Agatha Raisin is at it again! She's annoying, yet all-too-human with all her imperfections and idiosyncrasies. You can't help but laugh as you root for her. M.C. Beaton writes well & has held my interest through the (so far) ten books I've read in this series. I'm looking forward to reading more!
This was the first Agatha Raisin that I ever read - I went on to read all the Agatha Raisin books as well as all of M. C. Beaton's Hamish MacBeth series - so it must be good! They are all quick, fun reads. Beaton gets you as involved with the people as you are with the mystery, so that you read all of them to know how the characters are doing, as well as for the mystery aspect. But the mystery parts are good too. I like books set in England and Scotland, so they are fun for that reason also.

Shirley R. (
sdrred) wrote on 6/23/2008...
Agatha is always fun. You can't help but like her!
Great story line. If you love Agatha, you will be enthralled with this one as well as all the others. I like the ending, it was a bit different. As usual, the descriptive writing about the Cotswold countryside and thatched roof cottages makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea and the whole series of these Raisin books.

Morgen K. (
morgenck) wrote on 3/24/2008...
Great Agatha Raisin Book!
I enjoyed this. I have read another "Agatha" book and plan to get more in the series. Agatha is quite a character, flawed (aren't we all??, and lots of fun! She and her friend investigate "Murder at the Manor", which is the title of the book that Agatha tells people in Fryfam she is writing. When a murder does occur at the manor, Agatha becomes a suspect so she has to investigate to clear her name.
I had just read the previous book in the series about the Witch of Wyckhadden and loved it so much that I decided to read this book straight afterwards, but I wasn't as satisfied with this book. I guess there really is too much of a good thing! I found the mystery itself a little boring and I kept getting all the characters mixed up due to the similarities in their names. The best part of this book was the very last chapter, which honestly surprised me and made my jaw drop. Wow! I am excited to read the next book in the series but I want to pace myself with Agatha Raisin for awhile. :)
I enjoyed the characters so much that I hated to see the book end. Great cozy read.
I loved Agatha Raisin! She is just what I need in a amateur detective. Very human!!

Patricia S. wrote on 1/6/2007...
I ADORE the Agatha Raisin series and anyting written MC Beaton in general. Faires of Fryham, however, is BORING. Instead of his usual complex, fully human characters, the characters in Fairies are a collection of the simplest, shallowest stereotypes of what English village characters might be, as written by a person who has never been to England. If this was the first MC Beaton book I'd read, I never would have picked up another of his books.
I recommend Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage.