M. C. Beaton Mystery Novels

M. C. Beaton Books

Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam by M. C. Beaton

DANCING LIGHTS, DISAPPEARING VALUABLES...AND MURDER- A FANCIFUL MYSTERY FOR THE INDOMITALTE AGATHA
Feeling jilted, cross and desperate to reclaim the love of her life, James, Agatha Raisin follows a fortune teller's advice and rents a cottage in the picturesque village of Fryfam, where she hopes good fortune and true love will come chasing after her. Adding a bit of spice to her adventure, she's pronounced to the locals that she's a mystery writer penning a whodunit called Murder at the Manor. Unfortunately, her romantic notions are quickly dispelled by strange doings here in Fryfam. What are those strange lights in her backyard? Who is stealing paintings and pottery? Where are her beloved cats? And who murdered the local squire-ironically, at the manor? Agatha's nose for trouble leads her into a hodge-podge of jealousy, blackmail and dangerous liaisons-and a murderer who plans to keep irrepressible Agatha here in Fryfam permanently, as a resident corpse.

Death of a Snob by M. C. Beaton

A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by the author of "Death of a Hussy."
With a cold in his head and no place to go for Christmas, Hamish snaps up the invitation of drop-dead gorgeous Jane Wetherby to spend the holiday at her Scottish island health farm -- and figure out who is trying to kill her.
When Hamish arrives on the island of Eileencraig, he finds threatening locals and fellow guests barely more civil, especially a terrible snob named Heather Todd. It seems like everyone on the island has a grudge against Jane. How to choose among so many suspects?
But then one suspect is eliminated. Heather Todd is murdered. And suddenly Hamish's Christmas is looking very black indeed . . .
Summary
When Hamish MacBeth accepts an invitation to spend Christmas on the Scottish island health farm of a beautiful lady, he does not count on her dying, but when she does, he puts his investigative skills to work to catch the killer.

Death of a Dustman by M. C. Beaton

Lochdubh's dustman, Fergus Macleod, a sour little man given to domestic violence and drinking, gets by with a one-day work week collecting the village's trash. But when Mrs. Freda Fleming, wrath of the Strathbane Council, decides to make an environmental example out of Lochdubh, Fergus is promoted (at double his usual salary) to man the new and elaborate recycling center. Now a bullying tyrant with a neat uniform and a new truck, he issues harsh fines and enforces petty rules-until he is found dead, stuffed into a recycling bin. Enter Hamish Macbeth, who now not only has to solve the murder, but juggle Freda's edicts, his lazy new constable, and labor trouble washing over the new oceanfront hotel.

Death of an Addict by M. C. Beaton

Amazon.com
M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth doesn't fit everyone's idea of a cozy mystery hero. The police constable prefers his flock of Highland sheep and fine single-malt Scotch to cats and cups of tea, and the details of his success with women would bring a maidenly blush to Miss Marple's cheek. Yet his charm is definitely of the soft-boiled variety. Death of an Addict, Beaton's 15th book in this series, begins with the apparent overdose death of Tommy Jarret, a recovering heroin addict who was writing an autobiography. Hamish, who oversees law and order in the village of Lochdubh, is instantly suspicious of the circumstances. Told to back off the case, he picks it up again on the sly when the dead man's parents ask him to find out what happened. Hamish's apparent lack of ambition masks a keen nose for illegal activity; even the dead ends of his investigation reveal a loan-sharking operation and a cache of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Hamish's biggest fish is drug baron Jimmy White. To reel White in, Hamish poses as a drug supplier, with a beautiful, standoffish detective inspector from Glasgow playing the part of his wife. The pair go off on a whirlwind trip to Amsterdam to maintain their front, leading to a comic mishap and the beginnings of a romance--one that nearly comes to a very bad end when White is tipped off by Hamish's enemy, Detective Inspector Blair.
Mystery buffs new to the series will find this Highland fling easy to follow, and those who are already fans will delight in the hint of a new long-term relationship for their laconic hero.

