The Perfect Paragon

This latest (16th) entry into the long running Agatha Raisin series opens as Agatha is seeking advice from her friend, the vicar's wife, about her new detective agency. Business is slow and Agatha is having doubts about the whole thing. She is surprised when the advice she is given is not to scale back but rather to hire a new employee. Reluctantly Agatha agrees and soon finds herself with more cases, and staff than she had ever imagined. She is even working with the local police! And being Agatha there is a new romance on the horizon. Authors of series novels are faced with some difficult choices. Should their main character age as the series progress or stay the same? How many murders can a person just stumble on to? If the author chooses not to age the character then how to keep the series fresh? Criticisms begin about the stories becoming boring, formulistic etc. If the character does age or change in anyway the complaints are that he/she is not the same. In my opinion Beaton has reached a happy compromise with Agatha who ages slightly with each novel and her personality also matures slightly as time goes on. In the later books Agatha is beginning to realize that she must consider other people's feelings, that the traits that brought her success in the London business world are not serving her well in a small village. To solve the problem of how many bodies Agatha could just happen on to, Beaton has had Agatha open a detective agency so the mysteries will be able to present themselves in a more straightforward manner. These books could be read and enjoyed in any order but due to the on-going story arc of Agatha's personal life it would be better to read them in order.

It is so fun to read this series of mysteries featuring a "prickly" middle-aged woman who is addicted to love, has to work hard to keep her waistline from expanding and hairs from sprouting in inopportune places, yet is really successful and a worthwhile human being. Her friends are very amusing too. I like that Agatha's boyfriends are all flawed. I am glad she has grown more charitable with age. This process started in the very first book, as soon as Agatha fulfilled her dream of retiring to a charming Cotswold village and learned to make friends. Like some other reviewers, I don't like the books as well since Agatha openined her detective agency, but to keep the books coming, I guess change has to happen. These books are a great way to spend a winter evening. If you read one, you will have to read all of them. When you finish with Agatha Raisin, the series about Scottish policeman Hamish MacBeth is great fun too.

I've read all the Agatha Raisin books and thought this one was one of Beaton's best. The plot line is twisted while remaining humorous. The characters are all fleshed out with their own quirks. I was very surprised by another reader's review on this book--perhaps they read it while in a great rush. Or, maybe they just didn't pay attention while reading it? I personally was very happy James Lacey was no longer a character because I thought those with him included were Beaton's weakest plots. I hope in Beaton's next book, Agatha gets to look for James Lacey's killer!

I have enjoyed Beaton's 3 series over the years but never said so in any public forum. I was absolutely floored that another reader so hated this book while I meanwhile was berating myself to read the mystery slower so it wouldn't end so soon.(I finished in less than 3 hours). There were several new characters yet still enough appearances of the old "friends" and interesting plots to take my mind off the g-d hottest day of the summer. My only complaint is that there isn't a new Hamish mystery to read right NOW. Thank you M.C. Beaton for your characters, your settings, your plots and your writing.

In the Cotswolds, figuring she might as well get paid for having someone try to kill her, Agatha Raisin turned pro, opening up Raisin Investigations. After working a dangerous case in which she almost died (see THE DEADLY DANCE), Agatha hires new office help that she hopes is a bit friendlier and safer than her previous assistant. A new client snooty Robert Smedley hires Agatha to prove that his wife Mabel is cheating on him. Though she fears a domestic investigation, Agatha accepts the case because she needs the money, but finds Mabel seems to be a paragon of society. She shows no indiscretions, goes to church, and volunteers her time. Agatha wonders if Ms. Smedley is human as she finds nothing on Mabel. The sleuth locates the corpse of teenager Jessica Bradley. Feeling good will while wondering if Mabel is rubbing off on her (God forbid) Agatha volunteers to investigate the murder; positive publicity being a virtue. However, when someone murders her client (thank goodness she received an advance) she drops the case since no one can pay her expenses or fee that is until the widow hires Agatha to prove she did not murder her late husband. Agatha Raisin is her usual crusty, in your face self in this fabulous entry of the long running series refreshed by her turning pro. Unlike most of the literary sleuths who feel obligated to solve a client's murder, Agatha stays true to character seeing no economic gain by wasting her time on a non-paying job until THE PERFECT PARAGON hires her. M.C. Beaton is at her best with this fine tale filled with twists but kept together by the irascible uncouth Agatha.