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The Agatha Raisin Series, Books 1-3: The Quiche of Death, The Vicious Vet, and The Potted Gardener
In M. C. Beaton's New York Times bestselling series set in the English Cotswolds, Agatha Raisin, former London PR agent turned private detective, discovers that there is nothing cozy about village life. The bossy, vain, and charmingly insecure Agatha finds that she has a talent for getting herself into trouble. . . and getting to the bottom of a mystery.
The Quiche of Death
When Agatha enters a village baking contest, she hopes it will make her the toast of the town. But when the judge dies of poisoning, Agatha is forced to admit that she bought the quiche at a bakery in London. When she starts receiving sinister notes Agatha must determine whether they're related to her cheating and meddling or to the suspicious death. It may mean the difference between egg on her face and coroner's tag on her toe.
The Vicious Vet
Agatha is still trying to adjust to village life, so she jumps at the chance to visit the new vet, who is single and good-looking, even though her tabby doesn't have a thing wrong with him. Unfortunately, the vet is soon found dead. The police rule it an accident, but Agatha convinces her bachelor neighbor James Lacey that playing amateur detective might be fun.
The Potted Gardener
A new woman has caught the eye of Agatha Raisin's neighbor James Lacey. When a series of mysterious assaults on the town's finest gardens is followed by a shocking murder, Agatha gets the chance to remind him of her genius for investigation. She immediately starts yanking up village secrets by their roots and digging up details about the victim-who may just have some hidden dirt of her own.
The Quiche of Death
When Agatha enters a village baking contest, she hopes it will make her the toast of the town. But when the judge dies of poisoning, Agatha is forced to admit that she bought the quiche at a bakery in London. When she starts receiving sinister notes Agatha must determine whether they're related to her cheating and meddling or to the suspicious death. It may mean the difference between egg on her face and coroner's tag on her toe.
The Vicious Vet
Agatha is still trying to adjust to village life, so she jumps at the chance to visit the new vet, who is single and good-looking, even though her tabby doesn't have a thing wrong with him. Unfortunately, the vet is soon found dead. The police rule it an accident, but Agatha convinces her bachelor neighbor James Lacey that playing amateur detective might be fun.
The Potted Gardener
A new woman has caught the eye of Agatha Raisin's neighbor James Lacey. When a series of mysterious assaults on the town's finest gardens is followed by a shocking murder, Agatha gets the chance to remind him of her genius for investigation. She immediately starts yanking up village secrets by their roots and digging up details about the victim-who may just have some hidden dirt of her own.
494 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
M.C. Beaton
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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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
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September 14, 2016I have been a closet MC Beaton fan for many years, all of her writing is quirky, clever and entertaining, but I particularly enjoy her Agatha Raisin series. As a treat, I have decided to go back to book one of the series, The Quiche of Death, and listen to each one on an audiobook format, as I particularly enjoy Penelope Keith’s narration. I believe it's also a popular new series on Sky TV now but I've yet to catch up with that format.
In The Quiche of Death we are introduced to Agatha Raisin, a businesswoman who has decided to take early retirement, and walk away from her successful company, and life in London, and settle down in an idyllic Cotswold village. This has been Agatha’s life long dream, since she was raised in a poor area of Birmingham … and of course, nothing at all could go wrong because dreams always live up to our expectations. Right?
Of course, being new to village life comes as a shock to Agatha. Joining the ladies’ society of Carsley seems one good way of integrating into her new life. However, when Agatha makes a decision to cheat the local baking competition, her life is turned upside down and she suddenly finds herself number one suspect in a murder enquiry.
I’m so glad I’ve gone back to the first book in the series, as it’s delightful to meet all of the characters, like Detective Bill Wong, and the vicar’s wife, Mrs Bloxby, for the first time.
Make no mistake this isn’t gritty, dark, high-action crime fiction, but it’s appeal for me is a calming, funny and yet intensely clever story, written by a hugely gifted writer. If you’ve yet to open a MC Beaton novel, I seriously recommend you try one as soon as you can!
In The Quiche of Death we are introduced to Agatha Raisin, a businesswoman who has decided to take early retirement, and walk away from her successful company, and life in London, and settle down in an idyllic Cotswold village. This has been Agatha’s life long dream, since she was raised in a poor area of Birmingham … and of course, nothing at all could go wrong because dreams always live up to our expectations. Right?
Of course, being new to village life comes as a shock to Agatha. Joining the ladies’ society of Carsley seems one good way of integrating into her new life. However, when Agatha makes a decision to cheat the local baking competition, her life is turned upside down and she suddenly finds herself number one suspect in a murder enquiry.
I’m so glad I’ve gone back to the first book in the series, as it’s delightful to meet all of the characters, like Detective Bill Wong, and the vicar’s wife, Mrs Bloxby, for the first time.
Make no mistake this isn’t gritty, dark, high-action crime fiction, but it’s appeal for me is a calming, funny and yet intensely clever story, written by a hugely gifted writer. If you’ve yet to open a MC Beaton novel, I seriously recommend you try one as soon as you can!
January 29, 2017
Es una lectura amena que te hace pasar un muy buen rato.
February 17, 2014
Firstly, this book was only 'The Quiche of Death', not the trilogy as I loaded into here!! This was a great little book, given to me by a friend. Not the sort of thing I would normally read as I thought it might be a little 'light' for me but it was actually quite charming!! Reminded me of 'Midsomer Murders' which I love!! Set in the lovely country setting of the Cotswolds with small sections in London, this book was easy reading with a simple, non-gorey murder mystery going on. However, the real treasure here was Agatha Raisin herself!! A gutsy lady, not afraid to speak her mind with a great sense of humour who behaved like a 'fish out of water' in her new cottage but who managed to win over the village residents and integrate into her new life. There are some fantastic, memorable characters in this book and anyone who likes an old-fashioned murder mystery with modern people in it will love it! I will definitely read some more Agatha Raisin and look forward to catching up with her adventures soon! Thanks Lynn for passing this on to me x
March 22, 2016
This cozy mystery contained a lack of tension. The characterization was great with the protagonist Agatha and she was so deliciously wicked. There is even a character arch and she does make a dramatic change. That said, the pacing was such that it didn't lend itself to any tension no build up just one thing after another.