Death of a Gossip by M. C. Beaton

When a famous gossip columnist is murdered at the local fishing school, no one is ready to talk. It's up to Hamish Macbeth, with the inspiring assistance of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, to sniff out the right rat amid all the cunning anglers with secrets to hide. But someone has baited a hook for him . . .
Summary
Jane Winters--Lady Jane--was a noted gossip columnist enrolled in the Lachdubh School of Casting (fish casting, that is). She had something on everyone in class--and so, bobby Hamish Macbeth figured, any one of them could have killed her.

The Skeleton in the Closet by M. C. Beaton

Death of a Glutton (The Hamish MacBeth) by M. C. Beaton

There's not a cloud in Constable Hamish Macbeth's sky....
Just plenty of warm sunshine and not quite enough of beautiful Priscilla Halburton-Smythe.
But as eight hopeful members of the Checkmate Singles Club converge on Tommel Castle Hotel for a week of serious matchmaking, the clouds roll in. The four couples, carefully matched by dating director Maria Worth, immediately dislike each other. The arrival of Maria's gross, greedy partner, Peta, kills the last vestige of romance.
And as love goes out the window, murder comes in the door. Peta soon slurps up her last meal, and Hamish is left with a baffling puzzle: who shared the fateful outing that left Peta dead with a big red apple in her mouth? Surely not one of those singles....
Summary
As dating director Maria Worth attempts--unsuccessfully--to match up the eight members of the Checkmate Singles Club at the Tommel Castle Hotel, her unmannerly partner meets her end. By the author of Death of a Snob.

Death of a Nag by M. C. Beaton

Visiting a seaside inn to recover from a broken heart, Lochdubh constable Hamish Macbeth is unimpressed by the bad food and hostile guests, one of whom kills the nagging Bob Harris.

Death of a Hussy by M. C. Beaton

A Hamish Macbeth mystery.
Wealthy Maggie Baird is neither nice nor kind nor generous. Once she was beautiful, but now, although middle-aged, she retains the appetites of a beautiful woman. When Maggie's car catches fire with her inside it, suspicion focuses on the five houseguests staying at Maggie's luxurious Highlands cottage: her timid niece and four former lovers, once of whom Maggie had intended to pick for a husband. All five are impecunious. All five had ample opportunity to monkey with Maggie's car. So finding who did it requires all Police Constable Hamish Macbeth's extraordinary common sense and insight into human nature. And lazy lout though he may be, Hamish lets no grass grow under his feet when it comes to solving a murder. Especially when he may be the next target.
Summary
Finding out who set a rich tart's car on fire while she was still in it requires all Scottish Police Constable Hamish Macbeth's extraordinary common sense and insight into human nature. When it comes to solving a murder, Hamish lets no grass grow under his feet--not even when the killer appears to be the wrong person entirely.

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet by M. C. Beaton

Feisty Agatha Raisin, until recently a public-relations executive in London, has retired to peaceful Cotswold, where a romance is budding with the attractive new village vet, Dr. Paul Bladen. But Bladen accidentally kills himself while attending to Lord Pendlebury's horse, and Agatha must turn to her distinguished neighbor, the retired military man James Lacey, for comfort. Together, the odd couple begin to investigate Dr. Bladen's death . . . and the curious lack of sorrow shown by his divorced wife. But will they succeed in unmasking a killer before suffering an "accident" of their own?
Summary
Investigating the mysterious "accidental" death of a vet, former London public-relations executive Agatha Raisin teams up with James Lacey, a retired military man, and finds surprising mixed feelings in the village about the dead man.

