Rating: 
Summary: Contention in the Cotswolds
Review: Agatha Raisin is middle aged, meddlesome, pugnacious, tough,gritty and occasionally has a desire to be completely contrary. Whichall adds up to an utterly unusual and charming heroine of this series. Agatha returns to the Cotswolds refreshed and tanned after a solitary visit to Jamaica. The stocky maven has been pursuing her handsome neighbor James Lacey, but sensing a lack of interest, takes Hodge the cat to visit the new (very handsome) vet in town. A day after Agatha turns down his advances, he is found dead. An Accident or a Murder? James & Agatha join forces to puzzle it out. And Agatha twists the plot from being the pursuer to being pursued. There were a few loose ends in this story, specifically what would a compulsive gambler be doing with all that money in the bank? And, why would the vet be vicious? Somehow I suspect it was alliterative license, but do I sense a tendency of Ms. Beaton to perhaps "kill" real-life people she might meet in her books? Surely Not? Well, do sign me -- The Repentant Reviewer.
Rating:
Summary: Starting to Settle In...
Review: Agatha Raisin is still unsure that she is going to stay in Carsley, and her pursuit of James Lacey is not going well at the beginning of this novel, but the death of Paul Bladen, a womanizing vet with a sadistic streak for cats and small dogs, gives Agatha a reason to root around in the seething emotional life of her seemingly placid small town again. As she searches for the clues in the murder of the vet she also starts to make a connection with Lacey, and unleashes some surprising sleuthing skills in him as well.The plot holds together well here, and there are some very funny scenes, as there usually are with Agatha. It is also fun to see Agatha building attachments and becoming much more vulnerable and human than she thinks that she is.
Rating: 
Summary: Beauty Is Just Skin Deep!
Review: Agatha Raisin returns in the 2nd book in this cozy mystery series. Still living in a small village in the Cotswolds of England, Agatha tries to keep herself occupied and to catch James Lacey's attentions. When a handsome new vet sets up a practice nearby, Agatha finds herself among his many female admirers. However, when the vet is found dead with a lethal shot meant for a horse, Agatha is the only one who truly believes it was murder. She sets out to find the murderer, but is too late to save a second victim. In true Agatha fashion, she stumbles on the murderer, and must save herself in the process. I completely enjoy the Agatha Raisin series and look forward to the antics of Agatha in each new release. Agatha's sharp tongue, impetuous attitude, and desire to attract a handsome man makes for some hilarious situations. I laughed out loud several times while reading this book, and found it easy to find the "true, lovable" Agatha beneath the frosty exterior. If you enjoy reading cozy mysteries, you need to read this series! The first book in the series is "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death". Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Beauty Is Just Skin Deep!
Review: Agatha Raisin returns in the 2nd book in this cozy mystery series. Still living in a small village in the Cotswolds of England, Agatha tries to keep herself occupied and to catch James Lacey's attentions. When a handsome new vet sets up a practice nearby, Agatha finds herself among his many female admirers. However, when the vet is found dead with a lethal shot meant for a horse, Agatha is the only one who truly believes it was murder. She sets out to find the murderer, but is too late to save a second victim. In true Agatha fashion, she stumbles on the murderer, and must save herself in the process. I completely enjoy the Agatha Raisin series and look forward to the antics of Agatha in each new release. Agatha's sharp tongue, impetuous attitude, and desire to attract a handsome man makes for some hilarious situations. I laughed out loud several times while reading this book, and found it easy to find the "true, lovable" Agatha beneath the frosty exterior. If you enjoy reading cozy mysteries, you need to read this series! The first book in the series is "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death". Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Just as Entertaining as the First
Review: I'm so happy that I discovered this series! This second book in the series is just as enjoyable as the first. Agatha Raisin is such a wonderful character in her own right, but in this book we are introduced to her neighbour James Lacey, and the book becomes twice as much fun. It has been a long time since I have laughed out loud while reading a book, but this book made me do just that! I will only say that the part where Agatha visits a washroom in a neighbouring village's pub is absolutely hilarious. Also, in this book we see Agatha adopt a second cat - so that in itself is enough to keep my interest. I can't wait to read number three.
Rating:
Summary: Just as Entertaining as the First
Review: I'm so happy that I discovered this series! This second book in the series is just as enjoyable as the first. Agatha Raisin is such a wonderful character in her own right, but in this book we are introduced to her neighbour James Lacey, and the book becomes twice as much fun. It has been a long time since I have laughed out loud while reading a book, but this book made me do just that! I will only say that the part where Agatha visits a washroom in a neighbouring village's pub is absolutely hilarious. Also, in this book we see Agatha adopt a second cat - so that in itself is enough to keep my interest. I can't wait to read number three.
Rating:
Summary: Unlike Agatha I'm still trying to sell my house.
Review: In the first book about Agatha, AR and the Quiche of Death, Agatha was struggeling to find her place in the countryside village she moved to when leaving London. AR and the Vicious Vet is the second book about the colorful woman detective Agatha Raisin. Still not quite sure if the countryside is her cup of tea she feels more settled now, one of the reasons for that is her fliration with her distinguished neighbour, James Lacey. As always she is overdoing, and frightens her poor neighbour again and again. In this book the village has got a new vet, a handsome man in his fourties, and apparently he is living by his own. All the women suddenly are in need for a vet for their cats, and of course Agatha is among them. She is thrilled when the vet asks her out for dinner, and Mr. James Lacey is more confused than ever when Agatha starts passing his house without paying attension. Agatha has her date with Dr. Paul Bladen, but the next day the poor vet dies under suspicious circumstances. At least suspicious for Agatha - and to her great pleasure to Mr. James Lacey as well. Agatha throws herself in a whirlwind of happenings, and she lets us readers take part in them all. This book has been just as big a pleasue to read as the first one, and I know as soon Agatha starts making her cottage garden I will follow her out into my garden to make it just as beautiful as the one her good friend Bill Wong in the village police has.
Rating:
Summary: ENJOYABLE!!!!
Review: It is hard to think a mystery would be enjoyable but the Agatha Raisin books I have read are. They don't scare you to death but they are fun to follow and see how they come out. Agatha is a funny, funny woman. The local Vet dies, is it an accident or murder? The police say accident but Agatha and her neighbor, James Lacey, think it is murder. They start asking questions and find the Vet. has gotten money from several different women, all of whom he promised to build a new clinic and name it after them. Could the murderer be, Mrs. Parr, Mrs. Mason, Freda, Miss Webster, Miss Simms or someone else??? The ending is very good as Agatha ends up in trouble. A nice easy, quick read.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing introduction to sleuthing series
Review: Just finished reading this, my first Agatha Raisin mystery. It was proceeded by reading my first Caroline Graham, creator of DCI Barnaby. What a dichotomy of writing styles--the first simplistic and lazy (Agatha "snapped" or "snarled" throughout the text), the second rich in pyschological insight of its multi-shaded characters.
The quick read left me with the disquieting thought that I could have written the novel myself, never a satisfactory conclusion to turning the final page.
Rating:
Summary: A shriveled "Raisin"
Review: Like Miss Marple? Hercule? Even, Sherlock Holmes? Then--don't waste your time on Agatha Raisin. I checked out this "adventure" and one other on tape, and will return them both after enduring only this one. Agatha tackles the murder only because doing so aids her singleminded pursuit of her eligible neighbor--with lusting glances at any other male over 8 and under 80 with a pulse. In the process she rightly alienates anyone in the Cotswolds with any taste, manners, morals or good sense. She is an insult to the detective tradition. Better to re-read "Father Brown."
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