Death of a Kingfisher (2012) by M.C. Beaton

🦜 Judged from the title, I had, at first, thought this was a cozy mystery (this was my first introduction to M.C. Beaton's, by the way). But of course, I was wrong. This isn't just a murder of a bird - though it was the first murder victim - but several chapters later, it's proved to be a proper murder mystery. Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth, our main character; a red-haired and hazel-eyed intelligent officer, with little or no ambition of stepping up the ladder of police office career, but is contented to serve in the remote village of Braikie near Lochdubh. He's quartered in the police station with his partner, a lazy laid-back veteran who's always hungry, Dick Fraser. Macbeth reports to Chief Inspector Blaire, who hates him and doesn't hesitate to sabotage his works if need to. 🦜 The kingfisher lives in the woods, which the current local tourist director renamed The Fairy Glen. It was found one day hung from a tree branch, with a noose around its neck. This was seen as an attack to The Fairy Glen, who would sabotage this tourist attraction? Maybe old and wealthy Mrs. Colchester who'd objected to the beautiful serene glen (which she owned) being monetized. But just as Macbeth planned to interview her, she was murdered in a cruel scheme. Money, then, became the suspected motive. But it proved to be a very trying case as one by one Macbeth's suspects or next leads became murdered. I've lost counting after the third, but someone counts that there were no less than nine murders in total! 🦜 Two third of the story seemed to be promising. A complex case with a cruel murderer(s), with a hint of love interest for Macbeth, not mentioning the "office politics" in the police station. However, near the end, the mystery became wilder and out of control. And when the suspects became lesser in number, Beaton put in new ones with more incoherent schemes. It felt like the writer, having started the book quite lovely, had no idea how to end it. The ending was very inconclusive, and I still didn't know how few of the murders had been committed, nor why, nor by whom. It was a heap of confusing crimes. Needless to say, this was a disappointing book from a promising series (it is the 27th, and has currently been running on to 38!) Maybe it was a wrong choice from the beginning? Maybe I should have picked another title? Well, if this is your favorite series, please tell me which one I'd better start with. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

The End of Summer (1971) by Rosamunde Pilcher

🌸 Jane is a twenty one year old Scottish girl who has lost her mother in childhood. Her father has immediately moved them both to the United States, where he's been working as screenwriter for Hollywood. After years in America, Jane still miss Elvie, the beautiful estate near the Loch where she had spent happy childhood. Elvie also correlated with Sinclair, Jane's cousin, to whom she had secretly dreamt of marrying some day. One day in this titular summer, Jane has a lovely surprise - a family lawyer called David Stewart brings a summon from Jane's grandmother, for Jane to come home to Elvie. Jane is torn between her duty to look after her father, and her heart. But as her father brings home a lover, Jane knew he would be looked after, and decides to go with the young lawyer to Elvie, leaving her American beach home, including her "date" with a young surfer she has just made acquaintance with, the day before.

🌸 Arriving at Elvie, though, Jane soon finds out that Sinclair isn't what she has thought him to be. There is long-buried secrets which shaped Sinclair to his true self, a rakish and opportunity-seeker, and which secret is also affecting Jane's future. Now Jane needs to make a decision, should she accept Sinclair's proposal - a marriage she had been dreaming growing up - or should she listen to her instinct?

🌸 Many readers said The End of Summer isn't Pilcher's best, and one in particular daubed it as her least favorite of Pilcher. I haven't read many of her, my only other acquaintance with her was The Shell Seekers, which I loved, and even got to be one of my favorites in 2025. But I think, The End of Summer is not that bad. It maybe lack of depth, at least when compared to The Shell Seekers, but the characters are well drawn, and I loved the picturesque description of the Scottish landscape. Jane is not a memorable main character, rather weak and insipid. My favorite is perhaps the lawyer, David Stewart; he's a true gentleman and well balanced person.

🌸 I was kind of interested about the surfer Jane chatted with on the beach, though. It's ashamed that we don't hear about him any more. It will be lovely if we can follow Jane when she's back in California and meet again with him. But of course, the circumstances are changed, so maybe it's not a good idea. Still, although the story is set mostly in Scotland, I kind of love the beach house (or shack) where Jane and her father live. My favorite scene is perhaps the arrival of David Stewart at the beach house (the first time Jane met him) - it ends up hilarious at the end, but at the moment, it was quite thrilling. Jane was alone (her father was on business trip), it was a dark night. Jane saw a silhouette of a man approaching the house from the beach, which should be deserted after sunset, and this terrified her, imagining every evil scenario imaginable. 

🌸 On the whole, it was an okay read; short (only 150-ish pages), and with an unexpected twist concerning the family secret, and a pleasant ending (the one I have been hoping).