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M. C. Beaton

Agatha Raisin is tying the knot with James Lacey before he can have second thoughts. After all, her first husband must be long dead of alcohol poisoning. But Jimmy Raisin hears the news in his cardboard residence in London and reaches the village of Carsely just in time to stop Agatha from committing bigamy. Promptly jilted by her groom, Agatha pushes Jimmy in a ditch - where he is later found strangled. Even the Local Ladies' Society believes her - or James - to be the killer. Soon the unhappy couple, thrown together again by their investigation of Jimmy's insalubrious past, are risking life and limb - not to mention love - as they ferret out dark doings that make Carsely the multiple murder capital of the English Cotswolds.
Summary
After her first husband, Jimmy Raisin, stops her wedding and she is left jilted at the altar, he is found strangled to death, and Agatha Raisin must prove her innocence along with that of her intended in this mystery filled with murder and mayhem.

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton

Eager to make friends in her new English village home, Agatha buys a quiche and enters it in the village quiche-making competition, only to be accused of poisoning the judge with the dish.

Death of a Charming Man by M. C. Beaton

Now that Priscilla Halburton-Smythe has agreed to marry him, Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth can't imagine a more perfect life. There's not much crime in his remote Scottish village of Lochdubh, nothing much at all to do but fish, drink coffee, and slouch around. And now to spend time with lovely Priscilla. But his days aren't as tranquil as his dreams. For one thing, Priscilla's renovation schemes are driving him out of his cottage. Not to mention her ambitious plans for his career as a policeman away from Lochdubh. This might be a good time to find out why Peter Hynd's arrival in nearby Drim was causing so much trouble. An attractive, unmarried man with an independent income would always attract attention in such a small place. But this time Hynd's arrival seems to have caused bitter rivalry among the women of Drim. Hamish finds their petty fights amusing and a clever excuse to avoid Priscilla and her schemes for a new electric stove (to replace his beloved woodburning appliance), a posh new bathroom, and virtuous nutrition. Amusing, that is, until death threats, physical abuse, and murder make statistical history in one of Scotland's most picture postcard-perfect towns.
Summary
Hamish Macbeth, the stubborn, red-haired, one-man Scottish police force investigates death threats, assault, and murder after a mysterious, unmarried, wealthy stranger moves to a neighboring village and causes bitter rivalry among the local women.

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener by M. C. Beaton

Never say die. That's the philosophy Agatha Raisin clings to when she comes home to cozy Carsely and finds a new woman ensconced in the affections of her attractive bachelor neighbor, James Lacey. The beautiful newcomer, Mary Fortune, is superior in every way, especially when it comes to gardening. And Agatha, that rose with many thorns, hasn't a green thumb to her name.

With garden Open Day approaching, she longs for a nice juicy murder to remind James of her genius for investigation. And sure enough, a series of destructive assaults on the finest gardens is followed by an appalling murder. Agatha seizes the moment and immediately starts yanking up village secrets by their roots and digging up all the dirt on the victim. Problem is, Agatha has an awkward secret of her own . . . .
Summary
Spurned by her attractive neighbor for beautiful newcomer Mary Fortune, Agatha Raisin immerses herself in a case involving a murder and the destruction of several prominent gardens, but she hides a secret of her own.

Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham by M. C. Beaton

Amazon.com
"She was a stocky middle-aged woman with good legs, a round face and small bearlike eyes which looked suspiciously out at the world. Her hair had always been her pride, thick and brown and glossy."
That description, which could also fit Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, tells us almost everything we need to know about Agatha Raisin, M.C. Beaton's smartly updated Miss Marple, who does most of her amateur sleuthing amidst the glowing stone villages of England's Cotswold district. Cozy without being the least bit cute, Beaton's books about this tough little Raisin cookie are well-made and smoothly oiled entertainment machines, working unexpected changes on familiar turf.

It is indeed her prideful hair that leads Agatha onto the trail of murder in her eighth adventure, when a charming hairdresser called Mr. John repairs her disastrous home dye job, then makes what appear to be romantic overtures. Love will not blossom here though, as some time later Mr. John is discovered dead in his chair, the victim of a Christie-like rare poison. Was the hairdresser also a collector of dirty secrets? Or was his killer just having a bad hair day? Trust Agatha and Beaton to solve it all in style, complaining all the way of course.

