Book Review: Death of a Cad (1987)

I decided to take another break from Agatha Christie and, since I was mostly undecided about what I wanted to read next, decided to take a chance on another Hamish Macbeth mystery.

This is the second book I've read with this character and, because I wasn't overly impressed with the first one, wasn't really sure what I would think when I read this one. However, it turned out to be a pretty entertaining mystery.

There were a couple things I found I really liked about this book. The first was the fact Captain Bartlett was the perfect murder mystery victim. Just about everyone he met had a reason to want to kill him, whether it was a jilted lover, a cuckold husband or because he destroyed an expensive piece of dinnerware. This included pretty much everyone at the party.

Ultimately, I did have a theory about who the killer was and that turned out to be the correct one. However, Beaton did a good job keeping a couple of the key clues a secret until the very end and, because of that, my suspect's apparent lack of motive did keep me doubting myself a bit.

Another thing I found I liked about this book was the developing love triangle involving Priscilla, Macbeth and her fiance Henry. This was a bit surprising because, normally, I prefer murder mysteries that focus solely on the murder itself. But, this turned out to be almost as interesting as the murder itself. It was obvious Macbeth was the better of the two men. But, Priscilla was so obsessed with pleasing her parents, it was also very possible she would just lead the constable on and ultimately marry Henry anyway.

On top of it, Macbeth's feelings toward Priscilla had the potential to affect his ability to investigate the case. At minimum, it was a distraction. Plus, since Priscilla's dad hated Macbeth, it was the kind of thing that could have resulted in him being kicked off the case completely. As a result, each rendezvous with Priscilla was entertaining because they had to make every effort to keep it a secret in a small town with plenty of eyes.

This was a well-written murder mystery that I found to be entertaining. Hamish Macbeth is no Hercule Poirot. But, in many ways, that is a good thing and I do recommend reading the book as a result.

My Grade: A