Chantage au presbytère

Agatha Raisin #13

by M.C. Beaton, Françoise du Sorbier (Translator)

Larguée (une fois de plus) par James Lacey, délaissée par son voisin en qui elle mettait ses derniers espoirs, Agatha Raisin déclare la guerre aux hommes en faisant vœu de chasteté... Jusqu’à sa rencontre avec le tout nouveau et très sexy vicaire de Carsely, qui fait l’effet d’une bombe au village : les femmes se bousculent à l’église. Quant à notre Agatha, elle retrouve aussitôt la foi… Mais, damned !, voilà que le corps sans vie du vicaire est découvert dans le bureau de l’église. Qui a pu commettre ce geste sacrilège ? Le clergyman était-il trop beau pour être honnête ? C’est ce que découvrira peut-être Agatha qui, sans le savoir, vient d’ouvrir une véritable boîte de Pandore…

Avec plus de 800 000 exemplaires vendus, Agatha Raisin, l’héritière très spirituelle de Miss Marple version rock, a imposé sa personnalité loufoque et irrésistible. Vous reprendrez bien un peu de Worcestershire sauce dans votre thé ?

« C’est comme si la célèbre détective d’Agatha Christie avait rajeuni, adopté des mœurs de cougar, un humour caustique, et mangé de la vache folle. On est en Angleterre... C’est un régal. » Le Point.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, British Literature, Cozy

305 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

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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.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the hot new curate is found dead, Mrs. Bloxby's husband is the #1 suspect.
Ever the good friend, Agatha decides to clear the vicar's name. <--even though he pretty much can't stand her
Still. This is for her bestie, Bloxby.



Unfortunately, Agatha is still missing James. And Charles. Hell, she misses Roy enough to ask him down for a visit.
It's frustrating to see her still spinning her wheels looking to men as her main source of comfort.
But I'm guessing that's also part of the reason I love her. She's a hot mess of nowhere near the right amount of self-esteem.
And then I remember that I'm still checking my weight every day as though that were some kind of sign of mental health and body acceptance. Ugh.
Rock on, Aggie. We've all got problems.



I did enjoy the mystery this time around. Especially as the body count started piling up. And I loved that the police chief (or whatever they're called across the pond) suggested she might want to go ahead and get her private detective's license.



Also, is the mystery writer John Armitage really out of Agatha's life?
I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Recommended for Raisinets.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, difficult to rate as I enjoyed it, it kept me entertained as I tidied my garage, but it is not a classic by any means. So i'm thinking 3 (probably ) rather 4 ⭐️. I will think overnight and finalise review tomorrow.

I have seen a few of the Agatha Raisin programmes on TV starring Ashley Jensen, and they have been entertaining enough, so when I saw this audiobook relatively cheap I thought I'd give it a listen. And it was surprisingly fun, a good story and well read by Penelope Keith.
Ok so it is not up to a Miss Marple standard, but that said it was well put together, some interesting characters (I remembered a few from the few TV episodes I had seen), and an enjoyable listen for 5 hours or so.
I keep giving 4 stars to a lot of books lately because I enjoy them, and I could easily have done the same here, as I did enjoy it, but you can't give four stars to every book as it would just de-value a 4 star rating, so unfortunately this has been rounded down to 3. Good fun but still only 3 stars

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, the actual murder in the Agatha Raisin books is secondary to the ongoing of the characters involved. With each book you pick up, Agatha finds herself embroiled in another domestic situation, with it being either her missing almost ex-husband James, the new neighbor – which is always an attractive man, Bill Wong – her favorite policeman, or my favorite Mrs. Bloxby. A perfect counterbalance to Agatha, who always keeps things in perspective and possesses the perfect words of wisdom that Agatha needs to hear even if she does not want to.

Since all the Agatha books involve a murder, The Case of the Curious Curate begins with the arrival of a very attractive man - the golden haired Curate Tristan Delon. Though initially beguiled, Agatha starts to wonder if the young man is too good to be true, that is until he is found dead in the Vicar’s study and Agatha must unsnarl the goings on to help her friends the Bloxby’s.

At first blush you would not think that the village of Carsely would be capable to such evildoings, but as the bodies start to pile up. Not only does Agatha needs to dig deeper into this murder to find the killer, but also to prevent further wrong doings and to make sure that the right person is behind bars.

I truly enjoy this series, Agatha to grow on you. She can be the pushiest most annoying character that you run across, but deep down the woman cares for those around her, she just has a harsh and pushy way of showing it.

