In this 29th book in the 'Agatha Raisin' series, the private detective looks into multiple murders in the town of Thirk Magna. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
The Cotwolds in England, which are a popular tourist destination, look picturesque and placid. However, they provide plenty of work for private detective Agatha Raisin, who lives in the village of Carsely. Agatha isn't a beauty, but she's a fashionable middle-aged woman with good legs and glossy hair. Thus she attracts a lot of men, and would like to make one of them her third husband.
In this book, Agatha gets drawn into nefarious occurrences in the nearby town of Thirk Magna. Thirk Magna's 'St. Ethelred's Church' has a dedicated group of bell-ringers, who have taken up campanology for a variety of reasons. For the fortyish identical twins Mavis and Millicent Dupin, it's a family legacy; for other bell-ringers, it's an opportunity to get out of the house, exercise, flirt, have fun, etc.
As the book opens, twins Mavis and Millicent Dupin are in a dither because the sexy, handsome, unmarried Bishop Peter Salver-Hinkley is coming to Thirk Magna for an extended visit. The Bishop is raising funds for an old-age home, and plans to attend a bell-ringing and a reception. The twins hope to ingratiate themselves with Salver-Hinkley.....and fall all over themselves to try to attract and hold his attention.
Meanwhile, Agatha Raisin DOES catch the Bishop's eye, and even goes to dinner with him - but she loses interest quickly.
The Dupin siblings, however, are jealous, and decide that Agatha Raisin - and all other women friendly with the Bishop - are their worst enemies. The twins don't realize it, but the Bishop is only interested in women for their money, and will cozy up to any lady with a big bank account. In fact, Salver-Hinkley once had wealthy young fiancé, but she disappeared in mysterious circumstances.
Before long, Thirk Magna begins to be plagued with murders, some of which appear connected to the bell-ringers. Agatha starts to investigate the killings, but soon loses her focus because she's busy chasing men. Agatha's always been man-crazy, but in this book her pursuit of one paramour after another is over the top and desperate.
Besides potential lovers, Agatha socializes with a cadre of men who are (for the most part) just friends, including: Sir Charles Fraith - a destitute aristocrat who's constantly cadging restaurant meals, money, and cigarettes; James Lacey - Agatha's ex-husband and next door neighbor, who always seems to be getting re-married; Bill Wong - a young cop Agatha took under her wing; Patrick - Agatha's gay former business associate; and others.
Unfortunately, the book has parts that are almost incomprehensible. In fact, it feels like chunks of the story are missing. For instance, in one chapter Agatha is deeply agonized over a married lover that's gone back to his wife.....and it's all a big scandal. However, we NEVER got to see Agatha even speak to this man, much less fall in love and get involved in a brouhaha. I went back and forth trying to find this part, to no avail. And this kind of thing happens repeatedly. I listened to the audiobook version of the novel, and it's possible there was some mishap in its production, but - if so - that's on the publisher.
Other than that, the mystery portion of the book follows the usual arc seen in Agatha Raisin books. The detective bumbles around, makes the perp (or perps) nervous, and endangers her own life as a result. Eventually, Agatha exposes the scoundrel(s).
I'm a fan of Agatha Raisin but can't recommend this book. I hope future entries in the series are better.
Rating: 2 stars
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