Agatha Raisin
34 primary works • 52 total works
Introducing Agatha Raisin!
The Quiche of Death
High-flying public relations supremo Agatha Raisin has decided to take early retirement. She's off to make a new life in a picture-perfect Cotswold village. To make friends, she enters the local quiche-making competition - and to make quite sure of first prize she secretly pays a visit to a London deli. Alas, the competition judge succumbs after tasting her perfect quiche, and Agatha is revealed as a cheat and potential poisoner. Definitely not the best start. So Agatha must turn amateur sleuth - she's absolutely got to track down the real killer!
The Vicious Vet
Agatha Raisin is enjoying life in her pretty Cotswold village of Carsely. It even seems likely that the attractive new vet, Paul Bladen, has taken a shine to her. But before romance can blossom, Paul is killed in an accident with Lord Pendlebury's horse. Only the circumstances are rather suspicious. Agatha decides she must once more play amateur investigator. And this cloud has a silver lining - she can persuade her stand-offish neighbour, James Lacey, to become her partner in the quest. As usual, Agatha rushes in, heedless of the lurking menace to both James and herself.
Agatha Raisin is a Mammoth Screen and Free@Last TV production for Sky 1.
This brand new short story from international bestselling M. C. Beaton takes us back to Agatha Raisin's very first case - the case that started it all!
At the age of 26, Agatha Raisin has already come a long way. She has clawed her way up since leaving the slum where she was born. She's lost her Birmingham accent, run away from her drunken husband and found a job at a PR agency as a secretary. When her boss asks Agatha to go to the home of Brian Devese to tell him that he is soon going to be arrested for the murder of his wife and that the agency no longer wants to represent him, Agatha accepts the task - with some trepidation. Still, she's used to doing her boss's dirty work for her.
Brian, impressed with the pugnacious and fearless Agatha, asks her to handle his PR for him and even offers her an office and staff. So certainly the best thing Agatha can do for her first client is to find out who really murdered his wife and clear his name. And armed with only her wits and gumption, Agatha sets out to do just that.
Agatha Raisin Omnibus: The Quiche of Death, The Potted Gardener, The Vicious Vet and The Walkers of Dembley
by M.C. Beaton
THE FIRST FOUR TITLES IN THE ACERBIC, ECCENTRIC AND HILARIOUS AGATHA RAISIN SERIES AT A BARGAIN PRICE.
THE QUICHE OF DEATH
Revenge is a dish best served warm...
High-flying public relations supremo Agatha Raisin has decided to take early retirement. She's off to make a new life in a picture-perfect Cotswold village. To make friends, she enters the local quiche-making competition - and to make quite sure of first prize she secretly pays a visit to a London deli.Alas, the competition judge succumbs after tasting her perfect quiche, and Agatha is revealed as a cheat and potential poisoner. Definitely not the best start. So Agatha must turn amateur sleuth - she's absolutely got to track down the real killer!
THE POTTED GARDENER
Agatha goes digging where she shouldn't...
Agatha is taken aback when she finds a new woman ensconced in the affections of her attractive bachelor neighbour, James Lacey. The beautiful Mary Fortune is superior in every way, especially when it comes to gardening - and with Carsely Garden Open Day looming, Agatha feels this deficiency acutely.So when Mary is discovered murdered, buried upside down in a pot, Agatha seizes the moment and immediately starts yanking up village secrets by their roots and digging the dirt on the hapless victim. But Agatha has an awkward secret too . . .
THE VICIOUS VET
Agatha lets sleeping vets lie..
Retired PR boss Agatha Raisin is enjoying life in her pretty Cotswold village of Carsely. It even seems likely that the attractive new vet, Paul Bladen, has taken a shine to her. But before romance can blossom, Paul is killed in an accident with Lord Pendlebury's horse. Only the circumstances are rather suspicious.Agatha decides she must once more play amateur investigator. And this cloud has a silver lining - she can persuade her usually stand-offish neighbour, James Lacey, to become her partner in the quest. As usual, Agatha is quite prepared to rush in, heedless of the lurking menace to both James and herself.
THE WALKERS OF DEMBLEY
An unexpected hike to the Other Side . . .
After time away, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village of Carsely - and to her handsome neighbour, James Lacey. True, James seems less than thrilled to see her, but Agatha is soon distracted by a sensational murder. The victim, found in a field, is young hiker Jessica Tartinck, who spent her life enraging landowners by insisting on her right to roam. Hope springs eternal in Agatha's breast as she lures the reluctant James into her investigation. There are so many leads to follow, for Jessica's fellow walkers - not to mention the landowners - all seem able to commit murder.
