10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A triumph! The very best of this series so far!, March 7, 2003
This is a spectacular entry in M.C. Beaton's delightful series of "cozies" featuring the deliciously imperfect Agatha Raisin. Ms. Beaton has scored a huge hit with this entry, which is a truly excellent whodunit, with the emphasis on mystery rather than Agatha's love life. Regular readers who have been frustrated with the editorial errors in prior novels will be pleased to know this entry shows substantial improvements in editing as well.
Agatha returns from another public relations project in London to find her Cotswold village of Carsley agog over the arrival of a new curate, hired to help local vicar Alf Bloxby, husband of Agatha's good friend. Tristan Delon is a stunningly beautiful young man, with the face of a voluptuous angel and more than his share of charm. Carsley's church is packed when he begins delivering sermons. Of course, our Agatha is struck all of a heap by Tristan, in spite of Mrs. Bloxby's less than enthusiastic opinion of him. Agatha is naturally delighted when Tristan invites her to his lodgings for a sumptuous dinner, but is shrewd enough to refuse his offer to manage her stock portfolio.
Murder still seems to follow our Agatha, so it's not surprising the gorgeous new curate is found murdered the morning after her dinner with him. What is surprising is that he's found dead in the vicar's study, stabbed with the vicar's paper knife, with the church donation box nearby. This, of course, puts the Bloxbys under suspicion, and this time, it is Mrs. Bloxby who implores Agatha to investigate. Eager to clear the vicar, Agatha agrees and the fun begins.
Of course, the curate was not the angelic creature he appeared to be, but a spiteful, malicious creep who enjoyed befriending the wealthy and conning them out of money, then deserting them and trying to blackmail them. Those affected by his misdeeds are scattered between London and Carsely, and Agatha energetically tracks them all. Two villagers are murdered in quick succession, and Agatha fears gossip and suspicion will destroy not only the Bloxbys, but the friendly nature of her village as well.
The solution is delicious, the clues fairly placed, and, I must confess, I was actually surprised----a first for me! Many of Beaton's novels are light on mystery, but this entry does not short the reader in any way. Beaton continues the development of her characters and moves them through their lives and relationships in the same highly entertaining manner, while constructing a tighter, faster paced mystery than usual. I was impressed by the skill with which she briefly draws the personalities of the large number of suspects in this novel. Agatha is more professional here, and although her oddly endearing abrasiveness and insecurity remain, there is evidence of Agatha's continuing personal growth as well, particularly in her decision to begin an old folks' club in Carsely.
She is assisted in this case by new neighbor John Armitage, to whom she seems oddly unattracted, given his good looks. Of course, Agatha is finally returning to her tough, coarser exterior here, perhaps in reaction to learning her beloved ex-husband James Lacey did not in fact join the monastery for which he supposedly divorced her. Adorable detective constable Bill Wong is present as usual, concerned for Agatha's safety and still having girlfriend trouble. Neither Agatha's former office boy Roy Silver nor fickle baronet Sir Charles Fraith appear in this novel, as both are occupied elsewhere. So, readers will evidently have to wait to see if Charles escapes his disastrous marriage and loses his recently acquired avoirdupois. Fans will also eagerly await the next installment to see if the next handsome new neighbor moving into the cottage next door formerly occupied by James Lacey and John Armitage will catch Agatha's eye! As usual, I can't wait for the next installment in this series!!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another murder for Agatha, October 28, 2004
Agatha Raisin is pleased when the glamorous new curate asks her out for dinner, but less pleased when he snubs her afterwards. Then he is found murdered, and the Vicar, husband of Agatha's best friend, is under suspicion.
Agatha discovers that the curate had been obtaining money from people under false pretences, and that a lot of people had reason to dislike him, but which of them murdered him? Agatha is helped in her investigation by her new next-door neighbour, handsome crime novelist John Armitage.
As usual, Agatha raises hackles with her blunt manners, and as usual she is worrying about her appearance and fretting over her vanished ex-husband James Lacey. Agatha is an exasperating but oddly endearing character, always described as having 'bearlike eyes' (I'm never sure what those are), and always yearning for some man or other. This is an amusing addition to an entertaining series.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Usual suspects and more add up to a great line up, May 23, 2003
Poor Agatha Raisin. She is not nice in the conventional sense and she has none of the homemaking qualities one associates with good village women. And yet there is something about her insecurities, her imperfect pitch in the hum of relationships, and her dazzling self-involvement (coupled with almost no self-awareness) that makes her a wonderful protagonist in the perfect-picture setting of these novels.
M.C. Beaton again develops a believable and funny cast of characters, some of whom are quite disposable, and sets in motion a plot with more twists than your average village ramble. It may be the best book yet in this enjoyable series, with the finger of accusation pointing at... well, it would not do to tell. My only complaint is that Agatha Raisin is always "high carb" reading; the book ends while I am still craving more, more...
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