Customer Reviews

The Potted Gardener (Agatha Raisin)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Somehow I had gotten these books out of order and had to go back and read this one. For some reason I had confused it with a Nancy Atherton book; well, at least that is who I think it was.

After taking a break from Carsely and James Lacey, Agatha returns from her cruise with a few extra pounds and finds that she now has competition for James' affection and it's none other then a tall, beautiful, well put together woman by the name of Mary Fortune.

When Agatha finds that Mary has taken the gardening club by storm she sets out to beat her at her own game. Since Agatha is not against cheating to win at all costs, remember the cake incident in the first book, she sets out to win both James and the gardening award.

When mysterious incidents start happening around Carsely and a curious murder occurs, it's up to Agatha, with the help of the wayward James, to solve the crimes and to find out how much Carsely really loves and appreciates Agatha.

If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, you will enjoy the Agatha Raisin series. You MUST start with the first book to understand what drives the main character. Really fun series, good mysteries--have to love Agatha's insecurities. Also good, are the Hamish MacBeth series by the same author.

Another great story, as are all of them by this author. In addition to the mystery, there is the village life to fascinate the reader. I intend to read all the Agatha series.

Love, love, love the series. Am waiting for the newest to come out. What I can't find at thrift shops and used book stores, I find at Amazon.com. Love it! m. may

I have now read 4 of her books, and I love them. I guess they call them "cozies" and I now understand. Its great to settle down to one of her easy enjoyable reads. I am also living vicariously thru Agatha. I love the way she tells people off. "GET STUFFED!" I wish she would stop chasing James from next door, she needs to be more independent. I am a little tired of the author's favorite word: truculent.

The bindings on these paperback are pretty cheap. You have to really smash the book flat to get to the words on the inside margin.

I love Agatha! She is very human. I intent to read every one of them. I would like to see her on a cruise, but no romance please!

This series of British cozy mysteries is a sure fire winner. The central character, Agatha Raisin, is brought to life under the author's deft pen. The aggressive, irrepressible, and menopausal Agatha, with a penchant for cigarettes and cocktails, as well as a strong desire for romance, is the modern day version of Dame Christie's Jane Marple. Set in the bucolic Cotswold village of Carsely, one would think that nothing ever happens there.

In this third book in the series, Agatha is still pining away for her neighbor, retired colonel, James Lacey, for whom she has romantic longings to which he is proving quite resistant. Instead, he seems to be interested in Carsely's newest incomer, divorcee Mary Fortune, who is not only beautiful but also has a green thumb. As luck would have it, James Lacey has a penchant for gardening. Of course, this leaves Agatha green with envy, determined to fight fire with fire and beat Mary at her own game.

When the gardens of Carsely come under attack by person or persons unknown, however, and a shocking murder follows, Agatha and James once again join forces to discover just who or what is causing all the brouhaha in Carsely. Their investigation into these goings on, as well as Agatha's efforts to get James to respond to her romantic longings, will keep the reader turning the pages.

As with all cozy mysteries, the mystery is secondary to the recurring characters and their relationships with each other. It is merely the framework around which the characters and village life evolve, giving the reader a good sense of place, as well as an interest in the characters, while leaving the reader wanting more. This is a fun and highly enjoyable series to read, humorous and entertaining, with a host of interesting characters. The dialogue is believable, and the plot moves forward at a brisk pace. It is a highly addictive series.

The Potter Gardener is a very enjoyable book. It kept me guessing who did it throughout the book. I highly recommend this book.

This is a wonderful read. It's a joy to visit Carlsley and spend time with Agatha Raisan and the rest of the villagers. The mystery is intriguing and the characters are colorful. Enjoy!

I have to admit that I found the Agatha Raisin character more charismatic in this edition of the series than I have in the ones I'd already read. I still find her obsession with aging and with men somewhat annoying, but these seem to be the hallmarks of her personality; they're what make her different from other similar characters in the genre. At least here, by contrasting the character with the murder victim, one comes to realize a little why people actually like Agatha. It is not so abundantly apparent in the later books with which I started the series. The Agatha character here has, as the Agatha in the Inspectory Jury novels in Melrose Plant, The Man with a Load of Mischief, more of a straight man in Roy Silver to provide her with a comic foil.

Fully half of the story of "The Potted Gardener" is devoted to the tug of war between Agatha and her nemesis Mary Fortune over divorcee James Lacey. If you enjoy the battle of who looks better for her age than whom, you may find it entertaining. If not, you will simply have to look at the first half of the book as a "development" of character leading up to the murder. Certainly by the time Mary is murdered, the reader will be in no doubt of why and will certainly have a few ideas about who might have done it. I'm not too certain I see it as "plausible," but a friend of mine suggests that murder is done for even slighter reasons. Who knows.

I found the variety of personalities in the Cotswold community of Carsley as diverse and amusing as those in any of the Midsommer Murder mysteries, Midsomer Murders - The Early Cases Collection, which I thoroughly enjoy. Somehow one can't help but think all small towns are composed of truely incredible people.

The prose style of the author does not quite put over the sense of venue, so I never managed a feeling of "being there" or of the "warm and fuzzy" community amidst which the action takes place. There is no mood provocative prose like that found in Winspear's books, Maisie Dobbs (Book 1). The short, dialogue/monologue-intense style makes the story a very quick read, however, which for those with little or no time to enjoy more wordy works may be a big plus.