M. C. Beaton
M. C. Beaton, hailed as the “Queen of Crime” by the� Globe and Mail, was the author of the� New York Times� and� USA Today� bestselling Agatha Raisin novels—the basis for the hit series on Acorn TV and public television—as well as the Hamish Macbeth series. Born in Scotland, Beaton started her career writing historical romances under several pseudonyms as well as her maiden name, Marion Chesney. Her books have sold more than twenty-two million copies worldwide.
A long-time friend of M. C. Beaton,� R. W. Green� has written numerous works of fiction and non-fiction. He lives in Surrey with his family and a black Labrador called Flynn.
�
All Books By M. C. Beaton
A Governess of Distinction
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 27 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.76(364 ratings)
A young governess dreams of life in a castle in this historical romance by bestselling author M. C. Beaton.
Lord Percy Hunterdon despaired: he had inherited a Gothic horror of an estate along with a pair of fifteen-year-old brats to marry off. It was no secret to him that finding husbands for these two vile young ladies would require the utmost expertise: the care of a governess of superior caliber.
When Jean Morrison spied Lord Hunterdon’s advertisement, dreams of an unmarried viscount and a magnificent castle danced in her head. She imagined him as Byronic and brooding, pacing the battlements with a black cloak wrapped around his manly shoulders. And naturally, he would fall madly in love with her.
Her dreams immediately burst apart at the seams when she saw the dank, dirty Trelawney Castle and encountered for the first time the evil dispositions of her new charges. Still, despite all of this, the golden hair and dancing eyes of her employer conjured up fantasies that were most unseemly for a governess of distinction.
... Read moreA Highland Christmas
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 2 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.85(5539 ratings)
In the dark, wintry highlands of Lochdubh, Scotland, where the local Calvinist element resists the secular trimmings of Christmas, the spirit of old Saint Nick is about as welcome as a flat tire on a deserted road. Nor is crime taking a holiday, as Constable Hamish Macbeth soon finds himself protecting an unhappy girl, unlocking the secrets of a frightened old woman, and retrieving some stolen holiday goods. Now the lanky lawman must use all his Highland charm and detective skills to make things right. And he had better do it quickly, for the church bells will soon toll and all Lochdubh will be forced to face another dreary winter without the comforting embrace of Yuletide cheer.
... Read moreA Marriage of Inconvenience
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 26 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.68(201 ratings)
A marriage of convenience becomes a rollicking adventure in this historical romance
He stated quite bluntly–and much to Isabella’s relief–that theirs would be a marriage in name only. But neither Harry nor Isabella was aware of the other’s disguise–contrived in vain to thwart the impending nuptials. Isabella was not the selfish ice princess she seemed, nor was Harry a mincing dandy but rather a merry profligate.
A search for buried treasure and a thwarted suitor out for revenge add adventure to the marital mayhem, as two hearts discover that love lies no farther than the nearest kiss.
... Read moreA Spoonful of Poison
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 5 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.74(7626 ratings)
Agatha Raisin’s detective agency has become so successful that now all she wants is some R&R. But as soon as she cuts back her hours, Agatha remembers that when she has too much quality time, she doesn’t know what to do with it. So it doesn’t take much for the vicar of a nearby village to persuade her to help publicize the church fete, especially when the fair’s organizer, George Selby, happens to be a gorgeous widower.
The problem is that several of the offerings in the jam-tasting booth turn out to be poisoned, and the festive family event soon becomes a murder scene. Now Agatha must uncover the truth behind the jam tampering and expose the nasty secrets lurking in the seemingly innocent village—all while falling for handsome George, who just may have some secrets of his own.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and Love, Lies, and Liquor
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 14 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.79(5594 ratings)
Agatha Raisin thinks she’s in for a treat when her ex-husband, James Lacey, invites her on a holiday. But to her horror, his idea of an exotic destination is a small, rundown resort in Snoth-on-Sea. Needless to say, the break doesn’t go as planned. When a fellow guest in their hotel is found murdered, Agatha herself becomes a suspect–and it looks as if she will be solving this particular case from the confines of a prison cell.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 35 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.81(952 ratings)
Amateur sleuth Agatha Raisin is going through a man-hating phase after being left by her husband, is bored with tottering around Carsley, and wishes men would just sod off, so she is unmoved by news of a captivating new curate. But when she meets the golden-haired, blue-eyed Tristan Delon, she is swept off her feet–along with every other female in the village. She is positively ecstatic when he invites her to dine with him, but the next day Agatha is left with a hangover from hell–and the curate is found dead. Carsley is whisked from time-warp monotony to a hotbed of murder and intrigue, and Agatha Raisin is back on track. As the corpses multiply, ever-obstinate Agatha trails clues from Lilac Lane to London, unmindful that someone wicked is arranging that Mrs. Raisin’s cats never again hear their mistress’ footfall on the path.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 8 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.78(6154 ratings)
Crankier than ever, Agatha Raisin wants to forget that her husband left her to enter a monastery–a turn of affairs more humiliating than when she caught him with a mistress. She feels abandoned, fat, frumpy, and absolutely furious.
What are her options? She takes an island vacation and joins a Pilates class. But what finally lifts her spirits is finding a corpse. The dead girl was a member of Agatha’s exercise class, afloat in a rain-swollen river, dressed in a bridal gown, and clutching a wedding bouquet. Agatha’s policeman friend Bill Wong suggests she leave this macabre murder to the Worcester CID. Pah! What do they know? Once she enlists the aid of the bachelor mystery writer next door, puts on a disguise, and interviews some likely suspects, Agatha will be her brash, redoubtable self again–unless she becomes the killer’s next victim first …
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.84(849 ratings)
Can the feisty Agatha Raisin cut it as a private investigator? She soon learns that running her own detective agency in the Cotswolds is not quite like starring in a Raymond Chandler movie. But then in walks wealthy divorc+(r)e Catherine Laggat-Brown, who presents Agatha with her first real case. Death threats, blackmail, and worse quickly follow, and once again Agatha is off scouring the countryside for clues and showing friends and enemies alike what Raisin Investigations can do!
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 5 hours 56 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.74(7266 ratings)
When a fortune teller from a previous case informs Agatha Raisin that her destiny–and true love–lies in Norfolk, she promptly rents a cottage in the quaint village of Fryfam. No sooner does she arrive than strange things start happening. Random objects go missing from people’s homes and odd little lights are seen dancing in the villagers’ gardens and yards. Stories soon begin circulating about the presence of fairies.
But when a prominent village resident is found murdered, and some suspicion falls on her and her friend Sir Charles Fraith, Agatha decides she’s had enough of this fairy nonsense and steps up her sleuthing for a human killer.
The prickly yet endearing Agatha will have fans dangling in suspense: Will she catch her crook–and a husband?
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Haunted House
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.75(6601 ratings)
Another witty mystery featuring the quirky, crime-solving sleuth Agatha Raisin
Just back from an extended stay in London, Agatha Raisin finds herself greeted by torrential rains and an old, familiar feeling of boredom. When her handsome new neighbor, Paul Chatterton, shows up on her doorstep, she tries her best to ignore his obvious charms, but his sparkling black eyes and the promise of adventure soon lure her into another investigation.
Paul has heard rumors about Agatha’s reputation as the Cotswold village sleuth and wastes no time offering their services to the crotchety owner of a haunted house. Whispers, footsteps, and a cold white mist are plaguing Mrs. Witherspoon, but the police have failed to come up with any leads, supernatural or otherwise. The neighbors think it’s all a desperate ploy for attention, but Paul and Agatha are sure something more devious is going on. Someone’s playing tricks on Mrs. Witherspoon, and when she turns up dead under suspicious circumstances, Agatha finds herself caught up in another baffling murder mystery.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Love from Hell
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 7 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.82(6677 ratings)
Recently married to James Lacey, the witty and fractious Agatha Raisin quickly finds that marriage, and love, are not all they are cracked up to be. Rather than basking in marital bliss, the newlyweds are living in separate cottages and accusing each other of infidelity. After a particularly raucous fight in the local pub, James suddenly vanishes–a bloodstain the only clue to his fate–and Agatha is the prime suspect.
Determined to clear her name and find her husband, Agatha begins her investigation. But her sleuthing is thwarted when James’ suspected mistress, Melissa, is found murdered. Joined by her old friend Sir Charles, Agatha digs into Melissa’s past and uncovers two ex-husbands, an angry sister, and dubious relations with bikers. Are Melissa’s death and James’ disappearance connected? Will Agatha reunite with her husband, or will she find herself alone once again?
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 5 hours 57 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.82(9879 ratings)
Almost bigamy and absolute murder–Agatha Raisin’s life is never dull.
The morning of Agatha’s longed-for marriage to James Lacey dawns bright and clear. But her luck runs out in the church when Jimmy, the husband she had believed long dead, turns up large as life and twice as ugly. Agatha has a go at strangling him. It’s all too much for James, who breaks off the engagement. So when Jimmy is found murdered the next day, Agatha and James are both suspects. And they’ll have to work together in order to clear their names.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 0 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.79(530 ratings)
After being nearly killed by both a hired hit man and her former secretary, Agatha Raisin could use some low-key cases. So when Robert Smedley walks through the door of her detective agency, determined to prove that his wife is cheating on him, Raisin Investigations immediately offers to help. Unfortunately for Agatha, Mabel Smedley appears to be the perfect wife: young, pretty, and a regular volunteer at church. But just as Agatha is ready to give up, Smedley is poisoned with weed killer, leaving Mabel, the prime suspect, poised to inherit a fortune. With no one left to pay her, Agatha has to drop the investigation–that is, until her old friend Sir Charles Fraith turns up again to rekindle her curiosity in the case.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.8(5988 ratings)
A little friendly competition for the attention of a handsome neighbor turns deadly in this third installment of the popular Agatha Raisin mystery series.
When Agatha Raisin returns home after a sojourn in the capital, she finds a new woman ensconced in the affections of her attractive bachelor neighbor, James Lacey. The newcomer, Mary Fortune, is superior to Agatha in every way, especially when it comes to gardening. With Carsely Open Day approaching, Agatha longs for some fascinating crime to remind James of her genius for investigation and to distract him from Mary. Soon a series of assaults on the finest gardens is followed by murder when Mary herself is discovered buried upside down in a terracotta pot. Agatha immediately starts digging up all the dirt she can on the victim–but she has a secret of her own.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 25 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.74(1033 ratings)
Putting all her eggs in one basket, Agatha Raisin gives up her successful public-relations firm, sells her London flat, and samples a taste of early retirement in the quiet village of Carsely.
Bored, lonely, and used to getting her way, she enters a local baking contest–surely a blue ribbon for the best quiche will make her the toast of the town. But her recipe for social advancement sours when Judge Cummings-Browne not only snubs her entry but falls over dead! After her quiche’s secret ingredient turns out to be poison, she must reveal the unsavory truth.
Agatha has never baked a thing in her life! In fact, she bought her entry ready-made from an upper-crust London quicherie. Grating on the nerves of several Carsely residents, she is soon receiving sinister notes. Has her cheating and meddling landed her in hot water, or are the threats related to the suspicious death? It may mean the difference between egg on her face and a coroner’s tag on her toe.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 5 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.65(4073 ratings)
Agatha Raisin, retired PR supremo, has been spurned at the altar by the man of her dreams–her attractive neighbor James Lacey. So temporarily deserting the sleepy Cotswold village of Carsely, she pursues her fleeing fianc+(r) to north Cyprus, where, instead of enjoying a romantic honeymoon, they witness the killing of an obnoxious tourist in a disco. Can the duo forget their differences and resume their strangely successful sleuthing partnership?
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Diana Bishop
- Length: 5 hours 13 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.73(1279 ratings)
It’s a purr-fect crime in the Cotswolds.
Former London PR agent, Agatha Raisin still hasn’t adjusted to village life, where the only prospect for a hot evening out is a meeting of the Ladies Society. And since her overtures toward James Lacey, the retired military man next door, have failed, Agatha jumps at the chance to visit the new vet, who is single and good-looking. Although Agatha’s cat hasn’t a thing wrong with him, Hodge endures having a thermometer shoved up his bum in the name of romance. Unfortunately his sacrifice is all for naught when the vet is soon found dead next to a high-strung horse.
The police call the vet’s demise a freak accident, but Agatha convinces the hard-to-get James Lacey, who is also bored in the Cotswolds, that playing amateur detective might be fun. Unfortunately, just as curiosity killed the cat, Agatha’s inept snooping is soon a motivation for murder.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 5 hours 45 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.72(7765 ratings)
Agatha Raisin’s neighboring village of Ancombe is usually the epitome of quiet rural charm, but the arrival of a new mineral-water company–which intends to tap into the village spring–sends tempers flaring and divides the parish council into two stubborn camps. When Agatha, who happens to be the PR person for the water company, finds the council chairman murdered at the spring, tongues start wagging. Could one of the council members have silenced the chairman before he could cast the deciding vote? It is up to Agatha, still nursing a bruised heart from her broken engagement, to investigate the councilors, solve the crime–and promote the water company in the face of all this scandal.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 5 hours 58 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.75(7124 ratings)
There is nothing more depressing for a middle-aged lovelorn woman with bald patches on her head than to find herself in an English seaside resort out of season. Agatha Raisin, her hair falling out after a run-in with a hairdresser-cum-murderess from a previous investigation, travels to an old-fashioned hotel in order to repair the damage away from the neighbors in her all-too-cozy Cotswolds village. Unhappy about the slow results and prompted by the elderly residents of the resort, she consults the local witch for help. Agatha purchases a hair tonic (and a love potion, just in case!) and is soon sprouting hairs and capturing the fancy of the village police inspector. But the quiet town is stunned by the murder of the witch. Which of the graying guests is capable of such a brutal crime? The brassy yet endearing Agatha won’t stop until she finds the culprit–and, of course, a little love too.
... Read moreAgatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 5 hours 37 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.75(7999 ratings)
He was a hairdresser to dye for.
The local ladies all deem Mr. John a wizard, so when Agatha finds a few grey hairs on her head–and the rinse she tries at home turns her hair purple–she makes a beeline for the handsome Evesham hairdresser. And as well as sorting out her hair it soon becomes clear the charming man also has designs on her heart–but their budding romance is cut short when Mr. John is fatally poisoned in his salon. Once again Agatha finds herself embroiled in a murder case. Was it one of Mr. John’s many lady clients, all of whom divulged to him their darkest secrets? It’s time for Agatha to get to the root of this hair-raising mystery!
... Read moreAgatha’s First Case
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Alison Larkin
- Length: 1 hours 9 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.61(4963 ratings)
At age twenty-six, Agatha Raisin has already come a long way. She has clawed her way up since leaving the Birmingham slum where she was born. She’s lost her Birmingham accent, run away from her drunken husband, and found a job at a public relations office as a secretary. Then her boss asks Agatha to go to the home of Sir Bryce Teller to tell him that he is soon to be arrested for the murder of his wife and that the agency no longer wants to represent him.
Teller, impressed with the pugnacious Agatha, asks her to handle PR for him and even offers her an office and tells her she can hire a staff. Certainly the best thing Agatha can do for her first client is to find out who really murdered his wife and clear his name. And with her wits and gumption, Agatha sets out to do just that.
New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton’s character Agatha Raisin is beloved by millions, and this brand-new short story takes us back to where it all began with Agatha’s first case.
... Read moreAmaryllis
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Kelly Birch
- Length: 5 hours 29 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.77(406 ratings)
One minute, Amaryllis Duvane is the belle of the London season—a “diamond of the first water,” desired by every man and envied by every woman. Even better, she’s about to marry the man of her dreams.
But when her father dies, Amaryllis loses more than a parent—she loses her fortune. Left penniless, she’s forced to depend on the generosity of her wealthy relations, who make her work as a servant to her own socially ambitious cousins.
When her ex-fiancé, the devastatingly handsome Marquess of Merechester, courts one of her relatives, Amaryllis can’t bear the thought of him seeing what’s become of her—or how much she still desires him.
... Read moreAnimating Maria
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 16 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.84(177 ratings)
Amy and Effy Tribble can’t believe their luck. After four seasons spent molding intractable, wayward, or just plain frumpy young women into marriage material, their fifth season in the chaperone business brings them a dream client.
Maria Kendall is beautiful, impeccably mannered, effortlessly graceful, and extremely well-dowered. She is a perfect candidate for marriage, even if none of her real suitors–especially the proud and aristocratic Duke of Berham–quite live up to her dreams. But when the duke meets Maria’s vulgar and boorish parents, his proposal is quickly withdrawn. Amy and Effy soon realize that they face their greatest challenge yet–taking on not only Maria but the hopelessly common Kendalls as well.
... Read moreAnnabelle
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.61(871 ratings)
It’s a maiden’s miracle! Annabelle Quennell, daughter of a poor country parson, gets a chance at a London season to snare a wealthy husband. But before she sets off, Mad Meg the gypsy predicts trouble ahead, and it is nothing but woe that Annabelle finds. Godmother Lady Emmeline sponsors Annabelle’s spree–and demands she wed the oafish Captain MacDonald. But things get worse when Annabelle fears she is losing her heart to Lord Varleigh–elegant, well-pursed, but who is taken by another mistress. What a pickle Annabelle had gotten into, and it only gets worse by the moment!
In this whirlwind series, Marion Chesney brings us spirited, independent women who are bewitching, beguiling, and determined to make their mark on the world, be it within their social circle or extending beyond. Here is life in all its folly, set out for us as we watch on this dizzying place where dreams are both shattered and made.
