Marion Chesney

Marion Chesney
Chesney in 2006
Born	Marion McGowan Chesney (1936-06-10)10 June 1936 Glasgow, Scotland
Died	30/31 December 2019 (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 ​ ​ (m. 1969; died 2016)​
Children	Charles Gibbons
Website
mcbeaton.com/uk/

Marion Gibbons (née Chesney; 10 June 1936 – 30/31 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.^[1]