Agatha Raisin. The PR supremo and city lady, is now retired to the Cotswolds where she reaps havoc as a cross between Miss Marple, Sherlock Holmes and Hattie Jacques’ Matron in the Carry On films. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage is fifth in this series by MC Beaton, and it is helpful to read them in order because of ongoing story threads. Agatha is about to get married and she can hardly believe her good luck. And that is the key to what happens next: Agatha’s [unfortunately not] ex-husband turns up, the wedding is off, and the ex is murdered. Agatha, suspected bigamist, is now a suspected murderer too. Plus, her fiancé has done a runner.
So begins another murder hunt in which Agatha stumbles along, putting her foot in it, making mostly wrong but sometimes right assumptions, and generally stirring things up. In the course of which she reviews her first marriage, and her second marriage which never happened: had she really been in love at all?

Read my reviews of other books in this series:-
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH #1AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE VICIOUS VET #2AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE POTTED GARDENER #3AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE WALKERS OF DEMBLEY #4AGATHARAISIN

If you like this, try:-
‘The Pure in Heart’ by Susan Hill #2SIMONSERRAILLER
‘The Fine Art of Invisible Detection’ by Robert Goddard #1UMIKOWADA
‘Murder at Catmmando Mountain’ by Anna Celeste Burke 1GEORGIESHAW

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#BookReview AGATHA RAISIN AND THE MURDEROUS MARRIAGE by MC Beaton http://wp.me/p5gEM4-1Ka via @SandraDanby 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so after a spell in London’s PR world Agatha Raisin is pleased to return to Carsley in Agatha Raisin and The Walkers of Dembley by MC Beaton. Everything seems the same, except she cannot shake her crush on neighbor – and detective buddy – James. James, however is concentrating on writing his history book and so in an effort to distract herself, Agatha takes up rambling. To cut a long story short, there is a murder, Agatha and James investigate, and all sorts of trouble ensues.
This series is a great example of the ‘cozy crime’ genre, involving a bitchy walking group, a miltant leader determined to challenge landowners who block access to their land, and lots of sexual crossed wires.
MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin books are like that paint: they do what they say on the cover [or, it does what it says on the tin].

Read my reviews of other books in this series:-
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH #1AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE VICIOUS VET #2AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE POTTED GARDENER #3AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE MURDEROUS MARRIAGE #5AGATHARAISIN

If you like this, try:-
‘The Art of the Imperfect’ by Kate Evans #1SCARBOROUGHMYSTERIES
‘The Various Haunts of Men’ by Susan Hill #1SIMONSERRAILLER
‘The Secrets of Gaslight Lane’ by MRC Kasasian #4GOWERDETECTIVE

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview AGATHA RAISIN AND THE WALKERS OF DEMBLEY by MC Beaton http://wp.me/p5gEM4-1XH via @SandraDanby

When a new arrival in the Cotswold village of Carsley brings competition for the attentions of James Lacey, Agatha Raisin is tempted to turn her back on her neighbour. In Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener by MC Beaton, she makes a reckless decision and return to London. As usual in this series, Agatha’s decision-making is suspect and she gets herself deeper into trouble. But observation of James and her rival in love, Mary Fortune, at the gardening club give her hope that James is not convinced by Mary’s obvious charms although Mary seems universally loved by the rest of the village.
Another murder in Carsley gives Agatha, ably aided by James, ample opportunity for nosiness, trespassing, the making of lots of general assumptions, all tempered by common sense and observation of human nature. Sometimes Agatha seems to have a death wish when it comes to relationships, she admits she was never good at making friends, perhaps she is likeable because she is not perfect. On occasions she is rude, grumpy and arrogant.
MC Beaton’s creation – this is the third in the Agatha Raisin series – is an enjoyable well-written mystery more akin with Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote, than with Miss Marple. If you want an easy read one rainy afternoon, or when you are about to board a plane, then this will suit you admirably.

Read my reviews of other books in this series:-
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH #1AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE VICIOUS VET #2AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE WALKERS OF DEMBLEY #4AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE MURDEROUS MARRIAGE #5AGATHARAISIN

If you like this, try:-
‘Big Sky’ by Kate Atkinson #5JACKSONBRODIE
‘The Vanished Bride’ by Bella Ellis #1BRONTEMYSTERIES
‘A Fatal Crossing’ by Tom Hindle

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#BookReview AGATHA RAISIN AND THE POTTED GARDENER by MC Beaton http://wp.me/p5gEM4-1Wx via @SandraDanby

When a newly-retired PR executive arrives in the Cotswolds expecting a quiet retirement, she finds real life in Carsley is not as she expected. First of all, no-one likes her. Second, no-one seems to give a fig about who she is. Third, she is bored. And so begins Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, first in this addictive series by MC Beaton. Desperate to make friends, she enters a village baking competition. Except Agatha can’t bake. So she buys a quiche and enters it as her own. So what, you may think. Lots of people probably do that. But when the competition judge dies of poisoning, Agatha is the key suspect. Desperate to clear her name, she turns detective.
And so a new crime series is born, featuring an overweight, pompous and self-important woman who always thinks she knows best. Why is this series so good? Because Agatha always gets her come-uppance and the story is very funny. A circle of village characters – her cleaner Doris, the vicar’s wife Mrs Bloxley, the deliciously disgusting elderly couple the Boggles, the real policeman Bill Wong – and London PR friend Roy, all contribute warning voices when Agatha gets carried away with her theories. And, there are lots of references to Agatha Christie. A policeman warns her: “You really must leave investigations to the police. Everyone has something to hide, and if you are going to go around shoving your nose into affairs which do not concern you, you are going to be hurt.” In true Agatha fashion, she ignores him.
This is a long series, lots more to read.

Read my reviews of some of the other novels in the Agatha Raisin series:-
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE VICIOUS VET #2AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE POTTED GARDENER #3AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE WALKERS OF DEMBLEY #4AGATHARAISIN
AGATHA RAISIN AND THE MURDEROUS MARRIAGE #5AGATHARAISIN

If you like this, try:-
‘ELIZABETH IS MISSING’ by Emma Healey
‘THE LOVE SONG OF MISS QUEENIE HENNESSY’ by Rachel Joyce
‘THE HUMANS’ by Matt Haig

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH by MC Beaton http://wp.me/p5gEM4-1IY via @SandraDanby