Product Description

Agatha Raisin Has Finally Married The Man Of Her Dreams.
But Now Her Life Is Nothing Short Of A Nightmare...

The honeymoon is most definitely over for Agatha Raisin and her new husband, James Lacey. It's only been a short time since their wedding-and already they aren't getting on. But his wandering eye and her God-awful housekeeping are the least of their problems. Just days after a very public, very ugly marital row, James disappears-and when his mistress is later found murdered, he's the prime suspect. Agatha just doesn't buy it. Sure, he's a liar and a sneaky, low-down cheat. But a murderer? That's bloody impossible! And as some speculate on the role Agatha may have played in his vanishing, the forever-feisty Mrs. Raisin must piece together the most unsavory parts of the dead woman's past to clear James's name-and her own...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #194345 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780312983185
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
In her 11th appearance (after 2000's Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam), irrepressible amateur sleuth Agatha Raisin has, alas, lost her sense of humor. Finally married to the love of her life, neighbor James Lacey, Agatha soon realizes that what she hoped would be a happy modern marriage in the idyllic Cotswold village of Carlsey is anything but. First, James explodes with anger when she turns his laundry pink, then expresses vehement disapproval when she serves a Marks & Spencer's prepared lasagna for dinner. Finally, when each is sure the other is having an affair, James goes missing, leaving only blood stains behind. Determined to find him, Agatha and her friend, Sir Charles Fraith, begin an investigation that leads them to the discovery of the body of Melissa Sheppard, James's suspected mistress. Delving into Melissa's past life reveals two ex-husbands and an estranged sister, all with motive to kill. Beaton has been praised for bringing the traditional British cozy into the 21st century, but an up-to-date village setting is not enough. Without the wit and humor of prior outings that made the characters human, Agatha is unforgivably and inappropriately rude and sharp-tongued, the parsimonious Sir Charles is repetitively stingy beyond belief and James is just unreal. Stereotypical minor characters further disappoint. This one is strictly for invested fans. (Dec. 10)(Forecasts, Jan. 8) and the Hamish Macbeth series.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Despite marrying recently, Agatha and husband James live apart and accuse each other of infidelity. When James goes missing, and his supposed mistress is murdered, Agatha determines to find the truth with a little help from her friend Sir Charles. Anticipate demand.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
What makes readers love Agatha Raisin? Is it her jealous rages? Inability to quit smoking? Beady little bearlike eyes? Or perhaps it's her insistence on keeping the silly Raisin name, whatever her marital status. Somehow this cranky middle-aged dame's many flaws only make her more appealing. In her latest adventure, one of the most suspenseful tales in the series, Agatha is struggling to settle into married life with James Lacey. Although they have separate cottages, they still can't manage to get along. Agatha is outraged when James is spotted cozying up to his ex-lover, Melissa, and causes a scene that the small British village of Carsley will not soon forget. Soon after, Agatha finds Melissa dead and James vanished--after leaving some of his blood on the cottage floor. Village tongues wag even harder when Agatha's friend and former lover, Sir Charles Fraith, returns to help her find James and identify Melissa's killer. Among the many joys of all Agatha Raisin adventures are Beaton's sweetly formal prose and her vivid descriptions of colorful villagers. This one, however, adds a crackerjack plot and a delightfully comic ending to the mix, making it clearly the best of the lot. A must for all cozy fans. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Agatha Takes A Trip to Hell and Back
The beloved Agatha Raisin has her hands full in this 11th installment of her cozy adventures. Two psychopaths, a wayward husband, and a battle with God Himself spice up Agatha's life as she runs the gamut of emotions from grief to anger.

As a devoted fan of this rascally British matron since she made her first appearance in "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death," I felt for her as she suffered through an incredibly disastrous marriage to longtime love James Lacey, anguished over his disappearance, and didn't know if he were dead or alive.

In order to solve the mystery surrounding James, Agatha teams up with friend Sir Charles Fraith who retains all the gentlemanly charm yet outright stinginess readers have come to expect. Old friends like Mrs. Bloxby, Bill Wong, and Ron Silver also appear as Agatha tries to come to terms with the mess James has made of her life.

