Synopses & Reviews
This Christmas, be careful what you wish for…
Cranky yet lovable Agatha Raisin has always been ambivalent about holiday cheer, though her cozy village of Carsely has long prided itself on its Christmas festivities. Until now. This year, local Health and Safety Board officer John Sunday is threatening to undo some of Carsleys most time-honored traditions. The tree on top of the church? A public menace. The decorations hanging on the lampposts? Hazardous. Even May Dimwoodys homemade toys are deemed unsafe for the children. Bah humbug! The Carsely Ladies Society is in an uproar and will do anything to put a stop to this Scrooge—only to find that someone else has done it for them…with a kitchen knife. Soon Agathas detective agency is on the case. But when a man has made as many enemies as Mr. John Sunday, its hard to know where to start—or how to stop the killer from striking again.
“Beaton does a brilliant job…Agathas struggles…continue to tantalize.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Agatha scores again with a cunning mix of satire and mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Tourists are advised to watch their backs in the bucolic villages where M. C. Beaton sets her sly British mysteries...Outsiders always spell trouble for the societies Beaton observes with such cynical humor.”—The New York Times Book Review
“[Beatons] imperfect heroine is an absolute gem!”—Publishers Weekly
“Beatons Agatha Raisin series just about defines the British cozy.”—Booklist
“Anyone interested in...intelligent, amusing reading will want to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Agatha Raisin.”—Atlanta Journal Constitution
“Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Few things in life are more satisfying than to discover a brand-new Agatha Raisin mystery.”
—Tampa Tribune Times
“The Raisin series brings the cozy tradition back to life. God bless the Queen!”—Tulsa World
“The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshingly sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likable heroine...a must for cozy fans.”—Booklist
THERE GOES THE BRIDE
“Splendid.” —Publishers Weekly
“Beaton and cozy fans will want this one.”—Library Journal
A SPOONFUL OF POISON
“Agatha is like Miss Marple with a drinking problem, pack-a-day habit, and major man lust…Beatons latest installment, in which Aggie gets mixed up in a deadly jam-tasting contest, is pretty terrific—a must-read.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Take two fine old English traditions—the village fete and death by poison—and you have a clever tale…featuring irascible, lovable Agatha Raisin. A Spoonful of Poison will go down just fine.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Beatons sly humor enhances the cozy-style plotting, while updates on Agathas…romantic travails are as delightful as ever. The open-ended resolution points to more madcap mayhem to come.”—Publishers Weekly
THE WALKERS OF DEMBLEY
“British cozy fans will no doubt find this book an engaging teatime companion.”—Booklist
“Trenchant and droll.”—St. Petersburg Times
“Among writers of cozy village mystery series, count M.C. Beaton as one who creates a nice tea party.”—Associated Press
THE POTTED GARDENER
“From the authors sure-fire plot comes this fail-safe moral: It takes an outsider to open peoples eyes to the beauty—and the evil—within.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Compare this one to lemon meringue pie: light. . .with a delicious hint of tartness at its heart.”
—The Washington Times
KISSING CHRISTMAS GOODBYE
“Agatha Raisin is still at the top of her game…in her most challenging case yet.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Beaton, the reigning queen of the cozies, adds an English manor house and a Christmas theme to her usual Costwold village setting, upping the comfiness factor even higher.”—Booklist
LOVE, LIES AND LIQUOR
“Another highly satisfying Beaton cozy, this one is long on the kind of social comedy that uses character, plot, and atmosphere to produce the laughter.”—Booklist
“Driven by Agathas strong personality, [Love, Lies and Liquor] will please devoted fans.”—Publishers Weekly
THE PERFECT PARAGON
“Though Agatha is still a bit of a piece of work, she is mellowing with age, and in this book even forgets to ‘gussy herself up once when she goes out. Theres a cliffhanger at the end...that is going to be interesting in the next book.”—Deadly Pleasures
“This is the latest perfectly precious prose problem from Beaton, Britains successor to Dame Agatha Christie. If youve never read an Agatha Raisin novel, its time to start, and youll have fifteen more of these confections awaiting you. Polish those off, and you still have a batch of Hamish Macbeth tales. All of them are cunningly plotted, beautifully written and more fun you can imagine. The Perfect Paragon is as perfect as all the others, and you wont figure out whodunit until the final pages.”—The Globe & Mail
“Entertaining…welcome back to Carsely, the charming Cotswolds village thats home to the sixteenth Agatha Raisin mystery.”—Publishers Weekly
“Fabulous…M.C. Beaton is at her best with this fine tale filled with twists.”
—Midwest Book Review
THE DEADLY DANCE
“Its been 40 years since Dame Agatha Christies death, and in that time, reviewers have often bestowed her mantle on new authors. M. C. Beaton is one of those so honored, and she deserves it. When it comes to artfully constructed puzzle plots and charming settings, Beaton serves it up…This is a classic British cozy plot, and a setting done with panache. Maybe M. C. Beaton really is the new ‘Queen of Crime.”—The Globe & Mail
Review
"Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Testy Agatha, continuing her habit of falling for unsuitable men, scores again with a cunning mixture of satire and mystery."--Kirkus Reviews "Beaton is a master of the cozy formula — there are plenty of red herrings, a large cast of suspects and an eagle-eye view of village life."--RT Book Reviews
Synopsis
Agatha Raisin has always been ambivalent about holiday cheer, but her cozy little village of Carsely has long prided itself on its Christmas festivities. But this year Mr. John Sunday, a selfimportant officer with the Health and Safety Board, has ruled that the traditional tree on top of the church is a public menace; that lampposts are unsafe for hanging illuminations; that May Dimwoodys homemade toys are dangerous for children… Things have reached such a desperate pass that the Carsely Ladies Society joins forces with the ladies in the neighboring village of Odley Cruesis to try to put a stop to Mr. Sundays meddling—only to find that someone has literally put a stop to him with a kitchen knife.
Agathas detective agency is on the case, but when a man has made as many enemies as John Sunday, its hard to know where to start…
Synopsis
A Grinch-like health and safety inspector gets his comeuppance in this irresistible new Agatha Raisin mystery from the "New York Times"-bestselling reigning queen of cozies ("Booklist").
Synopsis
Cranky yet lovable Agatha Raisin has always been ambivalent about holiday cheer, though her cozy village of Carsely has long prided itself on its Christmas festivities. Until now. This year, local Health and Safety Board officer John Sunday is threatening to undo some of Carsleys most time-honored traditions. The tree on top of the church? A public menace. The decorations hanging on the lampposts? Hazardous. Even May Dimwoodys homemade toys are deemed unsafe for the children. Bah humbug! The Carsely Ladies Society is in an uproar and will do anything to put a stop to this Scrooge—only to find that someone else has done it for them…with a kitchen knife. Soon Agathas detective agency is on the case. But when a man has made as many enemies as Mr. John Sunday, its hard to know where to start—or how to stop the killer from striking again.
About the Author
M. C. Beaton has been hailed as “the new Queen of Crime.” She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries, including A Spoonful of Poison and As the Pig Turns. She has also written more than 100 historical romance novels under the name Marion Chesney. Before writing her first novels, Beaton worked as a bookseller, a newspaper reporter and fashion critic, and a waitress in a greasy spoon. Born in Scotland, she currently divides her time between Paris and a village in the English Cotswolds. She was selected the British Guest of Honor for the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in 2006.