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Marion Chesney Gibbons (aka M.C. Beaton) Will Be Missed By Many

January 9, 2020

It feels like every year there are a few sad deaths to mention after the holiday season… this year, we all will miss Marion Chesney Gibbons, likely better known here as M.C. Beaton. According to a brief entry on her website, Marion Chesney Gibbons passed away after a brief illness in late December, at the age of 83.

A very prolific romance author in the 1980’s and 1990’s under the name Marion Chesney, under the Beaton name she eventually moved to releasing more and more mysteries in both the Hamish Macbeth Mystery Series and the Agatha Raisin Mystery Series. One of the shapers of the modern Cozy sub-genre, she will be missed by the community and remembered for her many beautiful stories.

Rest in Peace, Marion. Our sympathies go out to Marion’s family and friends.

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32 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

Comments

  1. Christine Ellstrom says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:17 am

    That is sad 🙁 I enjoy her Hamish McBeth series , she will be missed .

    Reply
  2. Miriam GP says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:19 am

    So sad to read this. No more Agatha Raisin… Marion was a lovely lady (never met her, of course, but followed her on Facebook and she always made me laugh) and will be missed 🙁

    Reply
  3. Anne says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:25 am

    Thank you M.C. Beaton for giving us such wonderful characters that have given us years of happiness. They will comfort us as we miss you. Rest in Peace ❤

    Reply
  4. Betty says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:26 am

    Oh no! I sure am sorry to hear that. I totally enjoyed her books!

    Reply
  5. Nancy T. says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:29 am

    Yes, I loved her Agatha Raisin mysteries. Just a very sad loss.

    Reply
  6. Shirl says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:34 am

    I am heart broken. She got me thru some sad times in my life. I loved her humor. I have read all of her books. I don’t want to think of no longer looking forward to her upcoming books. What a loss.

    Reply
  7. Mindy says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:45 am

    Awww, we lost a charmer. Thanks for so many hours of chuckles and pleasure, Marion. RIP.

    Reply
  8. Michelle Kish says

    January 9, 2020 at 10:09 am

    I will always treasure her books. All the series were wonderful. Sad news.

    Reply
  9. Zarayna Pradyer says

    January 9, 2020 at 10:15 am

    A huge loss to the reading and writing communities.

    Thank you for your tribute.

    Reply
  10. Barb E says

    January 9, 2020 at 10:46 am

    MC Beaton books have given me many, many hours of reading pleasure. Marion Chesney was a wonderfully talented writer who will be greatly missed.

    Reply
  11. Merrilee says

    January 9, 2020 at 10:46 am

    I’m sorry to see this news. I will miss her books greatly. Fast, enjoyable reads. Due to understanding that time marches on and it wasn’t stopping for anybody, I have been afraid for some years that this news would be coming. It always would have been too soon.

    Reply
  12. Carol V says

    January 9, 2020 at 10:46 am

    I enjoy the Agatha Raisin mysteries.

    Rest in peace Marion be assured your legacy lives on.

    Reply
  13. KG says

    January 9, 2020 at 10:50 am

    Thank you for letting us know, I was looking at a few Agatha Raisin books not too long ago. I will want to finish the series.

    Reply
  14. Cheryl M. Palmour says

    January 9, 2020 at 10:50 am

    Very sorry to hear this. I very much enjoyed the Hish Macbeth series. I was looking forward to reading the next one. I will miss new adventures featuring Hamish.

    Reply
  15. vickie baker says

    January 9, 2020 at 11:57 am

    She will be missed. I love both Aggie and Hamish; and with the death of this Majesty of Mystery, it is truly like a dear friend passing.
    Godspeed!

    Reply
  16. Michelle says

    January 9, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    Will be sadly missed, loved the mysteries. Whenever I just didn’t know what I wanted to read I turned to Hamish and Agatha. They were entertaining and I like how everything always worked out for the best.

    Reply
  17. Patrick McIntosh says

    January 9, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    I will miss both Hamish Macbeth & Agatha Raisin.

    Fortunately for her I read that she was very pleased with how faithful to the books Agatha Raisin adaptions were.

    Reply
  18. Joanne says

    January 9, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    One of my favorite authors. Loved all her Agatha and Hamish books, and especially her witty e-mails. She will always be missed by me.

    Reply
  19. Denise W says

    January 9, 2020 at 3:02 pm

    Sorry to hear.
    Loved her books. She will be missed. RIP

    Reply
  20. Marty B says

    January 9, 2020 at 3:27 pm

    I have especially enjoyed her series featuring Hamish Macbeth. I will miss his antics.

    Reply
  21. Lynda says

    January 9, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    This is vey sad news! The latest Agatha Raisin was the last book I read in 2019. She will certainly be missed by many.

    Reply
  22. Rickee D. says

    January 9, 2020 at 4:21 pm

    So sad to hear this! I loved her Hamish MacBeth series. One of the things that I do enjoy knowing is that many authors write into their very late years, which is very encouraging. As long as the mind is clear!

    Reply
  23. Mary P says

    January 9, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    So sad! I’ll miss the adventures of Hamish Macbeth. He was so real in my mind, I would have liked to have met him. (Yes, I know, it’s fiction, but it didn’t seem like it.) MC Beaton was quite a talent, and will be missed by millions of readers like me.

    Reply
  24. Mg Harrelson says

    January 9, 2020 at 8:24 pm

    I was saddened to learn of her passing. What a talented author whose characters were among my all time favorites.

    Agatha is my top pick followedclosely by Hamish. I was honored to win one of her reader copies and a tea towel 2 years ago. My prayers are with her loved ones.

    Rest In Peace dear lady.

    Reply
  25. Bek says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:57 pm

    I’m only familiar with her Hamish McBeth books, but she will be deeply missed. It seems we have lost so many in the last 12 months.

    Reply
  26. Moira Shepard says

    January 10, 2020 at 10:59 am

    Thank you, Marion, for all the joy you brought to me, and to many others. Bless you!

    Reply
  27. Vallaing says

    January 11, 2020 at 7:43 am

    She will be missed the world over. I had the pleasure of seeing her interviewed at the Bloody Scotland Festival. She was a real pistol and very much Agatha Raisin.

    Reply
  28. Christine Sharbrough says

    January 11, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    Oh how sad! A life well-lived that gave so much joy to many. May she rest in peace.

    Reply
  29. Liz E says

    January 12, 2020 at 8:57 am

    God bless Marion. Your books were so funny and yet full of compassion and understanding. I have become addicted to Agatha and Hamish over the years. I am saving your last Agatha novel for my hols. It will be a very special read but it’s not goodbye. Your books will always be there, working their magic .

    Reply
  30. Regina Williams says

    January 12, 2020 at 5:19 pm

    I am so sorry that she has passed I truly, truly, truly love her Agatha Raisin mystery series

    Reply
  31. LM says

    January 24, 2020 at 8:57 pm

    Just saw she is gone, from your site. I am so sorry, I have been reading her books for at least 20 if not 30 years. So sad, I always hate to think the characters that exist in my mind after I see them on the page, are not going further. Guess I have to start rereading what I have. She will be missed by many.

    Reply
  32. AK says

    July 26, 2022 at 3:17 pm

    MC Beaton’s legacy lives on! Obviously, the heirs found a suitable ghost-writer to carry on with both the Hamish McBeth Series and Agatha Raisin as well. However, I read the first one that the ghost writer either collaborated on with Marion, or did after she passed and it was evident to me-Marion didn’t write it. However, as with all ghost writers, Time Will Tell! I cannot imagine taking over such a beloved Writer as Marion Chesney/Beaton and I’m sure trying to write in similar fashion would be a super hero task! I have ordered the 2 Hamish McBeth I have not read yet (1 on pre-order), so I will give the new writer a chance to see if they are up to the Task!

    Reply

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