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Macbeth

Frankly speaking, I was a bit disappointed with Macbeth. It turned out not as intense as I have expected. I have read somewhere that Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s shortest tragedies, and maybe it is true, as the scenes seemed to be passing quickly before leaving deeper impression upon me. I have once seen some illustrations of the three witches; but in the play, they didn’t seem grim at all. The eerie atmosphere felt after Macbeth killed Duncan, and later on when Lady Macbeth was sleepwalking with candle in her hand. Maybe this play in particular would be much better when performed on stage, than read as a book.

Macbeth is a Scottish general, and after having won a battle, the Emperor Duncan praises him for his bravery. When he is chatting with his colleague Banquo, they meet three witches whom greet them with prophecies. Macbeth would become Thane of Cawdor (he is at present Thane of Glamis), and then a King; while Banquo is prophesied to beget a line of Kings though he himself will not. Almost right away someone tells Macbeth that he is now Thane of Cawdor after the previous one died. Macbeth instantly believes the prophecies to be true, and begins to build ambition for becoming a King.

When the King visits Macbeth’ castle, Lady Macbeth encourages the reluctant Macbeth to murder King Duncan. He did it although got disturbed after the deeds. As he is Kings nearest relative, Macbeth is soon crowned as King of Scotland. But he never rests assured about his throne as he still remembers what the three witches has prophesied about Banquo; so he sent murderers to kill him. Disturbed with guilt, Macbeth seeks assurance from the three witches; whom tells him that no one born of a woman will kill him but to be careful with Macduff—a lord. So when Macduff wants to take revenge for his family’s murder, Macbeth keeps calm as ‘none of woman born shall harm Macbeth. But is it possible for a human being to be invincible? Or is Macbeth deluding himself?

My favorite part from this play is Macbeth’s soliloquy after hearing the news of Lady Macbeth’s death: “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…”. It is perhaps the only one that really touched me. I can feel how desperate Macbeth is when losing his strong supporting wife while he must be prepared for the grand battle. I almost even felt sorry for him. Here are the full lines:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more: it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

It makes you thinking….do our days of life really signify nothing? Perhaps it doesn’t if you lead a wrong way to live. Just like Macbeth…

I must admire Shakespeare’s great influence in Renaissance literature. His did give a new structure and style to plays, remodeling the old Greek’s and making plays flow more fluently and dynamically. And his role in elevating English language is not to be questioned. But sometimes his lines can be vulgar, which reduce my admiration to him.

Three and a half stars for Macbeth.

 I read ebook from Feedbooks dot com

This book is counted as:

3^rd book for Literary Movement Reading Challenge2015 (Renaissance)

Play On Challenge 2015: February – Renaissance

87^th book for The Classics Club Project

Greyfriars Bobby

Reading the synopsis and looking at this book’s cover (and later on browsing the true story on the internet) are enough to assume that Greyfriars Bobby would be a sad and gloomy book. I have delayed reading it for few years, but when I finally got through it, Greyfriars Bobby turned out to be very enjoyable. There were quite plenty of tears throughout the book; but there were also much cheerful times with Bobby, the brave and loyal Skye terrier dog.

Bobby belonged to a farmer who had a sweet little daughter in Edinburgh, Scotland. However, the only human to whom Bobby ever gave his love was Auld Jock, the poor old shepherd who worked for the farmer. A tight bond tied them both, and nobody could enter their intimate relationship till the end. Auld Jock was a simple and kind man; he did not talk much. Maybe that’s what bound them together; they had each other and loved each other exclusively. Then Auld Jock got pneumonia and died. Although he was poor, he had saved his small salary to get a descent funeral; he was buried at Greyfriars church graveyard.

Since then, Bobby’s home was on his master’s grave. There he lay at night, and never left Auld Jock’s grave unguarded, for whatever reason. He only went to an eatery every day to get his meal—thanks to the kind-hearted eatery’s owner: Mr. Traill. The church gardener and graveyard keeper, Mr. Brown, chased Bobby many times away from the grave, but he (Bobby) always managed to get a way to come back. Until Mr. Brown finally gave up, and even came to love Bobby at the end. Poor children around the church were also Bobby’s fanatic lovers. It’s interesting to learn how a little dog could pour so much love upon the wretched children, that they could grow up as loving adults. When the City Council wanted to eradicate stray dogs from the city, these children collected money (seven shillings) from their group and some poor people who loved Bobby, to save him. It was so sweet to read how these poor people sacrificed their small money for a little dog. It was proof of the power of love which can make difference.

Lucky for Bobby, the Lord Provost who was an animal lover—moved by the children’s donation for Bobby—paid Bobby’s license and made him a special collar. And so, Bobby could spend his old days peacefully at the churchyard, guarding his master’s grave ‘till he finally could be united with his master in heaven, fourteen years after his master’s death.

