Scan barcode
A review by saareman
Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M.C. Beaton
4.0
December 28, 2021 Update Updated under Trivia & Links with the TV adaptation trailer.
Agatha as the Failed Protector + Toni Arrives
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (October 2015) of the original St. Martin's Press Minotaur hardcover (January 2007)
Kissing Christmas Goodbye has Agatha's detective agency hired by a rich landowner to discover who in her family is trying to kill her. The lady is murdered before Agatha can hardly even begin to investigate. The main drama in this story is actually the hiring of the teenage detective Toni Gilmour, whom Agatha takes a protective wing over, probably seeing her own difficult youth reflected in the youngster. Toni will become a mainstay of the book series until the present day, unlike many of the temporary hires whom Agatha goes through. Toni proves to have an instinctive knack for the work and is lucky as well. The case is solved of course and the epilogue finds Agatha hosting a big Christmas feast for everyone which is more of a success than the disastrous Christmas dinner that ended the previous book.
I'm continuing to enjoy the fun of these cozies which are somewhat different from the TV-series which I saw first. Toni Gilmour is at last introduced here in this book #18 (in the TV series she was brought in at the beginning of Season 3, but as the niece of the housekeeper Simpson). Sir Charles is much more of a recurring character and occasional love interest than he is in the screen adaptation and his cheap and chintzy manners are played up quite a bit.
The narration of this book #18 and the following #19 is not by series regular Penelope Keith but by Wanda MacCaddon. MacCaddon is fine in the role but gives a much more restrained performance than Keith does in the other voices.
Most (28 of 32) of the Agatha Raisin audiobooks are free on Audible Plus. A continuation series Book 32 [b:Down the Hatch|56268978|Down the Hatch (Agatha Raisin #32)|M.C. Beaton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627893353l/56268978._SY75_.jpg|87659550] was published in October 2021. Down the Hatch is apparently entirely written by continuation writer [a:R.W. Green|20458757|R.W. Green|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] whereas #31 Hot to Trot was a collaboration with M.C. Beaton.
Trivia and Link
Kissing Christmas Goodbye was adapted for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-) on Acorn TV. It was broadcast as Episode 1 in Series 4 in December 2021. A trailer for the Episode can be viewed on YouTube here.
Agatha as the Failed Protector + Toni Arrives
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (October 2015) of the original St. Martin's Press Minotaur hardcover (January 2007)
Kissing Christmas Goodbye has Agatha's detective agency hired by a rich landowner to discover who in her family is trying to kill her. The lady is murdered before Agatha can hardly even begin to investigate. The main drama in this story is actually the hiring of the teenage detective Toni Gilmour, whom Agatha takes a protective wing over, probably seeing her own difficult youth reflected in the youngster. Toni will become a mainstay of the book series until the present day, unlike many of the temporary hires whom Agatha goes through. Toni proves to have an instinctive knack for the work and is lucky as well. The case is solved of course and the epilogue finds Agatha hosting a big Christmas feast for everyone which is more of a success than the disastrous Christmas dinner that ended the previous book.
I'm continuing to enjoy the fun of these cozies which are somewhat different from the TV-series which I saw first. Toni Gilmour is at last introduced here in this book #18 (in the TV series she was brought in at the beginning of Season 3, but as the niece of the housekeeper Simpson). Sir Charles is much more of a recurring character and occasional love interest than he is in the screen adaptation and his cheap and chintzy manners are played up quite a bit.
The narration of this book #18 and the following #19 is not by series regular Penelope Keith but by Wanda MacCaddon. MacCaddon is fine in the role but gives a much more restrained performance than Keith does in the other voices.
Most (28 of 32) of the Agatha Raisin audiobooks are free on Audible Plus. A continuation series Book 32 [b:Down the Hatch|56268978|Down the Hatch (Agatha Raisin #32)|M.C. Beaton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627893353l/56268978._SY75_.jpg|87659550] was published in October 2021. Down the Hatch is apparently entirely written by continuation writer [a:R.W. Green|20458757|R.W. Green|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] whereas #31 Hot to Trot was a collaboration with M.C. Beaton.
Trivia and Link
Kissing Christmas Goodbye was adapted for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-) on Acorn TV. It was broadcast as Episode 1 in Series 4 in December 2021. A trailer for the Episode can be viewed on YouTube here.