M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green
Long-time readers of my blog know that my Mu
m and I love the Agatha Raisin series and have read each and everyone of the books - or so we thought. Marion Chesney (the author's real name) died in 2019, which meant we did not expect any new instalments.
But when this summer my sister and I were browsing Ripon's book shops, I came across this book - no way was I leaving the shop without it! (Besides, it was part of a "3 for £6" deal.)
From my reviews of the other Agatha Raisin books on this blog, you may recall that I did not enjoy them all the same way. There were really good ones, but also some which I thought were somewhat bumpy, with the story not smoothly developed and the dialogue not as witty and lively as usual.
This one, though, was a great read. Some lines are laugh-out-loud material, and the story is clever. Characters are true to form, and as with all books in the series, the emphasis lies not on the gruesome detail of the crime(s) but on the people, their relationships with each other, and how the clues combine to solve the puzzle.
It says "M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green", but in my opinion, it would be nearer the truth to say "R.W. Green based on M.C. Beaton's characters". The book was copyrighted in 2022, three years after Marion Chesney's death. R.W. Green is a journalist and long-time friend of hers, and from the last sentence in his foreword, I assume that the idea for the "Devil's Delight" case is not based on an unfinished manuscript by the late author, but entirely his own.
There is also a chapter by Marion Chesney, an introduction on the series.
I won't say much about the actual story here; only that Devil's Delight is the name of an ice cream flavoured with chili, and that most of the case involves a nudist club - a first for Agatha! Of course, she has one or two romantic interests (it wouldn't be our Agatha otherwise), and on top of solving the original murder, she busts a drugs ring and clears two or three missing persons cases.
"Devil's Delight" was very much a reader's delight!
I will have to check this series out. I have never seen it before. Thanks, Meike.
ReplyDeleteThere are reviews to many Agatha Raisin books on my blog - just type "Agatha Raisin" in the search box in the top left corner of the page, and you'll find them.
DeleteI can only imagine your delight when you found this book! (And that does not mean that you are a "devil", HA HA!)
ReplyDelete:-D Yes, it was a surprise find - I read the blurb on the back twice to make sure my Mum and I really had not read that one yet.
DeleteThis is one series that I never fell for. I'm not sure I ever actually read any of the books though - just watched a few episodes of the TV series based on them.
ReplyDeleteMonica, the TV series (which my Mum and I also love) has not all that much in common with the books - there are huge differences, starting with Agatha‘s charcter. We have come to regard them as two seperate things.
DeleteI think I have read all of the Agatha Raisin books including the last ones published after her death. We watched a few episodes of the TV series and did not like that at all. Agatha just wasn't Agatha!
ReplyDeleteWhen my Mum and I first started to watch the TV series, we were a little disappointed because of the changes compared to the books. But we have since come to regard the series as something different altogether, and I really enjoy both.
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