The series is still ongoing, with over thirty books under its title. The series is loved by many because of the thrilling ride the audience experiences while reading. The Hamish Macbeth series also inspired a TV show in the early 2000s.

Green provides us with a terrific Foreword in which he not only pays fine tribute to Beaton but also talks about Sergeant Hamish Macbeth, perhaps her greatest fictional creation. Murder is his business, and the patch he calls home is Sutherland in the northernmost part of the Scottish mainland. Statistics show that there are approximately 60 murders in Scotland each year, with half of those taking place in the much larger cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Hamish’s territory averages around one murder per year. Yet Beaton found enough interesting mysteries to keep him busy for years, and DEATH OF A GREEN-EYED MONSTER is no exception. I was at a fishing school in Sutherland in the very north of Scotland,” Chesney explained in an interview. “And I thought, what a wonderful setting for a classical detective story, 11 people isolated in this Highland wilderness. So Hamish Macbeth was born.” MY THOUGHTS: Apparently M.C. Beaton was working on this story at the time of her death. I enjoyed Death of a Green-Eyed Monster, but perhaps not as much as some of the earlier books.

Who is Marion Chesney?

The Hamish Macbeth books were adapted into the BBC Scotland television series Hamish Macbeth. Running for three series between 1995 and 1997, the titular police officer was played by Robert Carlyle. The first and second series comprised six episodes and the third had an additional two-part series finale to make eight episodes. The series bore little relation to the content of Beaton's novels. Macbeth and Lochdubh were retained, in name at least, but little else survived. It has been 4 years though since Death of an Honest Man, so presumably quite a lot of work was still required to complete the new book. R.W. Green would have also been busy with the continuation work on the Agatha Raisin series, which may be currently more popular and on demand due to its ongoing television adaptations. Priscilla Halburton-Smythe – once the love of his life, the beautiful, cool Priscilla still tugs at his heartstrings and has assisted Hamish in solving crimes.

Carlyle insisted that if Hamish wasn't allowed to smoke pot, he would leave the series – and though Beaton thought him a fine actor, she didn't approve of how her work was interpreted and portrayed on screen (though she quite liked Ashley Jensen's TV portrayal of her other famous detective, Agatha Raisin). M.C. Beaton, or Marion Chesney, was born on June 10, 1936, in Glasgow, Scotland, and is one of the international best-selling authors. M.C. Beaton is famous for Agatha Raisin, Hamish Macbeth series, and other Regency romances. The author’s Agatha Raisin series has gained immense popularity and has been translated into 17 languages.

About Hamish Macbeth:

Hamish is happy because Priscilla has agreed to marry him, and he is enjoying a blissful time with his beloved fiance. The police Sergeant is free to go fishing, drink a lot of coffee, and be lazy all day, as the crime rate in the village of Lochdubh has decreased significantly. Until now, of course! The Marion Chesney estate must be happy as well with how the continuation series is proceeding as a novella Death of a Laird: A Hamish Macbeth novella (expected March 8, 2022, Hamish Macbeth #34.5) [ correction: Death of a Laird is actually #33.5 as it was released in Kindle format February 15, 2022 prior to Death of a Green-Eyed Monster, it was the Audible Audio edition that was released later on March 8, 2022] and the next novel Death of a Traitor (Expected February 2, 2023; Hamish Macbeth #35) have already been announced. Because the murder might involve the criminal underworld, Hamish must accept assistance from other law enforcement operating out of the larger cities. There is a lot going on in DEATH OF A GREEN-EYED MONSTER, including Hamish and Dorothy getting engaged and making plans for their wedding. Beaton and Green do a superb job keeping the red herrings coming and the plot twists jumping out at you until the finale. You’ll just have to strap on your favorite kilt and visit scenic Lochdubh to find out exactly what is going on here. M.C. Beaton (born Marion Chesney in Glasgow, Scotland) is the original author of both the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth books.

