Marion Chesney (born 1936) is a popular and prolific author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

. She has written numerous successful historical romance novel

Romance novel

The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...

s under her own name, including the Travelling Matchmaker and Daughters of Mannerling series. Using the pseudonym

Pseudonym

A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

 M. C. Beaton, she has also written many popular mystery novels, most notably the Agatha Raisin

Agatha Raisin

Agatha Raisin is a fictional detective in a series of mystery novels by Marion Chesney using the pseudonym M. C. Beaton. They are published in the U.K. by Constable & Robinson and in the U.S.A. by St...

 and Hamish Macbeth

Hamish Macbeth

Hamish Macbeth is a fictional police officer who serves as his town's detective in a series of mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton . The novels are published in the UK by Constable & Robinson. In an interview, the author recalls,...

 mystery series. She has also written under the pseudonyms Sarah Chester, Helen Crampton, Ann Fairfax, Marion Gibbons, Jennie Tremaine and Charlotte Ward.

Writing as Marion Chesney, her most recent endeavour is an Edwardian mystery series featuring Lady Rose Summer, a charming debutante with an independent streak, and Captain Harry Cathcart, an impoverished aristocrat. In a recent interview, Beaton stated that she has ceased writing the Edwardian series due to the pressure of writing for the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series.

Marion Chesney was born in Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, and has worked as a buyer of fiction for a Glasgow bookshop, theatre critic, newspaper reporter and editor. She has a cottage in the Cotswolds

Cotswolds

The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

.

The Six Sisters

1. Minerva (1983)
2. The Taming of Annabelle (1983)
3. Deirdre and Desire (1984)
4. Daphne (1984)
5. Diana the Huntress (1985)
6. Frederica in Fashion (1985)

A House for the Season Series

1. The Miser of Mayfair (1986)
2. Plain Jane (1986)
3. The Wicked Godmother (1987)
4. Rake's Progress (1987)
5. The Adventuress (1987)
6. Rainbird's Revenge (1988)

The School For Manners

1. Refining Felicity (1988)
2. Perfecting Fiona (1989)
3. Enlightening Delilah (1989)
4. Finessing Clarissa (1989)
5. Animating Maria (1990)
6. Marrying Harriet (1990)

The Travelling Matchmaker

1. Emily Goes to Exeter (1990)
2. Belinda Goes to Bath (1991)
3. Penelope Goes to Portsmouth (1991)
4. Beatrice Goes to Brighton (1991)
5. Deborah Goes to Dover (1992)
6. Yvonne Goes to York (1992)

Poor Relation

1. Lady Fortescue Steps Out (1993)
2. Miss Tonks Turns to Crime (1993)
3. Mrs. Budley Falls From Grace (1993)
4. Sir Philip's Folly (1993)
5. Colonel Sandhurst to the Rescue (1994)
6. Back in Society (1994)
7. Miss Tonks Takes a Risk (1994)

The Daughters of Mannerling Series

1. The Banishment (1995)
2. The Intrigue (1995)
3. The Deception (1996)
4. The Folly (1996)
5. The Romance (1997)
6. The Homecoming (1997)

Edwardian Mystery

1. Snobbery with Violence (2003)
2. Hasty Death (2004)
3. Sick of Shadows (2005)
4. Our Lady of Pain (2006)

Regency Romance

1. Quadrille (1981)
2. The Flirt (1985)
3. At The Sign of the Golden Pineapple (1987)
4. Miss Davenport's Christmas (1993)

Agatha Raisin

Agatha Raisin

Agatha Raisin is a fictional detective in a series of mystery novels by Marion Chesney using the pseudonym M. C. Beaton. They are published in the U.K. by Constable & Robinson and in the U.S.A. by St...

 series

1. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
   Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
   The Quiche of Death is the first Agatha Raisin mystery novel by Marion Chesney under her pseudonym M. C. Beaton.- Plot summary :Agatha Raisin retires from her profitable position as a PR agent in London, she moves to the Cotswolds expecting a peaceful country life...
   
