Nothing makes a mystery reader happier than a series—unless it’s three series by the same beloved author. And few things are sadder than learning that a favorite series author has died. For Christmas, I was given Down the Hatch, an Agatha Raisin mystery by M. C. Beaton. And the jacket flap informed me of her death in 2019. Sadly, that means no more Agatha, no more Hamish Macbeth, and no more Lady Rose Summer.
If you haven’t read Beaton’s books, you have dozens of great reading adventures ahead. Agatha Raisin took early retirement from the advertising business in London, where she was a ruthless competitor. She moved to a village in the Cotswold and began entering baking contests and other events, where she was once more a ruthless competitor. And she inevitably became involved in local murders, romances with bachelor neighbors, and a local police officer’s problems with his overprotective mother. You can the many books in this wonderful series as mysteries, romances, and comedies.
Her second lengthy series centers on Hamish Macbeth, a policeman in rural Scotland, whose successes—and lack of ambition—arouse the envy of his superiors in the nearby city of Strathbane. The villagers adore their policemen, and so do the readers of the many books in the series.
The Lady Rose Summer books are the most recent series. There are fewer books, but they are every bit as entertaining as the others.
If you haven’t read M. C. Beaton, you have many hours of reading pleasure ahead. Just start at the beginning and keep reading. You can find the books listed in order at M.C. Beaton - Book Series In Order