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Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell

Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell

List Price: $6.50
Your Price: $5.85
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A fun fast read
Review: Agatha has finally married James Lacy, the man of her dreams. But, all is not as rosy as she would like. James and Agatha have retained their separate cottages, and James complains about everything Agatha does, her makeup, clothes, hair, and cooking. Anyone who has read any of these books, knows Agatha can't cook and the other things are part of her. Rightfully, she is depressed and confused. Then, James starts to spend alot of time with a local divorcee, Melissa Sheppard, and she suspects him of having an affair. He thinks she has restarted her affair with Sir Charles. They have a couple of blowout fights in front of the whole village. Agatha takes her life back and takes a temporary public relations job. James is furious and they are barely speaking. Then one night, James is missing, there's blood on his doorstep, and Melissa is found dead in her house. James of course is the main suspect with Agatha a close second. Agatha knows that she did not do it, and of course James didn't, so naturally she and Charles have to find James and the killer.

This was an incredibly fast read, and one of the best of the series, so far. I definitely recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: --Another enjoyable Agatha Raisin story--
Review: AGATHA RAISIN AND THE LOVE FROM HELL is the eleventh book in this fun and entertaining mystery series.

The story begins with Agatha and James Lacey married and struggling with their new life together. In the past, James had been a committed bachelor and Agatha had been a very successful businesswoman. Now that they are actually together all of the time, it seems that James can't stop criticizing Agatha. Her smoking, style of dress and lack of cooking skills, seems to annoy her new husband. James even appears to be having an affair with Melissa, his former girlfriend. Agatha's confidence is at an all time low and their loud arguments attract the attention of the neighbors. The people in the little village of Carsley are gossiping about the newlyweds. To make matters even worse, James is very ill and confides his situation to several people, but does not tell Agatha.

When James goes missing, and Melissa is found dead. Agatha becomes a suspect. She's terribly depressed, but pulls herself together when her friends, Sir Charles Firth and Mrs. Bloxby challenge her not to let herself go. She then decides to take an active part in the police investigation.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best and funniest in this series
Review: Agatha Raisin has chased after James Lacey for years hoping he will marry her. She finally succeeds, but after the honeymoon, James begins to criticize everything Agatha does, from her desire to work to her smoking to her clothing. The marriage disintegrates and Agatha moves back into her cottage next door to James.

One day James turns up missing, and blood is found all over his car and house. At first the police suspect Agatha, but that changes when the woman James is dating turns up dead. Law enforcement now believe that James killed Melissa before vanishing. Agatha disagrees and, accompanied by Sir Charles, tries to find out who really murdered Melissa.

AGATHA RAISIN AND THE LOVE FROM HELL is a fascinating tale of greed, insanity, and revenge. Agatha is a firebrand, not afraid to speak her mind even when it offends someone else. The mystery is solved using a slow, systematic sleuthing style supplemented with a touch of guesswork and luck. Readers will enjoy this tale especially due to its stunning climax.

Harriet Klausner

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Time flies when you're having fun...
Review: but drags when you're in misery, which Agatha seem to be. Agatha is a little bet testy in this fare. She's more apt to take offense at the least thing said. But who could blame her? Her marriage to James, a dream fulfulled, has turned into a nightmare. James nags at this, he nags at that. Agatha doesn't seem to be able to do anything right. All this nagging leads to public displays between James and Agatha. The final straw comes when Agatha finds that James has confided in ex-flame Melissa, a secret that will have a great impact on James' life. Agatha has had enough, but matters are taken out of her hands when James disappears and then his ex-flame is found murdered. Could these two events be connected? Agatha, with the help of Charles embark on a journey into Melissa's life to see who would have wanted her dead. Along the way, Agatha hopes to find clues to where James can be found. She wants to settle things with James once and for all. A nice book to lose yourself in on these hot summer days.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Could The Real M.C. Beaton Please Stand Up?
Review: How in the world anyone can believe that M.C. Beaton is only one writer is beyond me. I have read all of the titles by Beaton (including the Hamish Macbeth series) and am thoroughly confused by "Agatha Raisin And The Love From Hell." Did Roy Silver(Agatha's ad agency cohort) actually write this book (which obviously had no editor)? While Roy Silver wrote this book, was he suffering from a brain tumor? True Agatha Raisin fans will know what I am talking about here! I am a great fan of Beaton's, but this offering is so stereotyped and shallow that if I were the true author I would hang my head in shame. Agatha deserves better treatment at the hands of her creator than this. There is one up-note in all of this, James is gone, hopefully for good. Could the REAL M.C. Beaton please stand up?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My favorite Agatha Raisin
Review: I have read all of the Agatha Raisin series, have loved each one of them and this is my favorite. The plot is excellent, the
village people endearing, the dialogue humorous. The character development of Agatha and James has been so well done. This has a bittersweet ending which should prove satisfying to Agatha's many fans.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Agatha finally sees James for what he is
Review: I have thought that Agatha Raisin would be better off with Sir Charles than with James Lacey for the last three books in this series....well, she doesn't exactly wise up to this break through, but she does stop pining for James, and about time, too!!! I'm looking forward to the next enstallment of this series to see when "Aggie's" eyes will finally be opened to Sir Charles' sterling qualities. He's not mean with money, he's just careful!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh, Agatha.....alone again!
Review: I once visited the Cotswolds (and will again, lovely place!) and wished I could actually meet Agatha and James, and Mrs. Bloxby. Such a cute little place for one's mind to slip away to.
I wondered how things would work out when two very independent characters got married. It's about what I expected! Usually when reading M.C.'s mysteries (I read the Hamish Macbeth series, as well) I don't really try to figure out who did it, like in an Agatha Christie novel. I am just along for the ride and visit to pages of old friends. This time I really did try to guess, but I never would have guessed right. I like that!
And what's up with Sir Charles? How does he fit into the picture? Well, I'm still wondering about that one, but after this latest adventure I'm not so sure that he's the shallow snob I once took him for.
Loyal fans will once again be delighted to return to Carsley, and even first-time readers should enjoy the visit. I just hate to have to wait for the next book. I should have read it slower!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: M.C. Beaton never fails me!
Review: I'm working my way at reading all the Agatha Raisin mysteries and haven't found one I didn't like! In AGATHA RAISIN AND THE LOVE FROM HELL, Agatha and her husband, James Lacey, go through a spat of sorts which puts their marriage on the line.

Agatha gets involved in yet another murder investigation and her old beau/friend, Charles, helps her solve the case.

This is quite a pageturner and you will be surprised at the ending.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Agatha Raisin and the Novel from Hell
Review: I've followed the Agatha Raisin series since it began. It is accepted that Beaton's mysteries are somewhat short on "mystery" leaving her hopefully endearing characters to carry the interest in the narratives. As a result, it is harder to accept that after eleven installments, Agatha has not grown as a character nor as an amateur sleuth. In this latest novel, "Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell," Agatha has been stripped of whatever comedic touches she initially possessed. In the place of a gentle wryness about herself has mushroomed a seething hair-trigger temper that leads her to awkward outbursts, making her a very unsympathetic heroine. Perhaps the story is meant to illustrate that pursuit of an ill-fated love affair can distort or poison one's nature. I hope in the next installment that Agatha might revert to her former eccentric, more lovable, self. I hope so -- and in a mystery worthy of her.


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