What do you think?
Rate this book
Agatha Raisin #5
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
The morning of Agatha's marriage to James Lacey dawns bright and clear. But her luck runs out in the church when Jimmy, the husband she had believed long dead, turns up large as life and twice as ugly.
Agatha has a go at strangling him. James breaks off the engagement. So when Jimmy is found murdered next day, Agatha and James are both the prime suspects. And they'll have to work together in order to clear their names . . .
"Beaton's dry sense of humour and her unflattering but affectionate portrait of gruff, often adolescent-acting Agatha makes this a bloom worth picking."
- Publishers Weekly
Agatha has a go at strangling him. James breaks off the engagement. So when Jimmy is found murdered next day, Agatha and James are both the prime suspects. And they'll have to work together in order to clear their names . . .
"Beaton's dry sense of humour and her unflattering but affectionate portrait of gruff, often adolescent-acting Agatha makes this a bloom worth picking."
- Publishers Weekly
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1996
842 people are currently reading
3371 people want to read
About the author
M.C. Beaton
350 books6,047 followersLike her on Facebook!
Learn more on her website!
Marion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Marion Chesney, Charlotte Ward, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
Learn more on her website!
Marion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Marion Chesney, Charlotte Ward, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,193 reviews
August 4, 2025
Fuck James Lacey.
September 27, 2013
Read them! All of them. All 23. They are simply fabulous! I love them and love Agatha Raisin. The stories are set in the English Cotswolds - which is where I'm from, so that makes them extra special, but I cannot recommend them highly enough. If you want to read about an opinionated, outspoken, headstrong single woman in her middle years with no money worries, but men worries and murder at every turn, then you too will love Agatha Raisin. Just make sure you buy more than one at a time, because you will regret it otherwise!
November 9, 2019
I have devoured 4 Agatha Raisin novels today, they are that good! I have listened to the BBC audio books from my library. I am enjoying them so much that I must find the tv series to watch them as well. Agatha Raisin is a delightful, snarky, sassy, comical character that stumbles into mysteries accidentally.
October 20, 2011
Oh, Agatha...tut tut tut.
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage is probably the best installment yet. Emotions are high, bodies are piling up, and Agatha herself has some near misses with the grim reaper. Though it was the pleasant, easy read I've come to expect from Beaton, the pace was faster and the characters better represented.
This book accomplishes something the previous four did not: it gives James Lacey a more distinct personality. Previously, he came across as a cardboard cutout of the attractive yet distant bachelor. Though those descriptors still apply, Beaton manages to flesh him out more. Interesting that this coincides with Agatha's rose-coloured glasses losing a bit of their tint.
The mystery here is of a personal nature for Agatha, leading her to elaborate on her downtrodden past. I already knew she was ambitious and determined, but her backstory proves she's quite the survivor.
As always, village life plays a major role in the story. At times in this series I think it is the story, with the mysteries merely providing structure for the residents' conversations. This is shored up by the fact that Agatha does more blundering than investigating. As friend and police officer Bill Wong comments:
"I don't know if she exactly solved those last crimes, but she made things happen by poking her nose in; otherwise we'd never have got to the murderers." (p.89)
My opening line is in response to the final pages. For all her business aptitude and ballsy attitude, Agatha makes some disastrous decisions - never more apparent than in this volume. She makes a fabulously horrible one towards the end, setting us up for more emotional turmoil and mayhem. What one earth will she be poking her nose into next?
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage is probably the best installment yet. Emotions are high, bodies are piling up, and Agatha herself has some near misses with the grim reaper. Though it was the pleasant, easy read I've come to expect from Beaton, the pace was faster and the characters better represented.
This book accomplishes something the previous four did not: it gives James Lacey a more distinct personality. Previously, he came across as a cardboard cutout of the attractive yet distant bachelor. Though those descriptors still apply, Beaton manages to flesh him out more. Interesting that this coincides with Agatha's rose-coloured glasses losing a bit of their tint.
