As I have said before, the Agatha Raisin books are no longer about the dead body in the other room; they are about the interactions between the recurring cast of characters and the maturing of Agatha. As she comes to realize that she is important and that people do care about her - even if she tries to stare them down with her bear like eyes and doesn’t understand that when she spout off at the mouth there is a living breathing human being at the pointy end of her jabs – they just have to be willing to get beyond the wall that she has built.What could be more tempting than a report of a haunted house? Agatha, with the help of her new neighbor Paul Chatterton, head out to do a little detecting and spend the night doing their own Ghost Hunters type of investigating. But when Agatha gets a little more than what she was expecting and the nasty Mrs. Witherspoon is soon found dead, Agatha once again finds herself knee deep in an investigation and Bill Wong must come to the rescue.A new day has dawned for Agatha. No longer is she languishing away because a man is not paying attention to her. She is now seeing them as a distraction and she has a new direction in life. By the way, when did Agatha get sexy? I remember the previous books discussing her in a frumpy sort of way. Now she is turning heads and the ladies of Carsley are a bit on the jealous side. This is a new turn and I hope that it will add yet another dimension to a wonderfully curious woman.
I took such a long time to read this book. I kept it by my bedside and would read it before falling asleep. Typically, I would only get to read a page or two before dropping off, so I never really made any progress until I picked it up to read during my daily commute.It's the fourteenth book in the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton. It is a fairly typical book for the series and once again, the story is riddled with Aggie's disastrous decisions concerning her love life. I like that Aggie finally decides to drop the amateur label and become a private detective. I've been steadily reading this series and I like it; Agatha is such a contrary, but entertaining character. The stories are short, entertaining brain candy. However, I am starting to feel like there's a lot of repetition in the stories and I'm not sure if I will still enjoy the series after 24+ books. Will Agatha ever make a wise decision in any matters outside of business? interesting quote:"A word of warning to you, Mrs. Raisin. It's only in books that old biddies from villages can help the police. In real life, they're a pain in the arse." (p. 113)
Mark wrote: "Una wrote: "Was that the Quiche of Death? Not her finest hour lol. Did you read AR and the Murderous Marriage? It's one of my favorites."Quiche of death indeed, now a tv movie if you are interes..."I followed on this and the Agatha impersonator doesn't live up to the book. Did you see the movie? It hasn't been aired in the US yet.
—Una Tiers
More of the usual entertaining nonsense, Beaton's books have become a guilty pleasure, perfect for a long soak in the bath. Agatha is now divorced from James (have to admit I had no idea they did tie the knot as I'm only dipping into the series when they're cheap in The Works) and trying not to fall for her new male neighbour, Paul, whose Spanish wife is conveniently back in Madrid. Sparked by stories of a local haunting, Agatha and Paul soon find themselves bound up in murder and mayhem in contrast to the perfect country idyll Agatha pretends she craves. Rather like a decent sized bag of fudge, somewhat cloying but ultimately enjoyable.
—Lynne
I would have given this four stars, but I think MC Beaton needs a better editor or needs to keep track over her own storyline from boom to book. Book #13 reveals that Sir Charles was tricked into marriage by the French woman who was not pregnant, and he was suing for divorce. This book states that there were children and she divorced him for another man. That's a HUGE difference and a serious lack of continuity that either speaks to the author's disregard for the serial novel or a VERY poor editor. Either way, I've seen bits and pieces of the same throughout the series especially when it comes to Agatha's character. She bullied and manipulated in London as PR person, knew it, and was proud of her tactics in the early books. Then, all of a sudden in book #12 or #13 it states that Agatha had never thought of herself as a bully but a delicate flower????? No she didn't! It's almost as if Beaton does no know how to develop the characters, so she is just changing their history. And this is coming from a HUGE Hamish Macbeth fan.This is why, while this series is entertaining, it definitely lacks the brilliance in writing, storytelling and believable continuity than somethig like Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series.
—Liana Martino