A visit to the local village fete for a spot of fun and relaxation turns into a nightmare for Agatha Raisin when she discovers the body of the local landowner in the woods - with an arrow in his chest and his trousers round his ankles.
At first her old adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes, declares the death a tragic accident, believing the victim has been hit by a stray arrow from an archery demonstration. Agatha is convinced the man was murdered and is shocked when Wilkes eventually agrees... particularly as he considers her to be his prime suspect!
Determined to clear her name and find the real killer, Agatha launches her own investigation, quickly becoming involved with a family at war, an unscrupulous gangster -- and a murderer who is determined to make her the next victim...
'This Hamish Macbeth novel maintains Beaton's distinctive voice and includes the usual village eccentrics, loads of Scottish lore, and the light humor that Beaton fans have loved through the years. . . A definite purchase for all mystery collections' Starred Review, Library Journal
'Unmissable!' Peterborough Telegraph
Praise for the Hamish Macbeth series:
'First rate ... deft social comedy and wonderfully realized atmosphere.' Booklist
'It's always a treat to return to Lochdubh.' New York Times
'Readers will enjoy the quirks and unique qualities of the cast ... Beaton catches the beauty of the area's natural geography and succinctly describes its distinct flavour.' Library Journal
'Befuddled, earnest and utterly endearing, Hamish makes his triumphs sweetly satisfying.' Publishers Weekly
Life is never, ever dull in Agatha Raisin's sleepy Cotswolds village!
Agatha Raisin's private detective agency is working flat out on a series of burglaries which take a violent turn when a friend of Agatha's is murdered during a raid on his antiques shop. Although determined to nail the villains, Agatha still makes time to help Sir Charles Fraith prepare to stage a massive, hugely glamorous event in the grounds of his ancestral home, Barfield House.
When Agatha begins to receive death threats and narrowly avoids being abducted by kidnappers, she takes advantage of a previously arranged trip to Majorca to lie low for a while. There she meets her partner, former police officer John Glass, who is now working as a dance instructor on a cruise liner. Their relationship founders over John's apparent closeness to his stage dance partner, Louise. Putting her love life on hold, Agatha heads home, having worked out who has been threatening her life.
Can Agatha track down the would-be killer, nail her friend's murderers and rescue her romance with John? Everything comes to a climax at the Barfield Extravaganza when on top of everything else, Agatha also manages to solve a 400-year-old Cotswold murder mystery!
"In addition to building suspense, Green provides lots of comedy and fascinating information about event-planning, antiques, and sleuthing throughout. Agatha Raisin lives on." Booklist
"Agatha is always a hoot, but behind the extravagant exterior lie a clever mind and an iron will." Kirkus Reviews
"A whole load of fun... Agatha, it's great to have you back." First Clue
The exciting new cosy crime novel from internationally bestselling author M C Beaton
When Agatha Raisin is persuaded to attend a lecture given by three local bird watchers (known as twitchers) at the Carsely Ladies Society, she thinks she's in for a dull evening. To her amazement, an angry interloper spices up the event by publicly threatening the three twitchers and Agatha is further intrigued when she later walks in on the trio in the middle of a blazing row.
Having dismissed the evening's altercations as entertaining yet trivial, Agatha soon changes her mind when one of the ladies is found dead. Her suspicions appear to be confirmed when the victim's brother tells her he believes his sister was murdered by one of her two supposed friends.
Curious to investigate further, Agatha's digging reveals the disturbing true nature of the three women's friendship and a bewildering list of suspects. Setting aside everything else, even her own love life, Agatha concentrates on finding the murderer before another twitcher, or even herself, become the next victim!
Praise for M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin mysteries:
'Irresistible, unputdownable, a joy' Anne Robinson
'Full of perfectly pitched interest, intrigue, and charm' Lee Child
'Agatha is like Miss Marple with a drinking problem, a pack-a-day habit and major man lust. In fact, I think she could be living my dream life' Entertainment Weekly
'M. C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly
'[Agatha] is a glorious cross between Miss Marple, Auntie Mame, and Lucille Ball . . . She's wonderful' St. Petersburg Times
'Few things in life are more satisfying than to discover a brand-new Agatha Raisin mystery' Tampa Tribune-Times
'Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha' Chicago Sun-Times