Marion Chesney

Marion Chesney Gibbons
Chesney in 2006
Born	Marion Chesney (1936-06-10)10 June 1936 Glasgow, Scotland
Died	30 December 2019(2019-12-30) (aged 83) Gloucester, England
Pen name	Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Marion Chesney, Charlotte Ward, M. C. Beaton, Sarah Chester
Occupation	Writer
Language	English
Nationality	Scottish
Period	1979–2019
Genre	Romance, mystery, historical
Spouse	Harry Scott Gibbons
Children	Charles Gibbons
Website
mcbeaton.com/uk/

Marion Gibbons (née Chesney; 10 June 1936 – 30 December 2019) was a Scottish writer of romance and mystery 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 novels, most notably the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth 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. 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, Scotland, and worked as a buyer of fiction for a Glasgow bookshop before working at the Scottish Daily Express as a theatre critic, newspaper reporter 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. In later life she divided her time between a cottage in the Cotswolds and Paris. She died at a hospital in Gloucester, England on 30 December 2019, at the age of 83.

Bibliography

As Ann Fairfax

Single novels

• My Dear Duchess (1979)
• Henrietta (1979)
• Annabelle (1980)
• Penelope (1982)

As Jennie Tremaine

Single novels

• 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

Single novels

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

As Marion Chesney

Single romances

• 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

1. The French Affair (1984)
2. To Dream of Love (1986)
3. A Marriage of Inconvenience (1992)
4. A Governess of Distinction (1992)
5. The Glitter and the Gold (1993)
6. Duke's Diamonds (1982)
7. Those Endearing Young Charms (1986)

Westerby

1. The Westerby Inheritance (1982)
2. The Westerby Sisters (1982)

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)

Waverley Women

1. The First Rebellion (1989)
2. Silken Bonds (1989)
3. The Love Match (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) aka Miss Tonks Takes a Risk
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)

The Daughters of Mannerling

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 Murder Mystery

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

As Charlotte Ward

Single novel

• The Westerby Inheritance (1982)

As M. C. Beaton

Hamish Macbeth series

1. Death of a Gossip (1985)
2. Death of a Cad (1987)
3. Death of an Outsider (1988)
4. Death of a Perfect Wife (1989)
5. Death of a Hussy (1991)
6. Death of a Snob (1992)
7. Death of a Prankster (1992)
8. Death of a Glutton OR Death of a Greedy Woman (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 (1996)
13. Death of a Dentist (1997)
14. Death of a Scriptwriter (1998)
15. Death of an Addict (1999)
16. Death of a Dustman (2001)
17. Death of a Celebrity (2002)
18. Death of a Village (2003)
19. Death of a Poison Pen (2004)
20. Death of a Bore (2005)
21. Death of a Dreamer (2006)
22. Death of a Maid (2007)
23. Death of a Gentle Lady (2008)
24. Death of a Witch (2009)
25. Death of a Valentine (2010)
26. Death of a Chimney Sweep (2011)
27. Death of a Kingfisher (2012)
28. Death of Yesterday (2013)
29. Death of a Policeman (2014)
30. Death of a Liar (2015)
31. Death of a Nurse (2016)
32. Death of a Ghost (2017)
33. Death of an Honest Man (2018)
34. Death of a Love (2020)

Hamish Macbeth companion books

• A Highland Christmas (1999)
• Knock, Knock, You're Dead, ebook short story (2016)

Agatha Raisin series

1. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (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 (2004)
16. Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon (2005)
17. Love, Lies and Liquor: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (2006)
18. Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye (2007)
19. A Spoonful of Poison: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (2008)
20. Agatha Raisin: There Goes The Bride (2009)
21. Busy Body: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (2010)
22. As the Pig Turns: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (2011)
23. Hiss and Hers (2012)
24. Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (2013)
25. The Blood of an Englishman (2014)
26. Dishing the Dirt (2015)
27. Pushing up daisies (2016)
28. The Witches' Tree (2017)
29. The Dead Ringer (2018)
30. Beating About the Bush (2019)
31. Hot to Trot (2020)

There are also the short stories Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble (2012), Hell's Bells (2013) and Agatha's First Case (2015), as well as The Agatha Raisin Companion (2010) with introduction by M.C.Beaton.

Single novels

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

As Sarah Chester

Single novel

• Dancing on the Wind (1988)

External links

• An Interview with Marion Chesney