Agatha Raisin

34 primary works • 52 total works

The Agatha Raisin Companion

by M.C. Beaton

Published 14 October 2010

This book is a celebration of all things Agatha Raisin. It includes an introduction by M C Beaton, Agatha's biography, her background and retirement to the Cotswolds, her complex love life and the details of village life in Carsely.

There are brief biogs of all the men in her...

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This book is a celebration of all things Agatha Raisin. It includes an introduction by M C Beaton, Agatha's biography, her background and retirement to the Cotswolds, her complex love life and the details of village life in Carsely.

There are brief biogs of all the men in her life (there are many), a piece on her cats Hodge and Boswell, and a section on Agatha's Cotswolds, both real and fictitious. Plot summaries of all twenty titles in the series, a quiz to test your Agatha knowledge and a selection of her favourite dishes in Raisin's Recipes rounds off the complete Agatha Companion.

It also features line drawings by Alice Tait - the artist of the all new covers in the Agatha Raisin series - throughout.

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 December 1992

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...Read more

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! Praise for the Agatha Raisin series: 'M. C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem.' Publishers Weekly 'Irresistible, unputdownable, a joy.' Anne Robinson

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 August 1993

The feisty Agatha Raisin, unitl recentlya London public-relations executive, believes that the attractive new village vet has taken a shine to her. Yet before romance can bloom, Dr Paul Bladen accidently kills himself under suspicious circumstances while attending to Lord Pendlebury's horse. Oh well, for Agatha there's still her...Read more

The feisty Agatha Raisin, unitl recentlya London public-relations executive, believes that the attractive new village vet has taken a shine to her. Yet before romance can bloom, Dr Paul Bladen accidently kills himself under suspicious circumstances while attending to Lord Pendlebury's horse. Oh well, for Agatha there's still her distinguished neighbour, James Lacey, a retired military man who's been playing hard to get. Perhaps they may get chummier as they share a common interest, like a murder investigation. Though numerous village ladies are devestated by Dr Bladen's death, other people- including his divorced wife- feel its good ridance. All agree, however, that Agatha would be well advised to let sleeping dogs lie- before someone else meets death by accident...

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Garden

by M.C. Beaton

Published 15 July 1994

Agatha is annoyed to find beautiful Mary Fortune ensconced in the affections of her desirable bachelor neighbor. Mary is superior in every way. So when she is discovered murdered, buried upside down in a plant pot, Agatha seizes the moment and starts yanking up village secrets and digging the...Read more

Agatha is annoyed to find beautiful Mary Fortune ensconced in the affections of her desirable bachelor neighbor. Mary is superior in every way. So when she is discovered murdered, buried upside down in a plant pot, Agatha seizes the moment and starts yanking up village secrets and digging the dirt on the hapless victim. But is this wise? After all, Agatha has an awkward secret too.

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 April 1995

'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

An unexpected hike to the Other Side . . .

After time away, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village...

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'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

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.

Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:

'A Beaton novel is like The Archers on speed' Daily Mail

'The detective novels of M. C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status' The Times

'I'm not sure I wouldn't back Agatha against Reacher in a fight. She has the ruthlessness. The cunning. And the poisoned quiche' Daily Telegraph

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 October 1996

Agatha Raisin is tying the knot with James Lacey before he can have second thoughts. After all her first husband, Jimmy, must be dead from alcohol poisoning. But Jimmy hears the news among London's down-and-outs--and reaches Carsley in time to stop Agatha from committing bigamy. Jilted by James and...Read more

Agatha Raisin is tying the knot with James Lacey before he can have second thoughts. After all her first husband, Jimmy, must be dead from alcohol poisoning. But Jimmy hears the news among London's down-and-outs--and reaches Carsley in time to stop Agatha from committing bigamy. Jilted by James and angry, Agatha pushes Jimmy into a ditch -- where he is later found strangled. Prime suspects Agatha and James, are thrown together again by their investigation into Jimmy's past and who would want him dead.

Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 October 1997

In this sixth entertaining outing Agatha leaves the sleepy Cotswold village of Carsely to pursue love - and finds a murderer. Spurned at the altar, she follows her fleeing fiance James Lacey to north Cyprus, where, instead of enjoying the honeymoon they'd planned, they witness the killing of an...Read more

In this sixth entertaining outing Agatha leaves the sleepy Cotswold village of Carsely to pursue love - and finds a murderer. Spurned at the altar, she follows her fleeing fiance James Lacey to north Cyprus, where, instead of enjoying the honeymoon they'd planned, they witness the killing of an obnoxious tourist in a disco. Intrigue and a string of murders surround the unlikely couple, in a plot as scorching as the Greek sun!

