Another fun Hamish Macbeth. A bit of a twist on the usual, but enjoyable just the same. I really liked the new narrator, David Monteath. We have become accustomed to Shaun Grindell and Mr Monteath was a change, but a happy one. He had a lovely accent. ( )

Hamish and the Spyhunter
Review of the Hachette / Little Brown audiobook (February 13, 2024) narrated by David Monteath, released simultaneously with the Grand Central Publishing hardcover.

The best element of writer R.W. Green continuation novels of M.C. Beaton's (1936-2019) characters is that both the Hamish Macbeth and the Agatha Raisin series have turned away from the rather nasty tone they had taken towards the end of Beaton's run. Green has at least restored some of the cozy element although the adventures are more elaborate than they used to be.

Death of a Spy follows on from the plotline of last year's Death of a Traitor (Hamish Macbeth #35) with a continued hunt for the rest of the Soviet-era spy ring which had come to light in the previous book. Hamish is assisted by the American agent James Bland, who was introduced in Death of a Green-Eyed Monster (Hamish Macbeth #34). Bland is undercover as a supposed American policeman assigned to study Scotland's policing methods. The narration by David Monteath is then even further skewed from any Scottish burr by having to read half the dialogue in an American accent.

Along the way there is also a local case with various burglaries occurring in the Lochdubh village. Almost all of the regular series cast put in appearances, including Macbeth's nemesis Chief Inspector Blair, who has least backed off from the rather insane plots to either discredit or even murder the beloved village sergeant (those were another nasty course which the Beatons had taken).

Although the series carries on in its timeless fashion, much of the joy of the earlier books is missing. The regulars make their standard contributions of making gibes at Hamish (e.g. the Currie sisters, Angus the Seer, Patricia Halburton-Smythe, Elspeth Grant, the Chief Constable's secretary, etc.) but those are just recycling what we've heard many times before. There is rarely any major character development to spark much interest. Bringing spies into the mix is not a way forward. We need something more homey to restore the cozy roots. It is still a 3 rating though, as I can't dislike the new books as I did Beaton's nasty ones such as #33's Not My Hamish (2018).

The next R.W. Green continuation book will be #35 in the Agatha Raisin series "Killing Time: An Agatha Raisin Mystery", with an expected October 8, 2024 date of publication. ( )

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is apparently the thirty sixth book in this series featuring the irrepressible Hamish Macbeth, it is however the first for me, but certainly not the last. Beautifully written atmospheric clever descriptive intelligent storytelling, character driven but a very good mystery too, with plenty of surprises for my ageing brain to cope with. Totally engaging page turner with a modern day spy theme that I enjoyed.
Completely recommended. ( )