   (1992)
2. Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet (1993)
3. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener (1994)
4. Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley (1995)
5. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage (1996)
6. Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist (1997)
7. Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death (1998)
8. Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham (1999)
9. Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden (1999)
10. Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam (2000)
11. Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell (2001)
12. Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came (2002)
13. Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate (2003)
14. Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House (2003)
15. Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance
    Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance
    Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance is the fifteenth Agatha Raisin mystery novel by Marion Chesney under her pseudonym M. C. Beaton. She sets up her own detective agency, Raisin Investigations, having previously investigated as a hobby...
    
    (2004)
16. Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon (2005)
17. Agatha Raisin and Love, Lies and Liquor (2006)
18. Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye (2007)
19. Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison (2008)
20. Agatha Raisin: There Goes The Bride (2009)
21. Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body (2010)
22. The Agatha Raisin Companion (2010)
23. As the Pig Turns (2011)

Hamish Macbeth

Hamish Macbeth

Hamish Macbeth is a fictional police officer who serves as his town's detective in a series of mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton . The novels are published in the UK by Constable & Robinson. In an interview, the author recalls,...

 series

1. Death of a Gossip
   Death of a Gossip
   Death of a Gossip is a mystery novel by M. C. Beaton , first published in 1985. It is set in the fictional town of Lochdubh, Scotland and is the first novel of a series featuring the local constable Hamish Macbeth.- Plot :...
   
   (1985)
2. Death of a Cad
   Death of a Cad
   Death of a Cad is a mystery novel by M. C. Beaton , first published in 1987. It is the second novel in this series, set in the fictional village of Lochdubh, Northern Scotland, featuring the local constable Hamish Macbeth....
   
   (1987)
3. Death of an Outsider
   Death of an Outsider
   Death of an Outsider is the third mystery novel in the Hamish Macbeth series by Marion Chesney under her pseudonym M. C. Beaton. It was first published in 1988.- Plot introduction:...
   
   (1988)
4. Death of a Perfect Wife (1989)
5. Death of a Hussy
   Death of a Hussy
   Death of a Hussy is a mystery novel by M. C. Beaton , first published in 1990. It is set in the fictional village of Lochdubh, Scotland, and features the local constable Hamish Macbeth.- Plot introduction :...
   
   (1991)
6. Death of a Snob (1992)
7. Death of a Prankster (1992)
8. Death of a Glutton (1993)
9. Death of a Travelling Man (1993)
10. Death of a Charming Man (1994)
11. Death of a Nag (1995)
12. Death of a Macho Man
    Death of a Macho Man
    Death of a Macho Man is a mystery novel by M. C. Beaton , first published in 1996. It is set in the fictional town of Lochdubh, Scotland featuring the local constable Hamish Macbeth.- Plot introduction :...
    
    (1996)
13. Death of a Dentist (1997)
14. Death of a Scriptwriter (1998)
15. Death of an Addict (1999)
16. A Highland Christmas (1999)
17. Death of a Dustman (2001)
18. Death of a Celebrity (2002)
19. Death of a Village (2003)
20. Death of a Poison Pen (2004)
21. Death of a Bore (2005)
22. Death of a Dreamer (2006)
23. Death of a Maid (2007)
24. Death of a Gentle Lady
    Death of a Gentle Lady
    Death of a Gentle Lady is the twenty-fourth mystery novel in the Hamish Macbeth series by M. C. Beaton. It was first published in 2008.- Plot introduction:While the rest of the town is smitten by Mrs. Gentle, Hamish Macbeth distrusts and dislikes her...
    
    (2008)
25. Death of a Witch (2009)
26. Death of a Valentine (2010)
27. Death of a Sweep (2011)
28. Death of a Kingfisher (2012)

External links

• Agatha Raisin Official Site
• List of Marion Chesney books
• An Interview with Marion Chesney
• Author's Essay: "Why I Chose the Edwardian Era"