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 August 1998

Agatha Raisin's neighbouring village of Ancombe is usually the epitome of quiet rural charm, but the arrival of a new mineral-water company - which intends to tap into the village spring - sends tempers flaring and divides the parish council into two stubborn camps. When Agatha, who just happens...Read more

Agatha Raisin's neighbouring village of Ancombe is usually the epitome of quiet rural charm, but the arrival of a new mineral-water company - which intends to tap into the village spring - sends tempers flaring and divides the parish council into two stubborn camps. When Agatha, who just happens to be handling the PR for the water company, finds the council chairman murdered at the basin of the spring, tongues start wagging. Could one of the council members have polished off the chairman before he could cast the deciding vote? Poor Agatha, still nursing a bruised heart from one of her unsuccessful romantic encounters, must get cracking, investigate the councillors and solve the crime.

Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham

by M.C. Beaton

Published 15 March 1999

The local ladies all deem Mr John a wizard, so when Agatha finds a few grey hairs on her head - and the rinse she tries at home turns her hair purple - she makes a beeline for the handsome Evesham hairdresser. And as well as sorting out her...

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The local ladies all deem Mr John a wizard, so when Agatha finds a few grey hairs on her head - and the rinse she tries at home turns her hair purple - she makes a beeline for the handsome Evesham hairdresser. And as well as sorting out her hair it soon becomes clear the charming man also has designs on her heart - but their future together is cut short when Mr John is fatally poisoned in his salon.

Once again Agatha finds herself embroiled in a murder case. Was it one of Mr John's many customers, all of whom divulged to him their darkest secrets?

Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:

'M. C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem.' Publishers Weekly

'The detective novels of M. C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status.' The Times

'Being a cranky, middle-aged female myself, I found Agatha charming!' Amazon customer review

'Agatha Raisin is sharp, witty, hugely intelligent, unfailingly entertaining, delightfully intolerant and oh so magnificently non PC. M C Beaton has created a new national treasure... the stories zing along and are irresistible, unputdownable, a joy. If you buy one book a year, let it be this. Agatha Raisin is The Strongest Link.' Anne Robinson

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden

by M.C. Beaton

Published 31 December 1999

Eye of newt, toe of frog . . . and murder most foul!

Left with bald patches thanks to the wicked doings of a murderer from a previous investigation, Agatha flees to coastal Wyckhadden to re-grow her lost locks. With hair tonic supplied by a local witch, Agatha's tresses...

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Eye of newt, toe of frog . . . and murder most foul!

Left with bald patches thanks to the wicked doings of a murderer from a previous investigation, Agatha flees to coastal Wyckhadden to re-grow her lost locks. With hair tonic supplied by a local witch, Agatha's tresses begin to flow - but the witch is found bludgeoned to death.

The odd elderly residents of Agatha's elegantly faded hotel seem innocuous, but as she delves deeper she discovers secrets best left and powerful motives for revenge. Balancing the amorous attentions of police inspector Jimmy Jessop with an ever more treacherous search for the killer, Agatha is at her wits' end - and ready to cast a spell of her own . . .

Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:

'Sharp, witty, hugely intelligent, unfailingly entertaining, delightfully intolerant and oh so magnificently non-PC, M.C. Beaton has created a national treasure' Anne Robinson

'M.C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly

'The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshing, sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likeable heroine.' Booklist

Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam

by M.C. Beaton

Published 7 June 2000

Agatha's away with the fairies . . .

And the little folk are causing big trouble for her! Angry at being jilted by new husband James, Agatha follows a fortune-teller's advice and rents a cottage in pretty Fryfam. There, she hopes, true love will come chasing after her. But her...

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Agatha's away with the fairies . . .

And the little folk are causing big trouble for her! Angry at being jilted by new husband James, Agatha follows a fortune-teller's advice and rents a cottage in pretty Fryfam. There, she hopes, true love will come chasing after her. But her romantic notions are dispelled by a series of odd goings-on in the village: strange lights start appearing in her back garden; there are thefts of paintings and pottery; her beloved cats vanish. And then the local squire is found dead. Agatha's nose for trouble ensnares her in a maelstrom of jealousy, blackmail and dangerous liaisons, especially with a murderer who plans to keep irrepressible Agatha permanently in Fryfam - as a resident corpse!

Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:

'Sharp, witty, hugely intelligent, unfailingly entertaining, delightfully intolerant and oh so magnificently non-PC, M.C. Beaton has created a national treasure' Anne Robinson

'M.C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly

'The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshing, sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likeable heroine.' Booklist

Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 December 2001

Recently married to James Lacey, Agatha quickly finds out that love is not all its cracked up to be - the newly weds are living in separate cottages and accusing each other of infidelity. After a fight down the local pub James vanishes - a bloodstain the only clue...Read more

Recently married to James Lacey, Agatha quickly finds out that love is not all its cracked up to be - the newly weds are living in separate cottages and accusing each other of infidelity. After a fight down the local pub James vanishes - a bloodstain the only clue to his fate - and Agatha is the prime suspect. Determined to clear her name and find her husband, Agatha begins her investigation - and promptly finds a murdered mistress...

Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 July 2002

Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came continues the tradition in M. C. Beaton's beloved Agatha Raisin mystery series--now a hit show on Acorn TV and public television.

Marital bliss was short-lived for Agatha Raisin. Her marriage to James Lacey was a disaster from the beginning, and in the...

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Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came continues the tradition in M. C. Beaton's beloved Agatha Raisin mystery series--now a hit show on Acorn TV and public television.

Marital bliss was short-lived for Agatha Raisin. Her marriage to James Lacey was a disaster from the beginning, and in the end, he left her-not for another woman, but for God. After having been miraculously cured of a brain tumor, James has decided to join a monastery in France. Agatha can usually depend on her old friend, Sir Charles Fraith, to be there when times are tough, but even Charles has abandoned her, dashing off to Paris to marry a young French tart.

Miserable and alone, Agatha hops on a plane and heads for a remote island in the South Pacific. To Agatha's surprise, she makes friends with her fellow travelers easily, and keeps herself out of mischief, despite the odd feeling she gets from one particularly attractive honeymooning couple. But when she later finds that the pretty bride has drowned under suspicious circumstances, Agatha wishes she had found a way to intervene.

Returning home to the Cotswolds, Agatha is grimly determined to move on with her life and to forget about James and Charles. They have, after all, forgotten about her. And what better way than to throw herself into another murder investigation? A woman, dressed in a wedding gown and still clutching her bouquet, has just been found floating in a river. The police say it's suicide, but Agatha suspects the girl's flashy young fiance. With the help of her handsome, and single, new neighbor, Agatha sets off to prove the police wrong.

Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate

by M.C. Beaton

Published 11 February 2003

Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House

by M.C. Beaton

Published 14 October 2003

A vengeful ghost comes back to haunt the living?

Reports of a haunted house soon have Agatha snooping around, but it turns out the victim of the haunting is a universally disliked old biddy on whom someone is playing a practical joke. And then the old lady is murdered -...

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A vengeful ghost comes back to haunt the living?

Reports of a haunted house soon have Agatha snooping around, but it turns out the victim of the haunting is a universally disliked old biddy on whom someone is playing a practical joke. And then the old lady is murdered - but for Agatha, solving a crime is much more fun than hunting a ghost! Very soon she's up to her usual tricks, involving the villagers, local police, and, of course, her handsome new neighbour . . .


Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:

'Fast-paced, witty and well-plotted.' MyShelf.com

'Sharp, witty, hugely intelligent, unfailingly entertaining, delightfully intolerant and oh so magnificently non-PC, M.C. Beaton has created a national treasure' Anne Robinson

'M.C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly

'The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshing, sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likeable heroine.' Booklist

Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance

by M.C. Beaton

Published 2 November 2004

There may be trouble ahead ...so will Agatha face the music? Can the feisty Agatha cut it as a private investigator? She soon learns that running her own detective agency in the Cotswolds is not quite like starring in a Raymond Chandler movie. But then walks in wealthy divorcee...Read more

