Some thoughts on Agatha Raisin

Shortly after Christmas I read the first two books of the Agatha Raisin series, which were published in 1992 and ’93. I had already read a few of the later books in a random order, depending on what was available in my local library at the time. Therefore, the first instalment Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death felt like a prequel, and it was interesting to see how Agatha adapted to village life in the Cotswolds, how she met her policeman friend Bill Wong, and how she acquired her second cat (she found him on the streets in London).

Agatha’s back story is that she had a troubled upbringing with awful parents, but she rose to find success in the world of public relations, which is rather ironic as she is not the most diplomatic of people. In her early fifties, she decides to take early retirement and move to the Cotswolds, as her only happy childhood holiday took place there. Her new home is in the fictional village of Carsely, which on the surface seems to have little going on. In the first book, Agatha shows her deceitful side when she passes off a quiche bought from an expensive London bakery as her own work. One of the judges dies and the rest of the book is devoted to Agatha trying to clear her name and find the real killer.

The second book involves Agatha investigating the death of a vet (and conman) at the stables of a country house. She is joined in this endeavour by her neighbour James Lacey, whom she soon develops romantic feelings for. The tribulations of their on/off relationship become a regular feature of the series, although Agatha and James both have liaisons with other, often unsuitable people. One of these is Sir Charles Fraith, who appears a little later in the series. Charles seems to have been born into wealth, and seemingly has plenty of time to help Agatha with her sleuthing. Despite his wealth, he is a rather amusing habit of ‘forgetting’ his wallet when visiting fancy restaurants, but somehow remains a likable character.

Another key character is the aforementioned Bill Wong, a young police officer who is often telling Angela and her sidekicks for interfering and also for putting themselves in danger, but is also often grateful for their help. Bill has lots of unsuitable girlfriends, who are invariably put off by his miserable, overbearing parents. As with Agatha’s saga with James, I can’t help but wish that Bill would find someone suitable, but it hasn’t happened so far in the ones I have read.

Would I recommend the Agatha Raisin series as a whole? If you like cosy mysteries, I absolutely would. Agatha is endearing despite her faults, as are most of the other recurring characters such as vicar’s wife Mrs Bloxby, and there are lots of entertaining minor characters. The descriptions of the villages and towns Agatha visits, especially Carsely itself, give a sense of rural Cotswolds life and allow you to visualize Agatha on her visits to potential suspects. Those who prefer a grittier type of crime novel might still enjoy them as light relief. I enjoy darker crime novels such as Ian Rankin’s Rebus series, but when I’m looking for a lighter read Agatha Raisin is a safe bet.