Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #842108 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-26
• Released on: 2007-06-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 208 pages

Amazon.com Review
Agatha Raisin, the crusty, yet perversely self-conscious Londoner who has resettled in the ostensible calm of a Cotswold village stars in her seventh adventure by M.C. Beaton. In this episode, Agatha has agreed to come out of retirement to manage the publicity for the launch of water bottled from a village spring--much to the chagrin of some of her neighbors. Worried that the commodification of at least part of the village's charm might wreak havoc on their peaceful existence, some of the community try to stop it once and for all. Still, killing off a member of the village council and leaving the corpse in the spring itself seems a little extreme, especially as it makes Agatha's paying job a bit more difficult. Believing that a dead body might destroy the chances for a successful campaign to market her product, Agatha begins an investigation into who might have wanted the victim dead.

Agatha Raisin continues to be an engaging and slightly puzzling heroine in The Wellspring of Death. She careens around the Cotswolds asking impertinent questions regarding the personal lives of her neighbors, all the while wondering why so many of them are unpleasant to her. She manages to muddle her own romantic affairs to such an extent that she finds herself in bed with her young and handsome employer--to the dismay of her former fiancée. Yet, in spite of all this, she engages in the occasional humorous assessment of what life among charming façades and lovely vistas is really like (crowded shopping in too small stores) and has a peculiarly British obsession with class and accent. There is much to appreciate here and little that is daunting or dismal. --K.A. Crouch

From Publishers Weekly
Cotswolds snoop Agatha Raisin (Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist, 1997, etc.), still smarting from her broken engagement to neighbor James Lacey, returns in yet another cozy featuring backbiting provincial villagers. The Ancombe Water Company is trying to negotiate a deal with the parish council to bottle water from a historic village spring, a move that has sharply divided the council. When the body of Robert Struthers, the council chairman who had not yet committed on the issue, is found head-down in the spring, Agatha, who's doing PR for the water company, and James each decide to investigate. Bitterness keeps them apart, and 50-something Agatha is romanced by the much younger Guy Freemont, a company director. Beaton performs deftly, with Agatha pining for James while weighing the pros and cons of village life. Particularly entertaining elements include James's undercover stint in a militant environment group and, in a finale that follows a second murder, the introduction of a new side to Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar's usually plodding wife.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
A sillier than usual chapter in the life of Agatha Raisin (Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist, 1997, etc.), now retired from her public-relations job and living in the Cotswolds village of Carsely. The appearance of Agathas husband (since deceased) just as she was to marry James Lacy, her icy neighbor and partner in sleuthdom, has soured that relationship, and Agatha, now bored and lonely, accepts a p.r. job with the Ancombe Water Company, run by brothers Peter and Guy Freemont. The two plan to sell mineral water from a spring in Ancombe, not far from Carsely, on land owned by Robina Toynbee. The villagers are bitterly divided on the idea, even more so after Agatha discovers the body of Robert Struthers, chairman and deciding vote of the Ancombe Parish Council, killed by a blow to the head. Agathas p.r. efforts continue unabated, as does her casual affair with Guy Freemont. Then, at the height of the campaigns celebratory fte, Robina, frightened by threatening letters and about to renege on her leasing arrangement, is also found murdered. Agatha and James get together at last to quiz the villagers and report, as usual, to Detective Bill Wong, eventually putting him on the right track but never recovering that old romantic feeling. Fond feelings are in short supply all round, with Mrs. Bloxby, the vicars wife, the least obnoxious female (or male, for that matter) in residence. The unexplained rancor of all the others makes as much sense as the addled plot or the contrived clues that end it all. Even Agathas devoted fans may want to sit out this one. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Mineral Water Can Be Deadly
The village of Ancombe is in an uproar. A mineral water company has requested the right to bottle part of its spring every day. Part of the town thinks this is just what their economy needs, but the other part doesn't want the increase of people this would bring. Agatha Raisin agrees to come out of retirement to handle the public relations for the company. But then a body is found. What side of the issue was the victim on? Will this help or hurt Agatha's new job? And can she find the killer before the launch of the label is ruined?

This book was my introduction to Agatha and her friends. While she is a gruff woman with some vices I don't like, I found myself liking the character. The sub-plots in her personal life seemed a bit immature, but I found them funny and the insecurity they brought out made me like the character. My only real complaint was the plot. While it did eventually pick up speed, much of the first half seemed slow to me, with not much advancement in the story. But once things got moving, I was hooked and completely surprised by the ending.

This won't be my last case with Ms. Raisin. I look forward to catching up on the back-story of this lovable crank and seeing where she goes from here.

Another great Agatha tale.
In the Wellspring of Death, Agatha and James investigate separately, only coming together now and again for the usual misunderstandings and lack of communication regarding their relationship. I don't mind the on-and-off nature of their "love",it makes the stories interesting. Agatha may be insecure, but she's sure enough of herself to love a man who at least is intelligent, mature, handsome, etc. She could do a lot worse than James Lacey, though I prefer Sir Charles, myself.

Agatha Raisin is not promiscuous. In fact, she suffers marked guilt each time she has sex with any man besides her "true" love, James Lacey. But come on, give the woman a break! She's come a long way from her crappy beginnings. Doesn't she deserve a little fun? Agatha is a bright, go-getter with a soft heart beneath the rough exterior, and I cherish the character for both her realism, and her strength of spirit.

Quite The Title!!
This is a good Agatha Raisin story. I found myself enjoying it immensely. Of course it helped that James Lacey was not in it as much as he is in some of the other stories. I don't like him and I wish Agatha would forget him and get on with her own life. Agatha's a mix of city sophisitication and small town vulnerability and that is what makes her so appealing.

In this book Agatha is working freelance on public relations for a new spring water company in a neighbouring village. The commercialization of the spring has opened up a Pandora's box of bad feelings in the village and results in two murders (in true Agatha fashion). In this one though we see a mosltly solo Agatha working on solving the mystery. At the very end she is joined by her village friends to unmask the killer.