Scottish author Marion Chesney Gibbons, who wrote more than 160 mystery and romance novels under several pseudonyms, died December 30 at age 83. She was best known for her Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth mystery series, written as M.C. Beaton, and historical romance novels under the name Marion Chesney. She also wrote as Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward and Sarah Chester. Her Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth titles have sold more than 21 million copies worldwide and have both been adapted into BBC television series.Death of a Gossip (1985) began the Hamish Macbeth series. Macbeth is the local constable, or bobby, of Lochdubh, a town in the Scottish highlands. He eschews promotions and has a reputation for laziness, but still solves mysteries with his extensive local knowledge and natural curiosity. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (1992) introduced the middle-aged owner of a PR firm who sells her company and moves to the countryside to solve mysteries. In book 15 of the series, Raisin establishes her own detective agency. In the U.S., Hamish Macbeth is published by Grand Central and Agatha Raisin by Minotaur Books. --Tobias Mutter