My Mum and I have long been
fans of the Agatha Raisin mysteries by M.C. Beaton, and so we were very
pleased to discover that this year not just one, but TWO new books in
the series have been published: #26 and 27.
I am reviewing both of them in
one post, not just because I read them one right after the other, but
also because I think they are so connected that they could/should really have
been one single volume.
So far, every book in the
series could be read as a stand-alone. Not so this time, in my opinion.
While the actual case is solved in "Dishing the Dirt", it ends in a way
that is clearly not "the end". The second story, "Pushing Up Daisies",
picks up many threads started in the first one, and leads to a more
satisfying wrap-up.
It had been a long time since I
last read an Agatha Raisin, and it took me a while to get used to M.C.
Beaton's storytelling pace and unfrilly style. By the time I was ready
to start on "Pushing Up Daisies", I was fully immersed in Agatha's world
again.
What I'd not noticed in any of
the books before was a definite lack of editing in "Dishing the Dirt". Not only were there
several typos, there were also mistakes of a different kind. For
instance, the character of a young man is said to be 26 years old. One
page on, he is suddenly 25. Another character is
introduced to the reader as Sadie, but that is the only time she carries
that name. All further appearances of her go by the name Sarah.
Was there too much pressure on
the editor(s) to get book #26 into print in time, before the next one
was due? There are no such blunders in #27.
In both stories, we meet
Agatha true to her old form: thinking about quitting smoking but never
really doing it, wondering about her relationship with Charles Fraith,
dealing with the frustration of dead ends and red herrings in her murder
investigation, and coming across a set of characters often turning out
to be somewhat different from what she first thought (men including).
Of course, as in all her
stories, she has a romantic interest. Also, her former employee Roy
Silver makes brief appearances. Her good friend Mrs. Bloxby surprises
for the first time.
Altogether, I enjoyed meeting
Agatha and the other regulars again very much - there was slight
disappointment with the first book, but as a fan, I'll take the bad (or less good) with
the good, and thank my Mum for having ordered them both for us.
This sounds like a fun mystery series, I do read many mystery series but haven't tried this one yet. I like the tv series.
ReplyDeleteYou mean there is an Agatha Raisin TV series? I didn't know about that! Will do some research instantly. Thank you!
DeleteI have been enjoying the tv versions on Acorn TV which is something like netflix with only British programs...Can you get it?
ReplyDeleteAfter I replied to Terra's comment, I found quite a lot of sources on the internet for the TV series. Most of them were for free, but they still wanted you to sign up with them, which I didn't want to. So I watched one episode on youtube. It was fun, but I must say Agatha and some of the other characters are very different in the books. For instance, in the books. Agatha is constantly fighting against her smoking habit and worrying about her waistline - something clearly not an issue for her in the TV series :-) Also, she is described as having glossy brown hair and small bear-like eyes, not the pretty blonde they chose for her role.
DeleteBut, as I said, it was fun to watch, and I guess I'll look for more.
I haven't read the books but we did recently get the TV series here. I watched it but can't say I really took to the character(s).
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you, Monica; they are not the same as what they come across as in the books.
DeleteI too have discovered these books( not these two in particular but Agatha Raisin books I mean !). I have discovered them in audio form and enjoy them when I'm doing household chores like ironing !! I have also discovered them on TV lately but have yet to watch any. not a huge fan I have to say but they are light "reading". Have you discovered the Phryne Fisher stories by Kerry Greenwood. They are murder mysteries set on Victoria , Australia in the twenties and are quite entertaining too ( audio form is great too).Cheers
ReplyDeleteMy Mum has told me about the Fisher stories; she loves to watch the series on TV but I have not (not yet?) made them "mine".
DeleteAudio versions of the Agatha Raisin books sound like fun - maybe more fun than the TV series, because that is so far away from the books.
I think I have read somewhere that there are also some radio plays made from the books, but I am possibly mixing this up with something else.