Even in the small village of Carsely, Agatha Raisin's
detective agency is doing well. When Lord Billington is
found murdered, suspects abound: Billington had enraged
the villagers by threatening to turn their allotments into
housing developments. He was a boor, he hated everyone,
and someone disliked him enough to do away with him.
Agatha and her detectives start inquiring, and bodies soon
start popping up left and right, but are all those murders
connected? All the while, Agatha's love life goes hot and
cold; will she ever find that elusive mate?
I was in the mood for a cozy mystery, and I picked up
PUSHING UP DAISIES. I have never read M. C. Beaton before.
An amusing, predictable and
cute story, she said. Ha! What I thought would be a sedate
little country mystery turned out to be a very complex
story with plot twists that nearly gave me whiplash, which
is fantastic! Agatha Raisin is more of a Jessica Fletcher
who is trying to quit smoking and has a penchant for gin
and tonics. She doesn't need a man, but she wants to get
married again, how novel! She has a very sharp tongue,
she's very direct; she is decidedly not a sweet little old
lady, and I love her!
PUSHING UP DAISIES is a marvel of British dry wit, snappy
dialogues, and very colourful characters: think of Miss
Marple done by Monty Python! The tone is as comfortable as
can be, the story moves at a furious pace, and even though
PUSHING UP DAISIES is the latest book in a long series,
and the cast of characters is quite large, I never felt
lost because each individual is so clearly defined. There
was a romantic plot twist, that even if it was
bittersweet, left me elated, because it was so unexpected
but welcome. I love that Agatha doesn't get herself into
impossible situations, and surprisingly enough, everything
felt real. There are almost as many romantic entanglements
as there are suspenseful twists, and both are well
balanced and meshed together, and they were equally
delightful. I never thought one character would be killed
off, another I had grown quite fond of did not behave
quite as I anticipated, and I just love Detective Bill
Wong! The main culprit was the logical one, but what wild
ride it was reaching the startling conclusion, I enjoyed
every moment! From this day on, count me among M. C.
Beaton's fans! Why, oh why, did I ever wait this long!
When Agatha Raisin left behind her PR business in London,
she fulfilled her dream of settling in the cozy British
Cotswolds where she began a successful private detective
agency. Unfortunately, the village she lives in is about to
get a little less cozy. Lord Bellington, a wealthy land
developer, wants to turn the community garden into a housing
estate. When Agatha and her friend Sir Charles Fraith
attempt to convince Lord Bellington to abandon his plans he
scoffs: “Do you think I give a damn about those pesky
villagers?” So when Agatha finds his obituary in the
newspaper two weeks later, it’s no surprise that some in
town are feeling celebratory.
The villagers are relieved to learn that Bellington’s son
and heir, Damian, has no interest in continuing his father’s
development plans. But the police are definitely interested
in him—as suspect number one. His father’s death, it
seems, was no accident. But when Damian hires Agatha to find
the real killer, she finds no shortage of suspects. The good
news is that a handsome retired detective named Gerald has
recently moved to town. Too bad he was seen kissing another
newcomer. But when she is also found murdered, Gerald is
eager to help Agatha with the case. Agatha, Gerald, and her
team of detectives must untangle a web of contempt in order
to uncover a killer’s identity.
M.C. Beaton's Pushing Up Daisies continues the
tradition in this beloved mystery series.
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