Set in Scotland, Death of an
Addict tells of constable Hamish Macbeth’s investigation into the death of
Tommy Jarret, who has rented a small house in the town of Lochdubh. It turns out that Jarret was a former
addict, but Macbeth is suspicious when the coroner says that he died of a drug
overdose. Acting without the approval
of his superiors, Macbeth goes undercover into the world of drug dealers, and
he soon finds himself out of his depth. 
He is teamed up with Olivia Chater, a frosty Glasgow detective
inspector, and the two of them pretend to be a husband and wife team looking to
make a deal with local druglord Jimmy White. 
Their subterfuge leads them to Amsterdam and adventures on the high
seas, and Hamish starts to see Olivia’s vulnerable side. It is no surprise that a romance develops
between the two of them. Some readers
may enjoy the details of Scottish life and Macbeth’s Highlands accent – “Verra
kind … but we haff urgent business to attend to.” Unfortunately, the plot is massively implausible and the
characterization is thin. The writing
is consistent but rarely compelling, and the book has very little focus on
addiction. So on the whole this is a
disappointing murder mystery.

© 2003 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor
of Metapsychology Online Review. His main research is on philosophical
issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: Fiction