Start at the beginning and watch Agatha grow as a woman but also as a friend. Under all the gruffness, she is very charming.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate by M.C.Beaton is the 13th book in the Agatha Raisin Mystery series. After Agatha Raisin has dinner with the new curate, he is found stabbed to death at the vicarage with the vicars dagger letter opener. An entertaining and fun quick book. Although Agatha is quite bossy and nosy and meddling, she has a kind heart and is always willing to help her friends. I like that she has moved on from her disasterous marriage to James. Plenty of bodies and lots of twists in this mystery.

[Tasneem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Agatha Raisin. She is so funny and she goes through men at such a rate. The curate turns out to be such a dreadful man and the murder was not unexpected. Just found the killer a bit of a surprise. I loved the interaction with Bill Wong though and it was funny to see her destroy the relationship with John Armitage.

I just enjoyed the descriptions of village life, of the Morris dancing turning into a brawl, of the duck races, of the organisations of village affairs. The books are delightful, a proper tongue in cheek response to Miss Marple.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐ = Good.
#13 in the series, all of which have been great fun to read. A cantankerous middle aged sleuth always makes me smile and this is no exception.

[AndrewP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book is well into the series, it's the first one that I have actually read with my eyes. All the others I have listened to the audio narration by the great Penelope Keith. The funny things is that while reading this I often found myself hearing Penelope's voice in my head.
Another fun entry in the series with the usual components - Agatha getting involved in a murders and subsequently poking here nose into everyone's business. The police remain tolerant of her behavior and I sometimes wonder it that's because they wouldn't get anywhere without her help. Agatha's private life is constantly in flux and that continues here.
A solid entry in the series.

[Jo Berry ☀️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book number thirteen in the series. This story did have a few twists in the murder plot which I liked. I’m not sure what the plan is around Agatha’s new neighbour, John Armitage though, as he just seems a less likeable version of James Lacey (and I’m not crazy about James Lacey).

I’m really hoping the next book in the series takes a major turn in Agatha’s personal and/or professional life, because I’m starting to feel we’re getting a bit stuck in a rut. And, let’s be honest, it’s Agatha’s love life and friendships we’re more interested in reading about than the murders. If things don’t pick up in a book or three, I might bow out. That said, I think I’m committed now :-)

[Cassandra Veber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encore une réussite (as usual), j’étais tellement contente de voir que Mrs Bloxby qui d’habitude apparaît seulement de façon occasionnelle était enfin relayée au premier plan !

Le duo John-Agatha m’a beaucoup plu, ça changeait des enquêtes avec Charles (mais je crois que John ne reviendra plus, snif).

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one had a good mystery and a good continuation of the base story and it’s characters. The ending though, was way too like several others in the series, obvious and a bit contrived. I think I’d have rated this higher, should it have been a stand alone, rather than #13.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can read the professional blurb to find out the gist. I want to talk about why I enjoyed the story.

First of all, as in all of the Agatha Raisin stories, Raisin is such a strong individual character. She's pushy, rude, yet beneath it all, vulnerable. She's in her fifties, single and addicted to falling in love. Her emotional maturity hasn't seem to developed beyond Middle School crushes. Whenever she actually gets involved with a man, he transforms from man of mystery and shining knight to a flawed human being that no longer makes her feel giddy and like a princess. She seems forever doomed to wallow in the shallow waters of human romance. Too bad.

I suppose Beaton writes Agatha this way is to maintain a subplot of tension between her and the new man who poses as her present foil. I understand this, but it results in all the men in every book, other than the recurring characters-Roy Silver, Sir Charles, and Inspector Bill Wong-as resembling each other to the point that they are pretty much interchangeable. They talk the same way, have the same personalities, the same ambivalent attitude toward Agatha.

Beaton is dead so they'll be no changing, but I wonder if she couldn't simply have had Agatha marry one of them and create the same tension, especially since they are pretty much clones of each other. Surely there is enough misunderstandings and tension in married life to create an interesting sub plot.

I listened to the audio version narrated by Penelope Keith who does a sterling job acting as all the characters.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook format.
Hmmm… Agatha has a new neighbour- another male writer who she is sort of attracted to and then not… What is it about the writer always pairing her female protagonist with a man, as she gets embroiled in these murder mysteries? James, Charles, Roy, and now this new guy.

