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Summary: Terrific fun, unusual new heroine
Review: Agatha is a delightful and very different anti-heroine, completely lacking in introspection, annoyingly human, but plenty smart. This first in the Agatha Raisin series is unlike anything I've read in the genre, and very funny. Highly recommend for a vacation read!
Rating: 
Summary: Meet Agatha Raisin
Review: Agatha Raisin is certainly one of the most unique heroines in all of mystery fiction. She is loud and bossy, opinionated and often rude, quick-tempered and impatient. Sounds pretty off-putting but it's amazing how Beaton has made her readers come to care about and love the fictional character of Agatha Raisin. It's because behind all her bluster and bravado, Agatha is a decent, warm-hearted person who just wants to fit in life in Carsely, her adopted hometown in the Cotswolds. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death is the first in this series and is one of the best. After moving to Carsely, Agatha attempts to plunge into village life and enters a quiche-baking contest. Agatha is stricty a defroster and microwaver so she enters a store-bought quiche in the contest which ends up killing one of the judges. The plot is truly funny and enormously entertaining.The supporting characters are first-rate and the solution to the murder is really satisfying. It's hard not to read this book and not immediately look forward to the next one. Beaton is an excellent writer and she has created a gem of a character in Agatha Raisin. Excellent book
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Summary: Better than Miss Marple!
Review: Agatha Raisin is quite the character. After living as a Public Relations guru in the heart of London, Agatha decides to settle down in a quiet and cozy Cotswold village called Carsley. It proves to be everything she hoped for, including the thatched roofs and flower gardens. It's not long after her arrival that she finds life in the country rather lonely. In order to make new local village friends, Agatha decides to enter the village quiche-making contest. Never being a cook herself, she buys one already made and enters it as her own. The trouble begins when her quiche poisons and kills the judge of the contest. Is it accidental poisoning or murder? Leave it to Agatha to bulldoze her way to the truth! She's bossy, impatient, sometimes grumpy but always a good person with a good heart. A must read for anyone who enjoys english country life, baking contests, and a real sense of humour!
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Summary: Evolved characters, clever, witty
Review: Agatha Raisin ROARs.
In an hilarious series of mishaps, London transplant Agatha tries to win friends in a small English village. When the quiche she enters in a village bake contest ends up poisoning the judge, she's in hot water.
Though she's cleared when detectives discover she bought the quiche in a London bakery, she stays on the case. She earns the respect of the villagers when she solves the murder.
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Summary: Best cozy mystery I've read all summer
Review: Agatha Raisin, a sharp-tongued middle aged woman, debuts in this cozy set in the Cotswolds of England. Agatha, tired of London and the publicity business, sells out and buys a cottage in the village of Carsely. Wanting desperately to fit in, she enters a baking contest in the village, but resorts to cheating when she enters a store bought quiche instead of her own. When the judge of the contest dies from eating the quiche, all fingers point to Agatha and she must admit to all that she cheated. All the while, Agatha becomes more and more curious about the poison found in the murder victim, and wanting to clear her name, Agatha sets out to find the real killer. Helping her (when everyone else shuns her) are Mrs. Bloxsby, the vicar's wife, and Detective Bill Wong. Future love-interest, James Lacey, is also introduced in this hilarious romp of a mystery. M.C. Beaton is also the author of the much-loved Hamish McBeth mystery series, and shows her sense of humor in this series. Agatha's antics are legendary, and at times, I laughed out loud at some of the silly things that she does. Agatha's low self-esteem (hidden under a rough, blustery exterior) makes you root for her even when she pushes everyone away. I especially like the scenes in which Agatha tries to make herself appear younger (wearing tons of make-up that runs, high-heeled shoes for a walk, etc.) because she becomes much more human and lovable to the reader. If you have not read this series and you like cozy mysteries, ask yourself what you are waiting for, and get all of the books in the series! Then curl up with a cup of tea and enjoy!
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Summary: Never Cheat With a Killer Quiche!
Review: Agatha Raisin, a sharp-tongued middle aged woman, debuts in this cozy set in the Cotswolds of England. Agatha, tired of London and the publicity business, sells out and buys a cottage in the village of Carsely. Wanting desperately to fit in, she enters a baking contest in the village, but resorts to cheating when she enters a store bought quiche instead of her own. When the judge of the contest dies from eating the quiche, all fingers point to Agatha and she must admit to all that she cheated. All the while, Agatha becomes more and more curious about the poison found in the murder victim, and wanting to clear her name, Agatha sets out to find the real killer. Helping her (when everyone else shuns her) are Mrs. Bloxsby, the vicar's wife, and Detective Bill Wong. Future love-interest, James Lacey, is also introduced in this hilarious romp of a mystery. M.C. Beaton is also the author of the much-loved Hamish McBeth mystery series, and shows her sense of humor in this series. Agatha's antics are legendary, and at times, I laughed out loud at some of the silly things that she does. Agatha's low self-esteem (hidden under a rough, blustery exterior) makes you root for her even when she pushes everyone away. I especially like the scenes in which Agatha tries to make herself appear younger (wearing tons of make-up that runs, high-heeled shoes for a walk, etc.) because she becomes much more human and lovable to the reader. If you have not read this series and you like cozy mysteries, ask yourself what you are waiting for, and get all of the books in the series! Then curl up with a cup of tea and enjoy!
