I found a few Hamish MacBeth audio books, I hope you enjoy them. The sound quality is not
very good on some of them, and on some of them it is great. The first story does not begin for about 12 seconds.
Hamish Macbeth is a fictional police officer who serves as his town's detective in a series of mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). The novels are published in the UK by Constable & Robinson. In an interview, the author recalls, "I was at a fishing school in Sutherland in the very north of Scotland, and I thought, what a wonderful setting for a classical detective story, 11 people isolated in this Highland wilderness, So Hamish Macbeth was born."
Hamish Macbeth is the eldest of seven siblings and has three brothers and three sisters. His parents are crofters and as the eldest son, Hamish is expected to contribute to his family's income. He lives in Lochdubh's police station and keeps some sheep and chickens and grows some vegetables. He is occasionally guilty of poaching a salmon, sometimes for himself, but often as a gift or bribe for others. Hamish has a reputation for laziness. He loves the town of Lochdubh (meaning 'black lake' (loch) in Gaelic and pronounced Lokh-DOO) and is content and at peace with his life and lacks ambition.
Of great concern to Hamish and his fellow villagers is the threat of possible closure of Lochdubh's police station, [2] [3]something his superior and archenemy, Chief Inspector Blair, would like to see. Hamish avoids promotion, occasionally even deliberately destroying attempts to give him recognition for his accomplishments. His position as "local bobby," sees him sometimes left out of official investigations and he must often work outside official channels, as the detectives from neighbouring Strathbane CID do not appreciate his help. Despite this, it is Hamish's natural "Highland curiosity" and local knowledge and intuition that combine to solve crimes.
Recurrent characters in the series
In Lochdubh
- Hamish Macbeth Lochdubh's village policeman.
- Priscilla Halburton-Smythe Once the love of Hamish's life. The beautiful, cool Priscilla still tugs at his heart strings and has assisted Hamish in solving crimes.
- Colonel Halburton-Smythe Priscilla's snobbish father. He dislikes Hamish immensely and considers him a most unsuitable friend for his daughter.
- Mary Halburton-Smythe Priscilla's timid mother.
- Elspeth Grant Local news reporter and sometimes love interest of Hamish. Her gypsy heritage gives her insights into her surroundings that Hamish comes to trust.
- Dr. Brodie The village doctor, who enjoys hearty cholesterol laden meals.
- Angela Brodie The doctor's wife. Not very domestic and a poor cook.
- Nessie & Jessie Currie Twin sisters and the village "spinsters" whose knowledge of local gossip is useful to Hamish.
- Archie Maclean A fisherman who spends his time when not at sea at the habour front or in the local pub to avoid his wife.
- Mrs. Maclean Archie's overly houseproud wife.
- Mrs. Wellington The local clergyman's wife. She has a loud, booming voice and is at the heart of Lochdubh's village life.
- Rev. Wellington A man with strong Christian values who is kindly and tolerant.
- Angus Macdonald An old man with the reputation of being a seer. Hamish believes that Angus is an old fraud with a network of gossipy contacts.
- Willie Lamont Hamish's former subordinate. Willie leaves the police force to marry Lucia, a relative of the local Italian restaurant owner, to devote himself to the restaurant.
- Lucia Lamont Willie Lamont's beautiful Italian wife.
- Mr Patel An Indian immigrant who operates a local grocery shop in Lochdubh. Mr. Patel has developed a Highland accent and he and his family are accepted in Lochdubh as locals.
Replies
I have just finished reading the first of the Agatha Raisin novels and ordered the second for my Kindel (I can enlarge the lettering to save my eyesight). I am looking forward to listening to the stories too.
Thanks for providing the Hamish MacBeth series since I was able to catch a few one offs on PBS and I love listening to novels too.
Bob
Hi, Bob
Until i had cataract surgery, my vision was severely limited, so I can empathize with you.
Here are the first 24 Hamish Macbeth books in Kindle AZW format, all in one small ZIP file. These are DRM free, so you can load and enjoy them at your leisure.
Next, I have many, although not all, of the Agatha Raisin books, also in Kindle format. These are also in a single ZIP file.
M.C. Beaton - Agatha Raisin.zip
M C Beaton - Hamish Macbeth.zip
M.C. Beaton - Hamish Macbeth.zip