Death of a Groom by M.C. Beaton
In MC Beaton’s latest Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth mystery, Death of a Groom, the mystery not only involves who is the killer and how it was accomplished, but which groom becomes the victim. In a twist that strikes from the first page, there are two actual grooms in the book. The first is a man who has just taken his wedding vows, while the other is a man who cares for the horses which draw the bride’s carriage to the church before the nuptials.
The swank setting is Tommel Castle Hotel, in Hamish’s home village of Lochdubh, Scotland, where a society wedding to about to occur. Priscilla, Hamish’s former fiancé, and whose father owns the venue, has coordinated the lavish event between two of her friends, heiress Alannah Hamilton, and her charming fiancé, Darius Palmerston. The wedding will be intimate and upscale, with only the bride’s and groom’s closest relatives on hand.
Charles Hamilton, the millionaire father of the bride is married to Selena, a woman nearly the same age as Alannah who is threatened by Alannah’s massive inheritance that is triggered upon her marriage. And the bride’s godfather, Robert Jensen, is a media mogul, who has enlisted another of Hamish’s former paramours, Elspeth, to report on the wedding of the season. Other guests include the groom’s insecure best friend, Sebastian, his young cousins and the bride’s besties, Sloane and Helen.
A Blizzard, a Body and Too Many Suspects
The story feels like a cozy Agatha Christie mystery, when a Valentine’s Day blizzard descends upon the small wedding party and the hotel staff, trapping them in the castle. Shortly after the ceremony, Darius is found stabbed in a room off the reception by Alannah. As Hamis begins the initial investigation, lies and secrets begin to pile up like the snow swirling outside. Hamish’s old friend DCI Jimmy Anderson initially arrives to supervise the scene, but surrenders control over to Superintendent Daviot, Hamish’s nemesis, when he is called back to headquarters. Shortly, Daviot is stricken with appendicitis, leaving Hamish to manage the investigation with a skeleton crew. Luckily, his former colleagues, Freddy and Silas, work at the hotel and are on hand to assist him.
Hamish soon discovers that Darius has enraged the locals with his condescending behavior at the Piper Pub, and on a “stag” fishing excursion organized before the wedding. This broadening of the suspect pool stumps Hamish, and coupled with missing evidence and unreliable witnesses, he is at his wits end. Meanwhile, he and the guests are sequestered in a castle with a killer on the loose and few leads to go on. Everyone becomes a suspect, even the bride, and of course, the other groom.
Once again, R. W. Green has constructed a complicated mystery that would make MC Beaton proud. He weaves a tale of deceit populated by smarmy characters who lie, and possess hidden agendas and motives that could make any one of them killers. This lighthearted quick read will keep the reader turning pages long into the cold winter night, and while readers naturally expect Hamish to solve the crime, his powers of deduction always come as a surprise.
And since Death of a Groom occurs on Valentine’s Day weekend, readers can’t help hoping that emotionally clumsy Hamish is moved by the romance of the weekend, and will finally commit to finding happiness with his girlfriend Claire. One thing is certain, though, Hamish is committed to keeping his beloved Lochdubh safe and sound. The rest will have to wait.
About M.C. Beaton:
M. C. Beaton, hailed as the “Queen of Crime” by the Globe and Mail, was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels—the basis for the hit series on Acorn TV and public television—as well as the Hamish Macbeth series. Born in Scotland, Beaton started her career writing historical romances under several pseudonyms as well as her maiden name, Marion Chesney. Her books have sold more than twenty-four million copies worldwide.
