Customer Reviews

Love, Lies and Liquor (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 17)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Agatha Raisin has two addictions in life---one is butting in where others fear to tread and the other is James Lacey. Both consume her in this latest adventure of the middle-aged detective who prides herself on her good legs.

Can she find lasting happiness with her ex-husband? Agatha is hoping so, and the reader finally sees Agatha wising up to James' cold and unaffectionate nature. Can that actually be Agatha Raisin rejecting James? Spurning his advances? The game playing is over and Agatha is the clear winner. Or is she?

Devotees of this series, of which I am definitely one, will enjoy M.C. Beaton's trademark humor and laugh-out-loud moments as James whisks Agatha away on a mystery vacation. With lacey lingerie, sexy dresses, and visions of romping on beaches and beds along the French Riviera, Agatha sets off with great expectations. When James' dream vacation turns out to be a run-down and very seedy hotel in Snoth-on-Sea, England, Agatha realizes the life she wants with James may never be possible. In a refreshing change of pace, the pursuer becomes the pursued and Agatha can see a future without James.

Once again her grouchy disposition and smart-aleck mouth lead to trouble, this time to the murder of a fellow guest at the hotel. When the brassy guest is strangled on the beach with Agatha's scarf, the police are eager to arrest the obnoxious Ms. Raisin. Agatha springs into action to solve the case and clear her name. As usual, there are myriads of minor characters, though Beaton has done a better-than-usual job of delineating each one for the reader. In addition to the staff from her detective agency, old favorites like Sir Charles Fraith, Mrs. Bloxby, Ron Silver, and Bill Wong return. Stolen jewelry, heavy drinking, and a raging sea figure prominently in this latest adventure. And in a classic moment, a Chinese waitress laughs at Agatha's name and tells her she might as well be called Mrs. Prune. The seventeenth adventure does not disappoint and leaves us with an unexpected, but totally Agatha-like cliffhanger.

I AM A BIG AGATHA RAISIN FAN . I'M SAD TO SAY THAT THAT WHILE I PRE-ORDERED THIS BOOK MONTHS BEFORE IT WAS RELEASED, AS I DO ALL M.C.BEATON'S "AGATHA RAISIN " BOOKS, I FELT A LITTLE CHEATED .

I THINK M.C. BEATON HAS SO MUCH TALENT THAT PERHAPS SHE WAS RUSHED BY PUBLISHERS IN GETTING THIS BOOK OUT AND ALSO HAD A MINUMUM PAGE REQUIREMENT. WHICH WOULD ACCOUNT FOR MY POOR REVIEW BELOW .

I HATE TO GIVE THE PLOT AWAY SO I'LL JUST SAY , THERE WAS TOO MUCH , RUNNING BACK AND FORTH TO THE POLICE STATION . AND WHEN NOT DOING THAT SHE WAS EITHER FINDING MURDER VICTIMS OR SHE WAS THE TARGET ...WHICH AGAIN HAD US FOLLOWING HER EITHER TO POLICE STATION OR BACK TO THE HOTEL ON " SNOTH-ON-SEA " . IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A KEYSTONE COMEDY . THE OTHER CHARACTERS SEEMED TO BE THROWN IN JUST TO SHOW US SHE HADN'T FORGOTTEN THEM LIKE MRS. BLOXBY COMING TO COMFORT AGATHA WITH NOTHING REALLY TO DO , BUT, COMES UP WITH AN IDEA . CHARLES WANDERING IN AND OUT OF THE STORY WHEN JAMES ISN'T . AND OF COURSE DET. BILL WONG ...NO REAL PURPOSE IN THIS EITHER.

I THINK IF THE CHARACTERS WERE NECESSARY TO INCORPORATE SOMEHOW, SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE THEM RUNNING BACK AND FORTH TO SEASIDE AGAIN AND AGAIN MAKING IT ALMOST COMICAL BUT A NUSANCE FOR ME THE READER . JUST NO GOOD REASON FOR THEM TO ALL SHOW UP .