The mystery here is of a personal nature for Agatha, leading her to elaborate on her downtrodden past. I already knew she was ambitious and determined, but her backstory proves she's quite the survivor.
As always, village life plays a major role in the story. At times in this series I think it is the story, with the mysteries merely providing structure for the residents' conversations. This is shored up by the fact that Agatha does more blundering than investigating. As friend and police officer Bill Wong comments:
"I don't know if she exactly solved those last crimes, but she made things happen by poking her nose in; otherwise we'd never have got to the murderers." (p.89)
My opening line is in response to the final pages. For all her business aptitude and ballsy attitude, Agatha makes some disastrous decisions - never more apparent than in this volume. She makes a fabulously horrible one towards the end, setting us up for more emotional turmoil and mayhem. What one earth will she be poking her nose into next?
May 15, 2019
3.5 stars
Agatha esta decidida a casarse, a pesar de no estar del todo segura de si su ex realmente esta muerto o no como deberia por como fue la ultima vez que lo vio y el silencio de estos años... pero en forma muy dramatica sus deseos no se cumplen.
Con James enfurecido, su casa ya vendida, y todos creyendola una asesina, Agatha se ve perdida y desmoralizada.
Bueno, cuando llega James de vuelta con renuencia decide investigar el asunto junto a ella, y asi llegamos a conocer bastante más del pasado del infame Jimmy Raisin y tambien algo más de Agatha, que ha tenido una vida dura y uno ve de donde sale toda su tozudez por superarse, aunque no comprendamos como es que se ha encaprichado tanto con James (que es de lo que huyen al menor problema y la deja botada en el polvo.)
Entrevistas a testigos siguen siendo como otras novelas (ellos irrumpiendo y haciendo preguntas y metiendose en más problemas y más muertes). En tanto que lo de la relación de Bill Wong nos deja con el mismo deseo de que este fuera unos cuantos años mayor para emparejarla con Agatha que es el tipo mas decente por alli y un buen amigo (Suspiro)
Al Roy hay que darle ostias.
Se lee rapidisimo y entretiene.
Agatha esta decidida a casarse, a pesar de no estar del todo segura de si su ex realmente esta muerto o no como deberia por como fue la ultima vez que lo vio y el silencio de estos años... pero en forma muy dramatica sus deseos no se cumplen.
Con James enfurecido, su casa ya vendida, y todos creyendola una asesina, Agatha se ve perdida y desmoralizada.
Bueno, cuando llega James de vuelta con renuencia decide investigar el asunto junto a ella, y asi llegamos a conocer bastante más del pasado del infame Jimmy Raisin y tambien algo más de Agatha, que ha tenido una vida dura y uno ve de donde sale toda su tozudez por superarse, aunque no comprendamos como es que se ha encaprichado tanto con James (que es de lo que huyen al menor problema y la deja botada en el polvo.)
«Se puso en pie y lanzó una mirada asesina a su alrededor. James, totalmente ajeno al guión romántico que ella había escrito para él, estaba abriendo la puerta de la cocina. Entonces Agatha se recordó que ya no lo amaba. Lo que pasaba es que se había acostumbrado a estar enamorada, a tener la cabeza tan llena de sueños chispeantes que, sin ellos, se sentía sola. Y no se tenía a sí misma por muy buena compañía.»
Entrevistas a testigos siguen siendo como otras novelas (ellos irrumpiendo y haciendo preguntas y metiendose en más problemas y más muertes). En tanto que lo de la relación de Bill Wong nos deja con el mismo deseo de que este fuera unos cuantos años mayor para emparejarla con Agatha que es el tipo mas decente por alli y un buen amigo (Suspiro)
Al Roy hay que darle ostias.
Se lee rapidisimo y entretiene.