There may be trouble ahead ...so will Agatha face the music? Can the feisty Agatha cut it as a private investigator? She soon learns that running her own detective agency in the Cotswolds is not quite like starring in a Raymond Chandler movie. But then walks in wealthy divorcee Catherine Laggat-Brown, and Agatha is given her first real case. Death threats, blackmail and physical attack soon follow, and once again Agatha is off scouring the countryside for clues and showing friends and enemies alike what Raisin Investigations can do! Praise for the Agatha Raisin series: 'A potent cocktail of satire, mystery and adventure that will leave you wanting more' Myshelf.com 'Sharp, witty, hugely intelligent, unfailingly entertaining, delightfully intolerant and oh so magnificently non-PC, M.C. Beaton has created a national treasure' Anne Robinson 'M.C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly 'The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshing, sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likeable heroine.' Booklist

Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 August 2005

After nearly being killed by both a hired hit man and her former secretary, Agatha Raisin could use some low-key cases. So when Robert Smedley walks through the door, determined to prove that his wife is cheating, Raisin Investigations immediately offers to help. Trouble is, Agatha hates divorce cases...Read more

After nearly being killed by both a hired hit man and her former secretary, Agatha Raisin could use some low-key cases. So when Robert Smedley walks through the door, determined to prove that his wife is cheating, Raisin Investigations immediately offers to help. Trouble is, Agatha hates divorce cases - especially when she's been hired by Smedley - but she has a business to run now and she's not about to turn away a paying client. Unfortunately for Agatha, Mabel Smedley appears to be the perfect wife, young, pretty and a regular volunteer at church. But just as Agatha is ready to give up, Smedley is poisoned with weed killer, leaving Mabel, the prime suspect, to inherit a fortune. With no one left to pay her, Agatha decides to drop the case...that is until her old friend Sir Charles Fraith turns up again to rekindle her curiousity. Agatha is back, and irresistibly cranky as ever in her sixteenth adventure.

Agatha Raisin and Love, Lies and Liquor

by M.C. Beaton

Published 19 September 2006

Agatha Raisin thinks she's in for a treat when her old flame James Lacey invites her on a holiday, but to her horror, his idea of an exotic destination is a small, rundown town called Burryhill-on-Sea. Needless to say, the break doesn't go as planned. When a guest staying...Read more

Agatha Raisin thinks she's in for a treat when her old flame James Lacey invites her on a holiday, but to her horror, his idea of an exotic destination is a small, rundown town called Burryhill-on-Sea. Needless to say, the break doesn't go as planned. When a guest staying in the same hotel as Agatha and James is found murdered, Agatha quickly becomes prime suspect - and must solve this case from a prison cell!

Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye

by M.C. Beaton

Published 2 October 2007

Agatha is dreaming of a white Christmas, with plenty of mulled wine and roasting chestnuts in an open fire - but who will be joining her under the mistletoe? During the dark, grey days of early December Agatha is obsessed by only two things - Christmas, and her ex,...Read more

Agatha is dreaming of a white Christmas, with plenty of mulled wine and roasting chestnuts in an open fire - but who will be joining her under the mistletoe? During the dark, grey days of early December Agatha is obsessed by only two things - Christmas, and her ex, James Lacey. Although she says she feels nothing for James now, she feels sure that planning the perfect Dickensian Christmas for all her friends will somehow reanimate her love. Even the murder of a Mrs Tamworthy, poisoned with hemlock at the local manor house, does little to distract Agatha from organising her perfect yuletide celebrations. And yet it should do, as Mrs Tamworthy had written to Agatha, telling her that one of her family wanted to see her dead before the year was out. Slightly guiltily (and belatedly), Agatha sets out to solve the case with the help of her new recruit, young Toni Gilmour.

Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison

by M.C. Beaton

Published 1 September 2008

Agatha has little time for the usual rural affairs with which she used to be so passionately involved in such as charity work, baking competitions and the Carsely Ladies Society. But in the quiet village of St Twadey on the outskirts of Mircester, tragedy strikes at the annual jam...Read more

Agatha has little time for the usual rural affairs with which she used to be so passionately involved in such as charity work, baking competitions and the Carsely Ladies Society. But in the quiet village of St Twadey on the outskirts of Mircester, tragedy strikes at the annual jam making competition. Someone has injected LSD into all the home-made jams and mayhem ensues. The judges go bananas on the spot and some of the more frail villagers who took the jams home end up either dead from heart attacks or from wandering under cars. Of course the youth of the village are the first to be suspected along with the few who have criminal records. But only blundering Agatha with her odd flashes of intuition would ever suspect the prim vicar's wife - but it will take all of her detective skills to prove the woman guilty!