... Read moreAs the Pig Turns
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 32 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2011
- Language: English
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3.67(5788 ratings)
The picturesque Cotwsold village of Winter Parva has decided to warm the post-Christmas season by roasting a pig in the town square. Agatha, always one for a good roasting, organizes an outing to enjoy the merriment. But as the rotary spit is placed over a bed of fiery charcoals and the pig is carried toward its final resting place, Agatha realizes that things are not as they seem …
“Stop!” she screams suddenly. The “pig,” in fact, is Gary Beech, a policeman not exactly beloved by the good people of the village. Although Agatha has every intention of leaving matters to the police, everything changes when Gary’s ex-wife hires Agatha’s detective agency to investigate–and then is murdered too. With that provocation, how could any sleuth as vain and competitive (and secretly insecure) as Agatha do anything other than solve the case herself?
... Read moreAt the Sign of the Golden Pineapple
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.66(232 ratings)
“I do not think I want to be married at all. I want to be rich. Very rich…”
When Henrietta Bascombe opens a confectionary shop in order to turn her pittance of an inheritance into a fortune, her friends are shocked to hear of such a well-bred lady going into trade. The Earl of Carrisdown is both drawn to and repelled by her shopgirl status. Undaunted, Henrietta proceeds to hang out the traditional confectioners’ sign of a golden pineapple and soon finds a set of beautiful women in her employ, drawing the attention of the Earl of Carrisdown’s younger brother and best friend. Distressed by the situation, the earl makes it his mission to put Henrietta out of business. But he looks forward to tangling with the fiery sweetshop owner more than he’s willing to admit.
... Read moreBack in Society
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 4 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.98(332 ratings)
Life is finally looking up for the poor relations. The Prince of Wales’ coat of arms gleams over the hotel entrance. All but one of the rooms are filled by the open-handed Prince Hugo and his entourage. The owners have taken on a new partner, Mr. Jason Davy, a popular actor. Even curmudgeonly Sir Philip hasn’t uttered anything loathsome for days. They have finally reached a position comfortable enough to allow them to consider offers to buy the hotel.
The poor relations’ hard-earned success, however, is in stark contrast to the plight of their latest guest, Lady Jane Fremney. The slight, beautiful youngest daughter of the Earl of Durby has been cast out of her family for refusing to marry the man her father has chosen. Lonely and bankrupt, Lady Jane has decided to commit suicide. But when Miss Tonks uncovers her plans, the poor relations go into action again to rescue Lady Jane from suicide, her father, and her intended husband.
... Read moreBeating About the Bush
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 38 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2019
- Language: English
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3.85(3597 ratings)
Agatha Raisin in Beating About the Bush
When private detective Agatha Raisin comes across a severed leg in a roadside hedge, it looks like she is about to become involved in a particularly gruesome murder. Looks, however, can be deceiving, as Agatha discovers when she is employed to investigate a case of industrial espionage at a factory where nothing is quite what it seems.
The factory mystery soon turns to murder and a bad-tempered donkey turns Agatha into a national celebrity, before bringing her ridicule and shame. To add to her woes, Agatha finds herself grappling with growing feelings for her friend and occasional lover, Sir Charles Fraith. Then, as a possible solution to the factory murder unfolds, her own life is thrown into deadly peril. Will Agatha get her man at last? Or will the killer get her first?
... Read moreBeatrice Goes to Brighton
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Helen Lisanti
- Length: 5 hours 31 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.89(153 ratings)
A former employer’s legacy of PS5,000 has allowed charming spinster Hannah Pym to give up her housekeeping work and to travel the English countryside, where she encounters adventure and many opportunities to ply her expert matchmaking skills.
Lady Beatrice Marsham has quite the problem. No sooner is she widowed from a brutish gambling husband than her heartless family is forcing her into another horrid marriage. Fleeing by stagecoach to the Brighton seaside, the proud beauty meets Miss Hannah Pym, who is determined to find her a proper match.
The handsome and kind Lord Alistair Munro would be perfect. Unfortunately, he is convinced by the town gossip that proclaims Lady Beatrice a cruel flirt. Miss Pym, however, is not worried. The young lady’s hard heart has softened much since coming to Brighton, and though Lord Alistair disapproves of the old Lady Beatrice, by Miss Pym’s clever design, he is sure to fall in love with the new and improved model.
... Read moreBelinda Goes to Bath
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Helen Lisanti
- Length: 5 hours 27 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.78(218 ratings)
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin novels, the charming second installment in the Traveling Matchmaker series
A dead employer’s legacy of PS5,000 allows spinster Hannah Pym to resign from housekeeping and find adventure traveling the English countryside by coach. But the adventure soon finds Miss Pym in the form of runaway brides, spirited heiresses, and international refugees, who continue to test her expert matchmaking skills.
No sooner does Miss Pym board her next stagecoach than she finds herself embroiled in the plight of Miss Belinda Earle, a spirited heiress banished to Bath after swearing off the marriage market. When the coach founders near Baddell Castle, the dashing Marquis of Frenton comes to the rescue, and Miss Pym decides to give fate a hand. Although the austere bachelor disdains romance, his furtive glances toward Belinda prove to Miss Pym that her expert matchmaking will soon turn this star-crossed couple into a heavenly match.
... Read moreBusy Body
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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3.75(5268 ratings)
Agatha Raisin has never been one for forced 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, as Mr. John Sunday, an officer with the Cotswold Health and Safety Board, has chosen Christmas as the time to crack down on safety hazards all around the community. But he goes too far when he rules that there cannot be a Christmas tree atop the church tower this year. Mr. Sunday is soon found facedown in the petunias, very much dead. Agatha is instantly on the case, but with so many people having threatened the life of the victim, it’s almost impossible to know where to start!
... Read moreColonel Sandhurst to the Rescue
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 4 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.89(278 ratings)
Bringing Regency England vibrantly to life, the fifth volume in the Poor Relation series follows the escapades of Colonel Sandhurst as he helps a young woman avoid an unwanted marriage.
Owing to an unfortunate wager made by Sir Philip, the poor relations are once again scrounging around for a plan for solvency. This time it is Colonel Sandhurst to the rescue. After happening on Sir Randolph’s lovely daughter Frederica, who is running away to escape an awful marriage to Lord Bewley, the Colonel devises a plan to force Sir Randolph to settle his bill for six months’ stay and to save Frederica from her fate. The clever plan is thwarted when Lord Bewley shows up at the drop point instead of Sir Randolph. The poor relations must make a deal with Lord Bewley in order to get their money and stay out of jail, an arrangement that turns cases of mistaken identity into cases of romance.
... Read moreDaisy
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 6 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.62(6095 ratings)
Daisy Jenkins never expected to be anything more than a trespasser on the idyllic lawns of Marsden Castle. Then, suddenly, she was admitted into the magic circle of the Earl and Countess of Nottenstone, to await the arrival of the notorious Lord Chatterton, her father—a stranger whose very name was foreign to her.
She was Daisy Chatterton now, adrift in a sea of aristocratic sharks who seemed both to court and mock her. And why did the elegant Duke of Oxenden offer his protection to this newcomer who made him laugh at the very word “love”? She was determined to prove there was such a thing as true love—no matter how hard or how far she had to search to find it.
... Read moreDancing on the Wind
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lizzie Stanton
- Length: 9 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.75(181 ratings)
A unique spin on the romance genre from New York Times bestselling author Marion Chesney
I am going to die, Polly thought. The crowd clamored for a speech. Polly raised her hands, and they fell silent. From the foot of the gallows, she asked the spectators why she, a poor woman, should hang for theft, while the abbess of Covent Garden can commit murder on the souls of innocent country girls over and over again and yet go free–and then she condemned them to hell.
... Read moreDaphne
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 42 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.72(141 ratings)
Daphne, the fourth daughter of the Reverend Charles Armitage, is beautiful–dazzlingly beautiful–but she is utterly wrapped up in her own appearance. It seems fitting when she decides to marry the exquisite Cyril Archer, who is as empty-headed and vain as she is; after all, once she is safely married, she can hide her true nature behind her beauty, never expected by anyone (least of all her husband) to do or say anything clever. Moreover, marrying Cyril will preserve her from the zealous schemes of her father, whose passion for the hunt is surpassed only by his love of tracking down wealthy, titled husbands for his many daughters.
But when Daphne heads home from London, escorted by her eccentric, malaprop cousin, Lady Godolphin, her plans are suddenly thrown awry. Her father, in an aborted attempt to save his hunting pack from a vindictive bishop, finds himself indebted to a certain Mr. Simon Garfield, who is every bit as wealthy as he is noble. So the country vicar offers up the stunning, unwilling Daphne as a bride, forcing her to drop her placid mask in order to fight for the right to make her own match. Meanwhile, Daphne’s older sister Annabelle is having troubles of her own. Once so happy in her marriage, she is now losing her husband’s love and attention because of their screaming son–or is it their son? Daphne suddenly finds herself in a compromising position when she is given an even more serious reason to resent her father than his marriage plans for her.
... Read moreDeath of a Bore
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 14 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2005
- Language: English
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3.83(4246 ratings)
When John Heppel, a visiting writer to Lochdubh, first proposes forming a writers’ circle, the idea is met with much enthusiasm from local residents. However, once the classes get underway, attendance quickly falters due to one undeniable fact: John Heppel is a long-winded, consummate bore. But is dullness a motive for murder? Hamish Macbeth wouldn’t ordinarily think so, therefore when Heppel is found dead, Hamish begins looking for deeper meaning in the writer’s stories, including a strange, unfinished soap opera script that seems to suggest a more sinister motive behind its author’s unhappy ending.
... Read moreDeath of a Cad
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 5 hours 37 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2016
- Language: English
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3.82(10903 ratings)
When Priscilla Halburton-Smythe brings her London playwright fiancé home to Lochdubh, everybody in town is delighted, except for love-smitten Constable Hamish Macbeth.
Yet Hamish’s affairs of the heart will have to wait. Vile, boorish Captain Bartlett, one of the guests at Priscilla’s engagement party, has just been found murdered—shot while on a grouse hunt. Now with many titled party guests as the prime suspects, each with a reason for snuffing out the despicable captain, Hamish must smooth ruffled feathers as he investigates the case.
When the hidden culprit strikes again, Hamish will find himself trying to save Priscilla from a miserable marriage—and catch a killer before he flies the coop.
... Read moreDeath of a Celebrity
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.86(3901 ratings)
Lochdubh, a remote village reached only by a one-track lane, nestles serenely amid Scotland’s hills, until well-known television reporter Crystal French races into town in her bright BMW. And the local constable, Hamish Macbeth, wed to duty instead of the girlfriend who dumped him, promptly gives her a summons for reckless driving.
Outraged, Crystal makes Macbeth’s life a misery with a TV report on policing in the Highlands. When she also rakes up old local scandals for her new hit show, Macbeth notes that someone besides himself might be dead keen to stop her. Then someone does–with stealth and violence.
Finding out who did it will lead Macbeth down roads he never envisioned, into a dark story of passion and vengeance–and perhaps a crisis of the heart all his own.
... Read moreDeath of a Charming Man
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.78(4656 ratings)
M. C. Beaton returns with another baffling case for Hamish Macbeth, the stubborn, red-haired, one-man police department of the Highland village of Lochdubh.
Hamish Macbeth’s unofficial engagement to the stunningly beautiful Priscilla Halburton-Smythe is reminding the constable of the old adage about answered prayers. His lovely fiancee has replaced his cozy wood stove with a modern electric one and is busy trying to “make a man of him.” The only man Hamish wants to be is the one who wanders about the village with his dog Towser, gossiping, fishing, and deftly solving a crime or two.
Deciding that this may be a good time for a little retreat, Hamish ambles over to the nearby backwater of Drim, ostensibly to check out a posh English chap who is causing a most unusual problem. Single, wealthy, and terribly attractive, newcomer Peter Hynd has thrown the middle-aged matrons of Drim into a flutter and put their men, dour Highlanders whose feelings run deep, on a slow burn. Hamish’s instincts tell him this seemingly charming young man likes to stir up trouble, and it’s not long before the seething emotions transform the sleepy village into a hotbed of threats, domestic rows, and violent murder.
With Hamish’s own relationship raising doubts about hearts and flowers, he’s more than ready to do what he now must: investigate the darker side of love.
... Read moreDeath of a Chimney Sweep
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 37 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2011
- Language: English
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3.76(4191 ratings)
In the isolated villages in the north of Scotland, the villagers rely on the services of the chimney sweep, Pete Ray, and his old-fashioned brushes. Pete is always able to find work in the Scottish highlands–until the day that Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices blood dripping onto the floor of a villager’s fireplace and a dead body stuffed inside the chimney.
The entire town of Lochdubh is certain Pete is the culprit, but Hamish doesn’t believe that the affable chimney sweep is capable of committing murder. Then Pete’s body is found on the Scottish moors, and the mystery deepens. It’s up to Hamish to discover who is responsible for the dirty deed–and this time, the murderer may be closer than he realizes.
... Read moreDeath of a Dentist
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 6 hours 28 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.81(4427 ratings)
In Scotland, where thrift and a “nice set of dentures” are generally admired, dental surgeon Dr. Frederick Gilchrist’s cheap rates and penchant for pulling teeth have gained him a clientele.
However, wiser Highlanders, like Constable Hamish Macbeth, opt to steer clear of this reputed womanizer’s all-too-busy hands. But a blinding toothache sends Hamish Macbeth 120 miles out of Lochdubh to the infamous dentist’s door.
Unfortunately for Hamish and Gilchrist, someone has canceled all the doctor’s appointments–permanently. Since everyone is pleased that the dentist is deceased–patients, several harassed women, and even his wife–Macbeth faces one of the more biting challenges of his career.
A toothache can drive a man mad, and Hamish, with a mouth full of throbbing pain, decides to go after the killer alone.
... Read moreDeath of a Dreamer
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 25 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.87(4181 ratings)
Occasionally, the rugged landscape of Scotland attracts dreamers who move north, wrapped in fantasies of enjoying the simple life. They usually don’t last, defeated by the climate or by inhospitable locals. But it looks as if Effie Garrand has come to stay.
When local constable Hamish Macbeth calls on her, he is amazed to find the small woman still in residence after a particularly hideous winter. Unfortunately, Effie is also quite delusional, having convinced herself–and everyone else–that local artist Jock Fleming is in love with her and that they are engaged.
After a huge fight with Jock, Effie is found in the mountains, dead from poisoning. Now, it’s up to Hamish to find the dreamer’s killer–before any more nightmares unfold.
... Read moreDeath of a Dustman
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 4 hours 58 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.89(3970 ratings)
When Fergus Macleod, Lochdubh’s abusive, drunk dustman is put in charge of the local recycling center, Hamish Macbeth smells trouble. Sure enough, Fergus, imbued with his new powers, becomes a bullying tyrant. When his body is found stuffed in a recycling bin, no one is sorry–including his long-suffering family. But Macbeth is surprised to find that many of the despicable dustman’s victims refuse to talk–and when violence strikes again, the lanky lawman must quickly unearth the culprit among a litter of suspects … before the killer makes a clean getaway!
... Read moreDeath of a Gentle Lady
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 31 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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3.81(4620 ratings)
Gentle by name, gentle by nature. Everyone in the sleepy Scottish town of Lochdubh adores elderly Mrs. Gentle–everyone but Hamish Macbeth, that is. Hamish thinks the gentle lady is quite sly and vicious, and the citizens of Lochdubh think he is overly cranky. Perhaps it’s time for him to get married, they say.
But who has time for marriage when there’s a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there’s more to the story and begins investigating the truth behind this lady’s gentle exterior.
... Read moreDeath of a Ghost
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 37 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 21, 2017
- Language: English
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3.78(3300 ratings)
When Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth hears reports of a haunted castle near Drim, he assumes the eerie noises and lights reported by the villagers are just local teenagers going there to smoke pot or, worse, inject themselves with drugs. Still, Hamish decides that he and his policeman, Charlie “Clumsy” Carson, will spend the night at the ruined castle to get to the bottom of the rumors once and for all.
There’s no sign of any ghost…but then Charlie disappears through the floor. It turns out he’s fallen into the cellar. And what Hamish and Charlie find there is worse than a ghost: a dead body propped against the wall. Waiting for help to arrive, Hamish and Charlie leave the castle just for a moment–to eat bacon baps–but when they return, the body is nowhere to be seen.
It’s clear something strange–and deadly–is going on at the castle, and Hamish must get to the bottom of it before the “ghost” can strike again…
Death of a Gossip
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 4 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2016
- Language: English
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3.68(12954 ratings)
When society widow and gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joined the fishing class, she wasted no time in ruffling the feathers–or was it the fins?–of those around her. Among the victims of her sharp tongue and unladylike manner was Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet not even Hamish thought someone would permanently silence Lady Jane’s shrills–until her strangled body is fished out of the river.
Now with the help of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Hamish must angle through the choppy waters of the tattler’s life to find the murderer. But with a school of suspects who aren’t ready to talk and dead women telling no tales, Hamish may be in over his head, for he knows that secrets are dangerous, knowledge is power, and killers usually do strike again.
Includes the bonus story “Knock, Knock You’re Dead”
... Read moreDeath of a Gossip & Death of a Cad
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 10 hours 3 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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4.39(74 ratings)
Death of a Gossip
When society widow and gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joined the fishing class, she wasted no time in ruffling the feathers–or was it the fins?–of those around her. Among the victims of her sharp tongue and unladylike manner was Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet not even Hamish thought someone would permanently silence Lady Jane’s shrills–until her strangled body is fished out of the river. Now with the help of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Hamish must angle through the choppy waters of the tattler’s life to find the murderer. But with a school of suspects who aren’t ready to talk and dead women telling no tales, Hamish may be in over his head, for he knows that secrets are dangerous, knowledge is power, and killers usually do strike again.
Death of a Cad
When Priscilla Halburton-Smythe brings her London playwright fianc+(r) home to Lochdubh, everybody in town is delighted … except for love-smitten Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet his affairs of the heart will have to wait. Vile, boorish Captain Bartlett, one of the guests at Priscilla’s engagement party, has just been found murdered–shot while on a grouse hunt. Now with many titled party guests as the prime suspects, each with a reason for snuffing out the despicable captain, Hamish must smooth ruffled feathers as he investigates the case. When the hidden culprit strikes again, Hamish will find himself trying to save Priscilla from a miserable marriage–and catch a killer before he flies the coop.
... Read moreDeath of a Greedy Woman
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.76(935 ratings)
A classic title from M. C. Beaton’s New York Times bestselling Hamish Macbeth series
Peta Gore is the bane of her friend’s otherwise successful life. Maria Worth has come to hate her old friend–a noisy, vulgar glutton. There is no other way to describe Peta. She doesn’t just “have a good appetite”–she sucks and chomps and chews with relish. Not only are her table manners horrifying, but she has a habit of showing up at Maria’s carefully planned singles’ gatherings and spoiling everything by flirting with all the men. This time Maria is determined to keep her latest event a secret.
The gathering is to be at Tommel Castle Hotel in the remote Scottish village of Lochdubh–the perfect setting for a particularly difficult group. Nothing can go wrong. Except that somehow Peta finds out about the gathering and shows up, thoroughly disgusting everyone. Guests and staff band together in mutual loathing. But does someone hate her enough to kill her? When she is found dead, an apple stuck unceremoniously in her mouth, Constable Hamish Macbeth is on the scene. With a castle full of odd suspects, the lazy, long-limbed constable has to put his wooing of the hotel proprietress, Priscilla, on hold to solve the case.
... Read moreDeath of a Green-Eyed Monster
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 6 hours 8 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 15, 2022
- Language: English
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3.94(1478 ratings)
Sergeant Hamish Macbeth—Scotland’s most quick-witted but unambitious policeman—is back and may have finally met the woman of his dreams in this new mystery in M.C. Beaton’s beloved, New York Times bestselling series.
Hamish’s new constable, Dorothy McIver, may be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Completely bewitched by her sparkling blue eyes, Hamish spends the summer traveling with her up and down Sutherland until finally, he can take it no longer. He gets down on one knee beside the Land Rover and begs her to marry him–and to his amazement and delight, she says yes.
But just as the town of Lochdubh gets ready to celebrate, Hamish finds himself with a new murder on his hands. If he doesn’t find the killer fast, Hamish’s dream wedding could become a nightmare.
Death of a Hussy
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hours 58 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.79(5705 ratings)
Another adventure in M. C. Beaton’s New York Times bestselling Hamish Macbeth series
About the best that can be said of wealthy Maggie Baird is that, inside her middle-aged body, there still beats the heart of a beautiful tart. So when her car catches fire with Maggie in it, there are five likely suspects right on the premises of her luxurious Highlands cottage.
Lochdubh police constable Hamish Macbeth has to question Maggie’s timid niece and four former lovers, one of whom Maggie had intended to pick for her husband. All five are equally poor–with ample motive and opportunity to monkey with Maggie’s car.
Now to find the killer, the astute policeman must apply his extraordinary Highland insight into human nature. But when the evidence appears to point to the wrong person entirely, Hamish must dig down deep to stop the real murderer’s escape.
... Read moreDeath of a Kingfisher
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 33 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.73(4003 ratings)
When Scotland is hit by recession, police constable Hamish Macbeth notices that the Highland people are forced to come up with inventive ways to lure tourists to their sleepy towns. The quaint village of Braikie doesn’t have much to offer, other than a place of rare beauty called Buchan’s Wood, which was bequeathed to the town. The savvy local tourist director renames the woods “The Fairy Glen,” and has brochures printed with a beautiful photograph of a kingfisher rising from a pond on the cover.
It isn’t long before coach tours begin to arrive. But just as the town’s luck starts to turn, a kingfisher is found hanging from a branch in the woods with a noose around its neck. As a wave of vandalism threatens to ruin Braikie forever, the town turns to Hamish Macbeth. And when violence strikes again, the lawman’s investigation quickly turns from animal cruelty to murder.
... Read moreDeath of a Laird
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: David Monteath
- Length: 1 hours 26 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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4.02(532 ratings)
A wealthy laird’s guests are trapped in his estate during a furious storm–but when the laird turns up dead, Scotland’s most quick-witted but unambitious policeman, Hamish Macbeth, is on the case, in this delightful new short story in M. C. Beaton’s New York Times bestselling series.
When Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is sent to investigate reports that the wealthy new laird of the remote Naglar House has disappeared, northwest Scotland is hit by the worst storm in living memory. The road is washed away, phone lines are down, mobile reception is dead, and his police radio is out of order. He is trapped with the laird’s high-class house guests. Then he discovers the laird’s body.
Forced to remain overnight at the house, Hamish interviews each of the guests and pieces together an alarming picture of clandestine infidelity, vicious jealousy, deadly revenge, lust, greed, and fear. It begins to look like all of the guests had good reason to want the laird dead, but which one of them actually did the deed?
... Read moreDeath of a Liar
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 20 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 03, 2015
- Language: English
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3.77(3568 ratings)
Death of a Liar: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is alarmed to receive a report from a woman in the small village of Cronish in the Scottish Highlands. She has been brutally attacked and the criminal is on the loose. But upon further investigation, Hamish discovers that she was lying about the crime. So when the same woman calls him back about an intruder, he simply marvels at her compulsion to lie. This time, though, she is telling the truth. Her body is found in her home and Hamish must sort through all of her lies to solve the crime.
Death of a Macho Man
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 6 hours 32 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.84(4008 ratings)
If you haven’t already fallen in love with this internationally acclaimed series by M. C. Beaton, then this cunningly crafted mystery will do the trick. Loaded with authentic Scots dialog vivid enough to make you smell the heather-scented air, Death of a Macho Man is Beaton at her best.
Hamish Macbeth–Lochdubh’s one-man police force–has suddenly become a prime murder suspect when a belligerent newcomer turns up dead. To save his career, Macbeth must delve into this Macho Man’s unsavory past.
Suddenly, suspects are everywhere: a salty fisherman, a reclusive romance writer, a respectable matron, a restauranteur’s wife, and even Hamish’s ex-fiancee Priscilla Halburton-Smythe and her newest boyfriend.
Fast-paced and loaded with quirky characters, Death of a Macho Man enhances Beaton’s glowing reputation.
... Read moreDeath of a Maid
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 34 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.82(4365 ratings)
Hamish Macbeth, constable in the remote Scottish highlands village of Lochdubh, loves his job amongst his mostly happy neighbors–until murder taints the town.
Mrs. Gillespie is famous for being the best maid in the northwest of Sutherland. But to Hamish Macbeth, she is a malicious gossip who bangs around the furniture and clanks pots. When Hamish wins Mrs. Gillespie’s services in a church raffle, he spends most of the day trying to avoid her. He doesn’t understand how she managed to gain such a fine reputation.
Then she is found dead, struck down violently by a metal bucket of water. Knowing Mrs. Gillespie’s penchant for gossip, Hamish is sure she delighted in finding out her clients’ secrets–which means that everyone whose home she cleaned is a suspect.
... Read moreDeath of a Nag
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 6 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.81(4089 ratings)
Hamish Macbeth, constable in the small Scottish Highland town of Lochdubh, needs a holiday but ends up facing more problems–including a murder.
Macbeth is feeling down after losing both his promotion and his girlfriend, the town beauty, Priscilla Halbourton-Smythe. A trip to a charming seaside inn with his dog Towser is meant to raise his sagging spirits.
Instead, he arrives at lodging to find the ambiance chilling, the food inedible, and his fellow guests less than neighborly. There’s an amorous spinster, two flirty girls, a retired military man, a secretive London family, and Bob Harris, who so nags his wife, Doris, that everyone wants to kill him.
Then somebody does. Soon Macbeth is called upon to act–to dig into the past and deep into the heart to deliver something more daunting than merely the culprit: justice.
... Read moreDeath of a Nurse
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 28 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 23, 2016
- Language: English
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3.8(3538 ratings)
On the appointed evening, Hamish waits for Gloria at the restaurant. And waits. Gloria never shows up. Four days later, Gloria’s body washes up on the beach near Braikie. Now without a date and without his former policeman Dick Fraser (who left the force to buy a bakery), Hamish must find out who killed the beautiful new resident of Sutherland, and why, before the murderer strikes again….
Death of a Perfect Wife
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hours 41 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.82(6532 ratings)
Hamish Macbeth, the laid-back constable of Lochdubh, Scotland, has a new Land Rover to drive and a Highland summer to savor, but as fast as 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 from London–with a fianc+(r) on her arm. His miseries multiply when clouds of midges, the diabolical Scottish mosquito, descend on the town. Then a paragon of housewifery named Trixie Thomas moves into Lochdubh with her lapdog husband in tow. The newcomer quickly convinces the local ladies to embrace low-cholesterol meals, ban tobacco, and begin bird-watching. Soon the town’s fish-and-chips-loving men are up in arms.
Now faced with the trials of his own soul, Macbeth must solve Lochdubh’s newest crime: the mysterious poisoning of the perfect wife.
... Read moreDeath of a Poison Pen
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 12 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.85(4106 ratings)
When the townspeople of Lochdubh begin receiving poison-pen letters, no one takes them very seriously, even if they are full of wild accusations. But Hamish Macbeth fears that they might lead to something deadly.
His instincts prove correct when the town’s postmistress is found hanging from a rope with a poison-pen letter at her feet. Though it appears to be a suicide, Hamish suspects something more sinister. Attempting to trace the letters, the last thing Hamish needs is any distractions, but soon Jenny Ogilvie arrives in Lochdubh determined to seduce him. Realizing that she is unable to take Hamish’s mind off his case, Jenny decides to do a little investigating of her own. Hamish finds himself in a race to solve the mystery of the poison-pen letters before someone else dies, including one likely target–Jenny.
... Read moreDeath of a Policeman
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 20 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: July 14, 2020
- Language: English
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3.75(3501 ratings)
Death of a Policeman: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
Local police stations all over the Scottish Highlands are being threatened with closure. This presents the perfect opportunity for Detective Chief Inspector Blair, who would love nothing more than to get rid of Sergeant Hamish Macbeth. Blair suggests that Cyril Sessions, a keen young police officer, visit the town of Lochdubh to monitor exactly what Macbeth does every day. Macbeth hears about Blair’s plan and is prepared to insure that Cyril returns back to headquarters with a full report. But Cyril is soon found dead and Hamish quickly becomes the prime suspect in his murder.
Death of a Policeman
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 20 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 25, 2014
- Language: English
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3.75(4972 ratings)
Death of a Policeman: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
Local police stations all over the Scottish Highlands are being threatened with closure. This presents the perfect opportunity for Detective Chief Inspector Blair, who would love nothing more than to get rid of Sergeant Hamish Macbeth. Blair suggests that Cyril Sessions, a keen young police officer, visit the town of Lochdubh to monitor exactly what Macbeth does every day. Macbeth hears about Blair’s plan and is prepared to insure that Cyril returns back to headquarters with a full report. But Cyril is soon found dead and Hamish quickly becomes the prime suspect in his murder.
Death of a Prankster
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hours 48 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.77(5117 ratings)
A classic title from M.C. Beaton’s New York Times bestselling Hamish Macbeth series about the death of a practical joker.
Admittedly, there’s a touch of black humor in the case. Rich, old practical joker Andrew Trent summons his kin to the remote Arrat House in the dead of winter for a deathbed farewell. They arrive to find him in perfect health and eager to torment them with a new bag of unfunny jokes.
But this time the body that falls out of the closet is Andrew Trent’s own. And nobody’s laughing.
Especially not Constable Hamish Macbeth, who is hard put to glean any information from Trent’s unappealing nearest and dearest. And when the lanky constable’s former flame Priscilla Halburton-Smythe inserts her beautiful self into the case, Hamish must muster all his native guile to carry him through. Fortunately, he has a few clever tricks up his own sleeve which enable this most endearing of crime fighters to get the best–and last–laugh.
... Read moreDeath of a Scriptwriter
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 6 hours 38 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.8(4126 ratings)
With the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe away in London, Hamish Macbeth, the constable of the small Scottish town of Lochdubh, pines for company during the long Scottish winter.
He gets his wish–and more–when a troupe of flashy, urbane filmmakers clamors into the nearby town of Drim. Before long, bedlam erupts around their make-believe mystery–and culminates in the sudden appearance of one very real corpse.
The initial suspect in the killing is one Patricia Martyn-Broyd, the aging mystery writer who is furious that her musty old cozies are getting a risque face-lift in their television reincarnation. Yet, going behind the scenes, Macbeth soon finds a town full of locals bitten by the movie bug and a cast of quarreling show business types, all harboring their own secrets, lies, and hidden agendas
And as the culprit strikes again, Macbeth must quickly find the right killer–or script the wrong finale to a show gone murderously awry.
... Read moreDeath of a Snob
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hours 34 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.78(6274 ratings)
A classic title from M. C. Beaton’s New York Times bestselling Hamish Macbeth series
Believing that someone is trying to murder her, gorgeous Jane Wetherby asks Hamish Macbeth to spend Christmas with her and an exclusive group of friends at her Scottish island health farm. With a cold in his head and no place to go for the holidays, Hamish accepts her invitation. He thinks the lady is a bit daft, but, arriving on the lonely isle of Eileencraig, he feels a prickle of foreboding.
The locals are openly threatening; the other guests, especially a terrible snob named Heather Todd, are barely civil. So when Heather meets an untimely end, Hamish knows he doesn’t have far to look for the culprit. The only snag in his investigation is that all the guests were in the house when Heather vanished.
Now, as mysterious events abound on Eileencraig, Hamish must work through the holiday sniffles to find the killer–or else it will be a very miserable Christmas indeed.
... Read moreDeath of a Traitor
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 6 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 14, 2023
- Language: English
Sergeant Hamish Macbeth–Scotland’s most quick witted but unambitious policeman–is back to investigate the disappearance of a local woman who is more than she seems, in this new mystery in M.C. Beaton’s beloved, New York Times bestselling series.
Kate Hibbert is all too eager to lend a hand to her neighbors. Although she has been a resident of the sleepy village of Lochdubh for only a year, in that time Kate has alienated one too many of its residents with her interfering–and not entirely well-intentioned–ways. When Kate’s neighbor sees her lugging a heavy suitcase to the bus stop, he hopes that the prying woman is gone for good. But two weeks later, Kate’s cousin arrives in town with the news that Kate has gone missing.
Hamish Macbeth is called in to investigate the disappearance, and soon he is befuddled by the discovery of Kate’s body, her suitcase . . . and the sneaking suspicion that Kate was someone much more sinister than she claimed.
Death of a Traveling Man
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hours 42 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.82(4394 ratings)
Lochdubh constable Hamish Macbeth’s life is going to pot. He has–horrors!–been promoted, his new boss is a dunce, and a self-proclaimed traveler named Sean and his girlfriend have parked their rusty eyesore of a van in the middle of the village. Hamish smells trouble, and he’s right, as usual. The doctor’s drugs go missing. Money vanishes. Neighbors suddenly become unneighborly. The tension only explodes after the itinerant Sean is found brutally beaten to death in his camper. Suspicion quickly falls on his girlfriend, but with nobody willing to talk, the canny Hamish faces the tough task of worming the facts out of the villagers. As he uncovers a bizarre story around the murdered traveler, Macbeth knows he must find the truth soon–before the killer gets away for good.
Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth’s new promotion means more money, but it also means that an eager beaver of a policeman has been thrust upon him, interfering with Hamish’s easygoing way of life. Fans of the lazy Hamish will delight in seeing him pitted against a zealous young officer while solving a disturbing murder.
... Read moreDeath of a Valentine
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 6 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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3.79(4246 ratings)
Amazing news has spread across the Scottish countryside. The most famous of highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth, will be married at last. Everyone in the village of Lochdubh adores Josie McSween, Macbeth’s newest constable and blushing bride-to-be.
While locals think Josie is quite a catch, Hamish has a case of prenuptial jitters. After all, if it weren’t for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighboring village, there wouldn’t be a wedding at all. For it was a mysterious Valentine’s Day package–delivered to the victim before her death–that initially drew Hamish and Josie together on the investigation. As they work side by side, Hamish and Josie soon discover that the woman’s list of admirers was endless, confirming Hamish’s suspicion that love can be blind, deaf, and deadly.
... Read moreDeath of a Village
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 18 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2003
- Language: English
The aromas of wild thyme and Highland heather waft through Lochdubh, home to M. C. Beaton’s eccentric policeman, Hamish Macbeth. Yet what the irascible constable smells in his latest case is the acrid scent of fear as an entire town is entrapped in something dark and deadly.
Yet, as he deftly investigates the summer’s high crimes and misdemeanors, he attracts the attention of his superiors. They feel a promotion and transfer will give him a larger playing field than Lochdubh, but that’s the last thing Macbeth wants. Now the laconic lawman needs a clever way to quash the move without losing his job entirely.
... Read moreDeath of a Witch
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 37 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2009
- Language: English
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3.8(4649 ratings)
Returning from a disappointing foreign holiday, police constable Hamish Macbeth is worried. He learns that a newcomer, Catriona Beldame, is regarded as a witch and that various men have been seen visiting her. Hamish himself is charmed by her until he finds out that she has been supplying dangerous potions. At first the villagers won’t listen to him, saying that the loveless Hamish has turned against all women.
When Beldame is found murdered and her home set ablaze, he must clear his own name and then work to solve yet another murder to bring peace and quiet back to his beloved village. His investigations are complicated by a romance with a female forensic expert. Perhaps the Scottish Highlands’ most stubborn bachelor will get married at last!
