Bibliographic Information
| Audiobook | $24.09 |
| Paperback | $7.00 |
| Hardback | $10.92 |
| Kindle | $7.99 |
| Associated ISBNs | 9780804111638 |
| 9780783803463 — Paperback | |
| 9780312081539 — Hardcover | |
| 9781845290801 — Paperback | |
| 9781849011341 — Paperback | |
| 9781429901536 | |
| 9780754074977 |
Rating (VOYA)
4Q, 4P
This is a pretty well written book, with unique characters.
Cozy mysteries are quite popular, and this is a great example.
Readers Annotation
Newly retired PR manager Agatha Raisin moves to a small town and is accused of murder.
Summary
Newly retired from her PR job, Agatha Raisin has moved to a small cottage in the country in the village of Carsley. She decides to embrace small town life in her own way, entering a quiche contest with a quiche bought from a London shop. She loses the competition and is a little bitter about it. However, the quiche judge Cummings-Brown dies of poisoning that night apparently after eating her quiche.
Forced to reveal that she bought the quiche from a store, Agatha decides to clear her name. So she starts investigating on her own. She talks to the ladies in the quilting circle and the woman that the judge was having an affair with. She makes friends with Detective Wong who foists a kitten on her. She organizes a charity auction and sells a lot of her own items while making it very successful thanks to her former position in PR.
She eventually discovers that the widow Cummings-Brown keeps her food in a refrigerator and that she poisoned her husband.
Evaluation
I kind of loved this cozy mystery. Just enough snark and “big city to small town” to make this a completely enjoyable read. Agatha’s voice is really unique and she is trying to fit in, but just doesn’t fit the small town model.
I thought that the plot, while silly, was just great. The characters are really cute, and there’s a clear difference between the “big city” people and the small townies. You knew their frustrations and quirks. It was really cute.
I thought this was really enjoyable. I loved the tone and the idea. Its a great cozy mystery, and spawn a lot sequels so there’s plenty more where this one came from. I think its perfect for cozy mystery readers. They get an amateur sleuth with a unique voice in a quaint English village.
Genre
Cozy Mystery
Readalikes
Antiques Bizarre by Barbara Allan
The Body in the Big Apple by Caroline Graham
Significance
A great example of someone going from a big city to a small town and how hard it can be to adjust.
Book Discussion Questions and Ideas
What did you think of Agatha’s personality?
Was it believable that judge Cummings-Brown didn’t choose Agatha’s quiche?
Why do you think Agatha kept the kitten?
Author’s website
Awards
Reviews
Why I Chose It
I wanted to try another cozy mystery, and this series kept catching my eye at the library and in the Genreflecting book.
Other Information
