M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster (UK 2022)

From the Publisher:
Stabbed and stuffed in a closet...
When police constable Hamish Macbeth receives the news that there has been a murder at Arrat House, home of the relentless practical joker Arthur Trent, he doesn't race to the scene of the crime. After all, last time he was called to investigate a death at the isolated Scottish manor, the 'victim' turned out to be Trent's manservant covered in fake blood.

Thus prepared for another prank, Hamish arrives to find that Trent has been most decidedly murdered and for suspects there is a houseful of greedy relatives, all of whom are more than interested in the contents of the will rather than the crime at hand. And when the Chief Inspector arrives on the scene and his former flame, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, gets involved as well, Hamish quite clearly has his hands full.

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster. A Hamish Macbeth Murder Mystery. Constable, ISBN: 9781472124128 (January, 2022), 240 p., £8.99.

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster (UK 2017)

From the Publisher:
Stabbed and stuffed in a closet...
When police constable Hamish Macbeth receives the news that there has been a murder at Arrat House, home of the relentless practical joker Arthur Trent, he doesn't race to the scene of the crime. After all, last time he was called to investigate a death at the isolated Scottish manor, the 'victim' turned out to be Trent's manservant covered in fake blood.

Thus prepared for another prank, Hamish arrives to find that Trent has been most decidedly murdered and for suspects there is a houseful of greedy relatives, all of whom are more than interested in the contents of the will rather than the crime at hand. And when the Chief Inspector arrives on the scene and his former flame, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, gets involved as well, Hamish quite clearly has his hands full.

PRAISE FOR M.C. BEATON:
'The books are a delight: clever, intricate, sardonic and amazingly true to the real Highlands' -- Kerry Greenwood
'It's always a special treat to return to Lochdubh' -- New York Times

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster. A Hamish Macbeth Murder Mystery. Constable, ISBN: 9781472124128 (August, 2017), 240 p., £7.99.

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster (UK 2013)

From the Publisher:
Stabbed and stuffed in a closet...
When police constable Hamish Macbeth receives the news that there has been a murder at Arrat House, home of the relentless practical joker Arthur Trent, he doesn't race to the scene of the crime. After all, last time he was called to investigate a death at the isolated Scottish manor, the 'victim' turned out to be Trent's manservant covered in fake blood.

Thus prepared for another prank, Hamish arrives to find that Trent has been most decidedly murdered and for suspects there is a houseful of greedy relatives, all of whom are more than interested in the contents of the will rather than the crime at hand. And when the Chief Inspector arrives on the scene and his former flame, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, gets involved as well, Hamish quite clearly has his hands full.

'An enchanting series ... M.C. Beaton has a foolproof plot for the village mystery.' -- New York Times Book Review
'The detective novels of M.C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status?' -- ANNE ROBINSON, The Times

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster. A Hamish Macbeth Murder Mystery. C & R Crime / Little, Brown, ISBN: 9781472105264 (May, 2013), 230 p., £7.99.

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster (USA 2012)

From the Publisher:
THE KILLING JOKE
When rich, old, notorious practical joker Andrew Trent summons his kin to his mansion for a deathbed farewell, they expect to be tormented by a whole new bag of infamous gags. But the joke's on the prankster himself when the body that falls out of the closet is Trent's own. With nobody giving up any information, Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth has trouble finding the culprit among the victim's many unappealing relatives. And after the lanky policeman's ex-flame, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, inserts her beautiful self in the case, Hamish is forced to muster all his native guile to move forward. Now as murder threatens to get the last laugh, Hamish must work quickly to get to the punch line -- one that's a real killer.

"A CASE THAT HAMISH MACBETH FANS WILL RELISH." -- Booklist
"SUPERB ENTERTAINMENT, AS RICH AND WARMING AS A FINE MALT WHISKY, AND EVERY BIT AS ADDICTIVE." -- Houston Chronicle

M.C. BEATON is the author of the Hamish Macbeth mystery series, as well as the acclaimed Agatha Raisin books.

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster. A Hamish Macbeth Mystery. Grand Central Publishing, ISBN: 9780446573559 (June, 2012), 215 p., $6.99.

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster (UK 2008)

From the Publisher:
Stabbed and stuffed in a closet...
When police constable Hamish Macbeth receives the news that there has been a murder at Arrat House, home of the relentless practical joker Arthur Trent, he doesn't race to the scene of the crime. After all, last time he was called to investigate a death at the isolated Scottish manor, the 'victim' turned out to be Trent's manservant covered in fake blood.

Thus prepared for another prank, Hamish arrives to find that Trent has been most decidedly murdered and for suspects there is a houseful of greedy relatives, all of whom are more than interested in the contents of the will rather than the crime at hand. And when the Chief Inspector arrives on the scene and his former flame, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, gets involved as well, Hamish quite clearly has his hands full.

'An enchanting series ... M.C. Beaton has a foolproof plot for the village mystery.' -- New York Times Book Review
'The detective novels of M.C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status?' -- ANNE ROBINSON, The Times

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster. A Hamish Macbeth Murder Mystery. Robinson, ISBN: 1845297369 (November, 2008), 204 p., £5.99.

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster (USA 1993)

From the Publisher:
WHEN IT COMES TO MURDER, CONSTABLE HAMISH MACBETH CAN'T SEE THE JOKE.
Admittedly there's a touch of black humor in the case. Rich, old practical joker Andrew Trent summons his kin to remote Arrat House in the dead of winter for a deathbed farewell. They arrive to find him in perfect health and eager to torment them with a whole new bag of unfunny jokes.

But this time the body that falls out of the closet is Andrew Trent's own. And nobody's laughing.

Especially not Constable Hamish Macbeth, who is hard put to glean any information from Trent's unappealing nearest and dearest. And when the lanky constable's former flame, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, inserts her beautiful self into the case, Hamish must muster all his native guile to carry him through. Fortunately, he has a few clever tricks up his own sleeve, which enable this most endearing of crime fighters to get the best, and last, laugh.

"A case that Hamish Macbeth fans will relish." Booklist

M.C. Beaton: Death of a Prankster. In an isolated Scottish manor, a killer has the last laugh on a practical joke. A Hamish Macbeth Mystery. Ivy Books, ISBN: 0804111022 (July, 1993), 168 p., $4.50.