Darlene's Book Nook: #Audiobook #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for Agatha Raisin and The Witches' Tree by M.C. Beaton @mc

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

#Audiobook #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for Agatha Raisin and The Witches' Tree by M.C. Beaton @mc_beaton ‏@BlackstoneAudio ‏

TITLE: Agatha Raisin and The Witches' Tree

SERIES: Agatha Raisin, Book #28
AUTHOR: M.C. Beaton

NARRATOR: Alison Larkin

PUBLISHER: Blackstone Audio

PUBLICATION DATE: October 20, 2017

FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook

LENGTH: 6 hrs and 37 mins

GENRE: Mystery/Cozy
ISBN: 9781504780490

The Witches’ Tree continues the tradition in M. C. Beaton's beloved Agatha Raisin mystery series―now a hit T.V. show. Cotswolds inhabitants are used to inclement weather, but the night sky is especially foggy as Rory and Molly Devere, the new vicar and his wife, drive slowly home from a dinner party in their village of Sumpton Harcourt. They strain to see the road ahead―and then suddenly brake, screeching to a halt. Right in front of them, aglow in the headlights, a body hangs from a gnarled tree at the edge of town. Margaret Darby, an elderly spinster, has been murdered―and the villagers are bewildered as to who would commit such a crime. Agatha Raisin rises to the occasion (a little glad for the excitement, to tell the truth, after a long run of lost cats and divorces on the books). But Sumpton Harcourt is a small and private village, she finds―a place that poses more questions than answers. And when two more murders follow the first, Agatha begins to fear for her reputation―and even her life. That the village has its own coven of witches certainly doesn't make her feel any better...

MY REVIEW:

This is the 28th installment in the Agatha Raisin series.

As the vicar of St. Edmund and his wife are returning home from a dinner party, they spot a woman hanging from a big oak tree that is known among the locals as The Witches' Tree as it was rumored that there had once been a coven in the village. The deceased is an elderly woman who was a church helper. As is often the case in Beaton's books, where there is one body another is sure to follow! Through Mrs. Bloxby, Agatha is introduced to the St. Edmund vicar's wife, Molly, who found the body. Agatha is so intrigued with the case that she offers to help at no charge.

This was another enjoyable read, with Agatha and Charles continuing to get their wires crossed. I wonder whether Beaton has planned a grand finale of the series at some point and, if so, when that will be? I hope that dear Aggie does get her happily ever after!

For me, there will never be a more perfect narrator for this series than Penelope Keith. A close second was Donada Peters. Alison Larkin is a bit shrill for my ears, and I think why I fell in love with this series from the start was because of Keith's flawless narration. I don't enjoy this series as much as I used to, and I do think the narration is at least partly to blame for that. Here is a sample of the narration:

MY RATING: