Dead on Target (Agatha Raisin)

by M.C. Beaton

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Dead on Target is the 34th village cozy featuring Agatha Raisin, created by M.C. Beaton and ghost written by R.W. Green. Released 19th Sept 2023 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 256 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in June 2024 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a such a perennial beloved series that it needs no introduction. Irascible but almost certainly good on the inside Agatha, is drawn into a *situation* again when a harmless trip to the local village fete sees her stumble across a local landowner with his pants around his ankles and inconveniently and permanently pierced by an arrow to the chest. 

The cast of returning characters are there (including her earlier nemesis DCI Wilkes). The fun of the series comes from Agatha's simmering annoyance with nearly everyone's incompetence apart from her own. 

The series has continued despite the author's sad departure in late 2019. It's always dicey whenever a very long running series is overtaken by another author, but in this case, Mr. Green does an impressive job of capturing the characters and the spirit of the story respectfully and more or less seamlessly.

Four stars. It works perfectly well as a standalone, but as always it would make a superlative choice for a very long binge or buddy read with other volumes in the series.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.