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4n4ru's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting story about a detective solving crime. It's my first Agatha Raisin but I think I'll pick up more. I like the lady. I love that there is also a "life" of the detective. I also love that it's British English I think it goes so well with detective stories. Maybe it's because I love Sherlock Holmes.
skiznitz's review against another edition
4.0
I really wish that the snow machine surprise had worked out for Agatha. :( Truly tired of things always ending poorly for her.
mrs_moa's review against another edition
4.0
A fun, easy to read Christmas cozy mystery.
I love following Agatha and her band of eclectic “friends”
Another great addition to the series. Agatha’s insecurities, Sir Charles promiscuity, Toni’s naïveté, Roy’s reliance on Agatha (ie using her) and Agatha’s continued pinning for James despite the best efforts of her ever forgiving friend Mrs Bloxby.
A who dunnit with plenty of red herrings.
I love following Agatha and her band of eclectic “friends”
Another great addition to the series. Agatha’s insecurities, Sir Charles promiscuity, Toni’s naïveté, Roy’s reliance on Agatha (ie using her) and Agatha’s continued pinning for James despite the best efforts of her ever forgiving friend Mrs Bloxby.
A who dunnit with plenty of red herrings.
linn1378's review against another edition
3.0
In spite of the title, there is very little to do with Christmas in this story.
There are about ten books in this series between the last one I read and this one. Several new characters have been introduced since then, and Agatha has married and divorced James in that time. I'm not sure the new characters add anything to the situation other than taking attention away from Agatha's ridiculousness which seems to have been distilled in this installment to her insecurities about being over 50.
There are about ten books in this series between the last one I read and this one. Several new characters have been introduced since then, and Agatha has married and divorced James in that time. I'm not sure the new characters add anything to the situation other than taking attention away from Agatha's ridiculousness which seems to have been distilled in this installment to her insecurities about being over 50.
leekai31's review against another edition
4.0
MC Beaton does it again! Agatha Raisin has her hands full trying to solve a murder and plan her holiday party.
booksrockcal's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I don’t usually read series books out of order, but i found this on a San Diego Public Library list of mysteries set during Christmas and decided to give it a try, as last Christmas I read another book by the author focused on the holidays and i was not too lost with the characters. This book stars well known detective Agatha Raisin (apparently she has a tv show too) who lives in the Cotswolds and runs a detective agency. In this book, a wealthy widow hires Agatha because she’s convinced a member of her family is trying to kill her- then the widow drops dead after high tea at her manor house. Agatha sets out to find the murderer (along with the police) while managing all the members of her detective agency including a new teenaged trainee. Agatha cracks the case and a few others along the way. The characters and the village and the story epitomize the genre of cozy mystery although most of the Christmas focus was saved for the end- it was not an integral part of the story. That was a bit disappointing but still this was a nice light read for the holidays.
jelena_k's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
valentinaburbank's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Agatha is such a force of nature. She does not do things by halves and she is definitely not a role model. This is another cozy mystery with the same cast of characters as always - Christmas only enters into the mix at the end so it isn’t a particularly Christmasy read.