Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam

Another tale without James (except... no, I won't spoil it!), and the amoral, but likeable baronet instead. And another set of rather gruesome villagers with dark passions and secrets.

Agatha once more stumbles her way through an ambivalent pursuit of several mysterious events, which include, of course, a murder or two.

And once more, Ms. Beaton is adept at evoking the setting, the characters, and the whole atmosphere which is almost a character in and of itself.

Can't wait to see what the teaser at the very end will bring next...

[This is a review I wrote in 2007]

**A light-hearted detective story with a good dose of humour!**

This not-to-be-taken-seriously detective novel is really good fun. It's the first Agatha Raisin novel I've read (picked up on impulse), but I've now started on my next one. Although there does seem to be an order to the Agatha Raisin series, I don't think it matters too much if you read them in random order!

Mid-life crisis interfering Agatha seems to be adept at finding herself at the scene of a crime, and if you find village/small town politics amusing then you won't be able to resist Agatha's meddling charm and disastrous love life!

Agatha's obsession with James is at a stand still and he has taken off again, so when a fortune-teller tells her that her destiny lies in Norfolk Agatha sticks a pin in a map and decides to rent a cottage in Fryfam. Within hours of her arrival she is in the thick of things with the locals. When asked why she has come she pretends she is writing a mystery. The local squire and his wife become loosely disguised characters and when the squire is murdered she has an awkward time explaining herself. She's invited Sir Charles to visit and the pair begin sleuthing and uncovering all kinds of secrets. Typical Agatha mystery with Agatha being her curmudgeonly self.

Murder once again follows Agatha around, this time during a break in Norfolk. Where Agatha hopes to find the right path in life, or the right man, she only seems to find strange people and stranger situations. Penelope Keith reading these is the best thing about them, though how Agatha keeps stumbling across dead bodies is always good for a chuckle.

This installment of Agatha Raisin was mistitled and ought to be called "Death at the Manor" as the fairy plot was weak and insignificant. As with the Witches book Sir Charles joins Agatha in Norfolk. Agatha spends most of the book being grumpier than usual as James has gone away and it's uncertain when he'll return, hence Agatha renting a cottage if Fryfam. This was a fun escapade of the seething subterranean passion below the quiet village surface variety.

Opening Sentence: '…Agatha Raisin was selling up and leaving Carsely for good..."

After being rejected by her neighbour James, Agatha Raisin gloomily seeks the advice of a fortune teller. She is told her destiny lies in Norfolk - so Agatha sticks a pin in a map and it lands on Fryfam. It must be her destiny as there is a house there to rent. Sight unseen Agatha accepts it, packs up her cats and heads off for a new life.

Once there she is made welcome by three members of the Fryfam's Women's Group, to whom she explains her presence by saying she's writing a crime novel, Death at the Manor. This lie proves to be a bad idea because a rich incomer, Tolly Trumpington-James, is soon murdered at his manor house.

Her friend, Sir Charles Fraith, show more moves in with her and the two of them start to investigate the locals to discover who wanted the squire dead. Add to this some strange lights flitting around at the bottom of her garden (fairies?), the theft of a heavily insured George Stubbs painting, the brief disappearance of her cats during a break-in, a browbeaten wife, and a second murder all add to the mix. Who would have thought that so much could happen in a tiny off the main road village.

Agatha is a middle aged woman - opinionated and self-centered - and a smoker. But you can't help but like her. She will never beat Hamish McBeath - but is not a bad character to spend an afternoon with. show less

Agatha and the Lights in the Garden
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (January 2013) of the original St. Martin's Press Minotaur hardcover (June 2000)

The Fairies of Fryham finds Agatha Raisin renting a cottage in Fryham after a fortune teller in the previous book The Witch of Wyckhadden told her that she would find her true love in Norfolk. Her garden appears to show signs of fairy lights at night, but no one in the village will speak about it. Soon there is a murder and Sir Charles Fraith shows up to help Agatha investigate.

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 show more than he is in the screen adaptation and his 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 [book:Down the Hatch|56268978] is yet to be released, and is expected to be published in October 2021.

Trivia and Link
The Fairies of Fryham was adapted as Episodes 3 & 4 of Series 2 for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-). A trailer can be seen on YouTube here. show less