[Aimee Nicole Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

As pleasurable as the mysteries are, my favorite part is Agatha’s growth. What an onion Aggie is. She’s still cantankerous at times but we’re seeing her soft side more and more. Her romantic life is a hot mess but she’s a hoot. I also really enjoy the supporting cast, especially Mrs. Bloxby.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha and the Grifting Vicar
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (January 2013) of the original St. Martin's Press Minotaur hardcover (February 2003)

The Case of the Curious Curate finds Agatha Raisin with the other lady parishioners to be enraptured by a dashing new curate who takes over for Alf Bloxby when the latter is indisposed. She eventually figures out that he is a grifter and then sets out to solve the case when he is murdered, presumably by someone he stole from or extorted in the past. Her main investigating partner is yet another new neighbour, John Armitage, who has taken over the cottage of Agatha's husband James Lacey, who has abandoned her.

I'm continuing to enjoy the fun of these cozies which are somewhat different from the TV-series which I saw first. Sir Charles is much more of a recurring character and occasional love interest than he is in the screen adaptation and his cheap and chintzy manners are played up quite a bit. The John Armitage character doesn't appear in the TV-series at all. The narration by regular reader Penelope Keith is always excellent in all voices. Keith is as perfect a voice fit for the audiobooks as Ashley Jensen is to the TV role.

Most (28 of 32) of the Agatha Raisin audiobooks are free on Audible Plus. A continuation series Book 32 Down the Hatch is yet to be released, and is expected to be published in October 2021. Down the Hatch is apparently entirely written by continuation writer R.W. Green whereas #31 Hot to Trot was a collaboration with M.C. Beaton.

Trivia and Link
The Case of Curious Curate was adapted as Episodes 5 & 6 of Series 2 for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-). A trailer can be seen on YouTube here.

[Clarabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'intrigue peut sembler similaire à Remède de cheval (tome 2) car ce sont toujours les mêmes ficelles, les mêmes situations incongrues qui alimentent le quotidien d'Agatha Raisin. Les personnages sont tous interchangeables, Tristan Delon, Paul Bladen, James Lacey, John Armitage... bref, c'est de bonne guerre, du moment que l'humour est sauf, tout va bien !
http://blogclarabel.canalblog.com/arc...

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha Raisin is a great character AND Penelope Keith has such fun narrating the series--with each book’s myriad character’s voices and accents.

It’s no wonder I’ve enjoyed returning to the audiobook series when a huge swath of modern fiction can be so terribly trauma-based. A cozy mystery with a strong (some might say brassy) woman is just the ticket to avoid trauma but also not too much of a twee tone.

Agatha Raisin's interior monologues can occasionally raise the level of the nurse in “Wuthering Heights.” Both are unreliable (the nurse to others, but Agatha to herself) but still entertaining in how they frame their feelings and motivations.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as much as I did the first time, and don't think I can add much more to the first review.

This is a great mystery and story. I liked the further growth of Agatha's character, especially developing her caring and charitable side. Agatha is certainly a complex character. There are still plenty of acerbic Agatha scenes, which we do expect in this series. It's all part of what makes this series so much fun.

New neighbour, John, is still the sidekick in this book. I prefer when the sidekicks have a stronger personality, such as with James or Sir Charles. There's something about John that makes him appear faint, like a water colour instead of a rich oil painting.

Lastly, the duck race scene is brilliant country village vibes. Loved it!

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.

The thirteenth book in the Agatha Raisin series is a hoot! This is Agatha back to her best form, and I think it's the best novel in the series since Quiche of Death.

In this outing, a new Curate is in Carsely, and he is a bit of a dreamboat. All the women fawn over him, including our Agatha, who has dinner with him. That night, he is murdered, and the vicar is the prime suspect. It's up to Agatha and neighbour, John, to crack the case. This time, a few other women take up the amateur sleuth mantel, and this leads them, and Agatha, into more trouble.

Black coffee, a return to smoking, and cutting remarks seems the order of the day:

Agatha drew a deep breath. "Look, lady, just get off your bum and tell him that Agatha Raisin wishes to speak to him."

We also see Agatha develop a very caring side for other villagers and the village in general. She throws herself into PR efforts for charity, and begins a big project to build a new senior centre with a bus for transporting the elderly. It's a growth to the character, and is enjoyable to see.

We also see more of Bill's attempts to find love. You'd think after thirteen novels this would grow stale, but for some reason it doesn't. Agatha's thoughts on all his love affairs are hilarious, and I find myself hoping he'll make it one day.

This novel was once more heavily set in Carsely, which I find to be the perfect setting. I much prefer the Carsely novels to others set outside the village. Mrs Bloxby is the perfect opposite to Agatha's highly emotive thoughts and actions.

Fingers crossed the next will be just as good!!