Be prepared for some laugh-out-loud moments as Agatha's rudeness and irritability lead to some comic moments with suspects as well as the parents of Bill Wong whom we met in earlier adventures.

Longtime fans will stand up and cheer as a stronger, more secure Agatha emerges at book's closing. The only question I had while reading was the same one I have had in all the books so far....just what does she see in James Lacey?

If you're a staunch fan, this book will entertain, if not...
Whether or not you enjoy this latest Agatha Raisin mystery novel is going to depend on just how much affection you have for Agatha, and how much of a fan you are of this series and M. C. Beaton's style of writing. I'll admit to be a staunch Agatha Raisin fan, so my feelings about the latest Agatha Raisin mystery novel are probably a little biased. If you're curious about how Agatha and James' relationship will pan out, then this latest novel, "Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell" will probably entertain; however if you're looking for a really good 'cozy' murder mystery set in the country, this book may be a bit of a disappointment.

Agatha and James are finally married. But it's turning out to be the marriage from hell, as James constant criticism wears away at Agatha's self assurance and leaves her miserable. Their fights are grist mill for the village, and matters go from bad to worse when James suddenly sets up a flirtation with one of his old flames, Melissa Shepherd. And then James disappears, his house is in a mess, and there is a blood stain at the doorstep. And Agatha finds herself to be the chief suspect in her husband's disappearance. Worried about James and determined to clear her name, Agatha sets out to find James, but stumbles across Melissa's dead body instead. And now Agatha has find James and prove that he had nothing whatsoever to do with Melissa's murder. Has James's disappearance anything to do with Melissa's murder? Where can James have got to? And is he still alive? Grimly, Agatha clings to the hope of finding James alive as she begins one of the most important investigations of her life.

Mystery wise, this latest Agatha Raisin mystery novel is a little frustrating. The plot does not unfold smoothly, but in a rather circuitous manner instead, that almost mirrors Agatha's depressed and numb frame of mind. Agatha and her sleuthing friend, Sir Charles Fraith, move to and fro between suspects, uncovering bits of information that paint a rather alarming picture of Melissa, but which land them no closer to a solution to the problem at hand, until the last few chapters where Agatha makes an intuitive guess and hits the jackpot. Entertaining perhaps, but the solution blindsided me -- perhaps I should have read the book more carefully. On the other hand, I've been dying to see how the marriage between James and Agatha would pan out, and how long it would take before Agatha admitted to herself that James did not have what it took to make an ideal husband. Some fans have complained that Beaton had changed James from a charming and distinguished man to a short tempered fiend. However, James has never really treated Agatha well, even in the first few books. So that his descent into husband from hell did not really surprise me. I just kept waiting for Agatha to wake up before it was too late.

What makes "Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell" so very, very readable, is of course its heroine. Fractious, yet endearing, one cannot help but hope that Agatha will find the happiness and companionship she so desperately craves. And Beaton's ironic prose style frames Agatha's quest for happiness brilliantly. And this is what will definitely propel me into reading the next Agatha Raisin mystery novel.

A fun fast read
Agatha has finally married James Lacy, the man of her dreams. But, all is not as rosy as she would like. James and Agatha have retained their separate cottages, and James complains about everything Agatha does, her makeup, clothes, hair, and cooking. Anyone who has read any of these books, knows Agatha can't cook and the other things are part of her. Rightfully, she is depressed and confused. Then, James starts to spend alot of time with a local divorcee, Melissa Sheppard, and she suspects him of having an affair. He thinks she has restarted her affair with Sir Charles. They have a couple of blowout fights in front of the whole village. Agatha takes her life back and takes a temporary public relations job. James is furious and they are barely speaking. Then one night, James is missing, there's blood on his doorstep, and Melissa is found dead in her house. James of course is the main suspect with Agatha a close second. Agatha knows that she did not do it, and of course James didn't, so naturally she and Charles have to find James and the killer.

This was an incredibly fast read, and one of the best of the series, so far. I definitely recommend it.