WHAT I'M READING

AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH by M.C. Beaton (1992)

 

About the book:

Ah-h-h...

    The cloudless peace of the beautiful Cotswolds....

     After Agatha's years of slaving to promote other people to success, her new life in a picture-book English village is a dream come true.  And how better to make friends than by entering the village quiche-making competition?  To ensure first prize, Agatha buys her entry at London's renowned Quicherie.

     Alas, Agatha's impeccable product is soon exposed -- as not only store-bought but poisoned.  The contest judge, Mr. Cummings-Browne, rumored to be a connoisseur of women as well as food, succumbs after eating it, and with him go Agatha's chances for bucolic bliss -- unless she can nab the poisoner.

     In a reckless game of village quiche-and-tell, Agatha rushes in where angels might fear to tread, infuriating and entertaining her neighbors, but shrewdly gaining on her prey -- all unaware that she's become the prey herself....

My thoughts:

This book was really good, but took a lot longer to read than I anticipated.  It was slow going but worth it.  This is the first Agatha Raisin book.  I want to read them all and I like reading series in order.  But finding it was difficult.  So glad I did.  The character of Agatha seems a little stiff in the beginning, but fleshes out as the book goes on.  Her crazy friends and neighbors only add to the story.  I had figured out about half-way through "who dunnit" but for the life of me couldn't figure out the "how."  A very clever ending.