... Read moreDeath of an Addict
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 5 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
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3.81(3782 ratings)
With their engaging plots, mellow Scottish ambiance, and droll humor, the Hamish Macbeth mysteries always provide readers a bonnie time. The charming antics of their hopelessly unambitious and love-crossed hero have earned the series a dedicated following. Death of an Addict continues the Hamish Macbeth tradition of superb entertainment, with some fascinating twists.
When a recovering addict dies while recuperating near Lochdubh, our red-headed hero suspects foul play. To complete his investigation, Constable Macbeth must leave his idyllic home and travel to Amsterdam to match wits with big-time drug dealers.
Fans will enjoy seeing a new, tougher side of Macbeth as he dons smart suits and falls in love with his gorgeous superior officer.
... Read moreDeath of an Honest Man
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 20, 2018
- Language: English
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3.8(2675 ratings)
Paul first attended church in Lochdubh and told the minister, Mr. Wellington, that his sermons were boring. He then told tweedy Mrs. Wellington that she was too fat and should set a better example in these days of increasing obesity. Angela Brody was told her detective stories were pap for the masses and that she should write real literature instead. He accused Hamish of having dyed his fiery red hair. He told Jessie Currie–who compulsively repeats all the last words of her twin sister–that she needed psychiatric help.
“I speak as I find,” he bragged. A refrain of “I could kill that man,” could be heard from Lochdubh to Cnothan.
And someone did.
Now Hamish is faced with a bewildering array of suspects, this time without the services of his clumsy policeman, Charlie, who resigned from the force after one too many confrontations with Hamish’s incompetent boss, Chief Inspector Blair. But can Hamish find the killer on his own?
Death of an Outsider
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hours 54 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.82(8166 ratings)
The third book in the much-loved Hamish Macbeth series from the author of the bestselling Agatha Raisin series
The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or–more accurately–has been dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remains of the murdered victim are his bones. But once the lobsters have been shipped off to Britain’s best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth.
Exiled to the dreary outpost of Cnothan, Macbeth sorely misses his beloved Lochdubh, but before he can head back home he has to contend with a detective chief inspector who wants the murder hushed up, a dark-haired lassie who is out to seduce him, and a killer who has made mincemeat of his last victim–and will no doubt strike again.
... Read moreDeath of Yesterday
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: July 28, 2020
- Language: English
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3.7(3931 ratings)
Death of Yesterday: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
When a local woman tells Sergeant Hamish Macbeth that she doesn’t remember what happened the previous evening, he doesn’t begin to worry. She had been out drinking, after all, and he’d prefer not to be bothered with such an arrogant and annoying woman. But when her body is discovered, Hamish is forced to investigate a crime that the only known witness–now dead–had forgotten.
Death of Yesterday
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 5 hours 35 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: March 26, 2013
- Language: English
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3.71(5438 ratings)
Death of Yesterday: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery
When a local woman tells Sergeant Hamish Macbeth that she doesn’t remember what happened the previous evening, he doesn’t begin to worry. She had been out drinking, after all, and he’d prefer not to be bothered with such an arrogant and annoying woman. But when her body is discovered, Hamish is forced to investigate a crime that the only known witness–now dead–had forgotten.
Deborah Goes to Dover
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Helen Lisanti
- Length: 5 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.87(138 ratings)
A former employer’s bequest of PS5,000 has allowed spinster Hannah Pym to resign from housekeeping and enjoy traveling the English countryside by coach. But adventure soon finds Miss Pym in the form of runaway brides, spirited heiresses, and international refugees, who continue to test her expert matchmaking skills.
Destined for Dover, Miss Pym scents the potential for a match between fellow travelers in the coach when she meets Abigail Conningham, traveling with her mother to a loveless marriage arranged by an uncle, and Captain Beltravers, an army officer still mourning his dead wife and child
That’s just the beginning. Next, Miss Pym has her matchmaking work cut out for her when she encounters the pretty but hoydenish Lady Deborah Western. Encouraged by an unruly twin brother, the spirited, golden-haired Deborah seems set on dressing and acting the tomboy, much to the dismay of her handsome neighbor, the Earl of Ashton.
To Deb, the earl is a dull stick, always lecturing on the behavior of a proper lady. But her desire to fish, hunt, and ride is quickly replaced with more romantic notions when the tall, green-eyed earl challenges her to a horse race and wins himself an unforgettable kiss. Miss Pym is certain the stunned girl is quite ready for more feminine pursuits. And with the help of Pym’s clever maneuverings, Lady Deborah will soon be well and truly matched.
... Read moreDeirdre and Desire
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 7 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.76(154 ratings)
What clever woman would want a man like Lord Harry Desire? Why, he is clearly a lummox–languid, vain, and bland. Not even his beautiful face could redeem him. But he stands to inherit a vast fortune, and that’s good enough for Deirdre’s father, a spendthrift vicar who arranges the match to rescue himself from imminent financial collapse.
Leave it to Deirdre to contrive an escape, a quick elopement with her one true love, the dashing Guy Wentwater. But Wentwater’s love proves none too true, and Deirdre finds herself in a humiliating pickle. Not even Lord Harry will marry her now. But Harry has more tricks up his tailored sleeve than Deirdre ever imagined, and soon she pines only for the marriage thrown away–and for a man whose arms have grown suddenly irresistible.
... Read moreDevil’s Delight
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 7 hours 16 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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4(786 ratings)
Beloved New York Times bestseller M. C. Beaton’s cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin–the star of her own hit TV series–is back on the case again in Devil’s Delight.
Toni and Agatha are in the car on the way to Officer Bill Wong’s long-awaited wedding when, much to their shock, a naked young man bursts through a hedge on the side of the road and comes running toward them.
Terrified, he explains that he has just seen a dead body in the woods. Toni lends him an old t-shirt to cover himself, Agatha calls the police, and the young man takes them to the spot where he saw the body, across from a meadow where the Mircester Naturist Club is due to have its annual summer barbecue.
The young man, Edward, explains that he is the club’s social convener and had arrived early to set things up. He says he found the body at the edge of the woods, near an ancient stone known as The Lone Warrior and said to have once been used as a sacrificial altar.
When they reach the spot, however, there is nothing on the large, flat rock except a small wet patch. Even that has dried up by the time the police arrive, and Chief Inspector Wilkes accuses Agatha of wasting police time on a prank.
But Agatha and Toni grow suspicious after meeting some of the club’s members, whose diverse interests range from artisanal ice cream to ancient curses. And when another disappearance occurs, it’s up to them to put together the pieces … or end up on the altar themselves.
... Read moreDiana the Huntress
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 6 hours 12 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.72(129 ratings)
It seems as if there will be no need to find a husband for Diana, the fifth daughter of Charles Armitage, the hard-drinking huntsman and country vicar. For Diana shares her father’s passion for the hunt, secretly posing as a man in order to participate in a sport that is considered too vulgar for a lady in Regency England. Her four elder sisters have married well, but Diana fears she will never be as desirous to wed a man as she is to be one. She was born to have a man’s freedom to do and say what she wishes, to move about without restraint–or so she thinks until, disguised as David Armitage, she gets a bitter taste of tawdry town life.
Diana decides that life as a lady might not be so bad–if only she were permitted to hunt! But Lady Godolphin, Diana’s well-meaning if eccentric cousin, will have none of that. She was instrumental, she tells herself, in finding fine husbands for the older Armitage girls, and she is determined not to fail Diana. A certain viscount, Lord Charles Dantry, does not play by the rules, however, upsetting all the best-laid plans to turn Diana into a proper young lady. Diana the huntress becomes the hunted and learns that there is another, infinitely more exciting kind of chase.
... Read moreDishing the Dirt
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Alison Larkin
- Length: 6 hours 57 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.7(6325 ratings)
New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton’s beloved Agatha Raisin is back and finds that she must prove her own innocence when a local therapist turns up dead.
When therapist Jill Davent moved to the village of Carsely, Agatha Raisin was not a fan. Not only was this therapist romancing Agatha’s ex-husband, she dug up details of Agatha’s not-too-glamorous origins. Jill also counsels a woman, Gwen Simple, that Agatha firmly believes assisted her son in some grisly murders, although there is no proof. Not one to keep her feelings to herself, Agatha tells anyone who will listen that Jill is a charlatan and better off dead. Agatha can only sigh with relief when the therapist takes an office in Mircester.
When Agatha learns that Jill had hired a private detective to investigate her background, she barges into Jill’s office and gives her a piece of her mind, yelling, “I could kill you!” So when Jill is found strangled to death in her office two days later, Agatha becomes the prime suspect. But Agatha, along with her team of private detectives, is determined to prove her innocence and find the real culprit. This time Agatha must use her skills to save her own skin.
With Dishing the Dirt, M. C. Beaton proves that “once you meet Agatha Raisin, you’ll keep coming back” (New York Journal of Books).
... Read moreDown the Hatch
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 54 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
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3.84(2419 ratings)
Beloved New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton’s cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin–the star of her own hit TV series–is back on the case again in Down the Hatch.
Private detective Agatha Raisin, having recently taken up power-walking, is striding along a path in Mircester Park during her lunch break when she hears a cry for help. Rushing over, she finds an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Swinburn, in the middle of the green–with the body of an old man lying at their feet.
The man, who the coroner determines died by poisoning, was known as “the Admiral,” a gardener notorious for his heavy drinking, and Chief Inspector Wilkes writes the death off as an accident caused by the consumption of weedkiller stored in a rum bottle. Agatha is not convinced that anyone would mistake weedkiller for rum but carries on with her work at Raisin Investigations, until she receives an anonymous tip that the Admiral’s death was no accident.
Local gossip points to the Swinburns themselves as the killers, spurred by a feud at the club where they, as well as the Admiral, were members. Distraught at this accusation, they turn to Agatha to clear their name, and she takes the case–despite the warnings of Chief Inspector Wilkes.
Agatha encounters one suspicious character after another, becoming further enmeshed in the Admiral’s own dark and shady past. And when she’s run off the road, narrowly escaping with her life, and then another attack occurs, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want the case closed–and will stop at nothing to prevent Agatha from solving it.
... Read moreDuke’s Diamonds
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 4 hours 44 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.87(118 ratings)
Emily had been retrieved from orphanage life for the exclusive position of companion to Sir Peregrine’s hound, Duke. Upon the gentleman’s death, Emily and Duke inherited a fortune in diamonds. But Duke soon fell prey to greedy relatives, and Emily had to protect herself from Lord Storm, who had declared Emily’s pedigree quite unsuitable, while at the same time threatening to steal her heart.
Marion Chesney spins a delightful Regency romance, complete with her trademark wit.
... Read moreEmily Goes to Exeter
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Helen Lisanti
- Length: 5 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.72(227 ratings)
The New York Times bestselling Traveling Matchmaker series begins with a Regency tale of seductive subterfuge–from the author of the Agatha Raisin novels
A dead employer’s legacy of five thousand pounds allows spinster Hannah Pym to resign from housekeeping and find adventure traveling the English countryside by coach. But the adventure soon finds Miss Pym traveling with Miss Emily Freemantle, a spoiled, violet-eyed beauty fleeing an arranged marriage to a rake she has never met. When Emily’s darkly handsome betrothed boards their stage, Miss Pym is certain the girl was rash to bolt from this aristocratic catch! So, as soon as the travelers repair to an inn, Miss Pym begins her matchmaking. Although Lord Ranger Harley complains he’ll not marry an ungrateful minx, Miss Pym suspects once she’s marshaled the couple into sharing intimate household chores, all romantic knots will be untangled.
... Read moreEnlightening Delilah
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.74(177 ratings)
The third novel in the School for Manners series finds the Tribble sisters, Amy and Effy, once again entangled in the machinations of the marriage mart. The formidable but lovable spinsters, who earn their living by sponsoring young girls and finding them husbands, take on the case of Delilah, a beautiful, mindlessly flirtatious country heiress.
What puzzles everyone is why such a beauty is unmarried at twenty-three and why she is ensconced in the London school of the zany Tribbles. The answer is found in the handsome person of Sir Charles Digby.
As usual the Tribble sisters, with their salty exchanges and impossible schemes, provide delightful entertainment. And even as Delilah finds happiness, the sisters hear that another customer is on the horizon, an event to be celebrated by Amy and Effy.
... Read moreFinessing Clarissa
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 1 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.91(178 ratings)
Lovely, wealthy, and well bred, Clarissa Vevian has been unable to find a suitable husband because of her terrible clumsiness. Her petite and fastidious mother, the Lady Clarendon, has tried to mold Clarissa into a dainty miss to fit the fashion, but until the fashions fit tall Clarissa, her mother’s efforts are doomed to fail.
Enter Amy and Effy Tribble, chaperones-for-hire, who have seen three charges through the perils of three seasons and into the waiting arms of eligible gentlemen. Can they do this for Clarissa? Only if they can prevent her falling down the nearest available staircase instead of into the embrace of an appropriate suitor.
At Clarissa’s approach, tea tables totter, curtains and carriages erupt into flames, and prospective suitors fall to their knees not to profess undying love but to howl in pain after being decked by an errant elbow or felled by a misplaced foot. And when Clarissa enters their home, the Tribbles fear their reputations for matchmaking success, as well as their carpets and furniture, may go up in smoke.
Confidence is what Clarissa needs, the kind of confidence that accompanies the friendly attentions of someone like the graceful Earl of Greystone, who rescues the accident-prone Clarissa from an ambush by a would-be highwayman.
The earl’s feelings for Clarissa seem no more than brotherly, however, and Amy and Effy–when they’re not keeping tabs on their own eligible gentlemen–are determined to help Clarissa become the stately, graceful woman that will win the earl’s heart–and a few other battles too.
... Read moreFrederica in Fashion
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 4 hours 38 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
“Since there is no hope of my securing an eligible partner due to sad lack of looks, I am running away.”
So writes the sixth of the famous Armitage sisters. For how could colorless Frederica withstand a season’s scrutiny after the five beauties before her had married so magnificently? Disguised as a chambermaid, Freddie finds her way into the household of the fashionable Duke of Pembury. That wild gentleman is soon onto her tricks and finds himself escorting the lady to London. Once on the marriage mart, the five sisters preen and prim the youngest until Freddie can’t even recognize herself. They do not seem to notice that a certain gentleman’s attention has Freddie blooming, and that perhaps she was not fated to be plain–or unmarried–after all.
... Read moreGinny
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 35 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.71(317 ratings)
Poor Ginny Bloggs! She had inherited a fortune, a magnificent country estate, and her benefactor’s disgruntled relatives, a quartet of querulous schemers horrified to find themselves at the mercy of a low, common girl, a total stranger—the coal merchant’s daughter!
The handsome Lord Gerald de Fremney had pledged to keep the more unruly relatives in line. He thought he understood thoroughly modern women. Her reluctant guardians thought they understood society. Such was Ginny Bloggs—as delicate as a china doll, as bold as brass. She understood them all, and now she was going to teach them all what it meant to be a lady!
In this whirlwind series, M. C. Beaton brings us spirited, independent women who are at once bewitching, beguiling, and determined to make their mark on the world, be it within their social circle or extending beyond. With their arms wide open, these women are absolutely original and unforgettable, as are the tales in which they are featured.
... Read moreHasty Death
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 6 hours 33 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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3.65(127 ratings)
Eager to join the working classes, Lady Rose Summer has abandoned the comforts of her parents’ home to become self-supporting. But life as a working woman isn’t quite what Rose had imagined–long hours as a typist and nights spent in a dreary women’s hostel are not very empowering when you’re poor, cold, and tired. Luckily for Rose, her drudgery comes to a merciful end when she learns of the untimely death of an acquaintance.
Freddy Pomfret, a silly and vacuous young man, was almost certainly up to no good before he was shot dead in his London flat. When Rose discovers incriminating evidence pointing to several members of her class, she returns to London high society in order to investigate properly. With the help of Captain Harry Cathcart and Superintendent Kerridge of Scotland Yard, Rose prepares to do the social rounds–uncovering a devious blackmail plot and an unexpected killer.
Set in Britain during the Edwardian world of parties, servants, and scandal, M. C. Beaton’s Hasty Death is a delightful combination of murderous intrigue and high society.
... Read moreHenrietta
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 7 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.65(222 ratings)
Even the inhabitants of secluded Nethercote looked pityingly upon young Henrietta, the vicar’s sister; her plain features seemed to almost guarantee her a solitary future. And yet she had a determined spirit and magnificent hazel eyes. So when her great-aunt Hester left her unexpected wealth, Henrietta set out to conquer London’s glittering high society and confound them all.
But the fashionable elite was less than warm in its reception, especially when the newcomer, this bold minx, made clear her intention of winning the heart of one of society’s most treasured gems: the irresistible, extravagant, heart-stopping Lord Beau Reckford, a prize wildly beyond her humble origins.
... Read moreHer Grace’s Passion
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 16 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.69(448 ratings)
Matilda, Duchess of Hadshire, is virtually a prisoner of her cruel husband, who romances his mistress right under the duchess’ nose. Her only joy is dreaming of the handsome Earl of Torridon—for like her, he is trapped in a horrid marriage and longs to find true love and happiness.
Though she secretly wishes for the death of her unkind husband, Matilda never could have imagined the guilt that plagues her when the illustrious duke is befittingly murdered by his own mistress! When Matilda turns to Torridon for comfort, she discovers a few surprises are in store for both of them.
... Read moreHis Lordship’s Pleasure
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 21 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.85(165 ratings)
Annabelle Carruthers can only dream of being kissed by a man as dashing as Lord Darkwood. She remains locked in misery–married to a rakish drunk who gambles their lives into financial and social ruin.