Death of a Travelling Man by M. C. Beaton

Hamish Macbeth's life is going to pot. He's been promoted (horrors!), his boss is a dunce, and--to add insult to injury--a sinister self-proclaimed gypsy and his girlfriend have parked their rusty, eye-sore-of-a-van in the village.

Hamish smells trouble and as usual he's right. The doctor's drugs go missing. Money vanishes. Neighbors grow suddenly unneighborly. And when the unsavory newcomer is murdered, Hamish regrets it only because his bones tell him the killer may be one of his friends.

Nobody wants to volunteer even a scrap of useful information, so canny Hamish single-handedly sets about the delicate work of worming the facts out of his neighbors. Yet in the process he uncovers a story so bizarre that neither he nor the villagers may ever recover from it.
Summary
Another installment in the popular mystery series set in the Scottish Highlands and featuring Constable Hamish Macbeth puts Macbeth on the trail of one of his friends, who may be the murderer of a self-styled gypsy.

Death of a Prankster by M. C. Beaton

A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by the author of "Death of a Snob."
When it comes to murder, Constable Hamish Macbeth can't see the joke. Rich, old practical joker Andrew Trent summons his kin to remote Arrat House in the dead of winter for a deathbed farewell. But when they arrive, the old coot is in perfect health, cackling at his joke and ready to torment them with others.

But it turns out the joke's on Trent. As the saying goes, he who laughs last, kills first! And when Trent is murdered, Constable Macbeth must step in and solve the crime before the punchline of the next killing joke knocks him right into an early grave!
Summary
A wealthy old practical joker summons his relatives to his deathbed for a final farewell, but the joke is on him when a killer stalks the gathering.

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden by M. C. Beaton

Agatha Raisin, her hair falling out after a problem during a previous investigation, travels to an old-fashioned hotel in order to repair the damage away from the neighbors in her all-too-cozy Cotswolds village. Unhappy about the slow recovery and prompted by the elderly residents of the resort, she consults the local witch for help. Agatha purchases a hair tonic (and a love potion, just in case!) and is soon sprouting hair and capturing the fancy of the village police inspector. But the quiet town is stunned by the murder of the witch. Which one of the graying guests is capable of such a brutal crime? The brassy yet endearing Agatha won't stop until she finds the culprit - and, of course, a little love, too.

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death by M. C. Beaton

Amazon.com
Agatha Raisin, the crusty, yet perversely self-conscious Londoner who has resettled in the ostensible calm of a Cotswold village stars in her seventh adventure by M.C. Beaton. In this episode, Agatha has agreed to come out of retirement to manage the publicity for the launch of water bottled from a village spring--much to the chagrin of some of her neighbors. Worried that the commodification of at least part of the village's charm might wreak havoc on their peaceful existence, some of the community try to stop it once and for all. Still, killing off a member of the village council and leaving the corpse in the spring itself seems a little extreme, especially as it makes Agatha's paying job a bit more difficult. Believing that a dead body might destroy the chances for a successful campaign to market her product, Agatha begins an investigation into who might have wanted the victim dead.
Agatha Raisin continues to be an engaging and slightly puzzling heroine in The Wellspring of Death. She careens around the Cotswolds asking impertinent questions regarding the personal lives of her neighbors, all the while wondering why so many of them are unpleasant to her. She manages to muddle her own romantic affairs to such an extent that she finds herself in bed with her young and handsome employer--to the dismay of her former fiancée. Yet, in spite of all this, she engages in the occasional humorous assessment of what life among charming façades and lovely vistas is really like (crowded shopping in too small stores) and has a peculiarly British obsession with class and accent. There is much to appreciate here and little that is daunting or dismal.

