Charlotte MacLeod

Charlotte MacLeod was a Canadian-born American author, best known for her mystery novels. She was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and her family moved to the United States shortly after. MacLeod was educated at the Art Institute of Boston and then went on to work as a copywriter, while also beginning her fiction career. She is known for her light and humorous writing style, which features likable and eccentric characters. MacLeod passed away in 2005 in a nursing home from Alzheimer's disease.

Over the course of her career, MacLeod wrote more than 30 mystery novels, as well as numerous juvenile books, a biography, and many short stories. She is widely known for her "whimsical Whodunits" which feature unconventional and witty amateur sleuths. These sleuths solve murders using innovative methods, such as ancient spears, quicklime, and stinging bees. MacLeod's writing is known for its warmth, wit, and whimsy, and her characters are both memorable and endearing.

MacLeod spent a majority of her life in Boston, but in 1985, she moved to Maine. She was known for her ladylike manner, and was often seen wearing white gloves, a hat, and speaking with impeccable grammar. MacLeod was a naturalized US citizen and wrote under the pseudonym Alisa Craig for her Grub-and-Stakers cozies and Madoc Rhys series. She was also a cofounder and past president of the American Crime Writers League, and edited the bestselling anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings.
Professor Peter Shandy Books
# Title Year
1 Rest You Merry 1978
2 The Luck Runs Out 1979
3 Wrack and Rune 1982
4 Something The Cat Dragged In 1983
5 The Curse of the Giant Hogweed 1985
6 The Corpse in Oozak's Pond 1987
7 Vane Pursuit 1989
8 An Owl Too Many 1991
9 Something in the Water 1994
10 Exit the Milkman 1996
Sarah Kelling & Max Bittersohn Mysteries Books (with)
# Title Year
1 The Family Vault 1979
2 The Withdrawing Room 1980
3 The Palace Guard 1981
4 The Bilbao Looking Glass 1983
5 The Convivial Codfish 1984
6 The Plain Old Man 1985
7 The Recycled Citizen 1987
8 The Silver Ghost 1987
9 The Gladstone Bag 1990
10 The Resurrection Man 1992
11 The Odd Job 1995
12 The Balloon Man 1998
Sarah Kelling & Max Bittersohn Mysteries Books (with John Maynard Keynes)
# Title Year
1 The Family Vault 1979
2 The Withdrawing Room 1980
3 The Palace Guard 1981
4 The Bilbao Looking Glass 1983
5 The Convivial Codfish 1984
6 The Plain Old Man 1985
7 The Recycled Citizen 1987
8 The Silver Ghost 1987
9 The Gladstone Bag 1990
10 The Resurrection Man 1992
11 The Odd Job 1995
12 The Balloon Man 1998
Madoc Rhys Books (as Alisa Craig)
# Title Year
1 A Pint of Murder 1980
2 Murder Goes Mumming 1981
3 A Dismal Thing to Do 1986
4 Trouble in the Brasses 1989
5 The Wrong Rite 1992
Grub-And-Stakers Books (as Alisa Craig)
# Title Year
1 The Grub-And-Stakers Move a Mountain 1981
2 The Grub-and-Stakers Quilt a Bee 1985
3 The Grub-And-Stakers Pinch a Poke 1988
4 The Grub-and-Stakers Spin a Yarn 1990
5 The Grub-And-Stakers House a Haunt 1993
Standalone Novels
# Title Year
1 Mystery of the White Knight 1964
2 Next Door to Danger 1965
3 The Fat Lady's Ghost 1968
4 Mouse's Vineyard 1968
5 Brass pounder 1971
6 Ask Me No Questions 1971
7 King Devil 1978
8 We Dare Not Go A-Hunting 1980
9 Cirak's Daughter 1982
10 The Terrible Tide 1983
11 The Terrible Tide ( As: Alisa Craig) 1983
12 Maid of Honor 1984
Short Stories/Novellas
# Title Year
1 A Cozy For Christmas 1989
Short Story Collections
# Title Year
1 Grab Bag 1987
2 It Was an Awful Shame and Other Stories 2002
Non-Fiction Books
# Title Year
1 Astrology For Skeptics 1972
2 Had She but Known 1994
Charlotte MacLeod Anthologies
# Title Year
1 Mistletoe Mysteries 1989
2 Christmas Stalkings 1991
3 Malice Domestic 1 1992