BUT, IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A SIN TO JUST LEAVE THEM OUT AS SHE HAD ENOUGH CHARACTERS IN THIS NOVEL GOING AT ONE TIME AS IT WAS .

I WILL STILL BE A FAN OF HERS AND TAKE MY CHANCES BUT, SADLY THIS BOOK ALREADY FOUND A NEW HOME WITH MY LOCAL LIBARY UNLIKE MOST OF HER PAST WORKS WHICH HAVE THEIR HOME ON MY BOOKSHELVES ALONG WITH MANY FAVORITES .

THAT'S MY OPINION . SORRY FOLKS .

Although the usual cast of characters is up to lots of engaging antics, this latest Agatha Raisin mystery fails to pull it all together. It's a shame, because Agatha is truly a delight--abrasive, insecure, looking for love from unavailable men, yet feisty and somehow endearing. Unfortunately, the hurried, choppy writing and the disjointed plot make it hard to appreciate the characters. This installment is definitely not up to the standard of the first five or six books in the series. Please, Ms. Beaton, either do some polishing or get yourself a good editor!

I am an absolute MC Beaton fan, but especially a fan of her character Agatha Raisin! She is flawed in such an appealing, vulnerable way, that you can't help to love her despite her vanity and desperate need for the attention of a man. She's smart, strong, and independent in a way that throws others off. This book is a wonderful continuation of her personal growth (particularly as it applies to her relationship with her ex-husband James) and that of her detective agency.

If you haven't read any other books in this series, you will still love this one, and it will only make you want to go back and read them all.

As with The Deadly Dance and The Perfect Paragon, this book can be read as a standalone if you haven't read the earlier books in the series. I do think, however, that your enjoyment will be increased if you read at least The Deadly Dance and The Perfect Paragon first . . . and seriously consider reading the excellent beginning of the series, Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death.

If you are a long-time fan of the series, you may be ambivalent about the reappearance of James Lacey in Agatha's life. But in Love, Lies and Liquor (the 17th book in the Agatha Raisin series) there's a shift in the relationship that makes his character somewhat less tiresome than before.

James is living next door to Agatha again and invites her to take a holiday with him to a "surprise" locale. She packs for the Mediterranean and he takes her to the rundown seaside resort of Snoth-on-Sea where the weather is lousy. While James has fond memories of boyhood trips there, today's Snoth-on-Sea has nothing to recommend it. The hotel is rundown, and the guests seem like louts. In fact, there's a shouting match in the hotel dining room that leads to James punching out one of the other guests.

When a woman that Agatha threatened, Geraldine Jankers, is found strangled with Agatha's scarf, the "lucky" pair from Carsely are stranded as they seek to clear Agatha. Clearing Agatha isn't too difficult, but James wants to flee and Agatha feels that she must investigate to find the murderer. Agatha draws on her Mircester detective agency's resources to scout out the suspects.

Before long, Agatha draws the ire of some dangerous characters and finds her very life at stake.

Several things make this book different from others in the Agatha Raisin series that improved its appeal for me: Agatha and her colleagues make some amazing mistakes that would be hilarious if they didn't have serious consequences; the danger level is high throughout much of the book; there are more mysteries to be solved that are related to the murder than one might expect; the to and fro with James Lacey has unexpected twists; and Agatha's signature vulnerability for handsome men she just meets isn't central to the story for a change. Her detectives are proving to be more able than in the past which provides for some better procedural aspects to the story. The change of scene is also good for the series by providing lots of new characters as well as the opportunity to reprise old characters in new ways.

The pacing of the story is very good. Major shoes drop at regular intervals without much warning that take the mystery and its implications in new directions. My interest was sustained at a high level for almost the entire story. The humor is well developed in the story as many characters take the equivalent of pratfalls . . . but in each case there are serious consequences which gives the mood of the book an interesting feel than a more unrestrained comic mystery would provide.

I look forward to the next entry in the series. I hope it will continue to the trend towards better stories and more rewarding mysteries with more subtlety among the characters.

This is the 17th in the popular Agatha Raisin series, and Agatha finds herself still addicted to cigarettes and her ex-husband, James. James has moved back into the cottage next door to her in the village of Carsley after spending time in a monastery. He invites Agatha on a holiday and she has visions of a beautiful place and romance. Instead she finds herself in a rundown hotel named The Palace in Snoth-on-Sea. Both places have seen better days. To top it off the weather is awful. James came to relive childhood memories of family holidays in Snoth-on-Sea. She finds herself the chief suspect in the murder of another hotel guest and gets involved in solving the murder. Agatha Raisin fans will no doubt enjoy this book, but new readers should read Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death if they want to read the best book in this series.

As with The Deadly Dance and The Perfect Paragon, this book can be read as a standalone if you haven't read the earlier books in the series. I do think, however, that your enjoyment will be increased if you read at least The Deadly Dance and The Perfect Paragon first . . . and seriously consider reading the excellent beginning of the series, Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death.

If you are a long-time fan of the series, you may be ambivalent about the reappearance of James Lacey in Agatha's life. But in Love, Lies and Liquor (the 17th book in the Agatha Raisin series) there's a shift in the relationship that makes his character somewhat less tiresome than before.

James is living next door to Agatha again and invites her to take a holiday with him to a "surprise" locale. She packs for the Mediterranean and he takes her to the rundown seaside resort of Snoth-on-Sea where the weather is lousy. While James has fond memories of boyhood trips there, today's Snoth-on-Sea has nothing to recommend it. The hotel is rundown, and the guests seem like louts. In fact, there's a shouting match in the hotel dining room that leads to James punching out one of the other guests.

When a woman that Agatha threatened, Geraldine Jankers, is found strangled with Agatha's scarf, the "lucky" pair from Carsely are stranded as they seek to clear Agatha. Clearing Agatha isn't too difficult, but James wants to flee and Agatha feels that she must investigate to find the murderer. Agatha draws on her Mircester detective agency's resources to scout out the suspects.

Before long, Agatha draws the ire of some dangerous characters and finds her very life at stake.

Several things make this book different from others in the Agatha Raisin series that improved its appeal for me: Agatha and her colleagues make some amazing mistakes that would be hilarious if they didn't have serious consequences; the danger level is high throughout much of the book; there are more mysteries to be solved that are related to the murder than one might expect; the to and fro with James Lacey has unexpected twists; and Agatha's signature vulnerability for handsome men she just meets isn't central to the story for a change. Her detectives are proving to be more able than in the past which provides for some better procedural aspects to the story. The change of scene is also good for the series by providing lots of new characters as well as the opportunity to reprise old characters in new ways.

The pacing of the story is very good. Major shoes drop at regular intervals without much warning that take the mystery and its implications in new directions. My interest was sustained at a high level for almost the entire story. The humor is well developed in the story as many characters take the equivalent of pratfalls . . . but in each case there are serious consequences which gives the mood of the book an interesting feel than a more unrestrained comic mystery would provide.

I look forward to the next entry in the series. I hope it will continue to the trend towards better stories and more rewarding mysteries with more subtlety among the characters.

My first encounter with Agatha Raisin was well worth it. Ok so it's not Tolkien but still a very worthy diversion when the mind needs a mental holiday for several hours. It might have been just a tad over long, but it certainly kept me interested and entertained all the way to the end. Just like meeting a new friend.

I do love Agatha Raisin, but this book fell short of Beaton's usual brilliance. The first chapter was great. After that the author brings in a dizzying array of characters going in and out. The plot was hard to believe.

In Love, Lies and Liquor, Agatha is quickly bored with everything on an even keel. Her ex-husband and neighbor, James, suggests going away on a surprise trip. Instead of the warm, tropical vistas she's envisioned, Agatha finds herself in a seedy, run-down seaside resort. Agatha always manages to stir up trouble and in no time they have a murder on their hands.

Despite being set out of town, even Mrs. Bloxby manages to get in on the fun and detecting. The usual cast of supporting characters make appearances.

All in all, a delightful, light-weight entertaining read.