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M. C. Beaton

After six months in London, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village--and to her attractive neighbor, James Lacey. True, James is less than thrilled to see her, but Agatha is soon consoled by a sensational homicide.
The victim, found in a lonely field, is hiker Jessica Tartinck, who enraged wealthy landowners by insisting on her club's right to hike over their properties. Agatha lures James into helping with the investigation, and there are many leads to follow, for Jessica's fellow walkers seem able, even willing, to commit murder. But the trail of a slippery killer may also be the royal road to love--and death. . . .
Summary
Returning to her beloved Cotswold village only to be coolly received by her attractive neighbor, Agatha Raisin becomes involved in the murder case of hiker Jessica Tartinick, who had incurred the wrath of wealthy landowners.

A Highland Christmas by M. C. Beaton

Police Constable Hamish Macbeth was fighting his own Christmas blues. It was the week before Christmas and bitter cold weather held the countryside in its iron grip around the Highlands of Scotland and the village of Lochdubh. He missed his family, who were vacationing in Florida. Hamish's family were unusual in the Highlands because they had always celebrated Christmas with a turkey, tree, lights, and presents. In many parts of the Highlands the old spirit of John Knox still lingered, blasting anyone with the threat of hellfire for even thinking of celebrating this heathen festival. For as every good Calvinist knew, Christmas was an old Roman festival.It was work as usual for Hamish, who had the entire Christmas shift. One of the more irritating complaints came from the cranky Mrs. Gallagher. This time her cat had gone missing. A neighboring town, a bit less rigid about the holiday, reported missing Christmas lights. For the first time, the village council had voted to put up lights along main street. Now they had been stolen from the community center along with a missing tree. Fortunately, there's no assault or murder cases, but Hamish thinks it's a real crime not to celebrate Christmas. As he makes a little girl's dream come true, finds a way to light the neighboring village, and soothes a lonely woman's fears, Hamish gets a very special present of his own (of the canine variety) and has the best Christmas ever. All in a week's work.

Death of a Macho Man by M. C. Beaton

Everyone in the Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh called Randy Duggan the Macho Man. Duggan went around the village and bragged about everything he had done and said he once was a wrestler in America and an explorer in the Middle East. At first his outrageous stories drew an admiring crowd at the local pub, but soon his bullying ways led to anger and violence. When the local constable, Hamish Macbeth, tries to break up a fight, Duggan challenges him to a public fistfight. But on the day of the scheduled fight, Duggan is found shot to death. Of course, Macbeth's superiors get wind of the fight and suspend him during the investigation. Macbeth has some suspicions about Duggan's real background--and the mysterious banker, John Glover, who shows up at the posh Tommel Castle Hotel shortly before Duggan's death. And what about Rosie Draley, the sex-crazed romance writer, who had been having an affair with the two-timing Duggan? Once again, Macbeth's career is in hot water and he must find a murderer to clear his name--and to get back his job and the cushy life (fishing and mooching around the village) he leads.
Summary
Hamish Macbeth, the local constable of the Scottish village of Lochdubh, returns in the twelfth mystery in the popular series, struggling to clear his name when he himself becomes a suspect in the murder of a local ruffian.

Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist by M. C. Beaton

Agatha Raisin's marriage was put off when her ex-husband showed up, unfortunately alive. Fortunately, he was murdered and Agatha solved the crime. Now she is off to Cyprus to track down her ex-fiance. Instead of enjoying their planned honeymoon, however, they witness the murder of an obnoxious tourist. Two sets of terrible tourists surround the unhappy couple, arousing Agatha's suspicions. And, much to James' chagrin, she won't rest until she finds the killer. Unfortunately, it seems the killer also won't rest until Agatha is out of the picture. Agatha is forced to track down the murderer, try to rekindle her romance with James, and fend off a suave baronet, all while coping with the fact that it's always bathing suit season in Cyprus.
Summary
The tough and brassy Agatha Raisin goes to north Cyprus to track down her ex-fiance. Instead of having a honeymoon, the two witness the murder of an obnoxious tourist in a disco. Two sets of terrible tourists surround the unhappy couple, and Agatha won't rest until she finds the killer. Unfortunately, it also seems the killer won't rest until Agatha is out of the picture.