His sudden death–and rumors of spies and treachery–only make matters worse. Burdened with gambling debts, Annabelle fears she is on her way to the poorhouse. The only solution she can see is to offer herself up as mistress to the mysterious Lord Darkwood!
Darkwood, however, is too much of a gentleman to take advantage of a lady such as Annabelle. Still, he is quite interested in rumors of her husband’s espionage–a curiosity that will soon place them both in grave danger.
... Read moreHiss and Hers
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 6 hours 24 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.66(5180 ratings)
M. C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin is as feisty as ever and armed with her famous wit and biting sense of humor. This time, though, there’s some biting of a whole other sort going on.
Agatha has fallen head over heels in love. Again. This time, she has her eye on the local gardener, George Marston, but so do other women in their little Cotswold village. Shamelessly determined, Agatha will do anything to get her man, including footing the bill for a charity ball just for the chance to dance with him. And then George doesn’t even show up! Only partly deterred, Agatha goes looking for him, and finds his dead body in a compost heap. Murder is definitely afoot, but this killer chose no ordinary weapon; a poisonous snake delivered the fatal strike. Rising to the occasion, Agatha rallies her little detective agency to find the killer, only to learn that George had quite a complicated love life. But murderously complicated? Well, if she can’t have George, at least Agatha can have the satisfaction of confronting the other women and solving the crime.
... Read moreHot to Trot
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 41 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.88(2778 ratings)
Beloved New York Times bestseller M. C. Beaton’s cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin–now the star of a hit TV show–is back on the case again.
When Private Investigator Agatha Raisin learns that her friend and one-time lover Charles Fraith is to be married to a mysterious socialite, Miss Mary Brown-Field, she sees it as her duty to find out what she can about the woman. Coming up empty, Agatha–out of selfless concern for Charles, of course–does the only sensible thing she can think of: she crashes their wedding, which ends in a public altercation. Nursing a hangover the next morning, she gets a phone call from Charles, with even more disturbing news: Mary has been murdered.Agatha takes on the case, and quickly becomes entrenched in the competitive equestrian world, in which Mary had been enmeshed–as well as the victim’s surprisingly violent past. Agatha finds no shortage of motives among a wide range of characters, from Mary’s old riding competitors, to enemies from her schoolgirl days, to her surly father, who threatens Agatha to mind her own business. Meanwhile, the police department has its money on another suspect: Agatha. Will she track down the criminal in time, or end up behind bars herself?
... Read moreIntroducing Agatha Raisin
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 11 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2016
- Language: English
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3.87(1213 ratings)
Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
Putting all her eggs in one basket, Agatha Raisin gives up her successful PR firm, sells her London flat, and samples a taste of early retirement in the quiet village of Carsely. Bored, lonely, and used to getting her way, she enters a local baking contest. Despite the fact that Agatha has never baked a thing in her life, she is sure the pie she has secretly bought from an upper-crust London quicherie will make her the toast of the town. But her recipe for social advancement sours when the judge not only snubs her entry–but falls over dead!
Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet
Agatha Raisin hasn’t quite adjusted to the slow pace of village life, or to the failure of her overtures to her handsome neighbor, James Lacey. Since the new vet in town is young and good looking, Agatha’s perfectly healthy tabby endures a nasty physical exam in the name of romance. Unfortunately, his sacrifice is all for naught when the vet is soon found dead. The police call the death a freak accident, but Agatha convinces James that playing amateur detective might be fun. Unfortunately, just as curiosity killed the cat, Agatha’s inept snooping is soon a motivation for murder …
... Read moreKissing Christmas Goodbye
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 5 hours 48 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.73(6169 ratings)
Unlike quite a number of people, Agatha has not given up on Christmas. To have the perfect Christmas had been a childhood dream while surviving a rough upbringing in a Birmingham slum. Holly berries glistened, snow fell gently outside, and inside, all was Dickensian jollity. And in her dreams, James Lacey kissed her under the mistletoe, and like a middle-aged sleeping beauty, she would awake to passion once more.
Agatha Raisin is bored. Her detective agency in the Cotswolds is thriving, but she’ll scream if she has to deal with another missing cat or dog. Only two things seem to offer potential excitement: Christmas and her ex, James Lacey. This year Agatha is sure that if she invites James to a splendid Christmas dinner, their love will rekindle like a warm Yule log. But that fantasy will have to wait for now.
A wealthy widow–who had sent Agatha a letter saying a member of her family intended to kill her–has been found dead. Now Agatha must set out to find the murderer, even though, in her heart, she is still dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones she and James used to know.
... Read moreKitty
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 6 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.34(98 ratings)
In any given glittering social season, Edwardian London’s dizzying whirl had its share of surprises. The latest was Kitty Harrison, once achingly poor, suddenly an heiress and now, thanks to her determined mother, she was about to become a baroness. From the moment Kitty set eyes on Lord Chesworth she found him to be the most exciting man she had ever seen. But Kitty was young, innocent, and easily dazzled. She did not even question the motives of the dashing bachelor who swore he loved her even as he courted the scandalously beautiful Mrs. Jackson. All too soon Kitty’s dream of marriage became a nightmare; someone was trying to kill her. Adrift in a sea of deception, Kitty soon realized that to save her life and win the only man she had ever loved, she would have to learn to play the game, only this time, her way: smarter, better–and for keeps.
... Read moreLady Anne’s Deception
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 4 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.62(371 ratings)
She had a long way to go from the wedding to becoming a wife.
When Lady Anne Sinclair vowed to marry before her spoiled beauty of a sister, she had no idea the “anyone” would be the Marquess of Torrance. Long the darling of the ton—and considered quite the confirmed bachelor—he succumbed to Annie’s charms and, almost magically, made her his wife. But Annie’s lifelong battle for attention had ill-prepared her for married life. In a tipsy reverie on her wedding night, she blurted out her real reason for marrying the Marquess, and her husband’s formidable pride shut the door on any further communication.
Only a crisis of major proportions could bring the headstrong newlyweds together. And no less than the chancellor of the exchequer, with sinister political ambitions known only to himself, embroiled Annie in a dangerous plot that taught her the truth about her wifely sentiments.
... Read moreLady Fortescue Steps Out
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.76(843 ratings)
Life is not easy for the poor relations of England’s upper crust, but fate and clever schemes bring them together.
Lady Fortescue and Colonel Sandhurst hatch a plan: What if they were to transform her decrepit Bond Street home into a posh hotel, offering their guests the pleasure of being waited upon by nobility? With the help of other down-and-out aristocrats, they do just that, and London’s newest hotel, the Poor Relation, is born.
The establishment is an immediate hit with London’s most illustrious citizens, save the Duke of Rowcester, Lady Fortescue’s nephew. Rowcester believes that his aunt’s entry into the trade will denigrate their family name and is determined to shut the hotel down–until he meets Miss Harriett James, the lovely young woman who accepts Lady Fortescue’s offer to become the Poor Relations’ chef after the death of her parents and the loss of her fortune. Rowcester moves into the Poor Relation for the season–ostensibly to keep an eye on his aunt’s business.
... Read moreLady Lucy’s Lover
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Mia Chiaromonte
- Length: 5 hours 13 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.69(337 ratings)
“Why don’t you take a lover, my dear? It would serve that feckless husband of yours right.”
“But I don’t want a lover. I am in love with my husband.”
Poor deluded Lucy. She married a gambler, a womanizer, and a drunkard, and she refuses to admit that his frequent overnight absences are of significance. It is not until he reveals that Lucy’s parents “bought” him for her that it really stings.
And then one night at a ball she meets the charismatic Duke of Habard—and suddenly anything seems possible.
... Read moreLady Margery’s Intrigue
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Vanessa Benjamin
- Length: 5 hours 44 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.6(253 ratings)
At age twenty-three, the petite Lady Margery has already graced the rows of wallflowers for many a season. With the one exception of Charles, the Marquess of Edgecombe and the only man who ever dances with her, Lady Margery will have nothing to do with men; what’s more, she does not even particularly like Charles.
Bored beyond words, she firmly decides this is the end of it all and returns to the comfort of her only love, her home at Chelmswood. But she does not find comfort even there. It seems her middle-aged father has taken for himself a dim-witted brat of nineteen to be his bride.
Forced into bankruptcy by his child-bride’s lust for luxury, Margery’s father determines to sell Chelmswood. But Margery will not hear of it and launches an all-out, military-like campaign to ensnare herself a wealthy husband and save her ancestral home. Everything seems to be going according to plan until the unforeseen intervention of Charles sabotages Margery’s plan, giving them both a run for their money.
... Read moreLessons in Love
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Vanessa Benjamin
- Length: 4 hours 44 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.82(185 ratings)
Lady Lucinda Esmond’s swine of a father, the Earl of Sotheran, was forever fleecing young bucks in London’s gaming halls with impunity–until he cheats Captain Mark Chamfrey, who kidnaps ten-year-old Lucinda for ransom.
But when Chamfrey has a change of heart and returns the girl, Earl Esmond nonetheless exacts his own price: Chamfrey can only redeem himself and save his skin by marrying his little victim nine years hence.
Lucinda’s father could not have foreseen what a beauty Lucinda would become, nor that Chamfrey, a newly made Marquess, would find that what was supposed to be his punishment turns out be exactly what he desires!
... Read moreLove and Lady Lovelace
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.8(98 ratings)
A lord and a lady marry for money in this historical romance by bestselling author Marion Chesney.
When young widow Lady Lovelace realized she had been swindled to near-bankruptcy by her curmudgeonly cousin, she knew she would have to marry again for money.
These were the very thoughts of Lord Philip, who had nothing between him and destitution but his small army pension. And so these two attractive fortune-hunters somehow found each other and, before long, popped into marriage–and into the bridal chamber–only to discover they were both virtually penniless.
What a diabolical situation! What would they do now?
... Read moreLucy
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.69(337 ratings)
She was a lady’s maid who longed to be a lady. How else could Lucy Balfour hope to win the favor of Andrew, Viscount Harvey, the toast of the town, who seemed ready to take a bride at last? There was only one way to do it, and that was to command his attention. It seemed an impossible dream; first she had to become the peer of her own mistress, the coldly beautiful Lady Angela, who was determined to claim Andrew as her own.
But there was Hamish MacGregor, the wily old butler, who promised to make Lucy’s dream come true. With Lucy’s unaccountable good luck at baccarat, they could win a fortune. With his cunning, they would conquer London society as “father” and “daughter” and meet the king himself! Having served the rich, he knew how they operated, and Hamish was determined to beat them at their own game. And having met Andrew Harvey, Lucy determined she would never be a servant again.
... Read moreMaggie
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 6 hours 20 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.81(80 ratings)
Maggie Macleod was weary of life with a soul sickness that ate into every fiber of her being. In a mad way, it did not seem strange to her that she should be on her way to the high court to stand trial for the murder of her husband. Her marriage seemed to have been one long, dreary desert lit by flares of cruelty. But Maggie is innocent in the matter of her beastly husband’s death, and she resolves to answer the question that plagues her: Who did murder the man?
Marion Chesney brings Regency England vividly to life in this tale of murder and romance.
... Read moreMarrying Harriet
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.96(204 ratings)
Miss Harriet Brown, daughter of a Methodist minister, is the embodiment of propriety and Christian charity–too much so, perhaps, for her own good. The virtues Harriet possesses are far from fashionable, but Amy and Effy Tribble, chaperones-for-hire, feel confident that their new charge will attract a worthy vicar or two before the end of the season. First, though, they must vanquish confirmed rake and gambler Lord Charles Marsham, catch though he is, who seems perversely determined to woo Harriet. Little do the Tribbles know that Harriet has her own reasons for encouraging her unlikely suitor–and that they involve enlisting Lord Marsham’s help in marrying off the Tribbles! Gentle hints and flirtatious glances are not enough, Harriet fears, to bring Mr. Haddon and Mr. Randolph, the sisters’ longtime friends and admirers, up to the mark. No, a man’s touch is needed. Meanwhile, Lord Marsham seems to think that it’s Harriet who needs a man’s touch, while more nefarious plans are being brewed for the Tribbles’ future, as old acquaintances–and enemies–gather round in this rousing finale to Marion Chesney’s most delightful series.
... Read moreMilady in Love
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 10 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.69(302 ratings)
Just when he’d fobbed off the last brat, another appeared to take her place!
Poor Lord Anselm! The dashing bachelor was forever plagued with dying relatives leaving their female children to his care. Indeed, he had squired so many a silly miss from schoolroom to marriage mart that he had sworn off women altogether.
The current ward was far and away the worst. Cheeky as only a French girl could be, Yvonne de la Falaise had surely sent her papa to an early grave with her melodramatics and mischief. Thank goodness for her governess, Patricia Cottingham, who was so calm and competent.
But all was not as it seemed, or so Anselm learned, and very nearly too late.
... Read moreMinerva
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 6 hours 21 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.63(1408 ratings)
Minerva marks the delightful debut of the Six Sisters series, a family saga in six volumes that recounts the romantic adventures of the six marriageable daughters of a country vicar, the Reverend Charles Armitage, in Regency England.
The eldest, Minerva, is enchantingly beautiful–but a prude. She lives in the country looking after her siblings while her mother reclines on a chaise longue happily inventing new maladies. Her father, a vicar of decidedly secular inclinations, indulges a hearty passion for hunting instead of worrying about the girls’ dowries. But when he wants to send his boys to Eton, the money must be found–and how better than by marrying Minerva off to a man of fortune?
Dispatched to town, Minerva experiences her first season under the wing of an elderly relative. But age, it seems, is no guarantee of respectability, and Lady Godolphin’s plan for a good time scandalizes her young charge. Minerva’s moralizing ways make her the subject of a shocking wager among the rakes and dandies of Regency London.
Meanwhile, the handsome Lord Sylvester Comfrey is observing her progress in the marriage market. For such a virtuous girl, Minerva unaccountably finds herself in some extremely compromising situations with this gentleman who, alas, professes not to be the marrying kind.
... Read moreMiss Davenport’s Christmas
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.88(186 ratings)
When a Puritan miss discovers the joys of Christmas, love’s as near as the mistletoe.
The Davenport sisters were alone, without even a dour-faced maid to supervise their strict puritanical devotions, until the elder, flame-haired Gillian boldly decided it was high time they let their hair down. Now, with the help of a kindly relation, the two daring misses exchange their somber attire for modish gowns and hairstyles that would surely give their parents apoplexy.
But the best is yet to come: plum pudding, eggnog, carols, and a most breathtaking tree. The Davenport sisters revel in the rituals of Christmas–and in the selection of handsome gentlemen who decorate the festivities.
But when Gillian is caught under the mistletoe by Lord Ranger Marden, she discovers things her mother never dreamed of telling her.
... Read moreMiss Fiona’s Fancy
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.89(577 ratings)
From beloved historical romance author M. C. Beaton comes the third installment in the Royal Ambition series.
The Misses Penelope Yarwood, Euphemia Perkins, and Letitia Helmsdale all smugly informed her that the Marquess of Cleveden was at once the most eligible and the most elusive catch in the London marriage mart. Society’s most dazzling beauties had failed to win him over yet, and a newcomer like Fiona didn’t stand a ghost of a chance of having him look at her twice.
That was all that fiery-tempered Fiona needed to hear, and she bet—far more wealth than she possessed—that she would snare the maddeningly elusive marquess before the season’s end.
Now Fiona faces the risk of losing a wager she cannot repay—and more, the even greater danger of losing her heart.
... Read moreMiss Tonks Turns to Crime
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 4 hours 44 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.26(84 ratings)
The oddly assorted group met some time ago. All of them were poor relations, the genteel paupers of society, living on little more than their dignity. They banded together and started the Poor Relation hotel, hoping to be bought out by their embarrassed relations. Though as the hotel prospered, they began to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But once more they are in need of funds.
To stoop to crime in their days of poverty was one thing, but to turn to it again when they have enjoyed a certain amount of success is quite another. But they all agree: the hotel must go on. And so poor, faded Miss Tonks has been persuaded to steal something valuable enough from her rich sister to set the poor relations on their feet. They all have their doubts about Miss Tonks’ chances for success, but the shy spinster has more than a few surprises in store.
... Read moreMolly
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 4 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.58(145 ratings)
She had dared turn a cold shoulder to London’s prize catch. She was a precocious American upstart who thought beauty, brains, and bravery were enough to conquer London society. Well, he’d show her! Nobody spurned Lord David Manley, the most eligible bachelor in town–not publicly, not privately. He was determined that she’d soon be trembling in his arms, desperately in love with the man she had dared mock. David Manley always got his way, and Miss Molly Maguire presented a challenge he couldn’t resist. But Lord David had never met anyone quite like this headstrong heiress who fought like the devil, looked like an angel, and had all London society dangling on a string.
In this whirlwind series, Marion Chesney brings us spirited, independent women who are at once bewitching, beguiling, and determined to make their mark on the world, be it within their social circle or extending beyond. With their arms wide open, these women are absolutely original and unforgettable, as are the tales in which they are featured.
... Read moreMrs. Budley Falls from Grace
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 5 hours 9 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.82(299 ratings)
The loveable characters from the Poor Relation Hotel return in this sparkling and adventurous Regency romance from M. C. Beaton.
Eliza Budley is a beautiful widow whose husband gambled away his fortune. So when the poor relations need to acquire some valuables to keep the hotel afloat and Eliza draws the short straw, Lady Fortescue reminds the others that Mrs. Budley has no relatives on whom she can call. Gentle Mrs. Budley thinks she has escaped her fate until Sir Philip comes up with a plan. He has heard that the elderly Marquess of Peterhouse is senile, a widower, extremely rich, and unlikely to remember whether Mrs. Budley is a relative or not. So off Mrs. Budley goes to the bleak castle, where the marquess turns out to be not so old, hardly senile, and, in fact, quite handsome.
