201 pages
English language
Published Nov. 14, 1992 by St. Martin's Press.
Agatha Raisin series #1
When Mrs. Agatha Raisin decides to retire early to the English Cotswolds, she envisions herself enjoying all that country life has to offer: garden parties, tea at the vicarage, and a cozy home far from the noise and smell of London.
Life in the village of Carsely is not as Agatha anticipated, however. Much to her surprise, she doesn't attract much interest among the villagers. No one comes to call; there are no invitations to tennis or tea. A miserable Agatha is forced to acknowledge that she is but another newcomer to the well-established Carsely society.
Agatha didn't succeed in business by being a shrinking violet, though, so she shakes off her doubts and resolves to make her mark on the village: She will enter Carsely's Great Quiche Competition and win! The fact that Agatha has never baked so much as a potato in her life …
Agatha Raisin series #1
When Mrs. Agatha Raisin decides to retire early to the English Cotswolds, she envisions herself enjoying all that country life has to offer: garden parties, tea at the vicarage, and a cozy home far from the noise and smell of London.
Life in the village of Carsely is not as Agatha anticipated, however. Much to her surprise, she doesn't attract much interest among the villagers. No one comes to call; there are no invitations to tennis or tea. A miserable Agatha is forced to acknowledge that she is but another newcomer to the well-established Carsely society.
Agatha didn't succeed in business by being a shrinking violet, though, so she shakes off her doubts and resolves to make her mark on the village: She will enter Carsely's Great Quiche Competition and win! The fact that Agatha has never baked so much as a potato in her life doesn't stop her; she submits a delectable store-bought quiche as her own.
Having dusted off her mantelpiece to accommodate her silver cup, Agatha is stunned to see the award go to another entry. Her surprise turns to horror, however, when the contest judge drops dead--from poison the police trace to Agatha's "homemade" spinach pie.
Agatha is now the talk of the town--though not exactly in the manner she had hoped. In an effort to clear her name, she turns amateur sleuth.
M.C. Beaton's writing reminds me of Miss Read, writing about Thrush Green. It's a very dispassionate style. You have to acquire a taste for it. The mystery was well written, with enough clues for the reader. Agatha herself is hard to like - her mental processes are not well explained.
If you like the Hamish MacBeth murder stories by this same author, then you will like these.
