Agatha Raisin e l'insopportabile ficcanaso

I've enjoyed many of the Agatha Raisin series. However, I'm beginning to think maybe Mrs. Beaton has over done the series. Sometimes, when an author seems to be pushing out one copy right after another, the plots and characters begin to falter. I'm afraid that is the situation we have here. How many times must we hear Agatha's handbag call "capacious"? Why bother bringing back James Lacey for 1 paragraph of the story? It almost seems as if the plots are identical (person who is hated by everyone gets bumped off and the culprit is the person who hires Agatha because they want to steer detection away from themselves) and past characters are being dropped in for a scene just to show readers they are still there, though lurking off in the show more shadows. I really did enjoy the series until the recent few books. I do hope they begin to improve or I may have to get my cozy fix elsewhere. show less

I picked this book up from the library because I was heading to the Cotswolds (the area of England where the series takes place) and thought it would be fun to read something local. I made it about 100 pages in, and then gave up and skimmed through the last 50 pages to see whodunnit, though honestly I didn't care very much by that point. This is not my kind of story. I found the characterizations to be simultaneously hateful and unbelievable, like the author is stretching to see just how awful she can make her protagonists come across. I prefer my flawed heroes & heroines to have a little more self-awareness, and for the plots points of a mystery to follow a little more logically from one to the next.

It took me quite a while to get into the Agatha Raisin series – I find her character to be quite confronting – but she has gradually endeared herself to me and I quite like the cantankerous old biddy who is frantically slipping out of middle age kicking and screaming all the way. AGATHA RAISIN AND THE BUSY BODY opens with Agatha trying to escape Christmas by holidaying in Corsica, as is usual with her plans things go awry and she heads back home to find Christmas has been cancelled.

The new Health and Safety Board Inspector, John Sunday, has ruled that the traditional tree on top of the church is a public menace; lamp posts are unsafe for hanging illuminations; May Dimwoody's homemade toys are dangerous for children and forget about show more hanging light displays on your own house. The night Agatha returns home she is invited as a member of Carsely Ladies' Society jto join forces with the ladies in the neighboring village of Odley Cruesis to try to put a stop to Sunday's meddling. At the meeting the local land owner, Miriam Courtney, publicly states what many are feeling when she proclaims she wants to kill Sunday. Her wish comes true because before the meeting is over John Sunday turns up very dead. This is not the first death – another one follows and a couple of murder attempts are made before Agatha and her team of private investigators solves the crime.

There are a lot of characters but I managed to keep track of them all as the story twisted and turned to its surprising ending. Agatha is less obnoxious; she is slowing down, thinking before she speaks sometimes, and showing sense occasionally. While I prefer MC Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth series – Agatha’s humorous romps are certainly growing on me. show less

I have been a long-time rabid fan of Agatha Raisin books, and I look forward to the new ones as they come out. I enjoyed this one a bit more than the last couple in this long series. There was lots of action and lots of murders too as it turns out. The book's action takes place over an entire year, so it did feel a bit rushed at times. Agatha and her staff are spending quite a bit of time at the village of Odley Creusis since one of the region's most unpopular men was murdered there. In fact, the tiny village seems to have a very threatening air and lots of Agatha's friends experience violence there. These are wonderful English village cozies and this one is quite funny too. I love Agatha Raisin and her little character flaws. She is a show more wonderful creation and great fun to read. show less

If you are looking for a emotionally comforting English mystery this is not it. Agatha Raisin shortsightedly thinks only of herself (her image, her health, her anger, her envy, her relationship status, the condition of her makeup, etc.). even when one of her employees is murdered, a friend struck down and squashes her partner's chances for love because she "has invested too much in her training to lose her to marriage and motherhood". Death abounds at Christmas time in the Cotswold, England. A disagreeable, petty bureaucrat turns up stabbed to death but with so many who disliked him for his nosey and spiteful ways, the murderer will be hard to find. Cotswold is a rural area in Great Britain that is made up of small villages and hamlets. show more Villages close rank when "one of their own is suspect" and would prefer living in fear with a killer than helping an outsider bring truth and justice to their little worlds. show less

Pushy, irritable Agatha Raisin, PI, gets involved in investigating the murder of a disliked safety inspector. Soon, there is another murder of a wealthy older woman who is a newcomer to the same town. With the help of her two young PIs, a couple of friends and a friend on the police force, Agatha figures out who killed who and why.

Agatha is not very likable and neither are many of the quirky characters she talks to during her investigations. The story goes in many directions before coming back and wrapping up the murders. I think all this is meant to be humorous but I didn't think so most of the time.