Agatha Raisin is in the Top Ten!
My first introduction to Agatha Raisin was during a Facebook Cozy Mystery Book Club discussion when someone mentioned it was a big favorite of theirs. I hadn’t heard of it or the author M.C. Beaton before, so my fingers stayed quiet while the commenters gave their own delighted opinions and insights. I googled the author discovering Beaton had been around for quiet awhile, and through Amazon and Goodreads there was a whole year’s worth of books to read. I also discovered she had penned the Hamish Macbeth series on which the PBS version starring Robert Carlyle was based. But she didn’t stop there; she also writes five intriguing series under the name Marion Chesney. I was asked to write a few reviews for UK productions airing on Acorn-TV, and in perusing their catalog, I was surprised to find “Agatha Raisin” had been produced and season 1 was available. I binged all nine episodes in one weekend and immediately became a very big fan! I have since then bought three books and two audiobooks for storylines not yet in the series, and can’t see my life without a bit of ‘Agatha’ in it.
Agatha still cares for her ex-husband, so when James says lets take a little vacation together, she says, “Yes. Where?” He has recently become a travel writer and keeps their destination a surprise, but Agatha, of course, has an exotic locale in mind. But when they arrive in Snoth-on-Sea, a struggling, seen-better-days village, one James had visited often as a child hoping to share his memories with Agatha, she almost turns around and goes home. After a horrible encounter with bad food and guests at the Palace Hotel that included fists-to-cuffs, James and Agatha decide to pack it up and leave. Heading out, James sees blue flashing lights in the rear-view mirror and pulls over to let them pass, but they stop, and forcibly announce Agatha is being brought in for questioning in the murder of Geraldine Jankers…What?! The subsequent investigation puts a serious strain on Agatha’s relationship with James, brings out past felonies, exposes lots of suspects, and continues to put Agatha in danger…
I greatly enjoyed the entertaining writing style, the humor, and the suspense directly from M.C. Beaton herself in this sixteenth book of the Agatha Raisin series. The murder mystery is clever and engaging weaving various motives from the suspects…I think I had the solution, but I did have an “Oh my! That was great!” moment at the end. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the original vision of the characters since my first introduction was through the television production which is “based on the book.” It is a delightful bonus that I see and hear the characters from the UK production while I read, but the books seem to be offering a more detailed and ‘true to the author’s vision’ experience. I highly recommend this series from M.C. Beaton, and the UK production adds a very entertaining illustration of her vision.
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