February 26th, 2009
Book Review: Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison
Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison is by the prolific author M.C. Beaton. Her Agatha Raisin series and the Hamish Macbeth series are light hearted books which involve the solving of murders. Although they are not deep literary projects they are perfect when you just want a quick, uncomplicated read.
The Agatha Raisin series have been on BBC radio 4 with the wonderful actress Penelope Keith playing Agatha.
Agatha is a fifty something woman, who is delightfully intolerant of everyone and has an eye for the men. She is a modern woman, who is aging disgracefully, but underneath it all she’s not a bad sort. She allows her jealousy of younger, prettier women to get the better of her on many occasions but the reader forgives her because she is so blatantly mischievous.
In a “Spoonful of Poison” a village fete is wrecked by someone lacing the jam with LSD in a competition at the fete. Agatha who runs her own detective agency with the support of her young assistant Toni, blunders her way through Cotswold village life, in order to solve the crime.
M.C. Beaton is a master of excellent plot and characterization and if you enjoy this genre then I’m sure these books will not disappoint. It is available from Amazon and other bookshops.
