Marion Gibbons (née Chesney; 10 June 1936 – 30/31 December 2019) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

writer of

romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

and

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...

novels, whose career as a published author began in 1979. She wrote numerous successful historical romance novels under a form of her maiden name, Marion Chesney, including the "Travelling Matchmaker" and "Daughters of Mannerling" series. Using the pseudonym M. C. Beaton, she also wrote many popular

mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a re ...

s, most notably the

Agatha Raisin Agatha Raisin is a fictional detective in a series of humorous mystery novels, originally written by Marion Chesney using the pseudonym M. C. Beaton. Chesney's friend Rod W. Green took over as writer with ''Hot to Trot''. The books are publish ...

and

Hamish Macbeth Hamish Macbeth is the police constable of the fictional Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highland town of Lochdubh, in a series of murder mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). Considered by many to be a useless, lazy moocher, M ...

mystery series. Both of these book series have been adapted for TV. She also wrote romance novels under the pseudonyms Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester. Writing as Marion Chesney, her final endeavour was an Edwardian mystery series featuring Lady Rose Summer, a charming debutante with an independent streak, and Captain Harry Cathcart, an impoverished

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

. In an interview, she stated that she ceased writing the Edwardian series as a result of the pressure of writing for the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series.

Biography

Marion Chesney was born on 10 June 1936 in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland, and worked as a buyer of fiction for the Glasgow bookshop,

John Smith & Son John Smith & Son is a British academic bookseller based in Ringwood, Hampshire, England. Founded in 1751, it is the oldest bookselling company in the English-speaking world. It was based for many years at 57–61 St. Vincent Street in Glasgow, ...

, before working at the ''

Scottish Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' as a theatre critic,

newspaper reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, and editor. She married Express Middle East Correspondent Harry Scott Gibbons in 1969; they had a son, Charles. The couple moved to the Cotswolds when their son was about to go to university, assuming that he would go to Oxford, though in fact he did not. Chesney had also lived in the

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

. In later life, she divided her time between a cottage in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. She died at a hospital in Gloucester, England on 30 December 2019, at the age of 83.

Little Brown Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

, Chesney's publisher at the time of her death, announced that before the author became ill, she continued to write and was working on new material for her beloved characters, Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin.

Bibliography

As Ann Fairfax

* ''My Dear Duchess'' (1979) * ''Henrietta'' (1979) * ''Annabelle'' (1980) * ''Penelope'' (1982)

As Jennie Tremaine

* ''Kitty'' (1979) * ''Daisy'' (1980) * ''Lucy'' (1980) * ''Polly'' (1980) * ''Molly'' (1980) * ''Ginny'' (1980) * ''Tilly'' (1980) * ''Susie'' (1981) * ''Poppy'' (1982) * ''Sally'' (1982) * ''Maggie'' (1984) * ''Lady Anne's Deception'' (1986)

As Helen Crampton

* ''The Marquis Takes a Bride'' (1980) * ''Marriage a la Mode'' (1980) * ''The Highland Countess'' (1981)

As Marion Chesney

Stand-alone novels

* ''Regency Gold'' (1980) * ''Lady Margery's Intrigue'' (1980) * ''The Constant Companion'' (1980) * ''Quadrille'' (1981) * ''My Lords, Ladies and Marjorie'' (1981) * ''The Ghost and Lady Alice'' (1982) * ''Love and Lady Lovelace'' (1982) * ''Duke's Diamonds'' (1982) * ''The Flirt'' (1985) * ''At The Sign of the Golden Pineapple'' (1987) * ''Miss Davenport's Christmas'' (1993) * ''The Chocolate Debutante'' (1998) ''(some of these books were re-published much later as part of other series, often as by "M. C. Beaton")'' Those Endearing Young Charms # ''The French Affair'' (1984) # ''To Dream of Love'' (1986) # ''A Marriage of Inconvenience'' (1992) # ''A Governess of Distinction'' (1992) # ''The Glitter and the Gold'' (1993) # ''Duke's Diamonds'' (1982) # ''Those Endearing Young Charms'' (1986)

Westerby

# ''The Westerby Inheritance'' (1982) # ''The Westerby Sisters'' (1982)

The Six Sisters

# ''Minerva'' (1983) # ''The Taming of Annabelle'' (1983) # ''Deirdre and Desire'' (1984) # ''Daphne'' (1984) # ''Diana the Huntress'' (1985) # ''Frederica in Fashion'' (1985)

A House for the Season series

# ''The Miser of Mayfair'' (1986) # ''Plain Jane'' (1986) # ''The Wicked Godmother'' (1987) # ''Rake's Progress'' (1987) # ''The Adventuress'' (1987) # ''Rainbird's Revenge'' (1988)

The School for Manners

# ''Refining Felicity'' (1988) # ''Perfecting Fiona'' (1989) # ''Enlightening Delilah'' (1989) # ''Finessing Clarissa'' (1989) # ''Animating Maria'' (1990) # ''Marrying Harriet'' (1990)

Waverley Women

# ''The First Rebellion'' (1989) # ''Silken Bonds'' (1989) # ''The Love Match'' (1990)

The Travelling Matchmaker

# ''Emily Goes to Exeter'' (1990) # ''Belinda Goes to Bath'' (1991) # ''Penelope Goes to Portsmouth'' (1991) # ''Beatrice Goes to Brighton'' (1991) # ''Deborah Goes to Dover'' (1992) # ''Yvonne Goes to York'' (1992)

Poor relation

# ''Lady Fortescue Steps Out'' (1993) # ''Miss Tonks Turns to Crime'' (1993) aka ''Miss Tonks Takes a Risk'' # ''Mrs. Budley Falls From Grace'' (1993) # ''Sir Philip's Folly'' (1993) # ''Colonel Sandhurst to the Rescue'' (1994) # ''Back in Society'' (1994)

The Daughters of Mannerling

# ''The Banishment'' (1995) # ''The Intrigue'' (1995) # ''The Deception'' (1996) # ''The Folly'' (1996) # ''The Romance'' (1997) # ''The Homecoming'' (1997)

Edwardian Murder Mystery

# ''Snobbery with Violence'' (2003) # ''Hasty Death'' (2004) # ''Sick of Shadows'' (2005) # ''Our Lady of Pain'' (2006)

As Charlotte Ward

* ''The Westerby Inheritance'' (1982)

As M. C. Beaton

Hamish Macbeth series

# ''

Death of a Gossip ''Death of a Gossip'' is a Mystery fiction, mystery novel by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney), 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 ...

'' (1985) # '' Death of a Cad'' (1987) # '' Death of an Outsider'' (1988) # ''Death of a Perfect Wife'' (1989) # '' Death of a Hussy'' (1991) # ''Death of a Snob'' (1992) # ''Death of a Prankster'' (1992) # ''Death of a Glutton'' OR ''Death of a Greedy Woman'' (1993) # ''Death of a Travelling Man'' (1993) # ''Death of a Charming Man'' (1994) # ''Death of a Nag'' (1995) # '' Death of a Macho Man'' (1996) # ''Death of a Dentist'' (1997) # ''Death of a Scriptwriter'' (1998) # ''Death of an Addict'' (1999) # ''A Highland Christmas'' (2000) # ''Death of a Dustman'' (2001) # ''Death of a Celebrity'' (2002) # ''Death of a Village'' (2003) # ''Death of a Poison Pen'' (2004) # ''Death of a Bore'' (2005) # ''Death of a Dreamer'' (2006) # ''Death of a Maid'' (2007) # '' Death of a Gentle Lady'' (2008) # ''Death of a Witch'' (2009) # ''Death of a Valentine'' (2010) # ''Death of a Chimney Sweep'' (2011) # ''Death of a Kingfisher'' (2012) # ''Death of Yesterday'' (2013) # ''Death of a Policeman'' (2014) # ''Death of a Liar'' (2015) # ''Death of a Nurse'' (2016) # ''Death of a Ghost'' (2017) # ''Death of an Honest Man'' (2018) Short Stories and Companion books: * ''Knock, Knock, You're Dead'', ebook short story (2016) * ''Death of a Laird'', ebook short story (2022, credited to "M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green") Posthumous: # ''Death of a Green-Eyed Monster'' (2022, credited to "M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green") # ''Death of a Traitor'' (2023, credited to "M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green")

Agatha Raisin series

# '' Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death'' (1992) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet'' (1993) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener'' (1994) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley'' (1995) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage'' (1996) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist'' (1997) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death'' (1998) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham'' (1999) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden'' (1999) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam'' (2000) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell'' (2001) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came'' (2002) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate'' (2003) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House'' (2003) # ''

Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance is the fifteenth Agatha Raisin mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' * ...

'' (2004) # ''Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon'' (2005) # ''Love, Lies and Liquor: An Agatha Raisin Mystery'' (2006) # ''Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye'' (2007) # ''A Spoonful of Poison: An Agatha Raisin Mystery'' (2008) # ''Agatha Raisin: There Goes The Bride'' (2009) # ''Busy Body: An Agatha Raisin Mystery'' (2010) # ''As the Pig Turns: An Agatha Raisin Mystery'' (2011) # ''Hiss and Hers'' (2012) # ''Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: An Agatha Raisin Mystery'' (2013) # ''The Blood of an Englishman'' (2014) # ''Dishing the Dirt'' (2015) # ''Pushing up daisies'' (2016) # ''The Witches' Tree'' (2017) # ''The Dead Ringer'' (2018) # ''Beating About the Bush'' (2019) Short stories and related works: # ''Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble'' (2012) # ''Hell's Bells'' (2013) # ''Agatha's First Case'' (2015) # ''The Agatha Raisin Companion'' (2010) with introduction by M.C.Beaton. Posthumous: # ''Hot to Trot'' (2020, credited to "M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green") # ''Down the Hatch'' (2021, credited to "M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green") # ''Devil's Delight'' (2022, credited to "M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green") # ''Dead on Target'' (2023, credited to "M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green") # ‘’ Killing Time ‘’ (2024, credited to M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green)

Stand-alone novels

* ''The Education of Miss Patterson'' (1985) * ''Ms. Davenport's Christmas'' (1993) * ''The Skeleton in the Closet'' (2001)

As Sarah Chester

* ''Dancing on the Wind'' (1988)

References

External links

An Interview with Marion Chesney
1936 births 2019 deaths Cozy mystery writers Writers from Glasgow Scottish women novelists Scottish romantic fiction writers Scottish mystery writers 20th-century Scottish novelists 21st-century Scottish novelists British women romantic fiction writers British women mystery writers 20th-century Scottish women writers 21st-century Scottish women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers {{Marion Chesney