Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 1) [Hardcover]

M. C. Beaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1992

In order to introduce herself to the picturesque English village where she has just retired, Mrs. Agatha Raisin enters a quiche in a local competition and promptly finds herself a murder suspect when the judge dies from her poisonous pie.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this highly promising launch to a new mystery series, Beaton turns from the adventures of her Scottish policeman Hamish Macbeth to introduce the redoubtable Agatha Raisin. At 53, Agatha, whose personality is a piquant combination of brusque competence and fallibility, sells her London public relations firm to retire to the picturesque Cotswold village of Carsely. Determined to gain acceptance among the villagers, the undomestic Agatha enters a local bake-off. The judge, Reg Cummings-Brown, not only snubs her entry but later dies, poisoned by cowbane in Agatha's killer quiche. Of course Agatha is innocent: her "homemade" entry came from a Chelsea delicatessen. Knowing news of her cheating will light up the village, Agatha hopes to save face by proving Reg was murdered, even though the police think it was all a ghastly accident. But was Reg or Agatha the target? And why would anyone want to kill the popular Reg, whose wife was only one of "quite a lot of ladies . . . sobbing into their handkerchiefs" at the inquest? While the murder is occasionally overshadowed by Agatha's settling-in problems, Beaton's ( Death of a Snob ) playful depiction of village life makes it all a delicious romp.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"- 'Beaton's dry sense of humour and her unflattering but affectionate portrait of gruff, often adolescent acting Agatha make this... tale a bloom worth picking.' - Publishers Weekly - 'Engaging' - Booklist --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 201 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (December 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312081537
• ISBN-13: 978-0312081539
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #487,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

M.C. BEATON has won international acclaim for her bestselling Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin mysteries. She is also the author of over 100 romance titles and a series of romantic suspense, The Edwardian Mystery Series. M. C. Beaton lives in a Cotswold cottage with her husband.

Marion is active on Facebook using her most popular pen name, M.C. Beaton. You can find complete book lists, information on events, and sign up for news updates at her website, www.MCBeaton.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, August 24, 2001

By 

Britt Arnhild Lindland (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

For months now some of my reading friends have been praising Agatha Raisin, the female detective who has got her life through the pen of M.C.Beaton. It took me some time to finally buy some of the books, but one day a packet came from amazon with the three first ones. In the middle of buying and selling houses, full time work and a busy family it was not easy to sit down with the book. But you always need some resting time, and what is better then to crab a cup of ice tea, and sit out on the patio with a book. Agatha Raisin then came into my life, and here she will stay on, no doubth of that. I loved the book from the very first pages. First I was curious, this Agatha, who is she? Then amazed of this woman selling her promotion company in London to move out into the storybook English village, then I had to laugh, laugh alot ....She is for sure no Miss Marple, and no Penelope from Rosamunde Pilcher. She is truly something unique, a woman you have to love because she is so human, with her faults and everything. In her attempt to become one of the villagers, Agatha decides to take part in the country fair. No cook though she buys a quich from a London deli, quite sure that this one has to be a winner. Of course it is not, it is even a very bad quich, and when the judge eats from it he dies of poisoning. Well, from here the story goes on, with Agatha trying to find the murderer when eveybody else tend to believe it was just an accident. With this book I can promise you hours of fun, and if you are about to sell a house you might need to do as Agatha does, tell people the house is already sold when the come to look at it. I am glad I already have the second book to dive into, but what about my house selling???

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever writing and a great character combine for a good read, May 18, 1999

By 

John Leasure (Portsmouth, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've just discovered the novels of M.C. Beaton through the Hammish Macbeth TV series running on BBC America. While the majority seem to prefer the Macbeth series, I don't. Agatha Raisin is a prickly personality that is delightful to read because she says the things we would want to say and don't. This particular book is a great character study and even if set in England, I recognize my own small hometown within its pages. Is it literature? No, thank God! But it is a pleasant weekend read. Oh, and if you've ever read the very funny Regency romances of Marion Chesney, you'll want to know she is also M.C. Beaton.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars British asocial Jessica Fletcher type....., November 11, 2006

By 

booklass "booklass" (San Angelo, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

...And great fun to read! Agatha first comes across as hard to take, but pretty soon we begin to appreciate her vulnerability. Set in the Cotswold villages of Britain, Agatha's adventures are closely tied in with her inability to safely navigate normal social life amongst the village. The supporting cast is wonderfully diverse, and the humor that is liberally sprinkled throughout Agatha's observations and experiences kept me thoroughly entertained chapter to chapter. I don't much care for series, but look forward to reading more in this one. I appreciated that it was PG rated, and that the main emphasis was on characterization and solving the mystery. No blood and guts.