Agatha Raisin and the Love From Hell

I just love Agatha Raisin, the protagonist in this series. She's pushing middle-age, shortish, stocky, the total opposite of politically correct, independent, a highly successful retired public relations agent, brash, pushy but with terrific hair and legs. Agatha loves a good mystery and just can't help herself, she has to solve the case, to find that murderer. Her main problem is that she's absolutely besotted with her uptight, stuffed shirt next door neighbor, James Lacey, and is ruthless in her pursuit of him.

In this book we find that Agatha's dreams have come true and she and James finally married, but then she asks herself, why is she so unhappy? Marriage isn't supposed to be an early introduction to hell but this one appears to show more be. When James disappears leaving behind evidence of injury and a struggle as well as a murdered mistress, Agatha, along with her friend Sir Charles, springs into action to clear James' name and find not only the real murderer but also the whereabouts of James himself.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery, there were moments when I just couldn't stop chuckling as Agatha found herself in one scrape after the other...and losing her dignity a little more each time as the clues are unearthed. show less

This was slightly longer than most of the books in the series, and I feel it was a better read for this very reason - it allowed a bit more depth in the story. Interesting to see how the relationship between Agatha and James Lacey developed. Her personal life is rather like a car crash!

You know that old saying, be careful what you wish for because you might get it? Well that's what happens when Agatha marries James. He's a horrible husband who is controlling, rude, inconsiderate and even unfaithful. I saw most of that coming. What I didn't see was him being an absolute coward.

I love these books because they never fail to entertain and this one was more entertaining than most. A little far fetched but a lot of fun and that's what my tbr list is all about.

Agatha finally gets her Man
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (January 2013) of the original St. Martin's Press Minotaur hardcover (December 2001)

The Love from Hell finds Agatha Raisin finally married to her village crush James Lacey but they soon begin to annoy each other and James takes up with an incomer named Melissa. Melissa is found murdered and James disappears. Agatha and her regular allies esp. Sir Charles Fraith, have to solve the crime and find out where James has gone.

I'm continuing to enjoy the fun of this cozy series which is somewhat different from the TV-series which I saw first. Sir Charles is much more of a recurring character and occasional love interest than he is in the screen adaptation and his show more cheap and chintzy manners are played up quite a bit. The narration by regular reader Penelope Keith is always excellent in all voices.

Most (28 of 32) of the Agatha Raisin audiobooks are free on Audible Plus. A posthumous Book 32 Down the Hatch is yet to be released, and is expected to be published in October 2021.

Trivia and Link
The Love from Hell was adapted as Episodes 5 & 6 of Series 3 for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-). A trailer can be seen on Vimeo here. show less

A more involved mystery. Entertaining as usual, but the outcome with James Lacey left me blinking. Great fun for the book, but odd and difficult to believe as I felt it was out of character. Read as impeccably as ever.

This is a nice cozy mystery. Agatha, back from her honeymoon, quickly realizes that this marriage is not under a good star. She feels that her husband has a relationship with a local woman. When he disappears injured and the alleged lover is found dead, Agathe and Charles go in search of what really happened. Soon they have to realize that they are dealing with psychopaths and James, Agatha's husband has other life plans.

Agatha and James are barely back from their honeymoon before they run into trouble. James is overly critical and wants to maintain his own space, i.e. cottage. Agatha is jealous of James continued friendship with an old flame, insecure about her age and looks and wanting to maintain her occasional consulting career. They get on each other's nerves and have public rows. Then James disappears leaving a bloody cottage behind and Agatha gets suspicious looks. When she and her friend Charles go to question the old flame, Melissa, they find her beaten to death. Now James may be suspect. Charles and Agatha try to look into Melissa's background for other enemies and hunt for James. This is an interesting twist in the series. Our sleuths solve show more the mystery but there are significant changes in store for Agatha at the end of this. I have a like/dislike feeling for Agatha that makes me want to see what will happen next. show less