Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780312946777
ISBN: 0312946775
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: 2008-11-04
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: 2008-11-04
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Customer Rating:
Summary: Was I expecting too much? This Agatha Raisin didn't hold my interest very much.
Comment: I was so excited about getting this Agatha Raisin series book to read -- at Christmas time, no less -- because I love the series and Agatha. Unfortunatley, I was disappointed. For me, the humor wasn't as funny as in previous books, and the plot (never a strong point in this series) was wafer thin (I am reminded of the quote of a critic who said that to call the plot wafer thin was to insult wafer manufacturers everywhere). I read at the book, but it was definitely not a pageturner for me.

The one good part was a new character, who shows considerable promise. She gives us a glimpse of what Agatha may have been like at 18.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Agatha does it again
Comment: Poor Aggie, she has a huge case that is again threatening; she's planning a huge Christmas dinner; and, she has invited James. Will her new detective outshine her? Will she burn down a building? And what about James after all this time? It's a great read and always fun where Agatha Raisin is involved. I enjoy this series and the Beaton books with Hamish Macbeth and all I've read have been clever.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Be careful what you wish for......
Comment: Agatha Raisin had had many dreams in her life - to get out of the Birmingham slum she had grown up in, to be a success in the London PR business, to move to a cottage in the Cotswolds, to find her true love and to celebrate a perfect, traditional Christmas. Overall she had been able to achieve most of her dreams, only the last two have alluded her. To that end she has decided to start planning her prefect Christmas party in early October with her once (and hopefully future husband, James Lacey) heading the guest list.

While not making plans for her perfect party Agatha has kept busy with her detective agency, so busy in fact that she had to hire a new employee, the young, pretty Toni who reminded Agatha in many ways of her own horrific family life. Soon Agatha found herself dealing in her own special way with dysfunctional families on all sides, both Toni's and her client's.

As always in this series the real attraction is not the mystery but the private lives of Agatha and her ever expanding circle of friends. While Agatha might be hot on the trail of her dead client's murderer the readers are more interested in finding out if Agatha will have her perfect Christmas or reunite with the elusive James. Fans of this series will delight in this latest addition, but those looking for a serious hardcore puzzler will be disappointed. Those unfamiliar with the series but fans of the cozy genre will probably want to start at the beginning, AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH and work their way through all eighteen (and still growing) in this series.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Agatha is Back!
Comment: I loved this book! Agatha was in top form in "Kissing Christmas Goodbye". I really liked the new character of Toni and hope that she plays a part in the next book as well. Without giving anything away, I will say that the ending was great and I was happy to see Sir Charles and Roy do something nice for Agatha for a change.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Agatha Grows Up!
Comment: I have always found Agatha Raisin entertaining, however, her ridiculous inability to break free from James Lacey and her imagination of her self as she might have been at 20 both get a brilliant clean out in this novel.

And not before time. They were probably the most irritating aspects of this female sleuth.

What a delight to find that she has gained her emotional freedom and a maturity.

Her inward battles with the youth and success of Toni are another great aspect of this work. At last there is another strong female character to provide balance and objectivity in what sometimes threatened to be a self consuming series.

Both these elements and the continual surprises so welcome from M C Beaton, make this an excellent read.

More power to the new Agatha and I await her further evolution.

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