... Read moreMy Dear Duchess
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 6 hours 43 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.86(208 ratings)
Handsome, dashing Henry Wright, the Duke of Westerland, needed a wife in a desperately short period of time. If he could not find a wife, he would lose the legacy he so desperately desired.
Young, lovely, but sheltered Miss Frederica Sayers needed a husband just as much as Henry Wright needed a wife, only she needed a husband to save her from the life of shame that almost certainly awaited her when she fled the callous cruelty of her family.
Marriage between the dashing lord and this reckless runaway was clearly the answer for both of them—until the duke discovered he had a duchess he could not tame and the duchess found that she would rather lose her spotless reputation than lose the duke to another beautiful woman who was everything she was not.
... Read moreMy Lords, Ladies, and Marjorie
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 15 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.72(105 ratings)
An Edwardian love story by New York Times bestselling author Marion Chesney
Miss Marjorie Montmorency-James was lovely, young, and very impressionable. All these characteristics contrived to help her fall in love with a certain Lord Philip’s picture when it appeared in the newspaper. Until the day she saw Lord Philip’s photo, she had only fantasized about a mysterious lover whose shadowy features were never quite clear.
Now she had a real live nobleman to dream about.
Little did she suspect that she would soon meet Lord Philip in the flesh. How could she imagine such a thing? After all, what could justify a daughter of the middle class rubbing shoulders with the nobility?
Then suddenly that great day was upon her; she was to meet Lord Philip. But nothing turned out the way Marjorie expected it would. Love–and danger–lay waiting for Marjorie in London.
... Read moreOur Lady of Pain
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 6 hours 30 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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3.57(1638 ratings)
Lady Rose Summer, the wayward Edwardian debutante who keeps getting mixed up in disreputable adventures, would swear she is not a jealous woman. After all, she knows her engagement to private detective Captain Harry Cathcart is only a ploy to keep her parents from shipping her off to India. But then Harry’s latest client, Dolores Duval–a vision of curves with a seductive French accent–starts appearing everywhere at his side. In a fit of rage, Rose threatens Dolores, only to be found the very next day, standing over her dead body. The newspapers rush to convict her, but can Harry and Detective Superintendent Kerridge clear her name?
... Read morePenelope
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Mia Chiaromonte
- Length: 4 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.78(8608 ratings)
Penelope—golden haired, azure eyed, fresh from the country—has stolen the heart of the most desirable Earl of Hestleton. Rich and startlingly handsome, he is the most eligible lord in the realm. He had planned to toy with her affections and then toss her aside, but when the earl discovers that he is a pawn in her aunt’s social-climbing scheme, he begins to doubt Penelope’s true love. Can the belle keep her beau, or will Aunt Augusta’s ambitious plans force Penelope to flee?
... Read morePenelope Goes to Portsmouth
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Helen Lisanti
- Length: 5 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.79(158 ratings)
A former employer’s legacy of PS5,000 has allowed spinster Hannah Pym to resign from housekeeping and find adventure traveling the English countryside by coach. But adventure soon finds Miss Pym in the form of runaway brides, spirited heiresses, and international refugees, who give her an opportunity to test her expert matchmaking skills.
In the coach to Portsmouth, Miss Pym faces her most difficult matchmaking challenge yet. The lovely Miss Penelope Wilkins, daughter of a rich merchant, would be the perfect match for the handsome Lord Augustus, a nobleman whose fortune is almost depleted. She would be, that is, if the two were at all compatible.
Though strikingly beautiful, the too-practical Penelope seems to stand on quite the opposite cliff from the carefree Lord Augustus. But when the undaunted Miss Pym enlists their help in untangling an intrigue–and Lord Augustus steals an astounding kiss from the shocked Penelope–Miss Pym is convinced that her matchmaking expertise will soon bridge any chasm between the reluctant lovers.
... Read morePerfecting Fiona
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.68(879 ratings)
When Fiona Macleod is sent by her guardian aunt and uncle to spend a London season with the Tribble sisters, it is something of a last resort. At nineteen Fiona is a beautiful and wealthy Scottish heiress. Yet for some mysterious reason, her several proposals of marriage over the past few years have all fallen through at the last moment.
Amy and Effy Tribble, professional chaperons whose School for Manners has recently made them the talk of fashionable London society, are always short of cash and gladly take on Fiona as a new client. They promise to reform the girl, train her in proper comportment and the feminine arts, and guarantee a mutually profitable marriage by the end of the season, taking Fiona off her guardians’ hands forever. But when Fiona arrives at the Tribble sisters’ shabbily genteel London townhouse, she shocks them by behaving perfectly. They are thoroughly puzzled by their seemingly demure new client, until they take Fiona to her first ball and realize that their charge is an incorrigible flirt.
Face-to-face with Lord Peter Havard, the season’s most unattainable rake, Fiona loses her composure, betraying her real feelings–and the Tribbles are forced to confront the truth about her past. It may be too late to salvage Fiona’s reputation, but the Tribbles–who have never claimed to be perfect–must also consider their own reputations.
... Read morePlain Jane
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.76(273 ratings)
Number 67 Clarges Street–a good address in London’s elegant Mayfair with a dubious past and a lovably eccentric staff–is where the Hart sisters are taking up residence for the season. Beautiful and socially ambitious Euphemia and her younger sister, Jane, enter a world of balls, coming-out parties, and courtship with the hope of finding suitable husbands.
But Number 67 has been deemed unlucky due to a long history of tragedy, including the mysterious death of a young and desirable past tenant named Clara. Little Jane, constantly overshadowed by her gorgeous sister, soon turns away from the London social scene and concentrates on solving the mystery behind Clara’s death. Her search leads to a discovery of danger, deceit, and romance as she works alongside the eligible and dashing Lord Tregarthan to unravel the baffling case.
... Read morePolly
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 59 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.58(234 ratings)
She was a bewitching young girl, that pretty Polly Marsh, and she knew it. She also knew that beauty could be her passport into the castles where she had always known she belonged. So she set her sights on a duke and joined the firm of Westerman’s as a stenographer. Surely one of that noble family would notice her, and then all her dreams would come true! The trouble with pretty Polly Marsh was that she just didn’t know her place. But others did–and were only too happy to remind her that dashing Lord Peter was merely playing at love when he appeared to be paying her court. The duchess was beside herself. Peter’s brother, the starchy Marquis of Wollerton, was desperate to pry Peter from Polly’s side. But Polly was determined to have Peter–and her dream. Peter wouldn’t betray her, would he?
In this whirlwind series, Marion Chesney brings us spirited, independent women who are at once bewitching, beguiling, and determined to have their say and make their mark on both their world and the world at large, be it within their social circle or extending beyond. With their arms wide open, these women are absolutely original and unforgettable, as are the tales in which they are featured. Here is life, in all of its folly and foibles, in a dizzying place where dreams are both shattered and made.
... Read morePoppy
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 7 hours 1 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.84(99 ratings)
She was the flower of an East End slum who rose to become a star. But Poppy Duveen quit the stage to marry Freddie Plummett, the only real gentleman she had ever known–the bounder who died. When Freddie died, Poppy was left the castle, but she was also left in the clutches of Freddie’s formidable uncle, Hugo, the dazzling Duke of Guildham.
How could she admit, even to herself, this dangerous attraction? Instead, Poppy tried to turn her back on it–but it was no use. Clearly, Hugo thought her a mere waif, a common poor relation. Well, she’d show him and his snobbish family. She’d return to the stage as Poppy Plummett, conquer London, and make fools of them all!
... Read morePretty Polly
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Mia Chiaromonte
- Length: 5 hours 12 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.88(134 ratings)
Blessed with beauty, Mrs. Manners never bothered with the lesser skills of grammar and spelling. So, in order to entrap a second husband, namely the dashing Duke of Denbigh, she needed Miss Verity Bascombe. Surely the modest chit would be honored to write her love letters.
Poor Verity! Her old schoolmate was as selfish as ever. But the lovely girl’s gilded pen soon had the duke most intrigued by the poetic Mrs. Manners!
But alas, what began as a tiny deception became troublesome indeed–for Verity soon found herself enamored of the handsome duke!
... Read morePushing Up Daisies
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Alison Larkin
- Length: 6 hours 54 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2016
- Language: English
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3.62(6095 ratings)
New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton’s beloved Agatha Raisin is back on a case and poking around where she doesn’t belong.
When Agatha Raisin left behind her public-relations business in London, she fulfilled her dream of settling in the cozy British Cotswolds where she began a successful private detective agency. Unfortunately, the village she lives in is about to get a little less cozy. Lord Bellington, a wealthy land developer, wants to turn the community garden into a housing estate. When Agatha and her friend Sir Charles Fraith attempt to convince Lord Bellington to abandon his plans, he scoffs, “Do you think I give a damn about those pesky villagers?” So when Agatha finds his obituary in the newspaper two weeks later, it’s no surprise that some people in town are feeling celebratory.
The villagers are relieved to learn that Bellington’s son and heir, Damian, has no interest in continuing his father’s development plans. But the police are definitely interested in him—as suspect number one. His father’s death, it seems, was no accident. But when Damian hires Agatha to find the real killer, she finds no shortage of suspects.
The good news is that a handsome, retired detective named Gerald has recently moved to town. Too bad he was seen kissing another newcomer. But when that woman is also found murdered, Gerald is eager to help Agatha with the case. Agatha, Gerald, and her team of detectives must untangle a web of contempt in order to uncover a killer’s identity.
Pushing Up Daisies continues the tradition of this beloved mystery series.
... Read moreQuadrille
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 29 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.36(143 ratings)
Love and jealousy abound in this playful romance, set during the British Regency.
Everyone in the ton knew that Lord Hubert Challenge had married country mouse Mary Tyre for her dowry, but no one had yet guessed that Mary had actually fallen in love with her husband! And she was willing to try anything–sumptuous clothes, a saucy manner, even flirting with another man–to get her handsome husband’s attention … until she learned that two could play at that particular game.
... Read moreRainbird’s Revenge
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 9 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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4.02(156 ratings)
When the Duke of Pelham returns to his town house at 67 Clarges Street, he is grimly determined to find a suitable wife–but completely unprepared for what the season has to offer.
The duke’s title alone has always brought him more than his share of feminine attention; claiming not to believe in love, he has never been spurned by a lady. The duke’s self-imposed search is soon disrupted by the arrival in London of Miss Jenny Sutherland, a spoiled but beautiful country girl whose vanity is her tragic flaw. According to her guardian Aunt Letitia, lack of competition has made Jenny put on airs; in London, she will get the set-down she sorely deserves.
Indeed, at her first important London party, Jenny’s blatant disdain for the duke leads to certain disaster. But no one has counted on the intervention of John Rainbird, the shrewd and resourceful butler at 67 Clarges Street. Rainbird befriends Jenny, suggesting she look in the mirror a little less often. The result is a mischievous scheme that will insure Jenny’s social success and determine the fate of the close-knit family of servants at 67 Clarges Street.
... Read moreRake’s Progress
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 25 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.74(154 ratings)
M. C. Beaton brings you the fourth installment of her witty and charming House for the Season series.
Lord Guy Carlton, late of His Majesty’s regiment and weary from the war in France, has only wine, women, and song in mind when he rents Number 67 Clarges Street for the season. He certainly has no desire for a serious attachment–and never marriage!
Then his merry eyes spot the lovely but very proper Miss Esther Jones. But what will be her fate if she falls in love with the notorious Lord Guy? Though Esther’s business acumen has made her one of the richest women in England, her innocence could make her a victim of the wild ways of the ton–unless the downstairs staff at Clarges Street devise a campaign to reform the rake who is laying siege to her heart.
... Read moreRefining Felicity
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 4 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.68(1006 ratings)
When Amy and Effy Tribble, two charming but impoverished spinster sisters, lose out on a much needed inheritance, they place an advertisement in the Morning Post and hire themselves out as professional chaperones. Vowing to prepare even the most difficult misses for marriage, the Tribble sisters will spend a London season on each client in this delightful Regency series, the School for Manners.
Felicity Baronsheath, their first assignment, turns out to be more of a challenge than they could ever have imagined. Not only is Felicity indifferent to the idea of marriage but she has been permitted to roam free on her father’s estates, hunting and carousing like any young lord. When her neighbor, the Marquess of Ravenswood, agrees to help the Tribbles set up their London town house, he confirms their observation that Felicity is a spoiled brat. And when Felicity insists on remaining unrefined, the Tribbles begin to fear that her season–and their new business venture–will end in disaster.
... Read moreRegency Gold
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 7 hours 38 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.4(264 ratings)
From beloved historical romance author Marion Chesney comes the second installment in the Regency Intrigue series.
With little to live on but her romantic daydreams–which frequently starred the dashing Marquess of Fleetwater–Jean Lindsay lived a rather dismal life with her nasty, drunken uncle.
Jean was always the object of ridicule, that is, until news of her unexpected inheritance spread. Suddenly her worn dresses became “quaint” and her forthright manner turned magically to “charming,” but to Jean’s horror, someone wanted her dead!
With the marquess nearby to save her pretty neck, Jean felt quite safe … and quite smitten. As for her hero … how had an unsophisticated child from a Scottish manse turned his head and his heart askew?
... Read moreSally
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 24 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.74(86 ratings)
She was an honored guest in a palatial country home. “Aunt Mabel,” lovelorn columnist of Home Chats magazine, had been summoned to prevent the Duchess of Dartware’s son, Paul, from a marriage worse than death.
Who would have guessed that behind Aunt Mabel’s acid pen and ageless wisdom lurked eighteen-year-old Sally Blane–determined to make the handsome marquess her own! But how could she compete, wearing false wrinkles and a white wig? It was a challenge worthy of Sally herself: conquer the upper crust of Dartware and enchant her newfound Prince Charming, without giving “Aunt Mabel’s” secret away.
... Read moreSick of Shadows
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 6 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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3.68(1807 ratings)
Captain Harry Cathcart and Lady Rose Summer have entered into an engagement of convenience so Rose can avoid being sent to India with all the other failed debutantes. Her sharp intellect and radical ideas have served to repel her would-be suitors. Rose’s parents are hardly thrilled that their only child is marrying a man in trade, but Harry comes from a good family, and at the very least, they hope he will keep their troublesome daughter out of mischief.
Unfortunately, even a pretend engagement cannot save Rose from trouble. Bored with endless parties, teas, and balls, she befriends Dolly Tremaine, a beautiful young girl newly arrived from the country and overwhelmed by the demands of the Season. Rose is delighted to have a prot+(r)g+(r)e, but their friendship is cut tragically short when Dolly is found floating in a river. Harry must solve the mystery of Dolly’s death–and keep Rose from being the murderer’s next victim.
... Read moreSilken Bonds
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Vanessa Benjamin
- Length: 5 hours 30 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.69(197 ratings)
Though Frederica chafed at the restricted life she lived as the adopted daughter of an infamous bluestocking, she did agree with the philosophy. Until men learned to appreciate intellectual equals, Frederica was better off without them. But her sister’s elopement has sparked fires of romance in Frederica’s well-educated head, making her ripe for the considerable charms of Lord Harry Danger, who has saved her from a pack of drunken thugs. Now if he would only treat her as an equal and stop the silly flirting.
... Read moreSir Philip’s Folly
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 4 hours 52 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.88(332 ratings)
Just when everything at the Poor Relation Hotel seems to be running smoothly, Sir Philip brings in another poor relation, Mrs. Budge. When Sir Philip presents his paramour, Lady Fortescue swears great oaths and says the woman is probably related to half the costermongers in London and certainly does not possess one rich relative. Mrs. Budge does nothing but eat all day and refuses to do any work around the hotel. Worst of all, Miss Tonks seems to be taking the romance between Sir Philip and Mrs. Budge quite hard.
In the middle of all this commotion, a certain Lady Carruthers and her daughter Arabella come to stay at the hotel. Lady Carruthers is a widow trying to pass herself off as much younger than she actually is. To this end she dresses poor Arabella, who is all of nineteen, as a young schoolgirl and refuses to bring her out. It is up to the poor relations to deal with the lazy Mrs. Budge, find Arabella a husband, and trounce her terrible mother!
... Read moreSnobbery with Violence
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Davina Porter
- Length: 6 hours 37 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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3.62(178 ratings)
In this delightful mystery from the New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton imagine if the rebellious sister from Downton Abbey and her maid got mixed up in murder
When a marriage proposal appears imminent for the beautiful–if rebellious–Lady Rose Summer, her father wants to know if her suitor’s intentions are honorable. He calls on Captain Harry Cathcart, the impoverished younger son of a baron, to do some intelligence work on the would-be fiance Sir Geoffrey Blandon.
After his success in uncovering Geoffrey’s dishonorable motives, Harry fashions a career out of “fixing” things for wealthy aristocrats. So when the Marquess of Hedley finds one of his guests dead at a lavish house party, he knows just the man to call.
But when Harry is caught between his client’s desire for discretion and his suspicion that murder may indeed have been committed, he enlists the help of Superintendent Kerridge of the Scotland Yard and Lady Rose, also a guest at Lord Hedley’s.
Set in Britain and the Edwardian world of parties, servants, and scandal, M. C. Beaton’s Snobbery with Violence is a delightful combination of murderous intrigue and high society.
... Read moreSomething Borrowed, Someone Dead
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.7(4991 ratings)
Gloria French was a jolly widow with dyed blonde hair, a raucous laugh, and rosy cheeks. When she first moved from London to the charming Cotswold hills, she was heartily welcomed. She seemed a do-gooder par excellence, raising funds for the church and caring for the elderly. But she had a nasty habit of borrowing things and not giving them back. They’re just small things–a teapot here, a set of silverware there–so it’s quite the shock when she is found dead, murdered with a poisoned bottle of elderberry wine.