November 4, 2017
Another good entry in the Agatha Raisin series and this book differs considerably with the TV Episode. We have Agatha getting ready to marry James, and at the last minute her first husband shows up! Oops!!! She never got a divorce and thought he had died of drink many a long year ago. But he is back for a brief appearance and then turns up dead!!!! Agatha is a prime suspect, and then she goes into full sleuth mode. Lots of different possibilities exist as to who could have killed Jimmy Raisin, and after numerous near catastrophes the police ask her to please "butt out" for her own safety. Right!
So we have a very interesting murder and a very ambivalent James after the wedding ends.
One of the biggest difference between the book and TV show is that Roy, her old advertising pal, is not nearly the sweet character in the books as he is on TV. Also Agatha keeps going back and forth as to whether she is a British village gal or a Londan exec. This waffling has to come to an end shortly.
All in all, another solid effort by MC Beaton and despite having a lot of books in my Goodreads queue I will probably start Book Six of the series in the near future.
So we have a very interesting murder and a very ambivalent James after the wedding ends.
One of the biggest difference between the book and TV show is that Roy, her old advertising pal, is not nearly the sweet character in the books as he is on TV. Also Agatha keeps going back and forth as to whether she is a British village gal or a Londan exec. This waffling has to come to an end shortly.
All in all, another solid effort by MC Beaton and despite having a lot of books in my Goodreads queue I will probably start Book Six of the series in the near future.
October 20, 2023
Trying to write a spoiler-free review is starting to get a bit difficult, but I'll still give it a shot.
Finally, one of Agatha's great ambitions is about to come true, but at the last moment, a ghost from the past will come to visit and spoil the long-awaited moment. Once again, Agatha will be suspected of murder, but without hesitation, she will roll up her sleeves and start investigating with her team of eccentric amateur detectives by her side. As she tries to solve the mystery, Agatha finds herself involved in a series of comical situations, from interrogating bizarre suspects to investigating seemingly absurd leads.
Agatha, our charming amateur detective, returns with a new adventure that is anything but smooth!
Finally, one of Agatha's great ambitions is about to come true, but at the last moment, a ghost from the past will come to visit and spoil the long-awaited moment. Once again, Agatha will be suspected of murder, but without hesitation, she will roll up her sleeves and start investigating with her team of eccentric amateur detectives by her side. As she tries to solve the mystery, Agatha finds herself involved in a series of comical situations, from interrogating bizarre suspects to investigating seemingly absurd leads.
Agatha, our charming amateur detective, returns with a new adventure that is anything but smooth!
April 17, 2018
I'm dangerously close to od'ing on these as I'm starting to feel like I could quote the upcoming lines before they are uttered. Still these sorts of books are the ones I turn to when I'm doing something else that really requires concentration. They are more than a bit silly, weirdly obsessed with the way that people look, and very samey after a while. Perhaps don't binge listen like I've been doing as the repetitiveness really stands out, but on the whole, really good for people looking for something less confrontational that many crime fiction listens. (And don't expect these to match up with the TV series - even when the plot co-incides the characters are so different you'll either be terminally confused, mildly disappointed, or oddly relieved that the perky is well and truly not part of the books).
March 1, 2015
There are three reasons why I think this book does not merit one star. The beginning, the shortness of the book, and the lateness of the divulging of the culprit. However there are a couple of reasons why I am giving it the lowest score...Goodwill from other books in the series wasted, waste of opportunity for not taking advantage of the superb opening few paragraphs, bringing James and Agatha back to square one as if nothing has happened. I also think that the dreary, boring investigation of the book, which already feels like a tired 20th entry in the series, plus the lack of brains throughout damned the book as a failure. My patience is wearing thin with the series and if the next 3 books don't deliver I'm through with it.
December 6, 2021
Darker than the earlier books, this installment of Agatha Raisin includes treachery and near marriage.
Second reading, this book really describes the selfishness of James Lacey.
Third reading tells me I return to the book for the recurring characters.
Second reading, this book really describes the selfishness of James Lacey.
Third reading tells me I return to the book for the recurring characters.
