Mary

I'm new to the Agatha Raisin Mysteries, but I'm glad Audible is now carrying them. This is for lovers of those mysteries called 'cozy'. Agatha Raisin is not a "sweet, sexy, young thing', she's a self-made business woman who has retired to the country and seems to rub everyone the wrong way with her personality - but you can't help liking her anyway! This book picks up in the middle of the series. The books can stand alone, but are more fun if read in order.

I'm glad I didn't read the other review before listening to this book! Perhaps, because I'm not a man I loved the writing. I bought and am currently listening to Ms. Penny's second book because the town she creates, along with the people who inhabit it, is so vividly described I want to go for a visit. (Except someone gets murdered in this tiny little village every couple of years!)

If you like Englizh 'cozies' I think you'll like this book. If you want an action thriller, perhaps you should pick another writer.

While trying to decide how many stars to give this book, I reread the publishers description. I don't think the book reaches the lofty heights described. I can't say the book is bad, nor is it really good -- just OK. I do not think it can be compared to Sherlock Holmes. It is not nearly as compelling.

I'm really sorry I did check out the reviews on this book before buying. I used to LOVE this series, but it has become somewhat repetitive. The reader was VERY distracting. The sucking, slurping, swallowing sounds were very irritating and I will never listen to anything read by her again. She has a very good voice, but seems to have a salivary impediment!

During the first half of the book, I wondered why I was so detached from the story and the imaginative world the author was trying to create. Finally I realized that the story was merely a vehicle the author was using to espouse his own philosophies and prove he is well read. The characters were created and hung upon his ideas, instead of springing from the story itself. It's a real shame too, the world could have been so fascinating. I did manage to finish the book, but only because I refused to give up and hoped for something to redeem the work. Unfortunately, it never happened.