Hiss and Hers: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (edition 2012)

Poor old Agatha. When I left her at the end of the first novel, she was smooching over her neighbour. In this novel, she's got her eyes firmly fixed on at another ‘hunk’. Unfortunately for them both, he ends up in the compost heap having come off badly against a poisonous viper. How he came to be there, is the question Agatha must answer.
Agatha comes across as much more likeable in this novel than in earlier novels of this series. Others must think so as well because her friends rally around and help her crack the case, unearthing a heap of vipers along the way.
I enjoyed reading this, it was particularly nice to find out how Agatha and the other characters have grown over time.
An absolute must for the many fans of the series, and a recommend for fans of the comic detective genre.
Nina Jon is the author of the Jane Hetherington Adventures in Detection crime and mystery series. To learn more please link through www.ninajonbooks.com ( )

Fun! Definitely enjoyed it more than the last few. ( )

I managed to acquire this book in audio format. It is read by the excellent Penelope Keith, who, several years ago, was my first introduction to the Agatha Raisin stories, when I chanced upon a reading on BBC Radio 4 Extra. She was, consequently, my first impression of Agatha but, I genuinely believe that it would have been Ms Keith's voice that I would have put to the feisty detective even were I to have encountered the books, prior to the radio series. I might well have had the actress in my mind's eye too, even allowing for the fact that she is rather more attractive than the description of our eponymous sleuth.

If you are new to this series of crimes, you will soon decide as to whether they are to your taste, or no: they are gently humorous tales without graphic detail of horrendous torture, mutilation and painful death, as seems almost a pre-requisite of most modern day crime fiction. Police procedure is also noticeable by its absence. The characters, whilst exaggerated versions of real people, are much more important, and the crime is, inevitably, solved by Raisin's understanding of the criminals mindset. Do not buy these books if you are after glamour, fast moving World wide trips to the exotic and explicit scenes of a sexual nature because, you will be seriously disappointed. Mrs Raisin has a very different temperament to Agatha Christie's Marple, but the idea of events unfolding within a quite St Mary Mead type village are very similar.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, as I have other books in the series. Ms. Beaton has that ability, shared with the best detective fiction writers, of being able to lead the reader up the garden path and then, allowing him/her to arrive at a solution, a paragraph or so before the detective. I shall not give any details herein as to whom the murderer of George Marston, the philandering gardener, might be; I would be amaze, however, were you to rumble the denouement ahead of the final chapter.

Personally, I should have bought the paper version of this work, as I prefer to read than to listen but, the six one hour discs are superbly narrated, as one would expect, by Penelope Keith (I haven't let slip my attraction to this actress, have I?) and the inclination to spend an entire day listening to them, one after another, was almost, too great to resist. I must, guiltily admit that I shall listen to these discs more than once - I am blessed with a brain that can remember all sorts of trivia, but which manages to obliterate all reminiscence of the last few pages of a whodunnit within a few days!

A good entertaining read/listen - first class! ( )

I used to love the Agatha Raisin series, but the last few books have been less than stellar. I don't like the way the plot quickly moves from thing to another with really no lead up. The first part of this book had a tight plot and was centred around an English country summer. The atmosphere was wonderful, hot, dry with a storm finally coming to break the tension. But the tension of the book itself didn't follow the weather scenario. Then in the last half of the book we jumped 9 months, then a year and then almost 2 years with no plot to sustain this swift passage of time. I realize that cozy mysteries work on their own timeline, but this one was ridiculous. I felt like I was running to catch up to what was happening to Aggie and her crew. And Aggie's neediness for a man is getting old and tired too. We didn't get to see much of the wonderful Mrs. Bloxby either, so that in itself is a disappointment. I would give this one a miss unless you're a die hard Agatha Raisin fan. ( )

Agatha may be an observant detective, but when it comes to men, she is clueless. She has fallen in love – again – but the object of her desire is after other women. Poor Agatha is totally oblivious to this fact. She totters around on stilettos, hoping for a romantic encounter. Alas, it was not meant to be! But now, wishing to unmask the murderer, she and her fellow detectives find themselves the target of the murderer’s wrath. A quick read, fans of this series will enjoy this installment, even while we hope that someday Agatha will smarten up enough to seek a lasting relationship based on mutual interests rather than indulging in shallow infatuations. ( )