March 14, 2024
Entertaining mystery listening 🎎✨🎉
This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 5 of 35
Agatha and James are getting married. Then her husband shows up. He is murdered and another and another. It all ends well.
I would recommend this series and author to readers of British mystery novels. 2024.
This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 5 of 35
Agatha and James are getting married. Then her husband shows up. He is murdered and another and another. It all ends well.
I would recommend this series and author to readers of British mystery novels. 2024.
April 22, 2022
Agatha and James are about to get married and then Agatha's presumed dead husband shows up....this one was lots of fun.
January 14, 2023
Another fast-paced, funny, warm yet poignant adventure in the crazy life of Agatha Raisin. Just as she is about to make all her dreams come true by marrying James Lacey, up turns her not-so-dead husband. Agatha is more in love with the idea of being in love, though she does hold genuine emotions for James. She, as Sir Charles Frith observed in the previous books, deserves so much better than Mr Lacey.
I very much enjoyed this episode of the "comedy-drama" that is life in the Cotswolds. There are countless crazy adventures, several near misses, jealousy, drama, discontent and in the middle of it all our irrepressible Agatha. For a very light-hearted series, this book touched on some much deeper emotions. If only Agatha had met a "Bill" instead of Jimmy, or there was not such a large gap in their ages. Until she met Bill and Mrs Bloxby, Agatha hadn't ever known love, of any form, in her life. Whilst theirs is the love of friendship, I'm hoping Agatha eventually finds someone who showers her with utter adoration and the kind of romantic love that she so thoroughly deserves.
I very much enjoyed this episode of the "comedy-drama" that is life in the Cotswolds. There are countless crazy adventures, several near misses, jealousy, drama, discontent and in the middle of it all our irrepressible Agatha. For a very light-hearted series, this book touched on some much deeper emotions. If only Agatha had met a "Bill" instead of Jimmy, or there was not such a large gap in their ages. Until she met Bill and Mrs Bloxby, Agatha hadn't ever known love, of any form, in her life. Whilst theirs is the love of friendship, I'm hoping Agatha eventually finds someone who showers her with utter adoration and the kind of romantic love that she so thoroughly deserves.
December 11, 2018
Agatha Raisin und James Lacey wollen heiraten, doch kurz vor dem Traualtar taucht plötzlich Jimmy auf - Agathas erster Ehemann! Agatha hat geglaubt, Jimmy sei schon lange tot, doch nun ist er wieder aufgetaucht und lässt Agathas Hochzeit mit James platzen. Agatha ist außer sich. Als Jimmy dann am nächsten Tag ermordet im Straßengraben liegt, sind Agatha und James prompt die Hauptverdächtigen!
Mein Leseeindruck:
Ich mag die Reihe rund um Agatha Raisin und ihren Spürsinn total gerne. Agatha ist eine schräge, oft nervige Persönlichkeit, die nicht immer sympathisch erscheint, aber doch ihr Herz am rechten Fleck hat. Ich mag ihre Art einfach sehr gerne, und mir macht es sehr viel Spaß, diese Krimireihe zu lesen! Es sind Wohlfühlkrimis mit viel britischem Charme, in denen nicht unbedingt immer der Kriminalfall im Vordergrund steht, sondern einfach das Drumherum und die Charaktere.
So hat mir auch dieser Band wieder richtig gut gefallen! Ich hatte viel Lesespaß mit Agatha und James und ihrer Suche nach der Wahrheit.
Mein Leseeindruck:
Ich mag die Reihe rund um Agatha Raisin und ihren Spürsinn total gerne. Agatha ist eine schräge, oft nervige Persönlichkeit, die nicht immer sympathisch erscheint, aber doch ihr Herz am rechten Fleck hat. Ich mag ihre Art einfach sehr gerne, und mir macht es sehr viel Spaß, diese Krimireihe zu lesen! Es sind Wohlfühlkrimis mit viel britischem Charme, in denen nicht unbedingt immer der Kriminalfall im Vordergrund steht, sondern einfach das Drumherum und die Charaktere.