It appalled me to read about the fanatic faith of a dog towards his master—for fourteen years! Nothing could change Bobby’s mind from returning to the grave at night. One day he was distracted by a military parade to a nearby castle which was located on a steep hill. Just as the night signal was heard, Bobby frantically searched for a way out. It was a foggy night, and no living creature could possibly get through down the hill. Well…except Bobby! He groped his way blindly in the dark, he even bruised himself while descending the hill. But he didn’t care, even, perhaps, if he should have died; he would do everything to be on his master’s grave again. That was the only home he knew.

Little Bobby is not just a touching story of a very brave, loving, and faithful dog, but he taught us about the real love. Sometimes it does not need to be expressed in words or cuddles, but only to be felt deep in one’s heart. It is about taking and giving what little each has; it is about living together what life offers them. More than that, Bobby taught me about faithfulness and persistency; something that we, humans, lack of.

I must thank my blogger friend, Alvina, who gave me this book—I think nearly two years ago (or three??). I am a bit sorry to have delayed in reading it, but I am awfully grateful at the same time for finding this treasure at last. Four stars to Greyfriars Bobby!

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I read Indonesian translation, published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama

This book is counted as:

6^th book for Back To The Classics 2014 (A Classic That's Been Adapted Into a Movie)

11^th book for 2014 TBR Pile Challenge

81^st book for The Classics Club Project

Kidnapped

Right after reading few chapters of Kidnapped, I instantly saw the similarity with Treasure Island. The strange thing is, I totally forgot at that time that Treasure Island is also Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventure story! No wonder that those two are so alike, although Kidnapped is much more than just an adventure story.

David Balfour is a seventeen year Scottish lad that has just become an orphan. It was at 1751, when Scotland suffered from the dispute between the Lowlander and Highlander (Jacobites). His dead father left him a letter and instruction to be brought to the house of Shaws, who appeared to be David’s uncle. Imagining that he was having a situation there, Ebenezer Balfour treated him badly; he tried to murder him but failed; then he conspired with a captain of a brig to kidnap David and sell him as a slave. All was done so that David could never touch his inheritance.

David was a prisoner on board of Covenant, a brig of the villain Captain Hoseason and his gang. He saw the injustice and even a murder done by them. Fortunately, another ship wrecked, and a survived gentleman was taken into Covenant. The gentleman was a Highlander and enemy of the Campbell (King’s agent), called Alan Breck Stewart. Having overheard the Captain and the crew’s plan to murder Alan, David made an alliance with Alan to fight them back. Unfortunately the ship wrecked, and David, separated from others, was washed ashore in the inhabited isle of Earraid, where he cast away for several months, but then managed to return to the land.

Reunited with Alan, David accidentally witnessed the murder of Colin Roy Campbell, and wrongly accused. So now, Alan and David, having come from different clan (David is a Lowlander) were now in the same ‘ship’. Through difficulties and dangers they both fled. And through this journey and adventure, an intimate bound of friendship was built upon David and Alan. The question is, how would it end, considering that they were supposed to be enemies?

One most interesting aspect of this adventure story is the historical setting and facts. Many of the characters (especially those involved in the dispute of Lowlander and Highlander) were really exist in the history of Scotland, including Alan Breck himself. Through David’s eyes, Stevenson brought us to witness and learn one of Scottish histories during the Jacobite rising. Another strong point that makes Kidnapped not an ordinary adventure story, is the Scottish atmosphere that we’d find throughout the story. I was having difficulties of understanding many Scottish idioms and dialect in the first chapters, but along the way, I began to be familiar with it, and I think, overall, the Scottish nuance has added a unique value to this book.

One thing (and an important one, at least for me) that didn’t fit my expectation is the ending. Adventure stories, just like mysteries, used to have a conclusive ending. Anyway, adventures’ pace is set such that it will reach climax at the end, and that—I believe—is the chief point of writing an adventure story. Unfortunately, Stevenson did not provide that conclusive ending for Kidnapped. I read elsewhere that there are two possibilities: 1) Perhaps Stevenson was worried that his ending might contradict the history; or: 2) Kidnapped was planned to be followed by a sequel; and thus the hanging ending was applied to curious the readers.

Whatever the real reason, the ending is so dissatisfying and so abrupt that at first I was suspicious that my ebook was corrupted or something. Well, it was clearly what Stevenson has put is the real ending, and it forced me to take back a half star from the rating I originally gave this book. Three and a half stars finally, for Kidnapped, and I really wish it has a better ending!....

~~~~~~~~

*I read ebook version from Gutenberg Project*

*This book is counted as:*

4^th book for Fun Year Event With Children Literature

7^th book for Historical Fiction Challenge 2013

7^th book for Back to the Classics 2013

54^th book for The Classics Club Project