Afraid the murder will be a blight on the small town, Parish councilor Jerry Tarrant hires private detective Agatha Raisin to track down the murderer, but the village is secretive, and the residents resent Agatha’s investigation. Of course, that doesn’t stop the ever-persistent Agatha from investigating and sticking her nose where no one wants it–especially as the suspect list grows. And, as if it isn’t enough that Agatha’s ex has reentered the picture, the murderer is now targeting Agatha!
With M. C. Beaton’s Something Borrowed, Someone Dead, the bossy, vain, and absolutely irresistible Agatha Raisin continues to be a fan favorite.
... Read moreSummertime Splendor
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 8 hours 51 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
Heartwarming stories of summer romance from four acclaimed Regency authors
From the zestful tale of the mistress of a manor masquerading as a servant girl–and its surprising consequences–to the story of a love that blossoms at a royal birthday fete, here’s a collection of romantic summer regencies sure to delight. Stories include “The Summer of Discontent” by Marion Chesney, “Lady Fair” by Cynthia Bailey-Pratt, “A Summer’s Folly” by Sarah Eagle, and “Tides of Love” by Melinda Pryce.
... Read moreSusie
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 30 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.31(117 ratings)
Poor little Susie. A beautiful dreamer, she imagined herself happy in a rose-covered cottage, only to find herself mistress of a great damp castle and wife to the elderly Earl of Blackhall. Luck, not the lecherous earl, contrived to spare her, and by her wedding night she was transformed to a wealthy young widow. But her trials had just begun. The old countess was determined to turn the simple country miss into a sophisticated lady. Meanwhile, handsome Sir Giles was determined to unmask her as a dangerously cunning young minx.
Sweet, na+>>ve Susie. Luck had brought her a fortune she’d never wished for, but what stroke of fortune could make her dreams of real and innocent love come true?
... Read moreSweet Masquerade
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 32 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.57(178 ratings)
The tenth Earl of Berham does not know what to do. An attractive thirty-two-year-old bachelor, he has been appointed guardian of the young Freddie Armstrong, the eighteen-year-old grandson of his late father’s dear friend. That’s bad enough. Then he discovers that the boy is really a girl! It is against all convention and against his personal code to keep a young lady concealed in his own home. He must find a solution.
The earl’s frequent visitor, Lady Clarissa Rennenord, heartily agrees–but for less noble reasons. Lady Clarissa hopes to snare the earl in marriage and does not want any competition. She recommends that Freddie be sent to a seminary. No one but Lady Rennenord knows what a horrid place it is–and no one, including Lady Rennenord, expects Freddie to escape. Now Freddie is back, and the earl finds her presence unsettling in more ways than one.
... Read moreThe Adventuress
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.83(161 ratings)
Another tenant for London’s infamous house for the season, from the New York Times bestselling author
Followers of the series will notice in this volume some personality changes in the odd assortment of retainers who keep the house at 67 Clarges Street, in London’s Mayfair, at the ready for whatever entrepreneur will rent it as a launching pad into the London social season. This time the renters are an unlikely couple, the Goodenoughs, apparently father and daughter, she a great beauty, he silent and mysterious.
Their secrets eventually become known to the downstairs troupe, but the indomitable butler Rainbird rallies the support forces. When Emily Goodenough’s social gaffes and earthy winsomeness capture the ton’s most eligible bachelor, another successful season at the house comes to a close.
... Read moreThe Banishment
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lizzie Stanton
- Length: 4 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
Could she ever love a gentleman as much as she loved her magnificent home?
Isabella Beverley is blessed with unparalleled beauty but, unfortunately, has been raised in the most snobbish and haughtiest of families. When her father gambles away their fortune–including Mannerling, the exquisite family mansion–Isabella discovers there is very little sympathy for her plight.
As the eldest, Isabella is chosen to court Mr. Judd, the roguish bachelor who won Mannerling. Surely no sacrifice is too great to regain Mannerling? But tempting her away from Mr. Judd is Lord Fitzpatrick, an Irish rake who fears Isabella can never love a man as she does her home. He is nonetheless determined to convince her to choose man over manse.
... Read moreThe Blood of an Englishman
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Alison Larkin
- Length: 6 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.65(6752 ratings)
In this irresistible new mystery from New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton, the adorably cranky Agatha Raisin investigates when a local baker is murdered while performing in a seemingly harmless pantomime.
“Fee, fie, fo, fum. I smell the blood of an Englishman …”
Even though Agatha Raisin loathes amateur dramatics, her friend Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar’s wife, has persuaded her to support the local pantomime. Stifling a yawn at the production of Babes in the Woods, Agatha watches as the baker, playing an ogre, struts and threatens on the stage. Then a trapdoor opens … followed by a scream and then silence.
Surely this isn’t the way the scene was rehearsed? When it turns out the popular baker has been murdered, Agatha puts her team of private detectives on the case. They soon discover more feuds and temperamental behavior in amateur theatrics than in a professional stage show—and face more and more danger as the team gets too close to the killer.
The Blood of an Englishman is Agatha’s twenty-fifth adventure, and you’d think she would have learned by now not to keep making the same mistakes. Alas, no—yet Agatha’s flaws only make her more endearing. In this sparkling new entry in Beaton’s New York Times bestselling series of modern cozies, Agatha Raisin once again “manages to infuriate, amuse, and solicit our deepest sympathies as we watch her blunder her way boldly through another murder mystery” (Bookreporter.com).
... Read moreThe Chocolate Debutante
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 1 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.82(231 ratings)
A woman of independent means with a healthy dose of cynicism about those of the male persuasion, Harriet Tremayne is content with her circle of spinster friends and their devotion to literature, women’s rights, and intellectual interests. When she determines to undertake the London season for her beautiful but featherbrained niece, however, she concedes she must appear less a bluestocking and more fashionable to successfully sponsor this impossible young lady whose only real desire, it seems, is to consume chocolate.
Certainly, her modish new appearance has nothing to do with the attentions of Lord Dangerfield, a wicked man of the world who has designs on the fair niece yet spends an inordinate amount of time trying to sell Harriet on the virtues of his all-too-obvious attributes.
... Read moreThe Constant Companion
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.62(141 ratings)
“I am Miss Lamberton. Miss Constance Lamberton. I hoped that you would employ me as your companion.”
So it was that quiet, reserved Constance came to the household of the haughty but beautiful Lady Amelia. She would serve as the lady’s chaperone throughout the season’s many festivities, finding herself an unwitting accomplice in Lady Amelia’s scheme to trap the very eligible Lord Philip into marriage.
But it was not Lady Amelia who won Lord Philip’s heart. It was the pale, golden-eyed Constance herself. And very soon, Constance became Lady Philip Cautry. It was not a marriage made in heaven, but surely it would be in time.
But then Constance disappeared. Lord Philip didn’t know how or why. All that mattered to him was the safe return of his beloved Constance …
... Read moreThe Dead Ringer
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Alison Larkin
- Length: 6 hours 18 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2018
- Language: English
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3.41(3288 ratings)
New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton’s cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin–now the star of a hit TV show–is back on the case again.
The idyllic Cotswolds village of Thirk Magna is best known for the medieval church of St. Ethelred and its bells, which are the pride and glory of the whole community.
As the bell-ringers get ready for the visit of the dashing Bishop Peter Salver-Hinkley, the whole village is thrown into a frenzy. Meanwhile, Agatha convinces one of the bell-ringers, the charming lawyer Julian Brody, to hire her to investigate the mystery of the Bishop’s ex-fiancee: a local heiress, Jennifer Toynby, who went missing years ago and whose body was never found …
Meanwhile, the bodies in the village just keep on piling up: The corpse of Larry Jensen, a local policeman, is discovered in the crypt. Millicent Dupin, one of a pair of bell-ringing identical twins, is murdered near the church. And Terry Fletcher, a journalist and (briefly) Agatha’s lover, is found dead in her sitting room! Agatha widens her investigation and very soon her main suspect is the handsome Bishop himself. But could he really be behind this series of violent killings, or is it someone who wants to bring him–and his reputation–down?
... Read moreThe Deception
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 6 hours 2 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.64(482 ratings)
It was an unfair decision–to be forced to choose between her home and her heart …
When one of her sisters is attacked by Harry Devers, the lecherous son of Mannerling’s present owner, Abigail Beverley puts her obsession with reclaiming the mansion on hold. It is then that Abigail meets the dashing and extremely eligible Lord Burfield, fresh back from the army and in full-time pursuit of a bride. She must be quick to grab his attention lest he be snapped up by Prudence Makepeace.
Meanwhile, unexpected circumstances force the insufferable Harry to recuperate from a riding accident in the Beverley home, where Abigail’s twin sister, Rachel, nurses him back to health–and into betrothal. Stirred from its brief slumber, Abigail’s fury returns, alive and kicking. So when Rachel begins to have doubts about marrying Harry, Abigail devises a daring plan to win back Mannerling once and for all.
... Read moreThe Desirable Duchess
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Justine Eyre
- Length: 4 hours 24 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.55(536 ratings)
Lovely Alice Lacey was a true incomparable, and her marriage to the Duke of Ferrant was the event of the season. Almost no one realized, however, that Alice was secretly in love with someone else—or that she had confided her feelings to a clever talking mynah bird who announces these intimacies at the moment of the couple’s wedding.
Now the gossip mongers are relentless. Alice’s marriage started out, and has remained, cold and impersonal, and her new husband is already rumored to be taken with another woman.
Before she even realizes what is happening, Alice finds herself in a world of opposites: the man she thought she loved is something other than he seems; and the man she married, something far more than she hoped. Her last hope and redemption has to be convincing the man she wedded that they are in love.
... Read moreThe Dreadful Debutante
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 5 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.7(1048 ratings)
Arranging a season for an unruly young lady whose habit is to enter drawing rooms by sliding down banisters presents a challenge at best–especially since the hoydenish Mira has a sister of incomparable grace and beauty.
Mira isn’t at all daunted by the local society and its ridiculous marriage mart. Her heart belongs to Lord Charles, who has been the object of her dreams ever since she was a child. But alas, Charles has eyes only for her ever-perfect sister, Drusilla.
Along the sidelines, the Marquess of Grantley enjoys Mira’s jealous antics–although pushing her sister into the fountains has practically ruined her social cachet. It is up to him to restore her to respectability and make her an eligible bride once again. When he succeeds, however, the lovelorn marquess will begin to wish he had left well enough alone.
... Read moreThe Education of Miss Patterson
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Alison Larkin
- Length: 4 hours 55 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.66(236 ratings)
For lovely young Miss Patricia Patterson, life seemed a delightful dream–until the specter of her guardian, Lord Charles Gaunt, cast a shadow over her carefree days of idleness and enchanting evenings of dazzling balls and delicious flirtations.
Lord Charles demanded that she act the part of a proper–and perfectly boring–young miss. Even worse, he insisted she devote her waking hours to cultivating her mind rather than captivating her swarm of admirers. Thus, the battle was begun between the handsome, arrogant aristocrat, who had Patricia in his lawful power, and Patricia, who vowed to turn this hateful tyrant into her lovelorn subject.
... Read moreThe First Rebellion
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Vanessa Benjamin
- Length: 5 hours 56 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.62(79 ratings)
His kiss left her flushed and disconcerted–perhaps men were best avoided after all …
The Earl of Tredair has had his fill of balls, routs, and silly misses, and he despairs of finding someone extraordinary–that is, until he meets Miss Fanny Waverley.
Most unique and intriguing, Fanny and her two sisters are the adopted daughters of the reclusive bluestocking Madame Waverley. They have been raised as her disciples to spread the word of women’s rights and to encourage poor oppressed females to stand up against the iniquities of the male sex.
The beautiful and farouche Miss Fanny, however, finds it quite difficult to think of all men as cruel and lustful beasts–how can she when she finds herself longing to kiss one of the most hated of his breed?
... Read moreThe Flirt
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.56(619 ratings)
“If I could have foreseen the future, I would have married the first man who asked me!”
Tongues were set wagging when Elizabeth Markham’s glamorous young parents were killed, sinking their only child to the unspeakable class of poor relation. Forced to live with her cruel, miserly uncle Julius, Elizabeth is forbidden to partake in the season’s festivities. Marriage is her only escape, and she enacts a daring plan to trick her way into the Duke of Dunster’s exclusive house party, to snare one of the eligible dandies sure to dance attendance on her.
Her plan proceeds swimmingly, as Elizabeth flirts with all but the arrogant Lord Charles Lufford, considered to be quite a catch. She ignores him thoroughly until her uncle discovers her deception and Charles saves her–by announcing their engagement!
But Elizabeth’s troubles are far from over, for in her absence she had come into an inheritance. And her uncle, along with one other sinister party would rather see her perish than receive it.
... Read moreThe Folly
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 49 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.7(474 ratings)
In the fourth installment of the Daughters of Mannerling series, beautiful Rachel must choose which she wants more–true love or Mannerling mansion.
The haughty Beverley family is obsessed with regaining Mannerling, the exquisite seventeenth-century mansion gambled away by their now-deceased father, Sir Beverley. Three of the six Beverley daughters, including Rachel’s twin, have failed to win back their ancestral estate–settling for love matches over Mannerling’s heirs. Now it is Rachel’s turn to woo the latest eligible bachelor-in-residence, handsome widower Charles Blackwood. But her plan to win the autocratic Charles almost comes to naught: At their first meeting, Rachel forgets herself and admonishes Charles for neglecting his two small children. The antics of young Beth and Mark Blackwood successfully throw Charles and Rachel together, but does Rachel love Charles for himself or for Mannerling?
... Read moreThe French Affair
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Vanessa Benjamin
- Length: 5 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.57(183 ratings)
A lovely widow plans to marry a French count in this historical romance by bestselling author Marion Chesney
It was true. The lovely young widow Lady Charteris–Delphine to her friends–had agreed to abide by her parents’ wishes and marry the Comte Saint-Pierre. Delphine’s parents had long since died in the Terror, but when she learned of their wishes for her, she believed it her duty to respect their wishes. Delphine would marry, but it would be a marriage in name only.
But when Delphine saw Jules Saint-Pierre, she got the shock of her life: he was the same man she had seen juggling in the streets at a local fair. What was he doing as the Comte Saint-Pierre? Was he posing? Had she made some terrible mistake?
... Read moreThe Ghost and Lady Alice
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 21 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.73(556 ratings)
Alice Lovesey is a poor, mistreated scullery maid whose desperate plea for help miraculously summons Wadham Hall’s rakish eighth duke—summons him from the dead! Though caught up in the delights of being newly materialized, the duke promises to return the favor by helping Alice become a lady of quality. But does Alice’s heart stand a ghost of a chance now that she has lost it to a restless spirit?
... Read moreThe Glitter and the Gold
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 12 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.76(289 ratings)
Fanny and her groom had been tricked! Parents on both sides, all impoverished, had decided to recoup their families’ losses by marrying their children to the progeny of a wealthier neighbor. The joke was on them, however, when it was outed that neither family had a penny to its name.
Charles was not the dark rogue of Fanny’s girlish fantasies, but he was chivalrously determined that she should meet someone more appropriate for her than he. And for her part, Fanny was determined that Charles find a woman of greater means who would, perhaps, be the answer to his prayers. Yet as each lover set out to find someone for the other, each was left with the nagging notion that true love might have nothing to do with riches.
... Read moreThe Highland Countess
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Alison Larkin
- Length: 5 hours 14 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.83(410 ratings)
An innocent beauty takes society by storm—and a worldly lord by surprise.
Morag Fleming, the Countess of Murr, had been bride to the most lecherous lord in Scotland—yet this ravishingly lovely girl had never been touched. Needless to say, she had never borne a child; yet as a young widow she came to London with a fine son in tow.
Her background had left her ignorant of the follies and fopperies of fashion, but soon all of society was at her feet. Most incredible of all, she knew so little about the ways and wiles of love yet set her heart upon none other than the devastatingly handsome, charming, and wealthy Lord Toby Freemantle, who could have any woman he chose and clearly chose not to have her.
... Read moreThe Homecoming
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 41 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
Will the last Beverley daughter marry for Mannerling?
Lizzie is the sixth and youngest daughter of the late Sir Beverley, the patriarch who gambled away their beloved estate, Mannerling. Each of Lizzie’s sisters had been entrusted by their ambitious mother to cast lures for the various owners of their former home. Instead, each one married for love.
Now it’s Lizzie’s turn to save Mannerling. But the new owner, the Duke of Severnshire, is far too arrogant for Lizzie’s heart. And while the duke has no intentions toward the saucy chit, her curt dismissal of him is perplexing—no woman has ever refused him. Now, as his lavish house party to select a bride becomes a whirlwind of mismatches and scandal, lovely Lizzie is turning the duke’s thoughts away from a suitable marriage—to the wonders of falling in love.
... Read moreThe Intrigue
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 4 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.54(599 ratings)
Mannerling, the splendid family estate gambled away by Sir Beverley, remains the passionate desire of his daughters. Beverley himself has died; the eldest daughter, Isabella–having failed in her bid to reclaim their home–is blissfully wed. The mantle of savior then falls to the next eldest daughter, Jessica. How fortunate that the new owner of Mannerling has a marriageable son. In truth, Harry is a brutal lecher, a drunkard, and a wastrel, but Jessica, blinded by determination, vows to secure a betrothal. She is barely aware of the attentions of handsome, charming Professor Robert Sommerville, whose affection for Jessica is equaled only by the fear that her obsession to secure Mannerling will lead to disaster for all concerned. As scandal and intrigue swirl around her, Jessica must discover where the heart finds true happiness.