So hat mir auch dieser Band wieder richtig gut gefallen! Ich hatte viel Lesespaß mit Agatha und James und ihrer Suche nach der Wahrheit.
September 19, 2023
"I have a gut feeling it's some woman."
If Goodreads allowed fractions in their star rating system, it'd be a 3.75 from me.
A welcome improvement when I think about the disappointment that was Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley.
I needed something light and humorous as I neared the end of Stephen King's Cujo, and oddly enough it felt like that something was in the form of Agatha Raisin.
Going in, I initially decided the guilty party to be the woman who bought Aggie's cottage. Not because it was a gut feeling, mind you, but because it made the most sense at the time. At least, until the investigation started to branch outside the little village of Carsley, that is.
I was really quite hooked by this book's mystery and its twists and turns. It served its purpose of being a light and humorous read, and I hope to visit Aggie again soon. Although, I admit, I hope the growth she went through stays with her this time.
If Goodreads allowed fractions in their star rating system, it'd be a 3.75 from me.
A welcome improvement when I think about the disappointment that was Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley.
I needed something light and humorous as I neared the end of Stephen King's Cujo, and oddly enough it felt like that something was in the form of Agatha Raisin.
Going in, I initially decided the guilty party to be the woman who bought Aggie's cottage. Not because it was a gut feeling, mind you, but because it made the most sense at the time. At least, until the investigation started to branch outside the little village of Carsley, that is.
I was really quite hooked by this book's mystery and its twists and turns. It served its purpose of being a light and humorous read, and I hope to visit Aggie again soon. Although, I admit, I hope the growth she went through stays with her this time.
February 10, 2016
Agatha is way too naive and bad at reading people to have sucessfully run a pr agency, but the Raisin books are entertaining fluff so I'm willing to overlook that.
September 6, 2024
3’5 ✨
Como me alegra ter descuberto esta serie
Como me alegra ter descuberto esta serie
February 15, 2020
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage is the 5th book in M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin, cozy... ish mystery series set in the Cotswolds of England.
In episode 5, Agatha is finally about to marry the man she's fallen in love with since she retired from the advertising business and moved to her small town in the Cotswolds, her neighbour James Lacey. Unfortunately her life will take a harsh step backwards when her ex-advertising friend, Roy Silver, in a spiteful move hires a detective to find her ex-husband Jimmy Raisin. Agatha left Jimmy many years ago when she discovered him to be an alcoholic, violent husband. She has assumed that he is probably dead, but Roy's detective finds Jimmy and Roy tells him that Agatha is about to marry. Roy immediately feels bad about this, but Jimmy still turns up at the wedding to ruin Agatha's life.
Thing begin to fall to pieces very quickly. James Lacey in a fit of depression heads off to northern Cyprus to hide out from the fiasco and Jimmy is found dead in a ditch. The police, including Agatha's friend, Bill Wong, bring James back and both he and Agatha are immediately suspected of the murder. When they are determined to be innocent, the duo decide that they have to find the killer so their lives can return to some sort of normalcy. Agatha is forced to room with James as she had sold her house due to the impending nuptials. The new owner gives off a bad first impression, being irascible and off-putting.
As Agatha and James begin their investigation, they also re-examine their lives together as either a couple or just friends, or... what? Bill Wong is in lust with a new female police officer but she tests his friendship with Agatha. As bodies begin to crop up the tension mounts and while the police tell the duo to stop interfering, Agatha and James expand their investigation.
