If you’re looking for the Hamish Macbeth books in order, publication order is the best place to start. The series follows Hamish Macbeth, a clever but happily unambitious police constable in the fictional Highland village of Lochdubh.
The books began with Death of a Gossip in 1985 and later continued after M.C. Beaton’s death, with R.W. Green writing the newer entries. I’ve included the novels, short stories, alternate titles, and the later R.W. Green books so the full series is easy to follow.
Jump to:
- Hamish Macbeth Books in Publication Order
- Who Continued the Hamish Macbeth Books After M.C. Beaton?
- Hamish Macbeth Short Stories
- Is There a Hamish Macbeth TV Show?
Hamish Macbeth Books in Publication Order
Publication order is the simplest way to read the Hamish Macbeth series. The books mostly move forward in sequence, and this order keeps the short stories and R.W. Green continuation titles in the same order readers saw them released.
- Death of a Gossip (1985)
- Death of a Cad (1987)
- Death of an Outsider (1988)
- Death of a Perfect Wife (1989)
- Death of a Hussy (1990)
- Death of a Snob (1991)
- Death of a Prankster (1992)
- Death of a Glutton / Death of a Greedy Woman (1993)
- Death of a Travelling Man (1993)
- Death of a Charming Man (1994)
- Death of a Nag (1995)
- Death of a Macho Man (1996)
- Death of a Dentist (1997)
- Death of a Scriptwriter (1998)
- Death of an Addict (1999)
- A Highland Christmas (1999) (Short Story)
- Death of a Dustman (2001)
- Death of a Celebrity (2002)
- Death of a Village (2003)
- Death of a Poison Pen (2004)
- Death of a Bore (2005)
- Death of a Dreamer (2006)
- Death of a Maid (2007)
- Death of a Gentle Lady (2008)
- Death of a Witch (2009)
- Death of a Valentine (2009)
- Death of a Sweep / Death of a Chimney Sweep (2011)
- Death of a Kingfisher (2012)
- Death of Yesterday (2013)
- Death of a Policeman (2014)
- Death of a Liar (2015)
- Knock, Knock, You’re Dead! (2016) (Short Story)
- Death of a Nurse (2016)
- Death of a Ghost (2017)
- Death of an Honest Man (2018)
- Death of a Green-Eyed Monster with R.W. Green (2022)
- Death of a Laird with R.W. Green (2022) (Short Story)
- Death of a Traitor with R.W. Green (2023)
- Death of a Spy with R.W. Green (2024)
- Death of a Smuggler with R.W. Green (2025)
- Death of a Groom with R.W. Green (2026)
Who Continued the Hamish Macbeth Books After M.C. Beaton?
M.C. Beaton was the pen name of Marion Chesney, the Scottish author who created both Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. Beaton died in 2019, but the Hamish Macbeth series continued.
R.W. Green, also known as Rod Green, was a longtime friend of Beaton’s and the husband of her former UK editor, Krystyna Green. Starting with Death of a Green-Eyed Monster, the newer Hamish Macbeth books have been written under the M.C. Beaton name, with Green credited as co-author.
Hamish Macbeth Short Stories
The Hamish Macbeth short stories are already included in the main publication list, but I like breaking them out separately because they’re easy to miss between the full-length novels.
- A Highland Christmas (1999)
- Knock, Knock, You’re Dead! (2016)
- Death of a Laird with R.W. Green (2022)
Is There a Hamish Macbeth TV Show?
Yes. The Hamish Macbeth TV show aired from 1995 to 1997 and starred Robert Carlyle as Hamish.
The show ran for three series and 20 episodes, but it’s a very loose adaptation. It keeps Hamish, Lochdubh, and the Highland setting, but it doesn’t follow the novels book by book.
That matters if you’re coming from the books. Beaton’s novels are cozy murder mysteries built around Hamish’s quiet intelligence, his village knowledge, and his stubborn desire to avoid promotion. The TV show leans more into quirky comedy, changes the screen version of Hamish, and uses very little of the actual book plots.
I’d treat the show as an alternate version of Lochdubh rather than a substitute for the novels. It’s worth watching if you like Robert Carlyle, Scottish locations, and character-driven British mystery shows, but it won’t give you the same continuity as reading the Hamish Macbeth books in order.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.