M. C Beaton

One of Private Detective Agatha Raisin's many quirks was her tendency to exclaim, every time she drove along a motorway bordered by dense woodland, 'What a good place to dump a body!' Yet she's clearly not the only one to think so, the police realise, after poor elderly Mrs. Dunwiddy is found dead in the scrub by the road leading out of Mircester.

Hamish and the new love in his life, Claire, have holiday plans. But thoughts of rest and relaxation are rudely interrupted by the arrival of a new constable, complete with a surprise, and a secret. Hoping the grand re-opening of his local pub will be a good distraction from Constable Forbes's intrigue, Hamish gets a nasty surprise when he's confronted by a family who have a score to settle with a missing man. Discovering a murdered woman's body puts...

A visit to the local village fete for a spot of fun and relaxation turns into a nightmare for Agatha Raisin when she discovers the body of the local landowner in the woods - with an arrow in his chest and his trousers round his ankles. At first her old adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes, declares the death a tragic accident, believing the victim has been hit by a stray arrow from an archery demonstration. Agatha is convinced the man was murdered...

When therapist Jill Davent moves into the village of Carsely, Agatha Raisin is not a fan. Not only is the therapist romancing her ex-husband James but she digs up details of Agatha's rather unsavoury origins. Furthermore, Jill is counselling a woman Agatha is convinced is a murderess - although she has no actual proof. Agatha tells anyone who cares to listen that Jill is a charlatan. So she can only sigh with relief when Jill takes offices in the...

Toil and trouble in store for Agatha!Cotswolds inhabitants are used to bad weather, but the night sky is especially foggy as Rory and Molly Harris, the new vicar and his wife, drive slowly home from a dinner party in their village of Sumpton Harcourt. They struggle to see the road ahead - but then screech to a halt. Right in front of them, aglow in the headlights of their car, a body hangs from a lightning-blasted tree at the edge of town. But it's...

Amazing news is spreading like wildfire across the Scottish countryside: the most famous of all Highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth, is planning to marry at last! Everyone in the village of Lochdubh adores Josie McSween, Hamish's newest constable and blushing bride-to-be. While locals think she is quite a catch, Hamish has a severe case of pre-nuptial jitters

Agatha Raisin has never been one for enforced holiday cheer, but her friendly little village of Carsely has always prided itself on its traditional Christmas festivities. But this year the bells will not be ringing out Silent Night.

After six months spent in London, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village of Carsely - and to her attractive neighbour, James Lacey. True, James is less than thrilled to see her, but Agatha is soon consoled by a sensational murder. Originally published: New York: St. Martin's, 1994

Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is alarmed to receive a report from a woman in the small Highlands village of Cronish. She has been brutally attacked and a dangerous criminal is on the loose...but on further investigation it would appear she was lying about the crime. When the same woman calls Hamish back a few days later about an intruder in her house, he takes her claim with a pinch of salt - only this time it would appear she was telling the truth as her...

Hamish Macbeth is savouring the delights of a Highland summer, but as fast as the rain rolls in from the loch his happy life goes to hell in a handbasket. The trouble begins when his beloved Priscilla Halburton-Smythe returns to Lochdubh with a new fiance on her arm. His miseries multiply when clouds of midges descend on the town. And then a paragon of housewife perfection named Trixie Thomas moves into Lochdubh with her cowed husband in tow. The...