Pushing Up Daisies (Agatha Raisin) by M C Beaton
| Pushing Up Daisies (Agatha Raisin) by M C Beaton | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: Delicious black comedy wrapped up in a private investigator story. A fun read. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 240/6h22m | Date: September 2016 |
| Publisher: Constable | |
| ISBN: 978-1472117212 | |
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'Allotments' sound as though they should be a haven of peace and tranquility, but it's surprising how often the reverse proves to be the case. The villagers of Carsley are up in arms because Lord Bellington has said that he's going to sell off the allotments for a new housing development. When he turns up dead, poisoned by antifreeze, no one is particularly sorry - and there's no shortage of suspects either. Lord Bellington's son, Damian, employs Agatha Raisin and her detective agency to discover who murdered his father.
On another visit to the allotments, Agatha is almost tempted to take on an allotment herself. It all looks so peaceful with people tilling the soil and working hard on growing their own fruit and vegetables. What could be better? Then common sense takes hold: Agatha knows that she doesn't like getting her hands dirty. Three keen gardeners are bemoaning the state of a very neglected strip and one of them takes a spade to the weeds and grass - until his spade hits something hard. It's the body of Petra Currie, newcomer to the village and she'd seemed to be everyone's favourite. Who would want to murder her?
I used to be sniffy about Agatha Raisin: weak plots full of unlikely coincidences didn't really appeal to me, or so I thought. Then I heard several episodes on the radio and realisation dawned as it never had done from the printed page: this was comedy, in-your-face black comedy. I stopped looking at them as 'cosy crime' and began to enjoy the books for what they were. The key to this is Agatha's personality. She's 53 years old, but doesn't look or act it. She aims for the well-dressed look and always likes to appear intelligent, despite her lack of education, which allows the reader some delicious sniggers at her expense.
She's lonely though: two husbands down and she's still hunting for that illusive perfect man (well, actually, he needn't be that perfect...) who will allow her to settle down. She's not exactly desperate, but she's a healthy woman and this does beckon her into a dalliance with a (very much) younger man, much to her embarrassment, particularly when she realises that he won't need to be let down lightly after all. She has mellowed a little with age: she's kind to the vicar's wife when she seems to have a crush on a newcomer to the village - and she wouldn't have done that a few years ago.
The plot isn't strong, but these aren't books which you read in the hope of a convoluted mystery any more than you read P G Wodehouse for the plot. The body count is high (there ought to be a health warning for anyone thinking of moving to Carsley), but there's nothing too gory. The location shouts 'Cotswold village' or indeed any other village blessed with a split population - those who weren't born there but can afford to live there, and those who were, but can't. It was an enjoyable read and whilst I might not have laughed out loud I had a lot of smiles and a good few sniggers. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
If you enjoy PI mysteries, we've recently read Closed Casket: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery by Sophie Hannah and been pleased by the man's reincarnation. For another crime story where there's plenty of humour, try Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano.
M C Beaton's Agatha Raisin Books in Chronological Order
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