All in all, it's an entertaining story. Agatha is a neat character, strong at times but also nicely emotional. She must examine her feelings deeply in this story, feelings for James, feelings for her decision to retire and move to the Cotswolds. It's a nice, quick moving story and well-written with a satisfying ending. I'm glad there a still a few more books to read in this series as it's always a joy to delve into Agatha's life and those of her friends. (4 stars)
In episode 5, Agatha is finally about to marry the man she's fallen in love with since she retired from the advertising business and moved to her small town in the Cotswolds, her neighbour James Lacey. Unfortunately her life will take a harsh step backwards when her ex-advertising friend, Roy Silver, in a spiteful move hires a detective to find her ex-husband Jimmy Raisin. Agatha left Jimmy many years ago when she discovered him to be an alcoholic, violent husband. She has assumed that he is probably dead, but Roy's detective finds Jimmy and Roy tells him that Agatha is about to marry. Roy immediately feels bad about this, but Jimmy still turns up at the wedding to ruin Agatha's life.
Thing begin to fall to pieces very quickly. James Lacey in a fit of depression heads off to northern Cyprus to hide out from the fiasco and Jimmy is found dead in a ditch. The police, including Agatha's friend, Bill Wong, bring James back and both he and Agatha are immediately suspected of the murder. When they are determined to be innocent, the duo decide that they have to find the killer so their lives can return to some sort of normalcy. Agatha is forced to room with James as she had sold her house due to the impending nuptials. The new owner gives off a bad first impression, being irascible and off-putting.
As Agatha and James begin their investigation, they also re-examine their lives together as either a couple or just friends, or... what? Bill Wong is in lust with a new female police officer but she tests his friendship with Agatha. As bodies begin to crop up the tension mounts and while the police tell the duo to stop interfering, Agatha and James expand their investigation.
All in all, it's an entertaining story. Agatha is a neat character, strong at times but also nicely emotional. She must examine her feelings deeply in this story, feelings for James, feelings for her decision to retire and move to the Cotswolds. It's a nice, quick moving story and well-written with a satisfying ending. I'm glad there a still a few more books to read in this series as it's always a joy to delve into Agatha's life and those of her friends. (4 stars)
September 2, 2023
2023 reread
What I enjoy about this story in the growth we see in Agatha as a character. I adore how she comes to realise just how special Carsley and the people who live there really are, and that doesn't mean she can stop the continuing voice in her head that tells her she doesn't belong. That's still there. It's a trait of Agatha, to wonder if she truly has friends. It's one of the complexities that make Agatha one of my favourite fictional characters.
This book in the series is still a a lot of fun, and especially with Agatha and James having to share a cottage, when they are engaged and then not engaged. It's a wonder their friendship hasn't turned murderous! I also enjoy the revelations from Agatha's past, something that just makes her even more well-rounded and complete.
Any time I open a book in this series it feels like a journey back to home comforts. I love village mysteries, and this series will always be special to me.
Remember to read this series in order. Don't treat them as stand alone stories as each novel has story-lines that follow the earlier novels.
Another great read.
About to tie the knot with James, all her dreams are shattered when her first husband appears.
Soon, Agatha finds herself a chief suspect in a murder, and she and James are on the case to clear her name. Wherever she goes, people start dropping like flies, but Agatha must face her past to solve this case, and that isn't easy.
Again, there are many interesting characters in this novel, and it's well worth the read.
What I enjoy about this story in the growth we see in Agatha as a character. I adore how she comes to realise just how special Carsley and the people who live there really are, and that doesn't mean she can stop the continuing voice in her head that tells her she doesn't belong. That's still there. It's a trait of Agatha, to wonder if she truly has friends. It's one of the complexities that make Agatha one of my favourite fictional characters.
This book in the series is still a a lot of fun, and especially with Agatha and James having to share a cottage, when they are engaged and then not engaged. It's a wonder their friendship hasn't turned murderous! I also enjoy the revelations from Agatha's past, something that just makes her even more well-rounded and complete.
Any time I open a book in this series it feels like a journey back to home comforts. I love village mysteries, and this series will always be special to me.
Remember to read this series in order. Don't treat them as stand alone stories as each novel has story-lines that follow the earlier novels.
Another great read.
About to tie the knot with James, all her dreams are shattered when her first husband appears.
