Audiobook Review: Agatha's First Case by M.C. Beaton

At age 26 Agatha Raisin has already come a long way. She has clawed her way up since leaving the Birmingham slum where she was born. She's lost her Birmingham accent, run away from her drunken husband, and found a job at a public relations office as a secretary. Then her boss asks Agatha to go to the home of Sir Bryce Teller to tell him that he is soon to be arrested for the murder of his wife and that the agency no longer wants to represent him.

Teller, impressed with the pugnacious Agatha, asks her to handle PR for him and even offers her an office and tells her she can hire a staff. Certainly the best thing Agatha can do for her first client is to find out who really murdered his wife and clear his name. And with her wits and gumption, Agatha sets out to do just that.[summary via Audible]

I've been reading the Agatha Raisin mysteries for the last few years and I've loved every one of them. Agatha is big on spirit and determination and regardless of your age she sure is a great model for the strong, confident woman with a "can-do" attitude! When I heard M.C. Beaton was writing a story about her first case, I was excited. I wanted to know what Agatha was like in her 20s!

In this story we get to meet Agatha when she is 26. She is just starting out at a ad agency as a general "dogsbody" and has quite made it yet. She gets thrust in the middle of a murder case, and alike to her cases later on, she bumbles around and gets everything right. She's hesitant to begin with, but her strong passion to make something of herself shines through and she starts to show the Agatha Raisin spirit that we all love!

Agatha Raisin is my all time favorite sleuth and I simply loved her first story. I'm hoping maybe one day M.C. Beaton will write more stories of her younger days, as this one was a delight.

If you're a new fan to the Agatha Raisin mysteries this would be the perfect place to start.

I enjoyed Alison Larkin's narration. Penelope Keith is my all-time favorite narrator of this series but Alison's narration was quite good too.

Definitely a A+ listen and I can't wait for the new book, Dishing the Dirt!

Review by Anna.

Audiobook Review: Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House

I love Agatha Raisin! She makes life in the country seem very exciting and she's always up to something. This time Agatha and her new neighbour, Paul, are investigating a haunted house. When the mean old lady that owns the house ends up dead, Agatha and Paul are sure it is murder and start to investigate.

Agatha has such spirit, but she is also a romantic and looks to Paul to be her next love. Of course Paul is married and is just toying with her. She deserves so much better, and I was happy to see Sir Charles Fraith also get in on the action too. When it comes to her love life I know she is not suited for James Lacey and I hope maybe Sir Charles will continue to be in her life.

Romance aside this was a really fun mystery, that delved into the history of the Cotswold. Agatha continues to bumble along until she has the case solved and her never-ending spirit and determination kept me interested.

I love Penelope Keith's narration. She's one of my favorite narrators and the true voice of Agatha Raisin. I'm looking forward to picking up the next Agatha Raisin mystery. 

Purchase Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by M.C. Beaton at Audible, Amazon.

Audiobook Review: Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance by M.C. Beaton

Agatha Raisin, amateur sleuth extraordinaire, has decided to start up her own detective agency. At first things are slow going with lost cats. However soon she hires her new neighbour, Emma Comfrey, as her secretary and her friend, Sir Charles, refers a case to her. A Mrs Laggart-Brown wants her to investigate the death threats her daughter has received. As Agatha and her detectives investigate they discover a tangle of relationships and murder, as they try to get to the bottom of it.

I’m smitten with Agatha Raisin. She’s sassy, funny and I love that she is now a detective – officially! Cozy mystery series with their amateur detectives poking their nose into things can sometimes get very long-winded, so it’s refreshing to see a series that has gone from amateur to official detective and thus gives Agatha a reason to poke her nose into things!!

I enjoyed the mystery a lot, but perhaps what I enjoyed more was Sir Charles Fraith being around, and James Lacey not. James Lacey is Agatha’s ex-husband, who went off to be a monk and then disappeared. He’s barely even mentioned in Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance and as I’m firmly on Team Charles I was completely fine with this! I have a feeling that M.C. Beaton will be making him pop up sooner or later though.

Penelope Keith is the voice of Agatha Raisin for me. I really enjoyed Penelope’s acting career, being such a big fan of british tv, and I’m glad she’s voicing these audiobooks. I love the voices she provides, especially the caring tones she puts in her voice for Mrs Bloxby, who is perhaps Agatha’s greatest friend. I hope Penelope Keith continues to provide the voice for these audiobooks for many years to come, because both Penelope and Agatha herself are the reason I keep coming back to listen to more.

Purchase Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance by M.C. Beaton at Audible, Amazon.

Book Review: Agatha Raisin and the Curious Curate by M.C. Beaton

Agatha is at a loose end. Her ex-husband, James Lacey, is gone and her friend and some-time lover, Sir Charles Fraith, is in Paris. When the vicar’s wife, Mrs Bloxby, advises that a new curate is coming to Carsley, Agatha doesn’t realize that this is going to be the start of a new adventure. Everyone in Carsley is smitten with the handsome, new curate. However not everyone shares that opinion, and when the curate ends up dead, it seems the police are ready to pin the murder on Mr Bloxby, the vicar. Could the vicar have been jealous and killed Tristan, or did someone else want him dead? To ease herself out of boredom Agatha and her neighbour, John, investigate.

I’m a big fan of Agatha Raisin. She’s stubborn, fun and sometimes crazy! She’s definitely never boring, as indicated by this adventure. However, on the outside it seems like she is bored. She pretends to not be interested in the murder. She’s not attracted to her neighbour, John, and since Charles and James are off elsewhere, there is no-one else to spark an interest. For all her faults, Agatha really is a romantic at heart and I hope one day in between all these murders she does find that someone special.

The murder in this one was quite interesting because Tristan wasn’t a local. It seems he’s gone from church to church, charming the patrons at first, but there is something sinister under that charm and it’s his sinister actions that look like the reason he has been killed. It was a tangled web and I enjoyed trying to unravel it before Agatha.

In The Case of the Curious Curate I really missed the lack of Sir Charles and to a smaller degree, James. I love Agatha’s interactions with Sir Charles and I really hope he makes an appearance in the next adventure.

This is Agatha’s 13th adventure and I still enjoy them as much as I picked up the first one (Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death). I enjoy watching Agatha solve murders and the trials of her love life. I can’t wait to read more!

Check out Agatha Raisin and the Curious Curate by M.C. Beaton at Amazon.