoyable time checking in on Hamish once again.

I would recommend this series and short story to anyone who enjoys a well-written cozy mystery. ( )