Any time a series goes beyond the normal length (3-6 books) it becomes quite the juggling act to figure out what to read next. It was so bittersweet to read this book knowing that M.C. Beaton had passed away and that she’d had assistance with writing this book before her death. IF this had been my first read in the Hamish Macbeth series, I’d probably have rated the book a solid 4 or 4.5 stars. However, it was NOT my first book in the series – I’ve read them all. It was a good mystery and it was well written – it was just a little ‘off’ somehow. Hamish just wasn’t quite Hamish – I still loved him, but he wasn’t exactly the character I’ve come to know and love. I also didn’t get the book I had so very much wanted. I have to wonder if this is really the last book of the series or not because nothing was really wrapped up in the book and lots of ‘hints’ were there for things to come. The book I WANTED would have had a happily settled Hamish in his sweet Scottish village – and DCI Blair having been dropped in the deep ocean somewhere. That is definitely NOT what I got. So now, do I go on picturing our sweet, lovable Hamish spending a long, lonely life in Lochdubh – OR – will there be another book and another? If there are more, will they satisfy my Lochdubh hunger and my desire to see Hamish happily settled and living a life that isn’t lonely? The Hamish Macbeth show ran from March 1995 to May 1997. The show was loosely based on the books by M.C. Beaton, both featuring Constable Hamish Macbeth in the town of Lochdubh, Scotland. The show, however, was not a direct adaptation of the novels. To tell you this book broke my heart and left me terribly, terribly sad for Hamish would be putting it mildly – especially if there are no future books. I’m not sure if I’m glad I read it or not because, if it is the last book, my imagination was so very much better than where this went. That said, it was a good mystery and a good read even if it wasn’t the same as it would have been had M.C. Beaton written all of the words.We can't even imagine how tough it must be to allow a team of TV folks to do as they wish with your creation. The Hamish Macbeth TV adaptation might not be what Beaton had in mind, but if you can separate the two, it still makes for an enjoyable series with incredible scenery. Between 1995 and 1997, BBC Scotland aired a TV adaptation of the Hamish Macbeth book series. Robert Carlyle starred as Hamish Macbeth, a decision Beaton famously disagreed with. Considered by many to be a useless, lazy moocher, Macbeth is very well informed about his community's activities and often overlooks minor transgressions in the interests of the public weal. In time it emerges that, following Highland tradition as the eldest child, he remains single because he is supporting his crofter parents and six much younger siblings by sending them most of his salary, and finding various ways to supplementing his income. Having created a niche for himself in the community and on the police force, he uses his intelligence and skills to solve murders cases - while avoiding and evading all efforts to transfer, promote and/or fire him out of it. Peter Hynd’s arrival has suddenly created chaos in the village. He is a handsome, unmarried man with a good income, and all the ladies in the town are practically swooning and fighting over him. They didn’t know whether to make it a Whisky Galore or a soap. And they refused to show my books at any press conference. I was very hurt by the whole thing – and I’m bitter because I’m a very resentful person.

There are so many things that don’t make sense to Hamish. Is all of it related to gangs bleeding over from the big cities into the Highlands? Who is the blonde woman in the blue car? What does the soldier, Keith Bain, have to do with any of it? His alibi certainly doesn’t hold up. Then, there is the American, James Bland. Who is he really and why is he in Lochdubh? We all know DCI Blair is up to no good – but what is it he is actually up to? The TV adaptations took several liberties with the plots, combining elements from several novels into each episode, changing the details enough to make them work together. I did enjoy catching up with both of Hamish's ex-fiancees - and had a bit of a smile at the thought of them being Dorothy's attendants at the wedding. Hamish Macbeth is very, very happy being the police Sergeant in remote, breathtakingly beautiful Lochdubh, Scotland. He’s been engaged twice and both times he’s broken those engagements because he realized those ladies just weren’t the right match – neither of them wanted to stay in Lochdubh. They wanted a big city life – and he definitely did not. So, imagine his delight when his new constable, Dorothy McIver, is not only as beautiful as his beloved Highlands – she wants to live there – with him. They work together for several months and grow closer and closer until he finally asks her to marry him – and she says YES.Detective Inspector Jimmy Anderson – Blair's second-in-command who regularly helps give Hamish information in exchange for a wee dram, unless Blair is ill, or Anderson seeks promotion Hamish’s happiness and constant frustrations revolve around two major characters: Priscilla Smythe and Chief Inspector Blair.