The 10 Best M.C. Beaton Mysteries According to Goodreads
M.C. Beaton is a beloved, prolific Scottish writer in the cozy mystery and Regency romance genres. She wrote 100 historical romances under her maiden name, Marion Chesney (and various pen names), before jumping over to crime novels. And thank goodness she did. Her mysteries—especially the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series—are a hit. But don’t worry, there’s a healthy dose of romance even in her mysteries. Here are the 10 best M.C. Beaton mysteries, according to Goodreads ratings.
Average Rating: 3.71
Hamish Macbeth, Scottish highland village cop, is put on the case of finding out who killed local widow and gossip columnist Jane Winters. Surely it was someone whose secrets were revealed in her work, right? But that could be so many people. Macbeth and Priscilla Halburton-Smythe work together to find just who was provoked enough to strangle and drown the loathed reporter.
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Average Rating: 3.82
Hamish Macbeth's crime-solving partner, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, brings her fiancé home to the Scottish highlands for an engagement party where someone ends up dead. The victim, vile Captain Bartlett, had many enemies, and most of the party's guests are suspects in his murder. Macbeth works to solve the case before Priscilla ends up in a miserable marriage—or dead.
Average Rating: 3.83
Hamish Macbeth is exiled with his dog to a dreary Scottish town, where the most hated man was dumped into a lobster tank. Macbeth has to fight his superiors, who want the case hushed up, and the killer, who's out for blood.
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Ashley Holstrom is a book person, designing them and writing about them for Book Riot. She lives near Chicago with her cat named after Hemingway and her bookshelves organized by color. She can be tweeted at @alholstrom.