Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came

An Agatha Raisin Mystery, Book 12

By: M. C. Beaton

Narrated by: Penelope Keith

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Abandoned by new husband, James, Agatha Raisin hops on a plane to the South Pacific in the hope that an idyllic holiday will bring some consolation. There, she befriends a honeymooning couple but, tragically, the young bride is accidentally drowned. Returning home to the Cotswolds, Agatha finds herself involved in a strangely similar situation - a woman, dressed in a wedding gown, is found floating in the river. The police say suicide, but Agatha sets out to prove them wrong.

©2006 M. C. Beaton (P)2012 AudioGO

Consistent Development

The stories remain engaging and fresh partly due to the entrance and exit, and re-entrance of various new and old characters. While Bill Wong, the Vicar's wife, and Roy remain consistent interlocutors, they are somewhat more in the background than Agatha's co-sleuths, who carry more of the weight of each story. James Lacey, Charles Fraith, and now John Armitage provide the up front foils for Agatha's detecting and their here, gone, and again here give the stories consistency and grounding. Their serial introductions keep the story line from becoming too staid. These are fun stories and provide good entertainment without the heaviness of more serious stories. Even so, these are not comedies and while there is some humor, it plays a distant role and occurs naturally as part of the story at infrequent, even sparse instances.

Recommended

Another pleasant visit with Agatha

The latest addition in this series is funny, light and very enjoyable. The plot was well developed and the characters intersting and amusing. This is truly a good book.

A different Agatha...imagine that!

I'm addicted to the Agatha series, and this book features a different Agatha!
She's had some hard knocks: her 'on again/off again' romance with James turned
into marriage that quickly went sour, and he took off (no spoilers..) Our girl needed
some healing time... and she reckoned with maturity! This is a fun read with some new
characters, and an Agatha who is showing some emotional maturity (some.. not totally! ).
This goes fast, and I look forward to more growth, more new opportunities with thanks
to the author for pushing into new territory and props to Penelope Keith, a marvelous reader!
This series always makes me laugh out loud!

Wrong Spanish Accent

Sigh. Apparently, no-one told Penelope Keith that a Chilean accent is VERY different from a Spain-Spanish accent. In South America, Central America, and North America, Spanish speakers do NOT have the “th”/lisp! Thus, the Hernandez family (& others) would NOT pronounce their “z”s, “s”s, etc. with a “th” sound. They also would NOT pronounce “English” as if there were an “H” in front of it. Hmmnnn... do Spain-Spanish people add an “H” sound?

How did NO-ONE involved in the production bother to find out what makes up a Chilean accent? (Especially since, not only is it VERY different from a Spain-Spanish accent, Chilean also has features unique to it, compared to other “Latino” accents.)

Story is good; interesting, and we learn some new information re different locales, as per usual :-)

Agatha needs some SERIOUS therapy

Still liking the series, but I have to admit Agatha's behavior is putting me off a bit. She is a classic example of narcissistic personality disorder. I believe it stems from her upbringing in the slums which then gave her a massive inferiority complex. It was the only way she knew how to survive, but unfortunately she never picked up healthy coping mechanisms along the way and WAHLAH. ....We have the Agatha of today. She scrutinizes everyone's behavior to the tenth degree, always looking for a slight, but blatantly excuses her own behavior, no matter how destructive and disruptive, with little consideration at all. M.C. Beaton, get your girl's shit together. I am beginning to think we are reading more than an entertaining mystery. I think you are writing a cautionary tale on full display to your readers and that you hope, really hope they will take notice and learn. Unfortunately, I must admit that this is becoming tiresome and truly a distraction from the story. Let's get back on track, please.....thank you.

Another great story of Agatha and her adventures

Always a great story and a few good laughs following Agatha as she attempts to solve a mystery before the police do.

Excellent story line

Wonderful narration of a mystery with many plot twists and turns. Highly recommend for all who love a who done it!

BEST NARRATOR

Penelope Keith is the best narrator of Agatha Raisin mysteries! All Aggie fans agree so please continue Penelope Keith as her only narrator.

Fun series

I love this series. The writing is humorous and the performance is right on. I laugh out loud while listening.

Good but lacked something

Agatha has returned to Carsley after an extended vacation. Her now ex-husband's cottage has been bought by a handsome mystery writer. Advised by the Vicar's wife to take it easy and not set her cap for him like the rest of the ladies in the village, Agatha is surprised when he volunteers to help her investigate the murder of a young woman. Will things take a romantic turn for the pair or will her new neighbor turn out to be a dud in the water? Overall a good read but lacked some of the excitement of previous books, and bordered on the boring side for me.