... Read moreThe Love Match
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Vanessa Benjamin
- Length: 5 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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4.03(180 ratings)
Waverley women pursue their aspirations no matter what the obstacle. They may marry if the cause seems to suit the purpose, or they may flirt until their heart is content—or, perhaps, until the gentleman who has proven to be the most elusive of all is clearly within reach. No matter what the obstacle, none is too big for a Waverley woman. These are books of dreams, lessons, fanciful thoughts, and, most of all, tales of girls grown now to women who won’t settle for anything less than their full dream, impossible as it may seem at the outset.
By day Felicity champions women’s rights, vowing to stay unmarried and true to the cause, but by night she dreams of romance. She is the secret author of a scandalous new novel—the tale of a lady “rake” and her passionate exploits. One titled gentleman has learned her identity and is growing more and more intrigued with this headstrong young woman. With the handsome marquis spurring her on, Felicity will soon learn that real life can be infinitely more interesting—and stranger—than fiction.
... Read moreThe Loves of Lord Granton
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 13 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.87(147 ratings)
‘Twas a most odd and unsuitable friendship … and very precious indeed!
As the youngest of four unmarried vicar’s daughters, Frederica feared her destiny was to die of tedium in the sleepy village of Barton Sub Edge. Her looks deemed “unfortunate,” her willful notions damned as “difficult,” she never dreamt the arrival of a rake would challenge her fate in the most surprising way.
For Frederica and Lord Granton, the worldly gentleman from the city, had something in common: boredom. And thus a secret friendship was formed. Frederica lived vicariously through his tales of adventure while he found a delightful respite from the simpering females thrown his way.
But when had their summer idyll turned to love? When had a country miss become a breathtaking lady? Worse, what the devil was a certified rogue who was much too old for her going to do about it?
... Read moreThe Marquis Takes a Bride
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 4 hours 43 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.71(231 ratings)
Miss Jennie Bemyss is in a position that any intelligent young lady would envy. The wealthy, worldly Marquis of Charrington has proposed a marriage of convenience that will leave him free to pursue his pleasures and leave Jennie free of his undoubtedly depraved desires.
At the same time, handsome, charming Guy Chalmers, whom Jennie has loved since childhood, proposes to aid her in enjoying her freedom to the fullest.
Jennie should feel happy to be ignored by a man whom she properly should despise. She should feel even happier to be courted by a man whom she has so long adored.
Why, then, does Jennie feel so confused?
... Read moreThe Miser of Mayfair
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 57 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.69(248 ratings)
Is Number 67 Clarges Steet the unluckiest house in Mayfair? Every season the beau mondes of the Regency would hire a house in the heart of London’s fashionable West End at disproportionately high rent for often inferior accommodation and yet Number 67 Clarges Street, a town house complete with staff, remains vacant from year to year. Could it be that it is associated with ill luck and even death? Something must be done so that the servants of this house don’t lose their livelihood.
Salvation seems to come in the form of Roderick Sinclair who confirms he wishes to rent the house for the current season. The staff is overjoyed–until they find that Mr. Sinclair is a terrible miser who is planning no parties. Furthermore, his ward, Fiona, though a dazzling Highland beauty, does not seem to possess one bright idea in her head. But it is Rainbird, Number 67’s clever and elegant butler, who sees through her facade and resolves to help his mysterious mistress in whatever way he can.
... Read moreThe Original Miss Honeyford
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 13 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.71(417 ratings)
Miss Honeyford was sour on romance, but she had been duly dispatched to London to save the family fortune by hunting for–and securing–a wealthy husband and thereby proving her role as a loving, if not entirely dutiful, daughter. Honoraria obeyed. But if she was reluctantly willing to surrender her hand, this beautiful young lady who could ride, shoot, and argue with any man was not about to lose her head or her heart to any of the dismal cads and lads of the marriage mart.
First she met the arrogantly attractive Lord Alistair Stewart, who treated her infuriatingly like a little girl. And then she met the skillfully seductive Lord Channington, who treated her intoxicatingly like the desirable full-grown woman that she was. But now that she had a choice, which role would she choose and just how much risk was she willing to run?
The Regency series brings us heroines of style, grace, and determination–women who are not afraid to use their smarts to seek the stature or standing they feel they need. They may come from humble beginnings or not, but what these heroines share is an unmatched determination that leaves us turning page after page as we follow them in their dance.
... Read moreThe Paper Princess
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Justine Eyre
- Length: 4 hours 24 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.66(220 ratings)
London was all on edge and astir to have in its midst the exquisite Princess Felicity of Brasnia. What scandal would ensue should society discover that the bejeweled heir to a royal throne was in truth Miss Felicity Channing of Cornwall, fleeing a match she did not want and that had been arranged by her conniving stepfather!
It was questionable how long Felicity could carry off this lively masquerade before she would falter, especially since the dark, raffish eyes of Lord Arthur Bessamy seemed to look right through her disguise–and set her spirited heart to pounding.
... Read moreThe Perfect Gentleman
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 4 hours 55 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.76(199 ratings)
From the prolific M. C. Beaton, a Regency romance where love flourishes in the most unexpected places
From the top of his flawlessly groomed head to the waxed tips of his fashionable shoes, Lord Andrew Childe was every inch the perfect gentleman. But Andrew’s arrogant composure was almost always shattered by the impertinent Penelope Mortimer, an achingly lovely country beauty who had a clear knack for ruffling his lordship’s feathers.
Her nose for trouble seemed to land Lord Andrew in the most awkward situations–and love itself quickly became the most delicate of them all!
... Read moreThe Romance
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 40 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
Torn between her ancestral home and her heart, Belinda Beverley must make a difficult choice.
As one of the two remaining unmarried Beverley sisters, Belinda considers herself the last hope for Mannerling, the beloved estate gambled away by their father. Each of her four elder sisters had hoped—even schemed—to marry one of Mannerling’s successive owners. But all had chosen true love over their ancestral home. Practical and duty-bound, Belinda would woo and wed Lord St. Clair, current holder of the estate. True, he is a silly fop, hardly what she desires in a husband, but she vows to make the man love her—even at the expense of her own happiness. Dashing Lord Gyre, however, can hardly ignore the ridiculous drama; Belinda is far too good for that dandy St. Clair. His lordship therefore decides it is his duty to win the lovely Belinda’s heart.
... Read moreThe Savage Marquess
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 4 hours 49 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.7(473 ratings)
Certainly the two should never have met.
The handsome, wealthy Marquess of Rockingham was the most notorious man in London, as infamous for his violent temper as he was for his intemperate ways.
Miss Lucinda Westerville was a country vicar’s daughter, as innocent as she was lovely and as proper as a young lady could possibly be. Yet when this improbably matched pair met at a glittering social ball, they had struck the dubious bargain to become man and wife–in name only. But Lucinda soon found that she had taken on more than she bargained for when she vowed not to love this untamed, infuriatingly attractive man, when she tried to rein her own foolishly galloping heart.
... Read moreThe Scandalous Lady Wright
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 33 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.71(543 ratings)
An aristocratic lady is accused of murder in a historical romance by this bestselling author.
The upper class of the social circle regarded Sir Benjamin Wright with utmost honor and respect. Yet Lady Emma knew her husband was, in fact, a drunken jealous brute who delighted in humiliating her both in and out of the bedroom.
His murder had been a blessing, she thought, until the constable’s accusing finger pointed to her. But it soon became apparent that her late husband hid secrets—and enemies.
When the practical Comte Saint-Juste arrived on the scene offering his services, Lady Emma was about to discover what the French dedication to l’amour really meant.
... Read moreThe Scandalous Marriage
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 29 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.7(411 ratings)
As far as matrimonial prospects were concerned, Lucy Bliss was told she’d make an excellent clergyman’s wife.
Her mother had loftier aspirations, however, for her lovely younger sister Belinda. Belinda would marry a duke, more specifically, the Duke of Wardshire. Lucy was truly horrified. “Lucifer” Wardshire was rumored to be as wicked as the devil, with orgies and mistresses—and worse.
As the London season unfolded, Lucy couldn’t decide who was more abominable, her vulgar mama or the arrogant yet disconcertingly handsome duke. But Lucy vowed to go to any lengths to protect her sister, even if her mission should take her into the very arms of the devilish duke himself.
... Read moreThe Sins of Lady Dacey
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Mia Chiaromonte
- Length: 5 hours 14 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.88(120 ratings)
The local society could only speculate how a pair of turtledoves would cope as the guests of the scandalous Lady Dacey. Surely she would attempt to corrupt them–an act that both Pamela Perryworth and Honoria Goodham would see as welcome entertainment in their rigid, joyless lives.
Though Mrs. Perryworth is married–most unhappily–and the young Honoria has a cloying tendency to read too much scripture, the purity and loveliness of both ladies nonetheless inflames the senses of two notorious lords. Mr. Sean Delaney loses his heart at first sight of the fair Mrs. Perryworth, while the disreputable Duke of Ware is quite disturbed by the innocent Honoria, who unknowingly dares to tempt his jaded heart.
... Read moreThe Skeleton in the Closet
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Clive R. Anderson
- Length: 5 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.69(2484 ratings)
Ever since the death of his father, Fellworth Dolphin has slaved away as a waiter to support his miserly, cold-hearted mother. When his mother suddenly dies, Fellworth is shocked to discover that she has left him a sizable inheritance. confused, Fell teams up with Maggie, a plain girl with a similar background, to investigate the source of the riches. But what they find is a closet full of skeletons.Is it really possible Fell’s father was involved in a long-ago train robbery? Who is the mysterious woman in the portrait hidden in his mother’s wardrobe? As Maggie and Fell poke around the village for answers, they find themselves on a surprise-filled path to danger and adventure, and–just possibly–love.
But Fell’s sudden good fortune could come to an abrupt end if he doesn’t stay one step ahead of a cunning killer.
... Read moreThe Taming of Annabelle
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 6 hours 31 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.61(871 ratings)
Miss Annabelle Armitage is pea-green with envy. What a cruel world it is when her spinster of an older sister can enchant the dashing Lord Sylvester Comfrey! Annabelle’s own passionate nature is surely better suited for such a one as Sylvester.
Alas for Annabelle, Comfrey seems to care for her not a jot. Determined to get a bit of her own back, even if it means marrying another, Annabelle finds Peter, Marquess of Brabington, a most attentive admirer.
War hero though he might be, Peter is ill-prepared for his coming fight for Annabelle’s true love.
... Read moreThe Viscount’s Revenge
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 6 hours 54 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.72(215 ratings)
The handsome but arrogant Lord Charles Hawksborough desperately wants to catch the infernally insolent thief who held him up at pistol point on the King’s Highway and rode off with his family’s inheritance and jewels.
Hawksborough tries just as desperately to not want the piquant and penniless Miss Amanda Colby when this young lady and her twin brother come to stay at his London townhouse during the height of the social season.
Hawksborough fears his desire for this slip of a girl as he is about to wed the most beautiful and more suitable Lady Mary Dane. Meanwhile, Amanda fears he will discover she is the thief before she can atone for the crime. Whatever is to happen, it is clear that neither is prepared for what takes place in this bewildering labyrinth of love and larceny!
... Read moreThe Westerby Inheritance
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Kate Reading
- Length: 8 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.43(642 ratings)
A lady of quality would not wager her honor to restore her family’s fortunes—or would she?
Lady Jane Lovelace has conceived the idea of approaching the most notorious man-about-town, Lord Charles Welbourne, with a most unique proposition. When he counters her offer with a condition that he thinks will halt her impudence, much to the surprise of both, she accepts.
A novel of passion and intrigue, The Westerby Inheritance is a thrilling installment in an emotionally charged romantic saga, all played out against a backdrop of elegant eighteenth-century society.
... Read moreThe Westerby Sisters
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Kate Reading
- Length: 7 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.5(111 ratings)
Lady Betty has no interest in the Duke of Collingham. She doesn’t care that he’s fabulously wealthy, or devastatingly handsome, or impeccably well-dressed. All she sees is an arrogant nobleman with an abrasive personality and an annoyingly persistent streak.
And the Duke of Collingham is persistent. He can have any woman in the whole of Society–but the one who won’t have him is the only one he wants. And he’ll stop at nothing to persuade her.
... Read moreThe Wicked Godmother
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 44 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.85(162 ratings)
Lovely but penniless Harriet Metcalf is aghast when a nobleman’s will names her guardian of his snobbish twin daughters when they come out during the next London season. And is she wily enough for the intrigues of the ton–or its two most eligible bachelors, the Marquess of Huntingdon and Lord Vere? Harriet sees them as suitors for the twins, while the gentlemen see only Harriet’s charms. Soon she is falling in love with one of the dashing rakes … but a cruel betrayal will be her ruin unless the Clarges Street servants can save a lady’s honor when she loses her heart.
... Read moreThe Witches’ Tree
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Alison Larkin
- Length: 6 hours 37 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2017
- Language: English
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3.49(4405 ratings)
Molly hunched over the steering wheel. A breeze started to move the fog, which danced in swaying pillars in front of her headlights, somehow even more difficult to drive through than the previous thick fog. As she approached the village, through the shifting fog, she saw the lightning-blasted limbs of the witches’ tree …
Driving home from a dinner party in the village of Sumpton Harcourt, Rory and Molly Harris, the new vicar and his wife, strain to see the road ahead–and then suddenly brake, screeching to a halt. Right in front of them, aglow in the headlights, a body hangs from a gnarled tree at the edge of town. An elderly spinster has been murdered–and the villagers are bewildered as to who would commit such a crime.
Agatha Raisin rises to the occasion (a little glad for the excitement, to tell the truth, after a long run of lost cats and divorces on the books). But when two more murders follow the first, Agatha begins to fear for her reputation–and even her life. The village is a small and very private place, she finds. It even has its own coven of witches …
... Read moreThere Goes the Bride
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hours 18 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2009
- Language: English
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3.75(5282 ratings)
Bossy, impulsive, yet hopelessly romantic, Agatha is dreading the upcoming marriage of her ex-husband, James Lacey. Although she has set her sights on a handsome and beguiling new Frenchman, she can’t quite stop obsessing about James. Her best intentions to move on with her life are put on hold when James’s young bride is shot to death just minutes before saying “I do” and Agatha is named the prime suspect.
Agatha’s sleuthing sidekick Toni stands ready to help find the real killer, but the case proves trickier than ever. Will her name be cleared, or has the outrageous Agatha finally had her last romp?
... Read moreThose Endearing Young Charms
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 4 hours 58 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.55(310 ratings)
“I have my pride. I have sworn to marry the girl, and marry her I will.”
After ten long years, the Earl of Devenham has returned to wed Mary Anstey, only to find that their feelings for each other have cooled off considerably. Nevertheless, they both put on bright faces for the benefit of family and friends.
But Mary’s younger sister Emily sees through their masquerade and would sacrifice anything rather than see her retiring sister married to the now-haughty earl.
Desperate measures were called for: a sleeping draught in Mary’s wedding-morning chocolate and Emily could don the veil and then force an annulment once the trick was discovered.
It was the kind of plot that could—and would—get young Emily into trouble.
... Read moreTilly
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Charlotte Anne Dore
- Length: 5 hours 32 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.65(158 ratings)
The Beast–that was what they called her. With her plump body and rough tomboy ways, she felt more like a clown. It was hopeless. Poor penniless Tilly could only sit among the chaperons as a paid companion to the spiteful Lady Aileen. The best she could do was sit … and dream. But suddenly Philip, Marquess of Heppleford, the most eligible bachelor of all, decided he wanted her for himself, to be his wife, and they were married. His intent was to keep his freedom, fulfill the conditions of his father’s will, and shock his aunts. He never imagined he’d return from a scandalous adventure in Paris only to find a seductive beauty–a beauty who had learned that loving well is the best revenge.
In this whirlwind series, Marion Chesney brings us spirited, independent women who are at once bewitching, beguiling, and determined to make their mark on the world, be it within their social circle or extending beyond. With their arms wide open, these women are absolutely original and unforgettable, as are the tales in which they are featured.
... Read moreTo Dream of Love
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Lindy Nettleton
- Length: 5 hours 49 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.74(150 ratings)
Two sisters vie for a notorious Marquess in this historical romance by bestselling author Marion Chesney
Must one sister suffer in poverty while the other lives in the lap of luxury? This question plagued Harriet Clifton incessantly. Inviting herself to her widowed sister Cordelia’s posh London townhouse for the season was surely the only way to meet a suitable partner–as well as escape drafty old Pringle House forever.
The vain Cordelia was meanwhile casting her net for the notorious Marquess of Arden, a man who would rather court a mistress than wed a wife.
Who would have believed that the Marquess would succumb to Harriet’s countrified charms?–or that Cordelia would stoop quite so low as to try to conquer the Marquess at her own sister’s expense?
... Read moreYvonne Goes to York
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrator: Helen Lisanti
- Length: 5 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4(142 ratings)
A former employer’s legacy of PS5,000 has allowed spinster Hannah Pym to resign from housekeeping and enjoy traveling the English countryside by coach. But adventure soon finds Miss Pym in the form of runaway brides, spirited heiresses, and international refugees, who continue to test her expert matchmaking skills.
The shy Miss Yvonne Grenier, a beautiful fugitive of the French Revolution, is quite terrified when a dangerous enemy boards her coach to York. Luckily, Miss Hannah Pym is also on board. Ever the matchmaker, Miss Pym sees the answer to Yvonne’s plight in the hands and heart of another passenger–the Marquis of Ware.
Handsome and tailored to perfection, the marquis has birth and fortune enough to defend Yvonne. Although the girl is of the French bourgeoisie and below his rank, Miss Pym is certain that Yvonne’s Gallic graces and quick wit have more than piqued his interest.
Miss Pym will propose a plan that enlists the marquis’ aid, and soon he will be proposing. After all, a maiden in distress is irresistible–even to a confirmed bachelor.
... Read more