July 30, 2018
I read this as part of a book club. Although it wouldn't have been something that attracted me from the cover and the blurb, I did enjoy reading "The quiche of death". The main character isn't particularly likeable at the beginning of the story, but you soon learn that this is deliberate and the character recognises this herself. She embarks on a scheme to get the villagers to notice her. There is lots of fairly unbelievable stuff, but it all makes for an easy amusing read.
Sometimes the writing is a bit sloppy, using the same phrases twice, or using cliches. It triggered my "stereo type" alarm a couple of times too, which was a little disappointing. The stereo typing could have so easily been avoided.
Sometimes the writing is a bit sloppy, using the same phrases twice, or using cliches. It triggered my "stereo type" alarm a couple of times too, which was a little disappointing. The stereo typing could have so easily been avoided.
June 17, 2019
I was surprised by this book and its main character. Agatha Raisin is an acerbic, outspoken Londoner who has just retired to a cottage in the country, leaving a profitable public relations business. Agatha realizes that she never learned to cultivate friends, only people that she could manipulate. She longs to go back to London and back to work, but when she goes for a week's holiday, she realizes that she is unhappy there, too. In the meantime, she gets involved in solving a mystery and makes friends with one of the policemen on the local force. The book was fun to read and Agatha Raisin is a force to be reckoned with! (I only read The Quiche of Death. I obviously chose the wrong book from the list.)
September 9, 2019
Penelope Keith is the PERFECT reader for the Agatha Raisin novels. I've been meaning to read these for some time, but it took a carless pet-sit in the country to get me started. Now I'm binge-listening to these. I love Agatha's brazen insecure blundering. I love her "bear-like" eyes (I had to look it up and was referred to a picture of MC Beaton herself: small and twinkling and smart eyes, they are.) I love that health food makes her break out and depression makes her skinny. I don't care for the infatuation with James Lacey, but I like that he's an asshole and undeserving of her. I love the friendships with the vicar's wife and Inspector Wong. Basically, I am charmed and will be sad when I've finished the series.
August 18, 2017
If you like mysteries, then you will love this book. MC Beaton has a history of creating fun British and Scottish characters. Agatha Raisin is nothing less that a unique individual with her own take on life and how to attack a problem. When this 53 year old executive decides to retire and move away from the big city, it becomes a bumble and stumble life in the country. Of course there is a murder that is discounted as an accident which Agatha just can't let alone.
Fun read.
Fun read.
February 28, 2020
A more cynical protagonist to a cosy enough drama, well acted (in the version I listened to) I appreciate the diversity of the cast of characters and some of it made me laugh. Not so much of a parody of the genre as the title would suggest but more like a modern interpretation of the type of cosy tea-time murder mystery's that are so popular, this doesn't really go above that level but it's entertaining enough, and certainly sets out what it seems to intend to.
November 8, 2017
Fue un libro entretenid, con un misterio más bien sencillito, aunque eso no quiere decir malo necesariamente. Lo que me sigue tocando las narices es el cambio de la protagonista, que les digo, a mi me gusta que sean malas leches y rudas
April 9, 2018
This is a classic beach read. No frills, lots of interesting English countryside characters, and murders that are easily solved. The Vicious Vet had some laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed listening to the audio book, as each character had their own personality come to life.
March 8, 2017
Quite silly, always amusing, fun reads. I enjoy these books, have to say I think the first one, Quiche of Death, is the best. Cosy mysteries, fun characters
May 13, 2017
New to the series, loved the quirky, interesting writing style, with the quirky, interesting, snarky main character.
May 30, 2017
Love this book,,loving the whole series. I watched the show and this is better,,both awesome
June 18, 2017
I listened to this and really enjoyed!
July 24, 2017
These are well written books, but this is one of those rare occassions when I preferred the TV series to the books.
August 7, 2017
Fun, fun, fun. Reminds me of Mrs. pollifax.
September 12, 2017
I do enjoy these, quick light read, think the main character is great - such a characture of a person.
October 10, 2017
I listened to the audio version! The English accents made the book even better! A light, kind of funny read.
October 17, 2017
C. fiction, mystery, English, series, (Agatha Raisin, #1)
May 31, 2018
Nice quick read. It was funny and clean and a great mystery. Loved it. Am into the full series now.
June 27, 2018
A fun romp through a small English town, where a man is killed. lots of suspects, rumors, and comely cottages.
October 10, 2018
Loved it. An old fashioned detective story read on audio by Penelope Keith. A lazy day not wasted.
November 21, 2018
I love this series, it is a quick respite to just sit and read about Agatha and her little village.
April 4, 2019
not my cup of tea
June 6, 2019
Hilarious, thoroughly enjoyable,
September 24, 2019
I enjoy the British atmosphere more than the mystery really.
January 9, 2020
This book was taped by the BBC as a radio show and now available as an audiobook.(my local library). A delightful performance with all appropriate sound effects- especially the cat. Well done!
January 21, 2020
I've just listened to Agatha Raisin and the quiche of death i loved it and the reader was Penelope Keith who was brilliant and brought the book alive i listen to audio books as I'm partially sighted
February 7, 2021
Good, but not the best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews