Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 7)

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.

In this 7th book in the Agatha Raisin series, Agatha is asked to come out of retirement to help a local firm promote its spring water, bottled from a historic village spring. The parish council members are divided on whether to agree to the deal, and one of the members soon turns up dead...in the spring! Agatha must put a spin on this P.R. disaster, and in the process once again steps in to blunder her way to solving the case.The Agatha Raisin series is one of my favorite cozy mystery series on the market, and I have enjoyed the character development of Agatha throughout the series. I like that Agatha was able to use some of her P.R. skills in this book, and the fact that the premise to the case was fresh and interesting. After reading several books in the series I began to wonder how Ms. Beaton would develop new cases for Agatha since it would be odd to have a village where everyone went around killing one another. (Who would want to live there?) However, I think that each case Agatha stumbles across (she always happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!) is entertaining and somewhat believable. Agatha is a rich character that is not at all what she seems on the outside, and I believe that it takes several books to get to know the true goodness of this character. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you will find that this series is a humorous delight.The first book in the series is "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death". Enjoy!

Reading an Agatha book like AGATHA RAISIN AND THE WELLSPRING OF DEATH is like eating chocolate-covered jalapeno peppers while drinking grapefruit juice, followed by a nice, hot cup of sweetened tea. You don't see how all the different elements could go together, but they do! This is about the 7th in the series that features Agatha and her neighbor James. All the traditional Agatha elements are here: the cozy Cotswolds, the quirky local characters, some "incomers" to stir things up, James, Roy. And it's so funny I laughed out loud several times, usually at Agatha's biting sense of humor. ("That woman has halitosis of the soul," said Agatha.) I'm telling you, Agatha really grows on you. Where I once said she'd never be my best friend, I just love her now. And where else in literary circles do we find attractive women in their 50s with a hot sex life? Go, Agatha!

it was the name "Agatha" that drew me to this book: my first Agatha Raisin and being a crime fan it is no puzzle to see how this came about. I enjoyed it so much I bought all the rest, spent many delicious summer weeks reading them all and now waiting for another one. They won't challenge the intellect but boy are they good for relieving stress. thanks Mrs Beaton

There's not much I can add to the previous review of Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death. I just love this series! The characters are irascible, much like real life, and with Beaton's wonderful sense of humor and description, I enjoy reading this so much that the mystery itself is secondary!