This is a complete list of M.C. Beaton books in publication and chronological order, broken down by series or category. M.C. Beaton also writes as: Marion Chesney, Jennie Tremaine and Ann Fairfax.
Also writes as: Marion Chesney, Jennie Tremaine and Ann Fairfax.
Agatha’s First Case is a prequel novella in the series.
Anthology series. If author is listed on a book then this author wrote a story within that book.
M.C. Beaton (Marion Chesney Gibbons) was born on June 10th, 1936. M.C. passed away December 30th, 2019 at 83 years old. M.C. Beaton was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
M.C. Beaton was the author of the Hamish Macbeth series which consists of 39 novels. The Hamish Macbeth series started in 1985 with the novel Death of a Gossip. The most recently released novel in the Hamish Macbeth series was Death of a Spy which was released in 2024. There are no upcoming novels for the Hamish Macbeth series.
M.C. Beaton (Marion Chesney Gibbons) also wrote the Agatha Raisin series which has 37 books including The Quiche of Death and The Vicious Vet.
M.C. Beaton was nominated for the Crime Writer's Association Award, Dagger in the Library Award, in 2019.
The highest rated book by M.C. Beaton on Book Notification is Death of a Maid, the 23rd novel in the Hamish Macbeth series.
The most read book by M.C. Beaton on Book Notification is The Quiche of Death, the 1st novel in the Agatha Raisin series.
The most common authors followed by users who also follow M.C. Beaton are:
Δ
Home » Authors » M.C. Beaton List of Books
It is always comforting to pick up a novel with Agatha Raisin and the village of Carsley, as it feels a lot like returning back home and visiting a very good friend. It’s rather easy to get pulled back into her world, no matter how long it’s been since reading one of her books. She also has incredible wit.
For whatever reason, when I read about Constable Hamish Macbeth, I always picture David Tenant as the character. Beaton does a wonderful job of using the setting to its fullest extent in her work.
All of the characters in her books are wonderful, even the cats in some of these books are always a highlight.
Am I the only one who was surprised by The Quiche of Death? This is the only M.C. Beaton novel I’ve read so far, and it isn’t quite what I expected. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining.
But I can’t be the only long-time cozy mystery fan who expected a warm, fuzzy story about a sweet old lady solving crimes. Agatha is none of those things. She isn’t likable at all, and not just because she says everything that comes to her mind.
Though, if I’m being honest, of all the new protagonists I’ve met in the last three months, Agatha is the only one I remember. I suppose Beaton knew what she was doing. Rather than fitting into the typical cozy mystery mold, she decided to break the rules. And in the process, she created one of the most memorable protagonists I’ve met in recent years.
Agatha Raisin is not a lovable character but that is what totally adds to the story. She is outspoken and crass. You just have to step back and watch her antics. I have read some of this series and have enjoyed it. I plan to read the entire series. M.C. Beaton also writes a series starring Hamish Macbeth. He is a bumbling ‘copper’, set in a similar village as Agatha Raisin books. He always gets his man. Give one of his books a try.
I really don’t care for the Agatha Raisin series, however, I really like the Hamish Macbeth novels. I’m still working my way through them, but they are short and easy to read. Macbeth may come off as bumbling, but he’s actually quite clever, just lazy. I’m on the fence as to whether Beaton’s novels qualify as cozies. They are “clean” yet full of death at every turn, and don’t feature a retiree amateur sleuth. They aren’t as complex as Christie by any means, but they are enjoyable nonetheless!
M. C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin books are wonderful!! Full of quirky characters living in the small English village of Carsley. I would love to visit!!!
Hamish Macbeth is a policeman in the Scottish Highlands. The villages sound so enchanting and the people living there are a quirky bunch. Which is good because Hamish fits right in with them.
Sad that M.C. Beaton has left us, but glad the R.W. Green picked up both series and we still can revel in Agatha and Hamish’s worlds. Please keep them coming. Also – the video versions aren’t the same, but are based on the books and are well worth your time as well.
Book Notification is an Amazon Associate. Book links to Amazon, eBay and other book stores are affiliate links, and we earn money from any qualifying purchases.
Are we missing any books or looking for an author that isn't on the site? Have any feedback or ideas that will enhance your experience? Contact us below.
We are giving away 10 $25 gift cards. Every time you comment on an author page in the Author Discussion section at the bottom, you are entered into the sweepstakes. So get commenting! Winners announced in the next newsletter.
Written by Eden Finley
Written by P. Jameson
Written by Dr. Rebecca Sharp
Written by Neil Lancaster
Written by Jailaa West
When you checkmark a book, by default it marks it read. On this page you can do advanced book management.
Read Status: by default, it is marked as read. You can change the status to Did Not Finish if you started the book and didn't finish it, or add it to your Want To Read list. Finally if you don't want it to show up across the site as a book still to read by the author, you can mark it as Not Interested.
Private Notes: If you wish to make any private notes related to the book, you can do so within this section. These are not listed anywhere on the site.
Public Rating: In this section you can rate the book out of 10. This rating will affect the overall rating of the book which is displayed on the site.
Public Reviews: Loved the book and want to write about it? You can write up a review which will show up at the bottom of the authors page. We love reading reviews and they help other readers, so reviews are much appreciated! No spoilers in the reviews though please.
Genre Tags: If you have read a book, we would appreciate you tagging what genres the book is in. It will help our book recommendation system.
Personal Tags: You can now tag any book you wish with your own tag that is only visible to you, such as if you wanted to tag that you own a book, or that you listened to it. You can see all of your tags in the "My Tags" section under "My Library".
Note: You can disable this automatic popup in your settings.
Accessibility Tools
This website uses a cookie so that you don't have to login on every visit. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs the function ofrecognising you when you return to our website and keeping you logged in.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!
Email Address
Password
Remember Me
- or - Forgot Password
Forgot Password
Register an account so you can mark books read, rate books, add them to your "want to read" list and get notified of new books by your favourite authors.
Display Name
User Email
User Password
Register
Goodreads user? Upon registration, visit your account and click the Settings tab to import your books read list, ratings and more.