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Summary: --Quiche with a touch of cowbane--
Review: Agatha Raisin, an aggressive businesswoman retires from running a public relations firm and moves to Carsely, a lovely village in the Cotswolds. Agatha is in her fifties, and has always thought that living in a beautiful thatched cottage would be a dream come true. Because she has difficulty in meeting people in the village, she decides to enter a local cooking contest where she might win the contest and make some friends. The fact that she can't cook doesn't bother her at all. She decides to go to London to buy a spinach quiche from a pastry shop and pass it off as a homemade entry. When someone (the judge) dies after eating some of Agatha's quiche, she becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. A deadly poisonous plant called cowbane was found to be in her spinach quiche. Agatha suffers great humiliation after the villagers learn of her quiche deception and show their disgust for her. Several of them call her a cheat to her face. She really wants to leave Carsely, but then decides that if she were to solve the murder mystery and find the killer, perhaps the people will accept her. And so begins the first of the Agatha Raisin stories. This book introduces some of the characters that will appear in the later books. Agatha's romantic interest, James Lacey, the local vicar's wife, Mrs. Blosxby (who becomes a dear friend) and Bill Wong a police detective who admires Agatha, but wishes that she would not get involved in murder cases. This is a very entertaining and witty story and the often pugnacious Agatha is unlike any other heroine.
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Summary: --Quiche with a touch of cowbane--
Review: Agatha Raisin, an aggressive businesswoman retires from running a public relations firm and moves to Carsely, a lovely village in the Cotswolds. Agatha is in her fifties, and has always thought that living in a beautiful thatched cottage would be a dream come true. Because she has difficulty in meeting people in the village, she decides to enter a local cooking contest where she might win the contest and make some friends. The fact that she can't cook doesn't bother her at all. She decides to go to London to buy a spinach quiche from a pastry shop and pass it off as a homemade entry. When someone (the judge) dies after eating some of Agatha's quiche, she becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. A deadly poisonous plant called cowbane was found to be in her spinach quiche. Agatha suffers great humiliation after the villagers learn of her quiche deception and show their disgust for her. Several of them call her a cheat to her face. She really wants to leave Carsely, but then decides that if she were to solve the murder mystery and find the killer, perhaps the people will accept her. And so begins the first of the Agatha Raisin stories. This book introduces some of the characters that will appear in the later books. Agatha's romantic interest, James Lacey, the local vicar's wife, Mrs. Blosxby (who becomes a dear friend) and Bill Wong a police detective who admires Agatha, but wishes that she would not get involved in murder cases. This is a very entertaining and witty story and the often pugnacious Agatha is unlike any other heroine.
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Summary: Calamity goes to the Cotswolds
Review: Crawl into the cozy of the Cotswalds with Agatha Raisin, who makes her debut as unorthodox heroine to the menopausal set. Taking a well earned early retirement to the village of Carsley, Agatha tries to adapt her presumptuous and pushy personality to the cozy and contentious community life. Aggressive Agatha is clueless in the deportment department, but determined to fit into her imagined idyllic retirement at any cost. And never imagines that the store bought quiche she enters into the village cooking contest will kill someone. Agatha's allure lies in her complete lack of tact and charm, her assertive aplomb, shrewd intellect, rude responses, and the little glimpses the reader is permitted of the human Agatha. The scenery is splendidly sketched, the cast of characters outrageous but somehow believable, and this middle aged mama's only complaint is that this book ends all too quickly - but hold on - this is a series, and more Agatha awaits.
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Summary: Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
Review: For months now some of my reading friends have been praising Agatha Raisin, the female detective who has got her life through the pen of M.C.Beaton. It took me some time to finally buy some of the books, but one day a packet came from amazon with the three first ones. In the middle of buying and selling houses, full time work and a busy family it was not easy to sit down with the book. But you always need some resting time, and what is better then to crab a cup of ice tea, and sit out on the patio with a book. Agatha Raisin then came into my life, and here she will stay on, no doubth of that. I loved the book from the very first pages. First I was curious, this Agatha, who is she? Then amazed of this woman selling her promotion company in London to move out into the storybook English village, then I had to laugh, laugh alot ....She is for sure no Miss Marple, and no Penelope from Rosamunde Pilcher. She is truly something unique, a woman you have to love because she is so human, with her faults and everything. In her attempt to become one of the villagers, Agatha decides to take part in the country fair. No cook though she buys a quich from a London deli, quite sure that this one has to be a winner. Of course it is not, it is even a very bad quich, and when the judge eats from it he dies of poisoning. Well, from here the story goes on, with Agatha trying to find the murderer when eveybody else tend to believe it was just an accident. With this book I can promise you hours of fun, and if you are about to sell a house you might need to do as Agatha does, tell people the house is already sold when the come to look at it. I am glad I already have the second book to dive into, but what about my house selling???
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