NARRATOR: Penelope Keith
PUBLISHER: AudioGO Ltd.
PUBLICATION DATE: November 1, 2012 (first published 1995)
PUBLISHER: AudioGO Ltd.
PUBLICATION DATE: November 1, 2012 (first published 1995)
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook, 4 hrs and 40 mins
GENRE: Mystery
ISBN: 9781620646069
GENRE: Mystery
ISBN: 9781620646069
After six grueling months back in London, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village of Carsely--and to the charms of her neighbor, James Lacey. True, James is less than thrilled to see her, but Agatha is soon distracted by a sensational murder. The victim, hiker Jessica Tartinck, spent her life enraging wealthy landowners by insisting on her walking club's right to hike over their properties. Now she has been found dead...
MY REVIEW:
I received this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.
In the fourth book of the Agatha Raisin series, Agatha is finishing up her six-month stint working for Pedman’s in London. She is looking forward to returning to Carsely and is a bit surprised to find how much she missed it. She is especially excited to see her crush, James Lacey.
When James gives her the brush-off (saying that he is wrapped up in his writing) when she comes to call on him, she feels disappointed and a bit like a fool. She almost wishes there was another murder to solve so that she and James can team up again to solve the crime. Agatha gets her wish, and Mrs. Mason comes to call on her asking for her help. Mrs. Mason’s niece, Deborah Camden, lives in Dembley and is part of a group of ramblers called the Dembley Walkers. The ringleader, Jessica Tartinck, is a bit of a political activist and likes to make trouble for landowners by searching through property records to find legitimate rights of way across private property. These rights of way haven’t been used in centuries, and most landowners aren’t even aware that they exist. They were used in the Middle Ages to provide access to schools, churches, and work. Jessica uses the rights of way as a statement to trespass on private property, and most of the landowners don’t take kindly to the group of ramblers stomping across their land. When one of the ramblers is found dead on one of these rights of way, Mrs. Mason comes to Agatha and asks her to meet with Deborah to see if she can help solve the crime. Agatha is delighted at the prospect of teaming up with James Lacey again, and the two of them pose as a married couple in Dembley and join the Dembley Walkers. Soon, one murder turns to two murders, and Agatha and James are up to their necks in hot water.
I love the on-again/off-again relationship between Agatha and James. The two of them never seem to be on the same wavelength, even though it is clear that they both have feelings for each other. As we have seen in past books, James gets scared off when Agatha tries too hard to impress him. When this happens, Agatha feels like a fool and tries to turn her feelings off. It is Agatha’s nonchalance for James that sparks his interest again. Little does Agatha realize that it is when she is acting herself – her brazen and aggressive attitude – that he likes her best. He enjoys her spunk that tells the world that they can just “piss off” if they don’t like her. The ending totally threw me for a loop that I did not see coming, and it alludes to what promises to be a fantastic installment in the next book in the series.
As much as I enjoyed the dynamics of the relationship with Agatha and James, the mystery in this one was a bit lacking. I didn’t really care much for the Dembley Walkers. They seemed to be an odd bunch, and I did not like any of them. Beaton failed to absorb me in the mystery this time around. Roy was also a bit of a let-down. I thought that he truly cared for Agatha, but it seems as though he was just using her. That rubbed me the wrong way as well. We didn’t see much of Roy, except only in the very beginning and the ending. However, from what develops at the end of the story, it appears that Roy will take a front-seat in the next book.
Overall, I still really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading more of Agatha Raisin!
Narrator Penelope Keith is always enjoyable, and she has a way of making me hang on to her every word. She is a joy to listen to!
When James gives her the brush-off (saying that he is wrapped up in his writing) when she comes to call on him, she feels disappointed and a bit like a fool. She almost wishes there was another murder to solve so that she and James can team up again to solve the crime. Agatha gets her wish, and Mrs. Mason comes to call on her asking for her help. Mrs. Mason’s niece, Deborah Camden, lives in Dembley and is part of a group of ramblers called the Dembley Walkers. The ringleader, Jessica Tartinck, is a bit of a political activist and likes to make trouble for landowners by searching through property records to find legitimate rights of way across private property. These rights of way haven’t been used in centuries, and most landowners aren’t even aware that they exist. They were used in the Middle Ages to provide access to schools, churches, and work. Jessica uses the rights of way as a statement to trespass on private property, and most of the landowners don’t take kindly to the group of ramblers stomping across their land. When one of the ramblers is found dead on one of these rights of way, Mrs. Mason comes to Agatha and asks her to meet with Deborah to see if she can help solve the crime. Agatha is delighted at the prospect of teaming up with James Lacey again, and the two of them pose as a married couple in Dembley and join the Dembley Walkers. Soon, one murder turns to two murders, and Agatha and James are up to their necks in hot water.
I love the on-again/off-again relationship between Agatha and James. The two of them never seem to be on the same wavelength, even though it is clear that they both have feelings for each other. As we have seen in past books, James gets scared off when Agatha tries too hard to impress him. When this happens, Agatha feels like a fool and tries to turn her feelings off. It is Agatha’s nonchalance for James that sparks his interest again. Little does Agatha realize that it is when she is acting herself – her brazen and aggressive attitude – that he likes her best. He enjoys her spunk that tells the world that they can just “piss off” if they don’t like her. The ending totally threw me for a loop that I did not see coming, and it alludes to what promises to be a fantastic installment in the next book in the series.
As much as I enjoyed the dynamics of the relationship with Agatha and James, the mystery in this one was a bit lacking. I didn’t really care much for the Dembley Walkers. They seemed to be an odd bunch, and I did not like any of them. Beaton failed to absorb me in the mystery this time around. Roy was also a bit of a let-down. I thought that he truly cared for Agatha, but it seems as though he was just using her. That rubbed me the wrong way as well. We didn’t see much of Roy, except only in the very beginning and the ending. However, from what develops at the end of the story, it appears that Roy will take a front-seat in the next book.
Overall, I still really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading more of Agatha Raisin!
Narrator Penelope Keith is always enjoyable, and she has a way of making me hang on to her every word. She is a joy to listen to!
This book qualifies as:
#12 for my 2013 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
#12 for my 2013 Read-a-Latte Challenge
#5 for my 2013 Quick Fix Challenge
#6 for my 2013 ARC Reading Challenge
#10 for my 2013 Women Challenge
#4 for my 2013 Sequel Challenge
#12 for my 2013 Books-in-a-Series Reading Challenge
#8 for my 2013 Audio Book Challenge
#8 for my 2013 Audio Book Challenge
#8 for my 2013 Let Me Count The Ways Reading Challenge: Audio Version
#8 for my 2013 Free Reads Challenge
#2 for Task #5 of my 2013 Sub-Genre Reading Challenge
#2 for my Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
#2 for my 2013 Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge
#9 for my Monthly Mix-up Mania: 2013 to 2015 Edition #4 for my 2013 Sequel Challenge
#12 for my 2013 Books-in-a-Series Reading Challenge
#8 for my 2013 Audio Book Challenge
#8 for my 2013 Audio Book Challenge
#8 for my 2013 Let Me Count The Ways Reading Challenge: Audio Version
#8 for my 2013 Free Reads Challenge
#2 for Task #5 of my 2013 Sub-Genre Reading Challenge
#2 for my Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013
#2 for my 2013 Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge
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I have read every book in this series, and totally loved them..Agatha is such a hoot!
ReplyDeleteShe sure is, Kimba! I love her!!
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