Death of a Scriptwriter by M. C. Beaton

Amazon.com
M.C. Beaton's 14th adventure featuring Hamish Macbeth, lovable local bobby of Lochdubh, Scotland, is a similar treat to her previous efforts. Macbeth feels a dismal foreboding when television film crews descend into his neighborhood to film a local author's out-of-print mysteries. Not only are they led by an overbearing and egotistical scriptwriter, but they have completely stood the original manuscript on its head. The producers have determined that a sexy, pot-smoking heroine will bring in more viewers than the genteel and circumspect detective true to the original. The author herself and the local Calvinist minister are not amused. Before too long, the scriptwriter, the shapely actress playing the lead, and her jealous husband all end up dead, confirming Macbeth's suspicions that the gloomy village of Drim and glamorous media types were a dangerously combustible mix.
The mystery itself seems straightforward enough, but Beaton has provided more than the usual number of suspects and subplots. All of these spike the reader's interest while her wicked characterizations of both the locals and the inhabitants of TV-land are hilarious, and very occasionally thought-provoking. The real strength of the book, and indeed Beaton's work in general, is the way in which she evokes the genuine isolation of Macbeth's rural Highlands and blends it with breezy renderings of murder, mayhem, and cozy cups of tea. In some ways it's a bit of an incongruous mix, but Beaton successfully keeps the tone on the lighter side. Death of a Scriptwriter will certainly intrigue mystery fans as well as those who have wondered about the creations of the PBS/BBC series Mystery!
Book Description
Patricia Martyn-Broyd, now in her seventies, has retired to the Scottish Highlands. She hasn't written a word in years and her books are out of print. Now a television production company is about to film her last detective story, The Case of the Rising Tide, featuring the aristocratic Scottish detective Lady Harriet Vare. Even better, a London publisher is bringing the book back to print. Even though the class-conscious Miss Martyn-Broyd doesn't care to mix with the locals, she can't help but share her excitement with the local policeman, Hamish Macbeth. Imagine her horror when she discovers that Lady Harriet Vare is portrayed as a pot-smoking hippie, that the screenwriter is known for his violent and scurrilous scripts, and that Lady Harriet is played by the scene-stealing trollop Penelope Gates. But a contract is a contract, Ms. Martyn-Broyd learns quickly. When she is accused of murdering the scriptwriter and leading lady, she turns to her one friend in Lochdubh, Hamish Macbeth, to help her.

Death of a Dentist by M. C. Beaton

Amazon.com
In this addition to Beaton's series featuring unassuming Scottish policeman Hamish Macbeth, Hamish finds himself precipitated by a vicious toothache into the world of Dr. Frederick Gilchrist. Gilchrist is a local dentist best known for his eagerness to replace healthy teeth with inexpensive dentures, and infamous for his hard hand on the drill. Maggie Bane, his lovely assistant with a harsh and unlovely voice, surprises Hamish with her hostility, but he is even more astonished to find the dentist's dead body reclining in his chair with mysterious drill marks on his teeth.
Delving deeper into the village's rural dish in search of the murderer, Macbeth uncovers long-buried relationships, an illicit local still, a robbery that is not what it appears, and the expected deceptions and partial truths his countrymen tell the police for reasons only a local character like Hamish can understand. Once again, he has occasion to contact his former love, the adamantine Priscilla Halburton-Smyth, and her friend, Sarah Hudson, even helps Hamish hack into police records for his investigation.

Macbeth's efforts bustle charmingly along against the background of quirky Scots dialect and rustic pubs. And Beaton's tangled web of a mystery is tidily resolved to the satisfaction of the locals and, surely, for all the devoted fans of this winning series.

OxfordBooks.com / Oxford, MS

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