Soon, Agatha finds herself a chief suspect in a murder, and she and James are on the case to clear her name. Wherever she goes, people start dropping like flies, but Agatha must face her past to solve this case, and that isn't easy.
Again, there are many interesting characters in this novel, and it's well worth the read.
May 16, 2020
Smagiai susiklausė, mėgstu kartais tokius lengvus detektyvus. Prie progos klausysiu/skaitysiu tęsinius.
June 30, 2023
Me gusta mucho esta serie, pero de los que he leído hasta ahora quizás el que menos me ha gustado ha sido éste en cuanto a argumentación, junto con alguna incoherencia textual y un par de fallos de traducción.
August 3, 2023
Agatha narrowly avoids becoming a bigamist - just to be primary suspect in her husband's murder.
Liked this one quite well too - the continuing story perhaps more interesting than the mystery this time.
Liked this one quite well too - the continuing story perhaps more interesting than the mystery this time.
March 19, 2022
"I'm glad you've given up investigating murders, Agatha. Not that you weren't a help in the past, but mostly because of your blundering about and making things happen," says Detective Sergeant Bill Wong in the middle of this current mystery. And 'plus ca change plus la meme chose'!
How many more murders that Agatha and her amateur colleagues can unravel beggars belief ... but as long as they keep happening in sleepy little Carsely, she will continue, I am sure.
Thank goodness they happen and she does, because the books are always a jolly good read, amusing, full of red herrings, romantic even at times and this one is no different.
Once the first murder takes place, and one can never be sure more won't follow, the sleuthing begins but with a difference as Agatha and James Lacy are prime suspects. On this occasion it is very personal to Agatha so, of course, she is intimately involved in solving the crime(s). Another great read from Marion Chesney, aka M C Beaton.
How many more murders that Agatha and her amateur colleagues can unravel beggars belief ... but as long as they keep happening in sleepy little Carsely, she will continue, I am sure.
Thank goodness they happen and she does, because the books are always a jolly good read, amusing, full of red herrings, romantic even at times and this one is no different.
Once the first murder takes place, and one can never be sure more won't follow, the sleuthing begins but with a difference as Agatha and James Lacy are prime suspects. On this occasion it is very personal to Agatha so, of course, she is intimately involved in solving the crime(s). Another great read from Marion Chesney, aka M C Beaton.
January 4, 2012
Yet another fun Agatha Raisin adventure! I love the way the characters evolve with the series. An entertaining read:)
November 14, 2018
Plutôt un 3,5. J'ai bien aimé ce tome même si je n'ai pas vraiment apprécié la relation entre James et Agatha.
March 4, 2023
Me ha gustado cómo se ha solucionado lo que no me gustó del anterior, aunque me ha dado mucha pena.
Agatha Raisin tendrá sus cosas, pero es genial y me hace disfrutar y desconectar de la vida.
Agatha Raisin tendrá sus cosas, pero es genial y me hace disfrutar y desconectar de la vida.
September 18, 2017
2.5
And this series still frustrates me.
So, what I thought about the STUUUUUPID ending of the previous book came to life... no one can avoid the consequences of lies and moronic decisions. It was so OBVIOUS the whole thing was done for drama from the author's side...
I had enough of the drama and bickering between Agatha and James. They both acted like two 13 year olds from the stupider kind. I was especially frustrated with Agatha... I mean, she EXPECTED James to forgive her... not even forgive her, but forget her shit in one snap and proclaim his everlasting love? Come onnnnnn... James was equally as bad. He waited for Agatha to show her emotions more (begging even???) but he was flirting with multiple women and even going on a semi-date with one? Let alone what he did at the end???
I also did not understand why Agatha and James still take a dump on the police's work. Police usually does better work than two amateurs... we could see the results of their "great" work. Plus thnking that a friend from a police is betraying you because he is interrogating you? Cut poor Bill some slack, he is doing his job!
The investigation part I liked, there were enough suspects and all, but it was a bit rushed for my liking. I also liked Roy's part in this whole situation, I can kind of see someone doing something similar on a whim to what he did for personal gains but feel remorse when things get out of hand...
And this series still frustrates me.
So, what I thought about the STUUUUUPID ending of the previous book came to life... no one can avoid the consequences of lies and moronic decisions. It was so OBVIOUS the whole thing was done for drama from the author's side...
I had enough of the drama and bickering between Agatha and James. They both acted like two 13 year olds from the stupider kind. I was especially frustrated with Agatha... I mean, she EXPECTED James to forgive her... not even forgive her, but forget her shit in one snap and proclaim his everlasting love? Come onnnnnn... James was equally as bad. He waited for Agatha to show her emotions more (begging even???) but he was flirting with multiple women and even going on a semi-date with one? Let alone what he did at the end???
I also did not understand why Agatha and James still take a dump on the police's work. Police usually does better work than two amateurs... we could see the results of their "great" work. Plus thnking that a friend from a police is betraying you because he is interrogating you? Cut poor Bill some slack, he is doing his job!
The investigation part I liked, there were enough suspects and all, but it was a bit rushed for my liking. I also liked Roy's part in this whole situation, I can kind of see someone doing something similar on a whim to what he did for personal gains but feel remorse when things get out of hand...
March 27, 2023
Esta señora jubilada y curiosa fue la que consiguió enamorarme del Cozy mistery. Un género que, por suerte, cada vez se está traduciendo más. Este libro es la quinta entrega de la serie y no me puedo creer que haya sido mejor que los anteriores.
Siempre pienso, venga va, este ha estado increíble, el siguiente seguro que flojea. Pero no. La magia creo que radica en que las tramas emocionales no paran de evolucionar (aunque sean temas distintos). Los crímenes están construídos siempre con fórmulas diferentes. Y para mí ha sido tarea imposible averiguar el o la culpable en este caso.
Lo que más destaco de estas historias es a su protagonista (imperfecta, egoísta, testaruda y con un corazón blandito) y la ambientación (los Costwolds se han convertido en un lugar aspiracional en el que vivir).
Si no habéis leído esta saga de libros, de verdad, es maravillosa. Misterio (pero sin muchísima complicación ), crímenes (poco sangrientos) y un pueblo lleno de personajes carismáticos, cottage adorables y tazas de té.
Siempre pienso, venga va, este ha estado increíble, el siguiente seguro que flojea. Pero no. La magia creo que radica en que las tramas emocionales no paran de evolucionar (aunque sean temas distintos). Los crímenes están construídos siempre con fórmulas diferentes. Y para mí ha sido tarea imposible averiguar el o la culpable en este caso.
Lo que más destaco de estas historias es a su protagonista (imperfecta, egoísta, testaruda y con un corazón blandito) y la ambientación (los Costwolds se han convertido en un lugar aspiracional en el que vivir).
Si no habéis leído esta saga de libros, de verdad, es maravillosa. Misterio (pero sin muchísima complicación ), crímenes (poco sangrientos) y un pueblo lleno de personajes carismáticos, cottage adorables y tazas de té.
October 3, 2016
I really liked this Agatha Raisin book, even with the ridiculous relationship between James and Agatha. I do not understand her every changing love/obsession with him, he seems so boring and stuck up. I was interested in the mystery and I did
September 30, 2019
Poor Agatha always in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I love her for it! I love her way of snooping out facts and keeping the story twisting and turning keeping the reader on their toes. The description of the characters is done so well that you can see them in your mind can see them acting everything out, as soon as you think you know who has done it, why and how you get thrown into another direction and get completely onto another track.
I never want the Agatha Raisin series to stop I absolutely adore her and look forward to reading many many more stories with her in.
M.C. Beaton is one of my favourite authors, an absolutely amazing author!
I never want the Agatha Raisin series to stop I absolutely adore her and look forward to reading many many more stories with her in.
M.C. Beaton is one of my favourite authors, an absolutely amazing author!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,193 reviews