yawn
Rating:
3 / 5
I love Agatha Raisin. I think that the first three books in this series are remarkably well done. But maybe I read the first five books too quickly and this is one just became glaringly the same as the others. Instead of growing as a character Agatha is becoming a stereotype. Not only that but the other once glorious town folk are becoming more backdrops. Backdrops to what is another question... for what made the first few books great were not the mysteries but the characters themselves. Now it seems that Beaton is trying to force Raisin into the land of James Bond and spy craft.
I will just put it that I was pretty disappointed by this book and feel like the three star review might be a little generous on my part. Only the fact that Beaton wrote such brilliant books (that are mocked here) lends itself to garnering a higher review in my book.
One of the Better Ones Thus Far
Rating:
4 / 5
Having started from the beginning of this series at a late date, I have to say that this is one of the best to this point. The situations were more realistic than some of the earlier episodes and usually written with a good blend of humor and real emotions.
Agatha's dream is finally coming true: she is marrying James Lacey. Needless to say, things in Agatha's life cannot go smoothly. Her thought-to-be-dead husband shows up demanding money and then ends up dead. James, furious with Agatha, refuses to consider returning to where their relationship was but the two of the must work together to solve the murder as they are both prime suspects.
A fun book to read, particularly in regards to some new revelations regarding Agatha's childhood and family history. Looking forward to the next in the series.
--Until death do you part--
Rating:
5 / 5
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE MURDEROUS MARRIAGE begins with Agatha preparing to marry James Lacey, the man of her dreams. Agatha was married when she was very young and since her first husband had not been heard from in years, she preferred to think that he must have died from his alcoholic life style. Unfortunately, Jimmy Raisin was not dead, and showed up at the beginning of Agatha's wedding to James Lacey.Poor Agatha is humiliated and James is furious with her. Her life is in turmoil. She had already sold her cottage and had started moving her belongings into the house she was to share with James. He agrees to let her stay with him, but tells her that he no longer wants to marry her, ever. When Jimmy Raisin is found murdered, the police suspect Agatha or James. The disgruntled couple form somewhat of a truce and agree to do their own investigating into Jimmy's death. As the story continues, several of Jimmy's associates are also murdered and the search for the killer becomes more complex for Agatha and James. M.C. Beaton does a good job of tying up the story and keeping her readers interested in the perils of Agatha Raisin. This is the fifth story in the Agatha Raisin mysteries. I highly recommend the entire series.
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