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha Raisin is terribly bored these days. Her husband has deserted her and her dear friend Charles is living his own life. Her neighbor John insulted her and she’s absolutely through with men. She’s not the least bit interested when the vicar’s wife tells her about the new curate, Tristan Delon. The women of Carsely are all falling head over heels for the handsome guy, but Agatha couldn’t care less. Or could she?

When Tristan invites her to dinner, Agatha is thrilled. At the same time, she realizes something is just not quite right about the guy. Tristan winds up dead and Agatha vows to keep her nose out of this murder mystery. However, we all know Agatha can’t do that especially when the vicar is the number one suspect. Agatha isn’t a great fan of the vicar’s (and he doesn’t like her either), but she’s close friends with his wife. She doesn’t want the vicar to go to jail for a crime she’s sure he did not commit.

This is the 13th book in the series. They are so short and light that I’m already halfway through the entire series. There are currently 26 books. It was hard for me to get into this series right away, but now I’m always anxious to see what Agatha is up to next and what’s going on in her life. The mysteries are not complicated – although this one had many twists and turns. I was surprised to find out the real culprit. This series is the perfect one for me to become involved with on audio.

[The Flooze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha Raisin: curious, self-conscious, bossy, formidable, always on the lookout for love, and more than willing to do her bit for the people she's taken a liking to.

This time, her desire to help Mrs. Bloxby's husband clear his name leads her down a very dangerous path, indeed. Murders are happening right and left in Carsley. But no matter how many times our Agatha gets frightened or weary, she always rallies. Her pride won't let her give up.

It's funny how I feel I've learned more about Agatha in the last few books than I ever did during her obsession with James Lacey. The dissolution of their relationship has left us with a heroine who's both more wary and more willing to give of herself. More introspective, too. It's a welcome change, and I hope she continues to grow as the series continues.

[Berit☀️✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really all the women of this village should stay away from any man who moves in, he is generally bad news....
Lots of killing in this one, three murders in total..... all starting with the very attractive new Clarit.... this time Agatha with the help of a neighbor John a mystery writer begins to solve the mystery.... there was a super funny scene in this book at the duck races where the dancers had too much to drink and started a brawl with their sticks, laugh out loud moment!

[Mary (Biblophile) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agatha, as usual, is pining after her ex-husband James and the guy next door, though she denies it to herself. This woman has very little insight into herself. She's jealous, petty, vindictive and has any other number of negative qualities but always seems to have a man around. Nonetheless, for some strange reason I like these cozy mysteries.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books so far! Books without James are great. The new neighbor is actually interested in her, but she rebuffs him. Looks like she's taking some time to get to know herself. Good for you, Aggie!

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy these Murder mystery stories and can always guarantee a great plot and story whenever I read an Agatha raisin book. I listened to the BBC audio dramas based off M C Beatons book which are brilliant, and wonderfully acted and make for very good listening. Great little 1 hour stories which you can listen to in one go. I could listen to these all day!

[H. Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining nonsense!

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divertissant

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fidèle aux précédents :)

[MarilynLovesNature · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I want to give this a 4.5, it's only in comparison to other cozy mysteries, not great literature. I don't like star ratings if they are meant to be equal across all genres. That would never work for me. I continue to read Agatha Raisin because I can't find any other light mysteries when I need a break. This one was more entertaining to me than most AR's that I've read so far. Her humorous thoughts found me chuckling from time to time. The funniest ones are usually when Agatha rejoices to notice signs of aging in someone other than herself. The mystery itself was pretty interesting and I almost guessed it, which is rare for me but that only added to my enjoyment. Agatha Raisin can be obnoxious and puts her foot in her mouth regularly which adds to the humor. Her kindheartedness is a redeeming quality.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting ready for Season 2 of Agatha Raisin on AcornTV, I am filling in some gaps that I have in the series. I originally read many of these out-of-order which I regret, as Agatha’s personal life is a continuing storyline from one book to the next. Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate picks up with Agatha in a rather low place due to the end of her marriage with James. She has a new neighbor, who enthusiastically joins in as Agatha’s sleuthing partner when the new curate is murdered and the Vicar is suspected of killing him out of jealousy. Great story, great characters and wonderful village setting with all the attendant residents to fill in the cast.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 13th book in the series is typical Agatha Raisin fare. There is murder, mischief, attempts and fails at love, friendship and poor decisions by Agatha. She is a lovable bumbling character. I am glad there are so many books in this series.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another delightful Agatha Raisin adventure! I particularly liked the plot & characters in this installment, a very entertaining read!