Member Reviews
A wonderful return to long-running series. This was book number 35, all be it ghost written by RW Green. It was typical of the work that MC Beaton would write and they were a few differences in the style of writing and characterisation, but not enough to do to disappoint the reader. Overall, this was a wonderful enjoyable escapism of a novel.
I love these books and this one does not disappoint. All the favourite characters present and correct. This is a cosy mystery that leaves no loose ends. Be warned, once picked ed it’s very hard to put down until the mystery is solved!
Thank you Netgalley
📚 Book Review 📚
There are a serious of burglaries and Agatha Raisin’s private detective agency are working hard to find the perpetrators. However, when things take a decidedly horrific turn Agatha and her colleagues are certain that the police are wrong to link the crimes to each other.
When Agatha receives threatening letters and foils her own kidnap attempt, she realises there is more going on in Carsely.
This is a quirky read. I haven’t read any of the Agatha Raisin books so I really enjoyed this, although other reviews say that the earlier ones are better. I am going to have to try them! For me, this was an easy and fun book to read.
I’d like to thank Little Brown Book Group, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊
Part of a long running series this particular story takes a while to get going. Agatha’s private life takes up a good portion of the story. There is a mixture of murder, burglary and death threats for Agatha to unravel. The pace of the story picks up in the final half and it’s worth keeping with it.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Although MC Beaton died a couple of years ago, this is her new Agatha Raisin novel, book number 35, which has been ghost written by RW Green. It starts off with an obligatory burglary where the owner has been almost fatally assaulted on her premises. Agatha is recruited By the Chamber of Commerce who look over all the shop members to look into this crimewave. She goes to interview Aurelia in hospital the victim and has a run in with Sergeant Wilkes her nemesis in the police force.
Anyway, Agatha goes to an auction with her business neighbour Mr Tinkler she buys a lovely clock which he displays in his shop window. But when Agatha finishes work later that day she doesn’t see the clock in the window and when she goes around to see if Mr. Tinkler is okay, she finds he’s been killed and her clock is missing. Can this be the work of the people who have been breaking into the local businesses and stealing their wares or is this something else?
This is typical of the work of MC Beaton but an avid reader of her works would see the slight differences in writing style and character assassination. But Agatha is Agatha and there is always a tale to tell about love, murder and anything else that takes her fancy . You’ll have to read the book if you want to know what happened with her clock and if she solves the burglaries and also the murder and it is worth a read.
Another entertaining tale of Agatha Raisin, investigating burglary and murder with an ancient mystery on the side for good measure.
Well written and enjoyable this book delivers exactly what it promises and what Agatha fans expect.
It will make no difference whether this is your first Agatha Raisin experience or if you have read all of the other books in the series, you will enjoy this one equally.
As a longtime fan who has read every book in this series, I would recommend if you haven’t already read the rest of the series you do now. I absolutely adore Agatha Raisin and her colleagues and have read all 35 books in the series and can’t wait for the next instalment.
In Killing Time, Agatha has never been busier, her private detective agency has more cases than they can handle, but Agatha is never happier than when she is busy. First a spate of burglaries and then a neighbour is found dead. Agatha has also agrees to help Sir Charles Fraith stage an extravaganza of the year charity event with Roy’s help.
Another absolutely fabulous outing for our heroine Agatha Raisin. Not only is she contending with the theft of a new antique, the death of a new friend, threats in her life, mysterious riddles designed to make her uneasy her new beau John is away starting a new job as a dance pro in a cruise ship. Only Aggie can deal with all this.
After the death of original author MC Beaton I feared as a reader that Aggie would be gone forever and I would re reigned to rereading old beloved novels. Not so. A new breath of life sees the spirit of Aggie back and more adventurous ahead.
Well written and with all the characters we have come to know and love this is a great book. I am enjoying the characters warm up into themselves and be seen in new adventures. I very much look forward to the next.
What can I say. It's Agatha Raisin. As usual Agatha is in the wrong place at the wrong time. After a spate of burglaries culminate in the assault of a shopkeeper Agatha is hired to find the burglars. Thereafter she gets mixed up in murder and attempts on her life. Again it is an enjoyable romp through Agathas adventures. Another hit I think.
Agatha is organising a charity bash for Charles Fraith , whilst also looking in to a spate of burglaries at local businesses .
So she’s certainly got her hands full but as avid readers of the series will know this is when we see Agatha at her best .
She has her usual friends and work colleagues with her and it makes for an enjoyable read .
An entertaining cosy mystery .
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK.
The Plot
Agatha Raisin, dedicated private investigator, has a new case to solve when an antiques investigator who owns the shop below her office is found dead. At the same time, her PR skills are called for when friend and former flame Charles Fraith asks her to put together an event for him.
My Review
This had the same flavour as previous novels, with all of the same community of people and the formidable Agatha sleuthing like the best of them. The plot, as always, is one to savour, with the set up of the storyline keeping you reading until the end. Agatha is a wonderful character who solves the case with a flair for the theatrical.
Whilst the historical element provided another layer to the story, it could have been interwoven into the main plot. Our sleuthing queen’s romance was also a bit flat in this one. However, I love Agatha, Carsley, and all the cast. 4.5
I've been a fan of Agatha Raisin's for years and this was a wonderful homage to the storytelling of M C Beaton. It was so wonderful to delve back into Agatha's world, and I thought the mystery itself was very well constructed. A perfect mystery for the colder months!
Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review
Agatha has her hands full. Charles has asked her to organise the PR for a big promotional bash at the estate. There are a spate of burglaries in Mircester that she has been asked to investigate after they've turned violent. She is receiving nasty letters and someone is out to hurt her. In true Agatha style she takes it all in her stride, fitting in a trip to Mallorca and looking at a centuries old crime - part of Charles's new plan to snare her.
