Review of "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death: The First Book in the Agatha Raisin Series" by M.C. Beaton

I've read several books in the Agatha Raisin series but didn't read the first one until now. In this story we're introduced to Agatha and several other recurring characters.

*****

Irascible, fiftysomething Agatha Raisin - a stout, square-faced woman with good legs and a brown bob - fought and scraped to establish her successful public relations firm in London.



Now that Agatha is financially secure, she decides to retire to the picturesque Cotswolds, which she once visited as a child. Agatha buys a little cottage in the village of Carlsey, but she lacks the social skills for life in a small town.



One of Agatha's first faux pas' is to steal the cleaning lady, Doris Simpson, from her next door neighbor, Sheila Barr. Agatha lures Doris away by offering higher pay, and Sheila is furious.



After knocking around for a while with no village friends, Agatha hits on an idea. She'll enter Carsley's annual quiche baking contest, and her first place win will make her a local celebrity. The problem is Agatha never cooked (or baked) a thing in her life! So Agatha purchases a spinach quiche from a good quicherie in London, puts her name on it, and enters it in the contest.....fully expecting to win.



What Agatha doesn't know is that the quiche contest's judge, Mr. Cummings-Browne.....



......ALWAYS awards first place to a woman called Ella Cartright.



So Agatha loses the contest and angrily leaves her quiche behind to be thrown away. Instead, Mrs. Cummings-Browne takes the quiche home......



.....and that night, while Mrs. Cummings-Browne is out, her husband eats two large pieces. Mr. Cummings-Browne then drops dead, poisoned by cowbane in the quiche.



The police, Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes and Constable Bill Wong, question Agatha, who has to fess up about cheating in the quiche contest.





After investigating, the police decide that cowbane got mixed up with spinach, and Mr. Cummings-Browne's death was accidental.

However, Agatha isn't so sure, and when she starts looking into the victim's death, she gets anonymous threats. So Agatha decides to do some amateur sleuthing, and she's helped by flamboyant Roy Silver - one of the employees in her old public relations firm.



Agatha learns that Mr. Cummings-Browne was a flagrant philanderer, and one of his many 'girlfriends' was quiche contest winner Ella Cartright. In Agatha's eyes there are any number of suspects, including her neighbor Sheila Barr - who may have wanted to frame Agatha; Mr. Cartright - whose wife was cheating with the victim; Mrs. Cummings-Browne, who was embarassed by her husband's behavior; and others. Agatha's investigation is assisted by Constable Bill Wong, who wants to see justice done.

As the story unfolds we meet other ongoing characters, like the vicar's wife Mrs Bloxby - who becomes a friend of Agatha's;



and Colonel James Lacey - a handsome incomer on whom Agatha develops a huge crush.



This is a good introduction to the Agatha Raisin series, recommended to both newbies and fans who haven't read it yet.

Rating: 3.5 stars