Dorothy Dunnett (August 25, 1923 - November 9, 2001) was a Scottish historical novelist. She is best known for her six-part series about Francis Crawford of Lymond, The Lymond Chronicles which she followed with the eight-part prequel The House of Niccolò. She considered the two to form a single fourteen-volume series. She also wrote a novel about the real Macbeth called King Hereafter (1982), and a series of mystery novels centred around Johnson Johnson, a portrait painter/spy.

Dunnett was born Dorothy Halliday in Dunfermline in Fife. She was educated at Gillespie's High School for Girls in Edinburgh. She started her career as a press officer in the civil service, where she met her husband.

She was a leading light in the Scottish arts world and a renaissance woman. She was a professional portrait painter and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy on many occasions. She had portraits commissioned by a number of prominent public figures in Scotland. She had a keen interest in opera, was a trustee of the National Library of Scotland, a board member of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, a trustee of the Scottish War Memorial, and a non-executive director of Scottish Television. In 1992 she was created an Office of the OBE for her services to literature.

Dorothy Dunnett was married in 1946 to Sir Alastair Dunnett, editor of The Scotsman newspaper. She died in Edinburgh.