The usual characters appear, Mrs Bloxby, James, Toni and the rest of the agency staff, some newer characters. All great fun and very readable.
This is the 35th book in this series - I know - and I am not sure how many RW Green has written but, to be honest, I also don't care as, in my opinion, and I have read ALL the previous books, it appears to be a seamless transition. I know they worked closely together prior to MC Beaton's death, and I personally am very happy with the continuation... Others may not, but that's their prerogative.
Anyway... We start with a spate of burglaries in Carsley which piques Agatha's interest. Especially when she is asked to investigate by the latest victim, much to the annoyance of her arch-nemesis!
Meanwhile, she is also summoned by Charles Fraith who needs her PR skills to help stage the biggest event the area has ever seen. Obviously she ropes Roy in to help. But also, as part of this, along with her antique seller neighbour, attends her first auction to do some research, but is rather taken by a lovely clock which she, eventually, after outbidding a couple of hard rivals, manages to snaffle and take home with her. Leaving it with aforementioned neighbour, she is shocked when she finds him dead, with the clock missing.... But, unlike the police, she doesn't believe it to be connected to the recent spate of robberies...
And if all this wasn't enough for our Aggie, she is due to meet up with her current squeeze on a cruise ship in Majorca...
There definitely is a LOT going on in this book. Delightfully so. I do love Agatha and I was so shocked and sad when the author died and I thought that was it. But, as for another couple of series, I think the original author would be pleased and proud of the way it is going...
All the usual things you'd expect from an Agatha Raisin book are front and centre herein. Along with all the characters that I have grown to love along the way. Or dislike, depending on who they are! We also have a real life unsolved mystery for Agatha to get her teeth into. One which piqued my own interest... every day's a school day!
All in all, if you familiar with Agatha, you'll know what you are letting yourself in for. If not then maybe go back and meet her properly in her earlier books first... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Agatha Raisin has never been busier, her private detective agency has more cases than they can handle, but Agatha is never happier than when she is under pressure.
Approached by the local Chamber of Commerce to investigate a series of burglaries on local businesses, Agatha is initially reluctant, after all she is about to fly off to Majorca to meet her partner who is working on a cruise ship. After a run in with DCI Wilkes, Agatha agrees, determined to solve the case before he does.
Added to this, Sir Charles Fraith has asked Agatha to organise a spectacular launch even for his new venture.
Then Agatha’s new friend is murdered, and she begins to receive death threats. Can Agatha juggle her business, personal life, and find the killer before she becomes the victim.
This is fun, feisty and fabulous just like Agatha. The characters just leap off the page and carry you along with them.
This is my first Agatha Raisin’s novel and certainly not the last one. Agatha Raisin: Killing Time is entertaining, witty, and quite immersive and I have already put my hands on a few other books in the series (although, I should probably read them chronologically and not randomly as I do with Agatha Christie’s novels).
Private detective and PR Agatha Raisin is busy on multiple fronts. She’s organizing a massive promotional event for Sir Charles Fraith at his ancestral home, Barfield House. She is also intrigued by a 400 years old local mystery while trying to solve a series of shop burglaries, the last one of which sent the shop owner to the hospital. And she also needs to find time to fly to Mallorca for a romantic break with her partner John Glass, a former police officer turned cruise dance teacher. And then there are murder, death threats written in riddles, attempts of abductions, and an antic clock that has attracted the attention of a few people.
I really liked the character of Agatha Raisin. She is smart, determined, with her own particular way of doing things and a take-charge attitude that makes everyone around her stand up straight. She doesn’t stop until every mystery is solved, even centuries old ones, and she has quite an interesting love life. Agatha Raisin: Killing Time is the 35th book in the series, but it can be easily read as a stand-alone. I loved the mysteries, the setting, and the cast of characters is wonderful, fun, and engaging, from its protagonist to her many friends, always happy to assist her in her investigations. Highly recommended!
As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot or the publisher's blurb - instead I recommend that you read this novel yourself!
I've long been a fan of the "Agatha Raisin" books and have read them all - this is number 35 - incredible! I was initially dubious when R W Green took over the writing reins - following the death of the mighty M C Beaton - but I think he's doing a fabulous job and thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
Having read the entire series - but NOT watched the TV adaptation - I have my own mental image of every regular character - they all stayed true to that image in this book, which I'm really glad about. Agatha is as marvellous as ever - cutting a slightly comic figure as she sails through life. It was good to catch up with other favourite characters such as Charles, Toni, and Mrs Bloxby.
The plot is well thought out, with a good cast of new and old characters. I think you could read this as a standalone novel as there is plenty of background information in there - but would recommend the rest of the series anyway as the stories are always enjoyable, with many amusing sections.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.
I love the Agatha Raisin TV series but this is the first book I’ve read from the series. And like the TV show, I enjoyed every bit of the book. The characters are delightful, the plot is great and there are enough twists to keep the readers engaged. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and definitely recommend it.
Thank you to the publishers LittleBrownUK for an advanced copy of the ebook and giving me a chance to review it.
This seamlessly continues M C Beaton’s series about the wonderful Agatha Raisin et al. I have enjoyed these books from the very start and am so pleased they didn’t stop when the author died. All of the main characters appear here, including Charles who I have a sneaking fondness for. A most enjoyable way to spend an autumn afternoon.
This, in my opinion is the best Agatha Raisin since R W Green continued the series after the death of M C Beaton.
The story seemed to flow in Agathas usual chaotic style leading to a satisfactory conclusion of the main storyline.
That said, for me the historical back story added nothing of interest and almost felt like a page filler ( hence the four stars).
It is good to see Agatha back on form.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC of Killing Time due out on the 17th October 24.