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Agatha Raisin - There Goes the Bride by MC Beaton


jynx

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This is the latest in a long line of Agatha Raisin mysteries (& to my shame, I've only read the first 4 of the series before this one - I can't seem to find them in the local shops!) & I found this lurking in my local library. As with the previous books, I've developed a strange liking to the heroine - her faults making her all the more likeable & I wasn't disappointed in this latest installment of her life either. I also liked the fact that even though I've missed so many books in between I was able to pick up on existing plotlines within her home village & her relationships with the other regular characters. It seems that the characters are consistent & well-developed, their relationships detailed well rather than being over-emphasised & the insight into Agatha's psyche is just as enlightening, frightening & amusing as ever!

 

The given synopsis is as follows:

 

'Agatha Raisin's ex-husband James is engaged to be married to a beautiful young woman and Agatha has kindly been invited to the wedding. This is a difficult pill to swallow & to take her mind off it Agatha begins a flirtation with Sylvan, a Frenchman she met at James's engagement party. For further distraction she decides upon a holiday & flies off to Istanbul, where unfortunately she bumps into James & his fiancee, not once but twice - convincing him she is stalking them. So when the bride is murdered on her wedding day, naturally Agatha is Suspect Number One - though the situation is quickly turned on its head when the mother of the bride engages Agatha to take on the case of her murdered daughter! And then, somehow, Agatha's own life seems to be in danger as she sets about trying to solve the mystery of the dead bride, while defending herself (rather half-heartedly) against the advances of a very attractive & determined Frenchman.'

 

As a whole, this book was highly enjoyable, I whizzed through it in a couple of days & was thoroughly immersed in the plotline, I enjoyed the different locations described this time round, finding it interesting in the way that Agatha interacted abroad rather than in her home village. The plot had sufficient twists & revelations to keep me interested, although I was disappointed that I guessed who the murderer was & the main plotline, although it was hinted at heavily throughout the majority of the last half of the book. There were, however, some interesting sidelines introduced - between for example Toni & Agatha - their relationship was looked at in a little more detail rather than just leaving it as employer & employee.

 

All in all, it was an enjoyable book, all the loose ends tied up nicely & the main characters' lives were opened up enough to leave scope for more books to follow. I've started hunting the previous books down on Ebay as I do find these light enough to just grab & read for light entertainment.

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I love the Agatha Raisin books as well, I think I 've read about 5 or 6 now. I tend to pick them between heavier reads because she makes me laugh! I think they would make a good TV series although I believe that some have been adapted for the radio with Penelope Keith as Agatha.

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I found the first one on Ebay that turned up today & it says on there about the radio version so I'm going to look into that - I'd love to collect that version as well as the books. They are very satisfying quick reads like you guys say - I always feel good after I've finished one! :P

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Thanks Chesilbeach! I have actually got the first 3 on my Kindle but hadn't read The Walkers of Dembley and as I can't find a cheaper version of that particular book, I have downloaded the above omnibus. :smile:

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Ah well, never mind I seem to be picking them up from Ebay at about two pound each, which isn't bad :smile: I managed to get hold of the Radio 4 series & Penelope Keith sounds exactly like Agatha should sound - so I'm loving the radio series too!!

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