The Perfect Paragon (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 16) [Hardcover]

M. C. Beaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2005

After being nearly killed by both a hired hit man and her former secretary, Agatha Raisin could use some low-key cases. So when Robert Smedley walks through the door, determined to prove that his wife is cheating, Raisin Investigations immediately offers to help. Trouble is, Agatha hates divorce cases--especially when the client is as pompous as Smedley--but she has a business to run and she's not about to turn away a paying customer. Unfortunately for Agatha, Mabel Smedley appears to be the perfect wife, young and pretty and a regular volunteer at church.
Although Smedley’s case doesn’t look promising, Agatha’s attentions are diverted when she stumbles across the body of missing teenager, Jessica Bradley. In a sudden gesture of kindness (and good public relations), Agatha offers to investigate Jessica’s death free of charge.
As Agatha juggles her two biggest cases, things are turned upside down when Robert Smedley is found poisoned in his office. The prime suspect, his sainted wife Mabel, immediately hires Agatha to find the real killer.
With the help of her old friend, Sir Charles Fraith, and some newly hired staff, Agatha Raisin sets off on another adventure solving crime in the English Cotswolds.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Welcome back to Carsely, the charming Cotswolds village that's home to the 16th Agatha Raisin mystery. (If you've missed the first 15, just imagine a Barbara Pym novel with murder, mayhem and the sexual longings of a 50-something divorced lady sleuth.) A jealous husband hires Agatha to find out if his wife is two-timing him. Then, Agatha stumbles over the corpse of a teenage girl. Next, the jealous husband himself is offed, poisoned with weed-killer. The pursuit of justice leads Agatha to church fetes and shopping malls; eventually, our fearless detective connects the two crimes and chases down the culprits-though not in time to prevent a third murder. In her spare time, Agatha pines after a married man, gets a seaweed wrap and worries about her thickening waist-line. All in all, this is an entertaining installment in a cozy series.
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Review

"Though Agatha is still a bit of a piece of work, she is mellowing with age, and in this book even forgets to 'gussy' herself up once when she goes out. There's a cliffhanger at the end...that is going to be interesting in the next book."--Deadly Pleasures

"This is the latest perfectly precious prose problem from Beaton, Britain's successor to Dame Agatha Christie. If you've never read an Agatha Raisin novel, it's time to start, and you'll have fifteen more of these confections awaiting you. Polish those off, and you still have a batch of Hamish Macbeth tales. All of them are cunningly plotted, beautifully written and more fun you can imagine. The Perfect Paragon is as perfect as all the others, and you won't figure out whodunit until the final pages."--The Globe & Mail

"Entertaining…welcome back to Carsely, the charming Cotswolds village that's home to the sixteenth Agatha Raisin mystery."--Publishers Weekly

"Fabulous…M.C. Beaton is at her best with this fine tale filled with twists."
--Midwest Book Review

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (July 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031230448X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312304485
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,655 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

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars another entertaning and enjoyable installment, August 12, 2005

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Paragon (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 16) (Hardcover)

Another enjoyable and amusing installment in a series I have a huge soft spot for. This time around, Agatha finds herself caught up in two perplexing cases -- that of an unpleasant client who, unexpectedly, end up being murdered, and the sad and cruel murder of a young sixteen year old girl.

Agatha is beginning to feel her age and as a result is feeling quite depressed and blue about it. To top it all, her new detective agency is not doing all that well, and she's had to let a few employees go. But as a favour to Mrs. Bloxby, Agatha agrees to hire pensioner Phil Witherspoon, who brings in the extremely rich Robert Smedley as a client. Smedley thinks that his unassuming and dowdy wife, Mabel, is cheating on him, and he wants the evidence to prove it. And while Agatha dislikes Smedley on sight, finding him rude and boorish, she agrees to take on the case. But the saintly Mabel seems to be above reproach, and Agatha can't help shaking the feeling that she would be better served keeping an eye on her client instead. Her suspicions prove only all too true when first Smedley dismisses her, claiming that he had overreacted, and then ends up being poisoned at work.

At the same time, Agatha also finds herself involved in another murder case when she finds the body of missing teen, Jessica Bradley, and decides to find the killer both for publicity and because the sight of Jessica's abandoned body really affected her. The more Agatha and her team uncover about both cases, the more they seem to be connected. But what is the thing that links the two? And who would have wanted to kill poor, harmless Jessica? And in such a brutal way? Agatha is determined to find out...

This Agatha Raisin installment was a more sobering a read, mainly because the ironic humour that this series is famous for was quite absent. Also, Agatha's preoccupation with old age and loneliness tended to permeate the book. On the other hand, Agatha and her new team of investigators were fun to "watch" and they scurried around trying to figure what linked the two cases and how to bring the murderers to book. Agatha is in top detecting form, and her new team backs her up and complements her prefectly. So that if you're in the market for a well written and light cozy, featuring a tenacious and brusque middle-aged detective, you might just enjoy "The Perfect Paragon."

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, February 17, 2006

By 

e. verrillo (williamsburg, ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Paragon (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 16) (Hardcover)

I am a long-time fan of Agatha Raisin, having read every one of the books in this series. What I liked best about this series-- the charm of the Cotswolds, the affectionate way in which the author portrays Agatha with all her foibles, the humor of her near disasters--has been gradually eroding ever since Agatha opened her own detective agency. I find the continual stream of irrelevant lost dogs and cats to be distracting. The change of setting is also a disappointment. With the recent addition of lurid murders, I am not sure I want to read the rest of Agatha Raisin's adventures. At this point she is turning into just another detective.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Entertaining Entry in the Agatha Raisin Series, November 29, 2005

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Perfect Paragon (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 16) (Hardcover)

For fans of the irascible Agatha Raisin, this is another entertaining episode in the life of the Cotswold detective. Though still a fiery, confrontational lady of "a certain age," Agatha appears to finally be developing some people skills. Once described as having the personality of a pit bull, Agatha is now doing favors for people and even saving the professional reputation of another out of the goodness of her heart. Yes, unbelievably, I was able to write "the goodness of her heart" when referring to Agatha Raisin. Agatha also hires some new people for her detective agency. Employees like Harry, a brainy but offbeat character, and Phil, a geriatric photographer smitten with a potential murderess, are developed adeptly by M.C. Beaton and they add fun and freshness to the series. Perennial favorites like Bill Wong, Mrs. Bloxby, Sir Charles Fraith, and Roy Silver also offer new dimensions to their characters which prevents the series from becoming banal and stale. However, it is the reappearance of someone else from the past that promises to make the next installment truly unforgettable.