Hmm. I've read other Agatha Raisin books and enjoyed them. This one seems like it was mailed in. Characters pop in and out, and you are meant to know them and all their history from before. I didn't, and felt out of the loop. Agatha herself walks into rooms, shouts "did you kill X?" And everyone shouts at her to "get out of here right now". She leaves. The point?

Half of the book is about Agatha adjusting her makeup and clothing to entice almost anyone in pants - she seemed as shallow as a drop of cheap whiskey and I didn't like her here. I love a spunky heroine but just plain stupid and offensive is a waste of time. Another great section of the book is devoted to Agatha telling us her female employee was the best on her staff but because she was so good looking she never wanted to send her to interview men.
Seemed petty and unbelievable. Actually, I had a hard time believing anything in this story.

Or caring.

Much prefer the dowdy yet interesting Vera books by Anne Cleeves. She's grumpy and abrupt but can be appropriate on her job. ( )

Agatha and the Pantomime
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (September 2014) of the original St. Martin's Press Minotaur hardcover (September 2014)

The Blood of an Englishman has Agatha investigating a murder that occurs at the annual village pantomime performance in Winter Parva. The series is getting somewhat tired at this point and laziness has set in. The touchstones are all present which regular readers and listeners will recognize, but the old joy seems to be missing (by #29 The Dead Ringer it actually gets rather bitter and nasty). At this point with only a few books to go before the continuation series book #32 Down the Hatch is released on October 26, 2021, I'm obviously going to continue as it will be interesting to see how R.W. Green carries on.

These cozies are always somewhat different from the TV-series which I saw first. Agatha is definitely more cranky in the books, but her human faults and foibles make us accept and love her nevertheless. The formula is pretty much set in stone now for the series. Agatha finds a new man, is jealous of ex-husband James Lacey and occasional lover/friend Charles Fraith, is jealous and meddling with Toni Gilmour's love life, helps Roy Silver out despite his publicity transgressions, gets sympathy from Mrs. Bloxby, is helped by first village friend Detective Sergeant Bill Wong, etc.

The narration of this book #25 is the start of an extended interregnum for books #25 to #29 by narrator Alison Larkin. Series regular Penelope Keith returns for books #30 to #32. Larkin is fine in the role, but I've grown most used to Keith's manner of adding character to the different voices.

Most (28 of 32) of the Agatha Raisin audiobooks are free on Audible Plus. A continuation series Book 32 Down the Hatch is yet to be released, and is expected to be published on October 26, 2021. Down the Hatch is apparently entirely written by continuation writer R.W. Green whereas #31 Hot to Trot was a collaboration with M.C. Beaton.

Trivia and No Link
The Blood of an Englishman has not yet been adapted for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-). ( )

As usual Beaton bangs on about smoking, "global warming" (as she calls it) and faux fur. Particularly nasty was her remark that a domestic violence victim was "eminently beatable". Very unpleasant ( )

I saw this book and thought it would be a sure-fire get-me-in-the-mood-for-Christmas read. As I said in last week's Friday Reads, 'What could be more festive than murder at a pantomime?'

I knew I was wrong when my wife read the book earlier this week and didn't seem enthused. She said it was rambling and unfocused. That there were too many characters and too many under-worked ideas. That the plot took so long to unwind that you'd almost forgotten about the pantomime by the end and that, just when you thought it was all over, M. C. Beaton added a new character, clearly meant to be a baddy in a future book and did absolutely nothing with her.

I read the book anyway because we don't always see the same thing in a book but all the way through, a small voice in my head was going: 'You brought this on yourself. You were warned.'

I was very disappointed. I'd enjoyed an earlier Christmas Agatha Raisin, 'Agatha Raisin And Kissing Christmas Goodbye' so I thought this one would work. Except it wasn't really a Christmas book. It started with a murder at the 'Babes in the Woods' amateur Panto that would make any man cross his legs and cringe just to think about. It was swiftly followed by a 'Mikado'-related death that was equally spectacular. We were on a roll. Then reality raised its unwanted head and it took Agatha months and months to figure out who had killed whom and how and why. While that may be true to life, it meant that the Christmas theme evaporated very early.

There were multiple bloody murders, carried out with great theatricality and yet they made no impact on me. I wasn't invested in any of the dead people and the focus of the live people seemed to be mostly on whether Agatha should marry for the third time and if so, who should the future ex-husband be?

The plot meandered. The dialogue didn't sparkle. By the end, I was just glad that the whole book only took six hours to listen to.

Can I think of anything more positive to say?

Yes; 'IT'S BEHIND ME'. ( )

Granted, Agatha Raisin is not an appealing person, but this was the worst Agatha story. Abandoned midway. ( )