Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Picking up where Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage left off, lovesick Agatha leaves her cozy Cotswolds cottage to follow her neighbor and ex-fiancé, James Lacey (ex, because Agatha's long-AWOL husband, whom she had thought dead, turned outalbeit only brieflyto be alive), to Cyprus, where they were to have honeymooned. While searching for the elusive James, Agatha meets a dreary band of British tourists, including the upper-crust Olivia and George Debenham and the lowlier Trevor Wilcox and his garish wife, Rose. Once Agatha tracks down James, the uncomfortably and still platonically reunited lovers embark on an evening out with the Debenhams, the Wilcoxes and several others, only to have Rose's murder mar the fun. Agatha's sleuthing instincts surface, as she is determined to solve the murder and win back James. Beaton's lively prose see-saws between the investigation and Agatha's entertaining love life, as she finds comfort in the arms of a friendly baronet, Sir Charles Fraith, while sorting her feelings for Lacey. After several attempts on her life and a second murder, Agatha uncovers a web of deceit behind the snobby British facade. Beaton has the Agatha formula down pat. Her imperfect heroine is an absolute gem and, since these stories never take themselves too seriously, readers can relax and enjoy them with a clean conscience. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Now that her ex-fiancé has run off to Cyprus, Agatha decides that her Cotswold village is boring. She pursues her former intended, witnesses a murder in a disco, and sleuths once more. Another refreshing and delightful series addition. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The marriage of expublic relations whiz Agatha Raisin to cold, enigmatic James Lacey, who lives next door to her retirement cottage in the Cotswold village of Carsely, has fallen through (Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage, 1996, etc.). James has taken off for Cyprus, the planned site of their aborted honeymoon, and Agatha, incomprehensibly, takes off after him. Soon after her arrival, on a day cruise in the harbor at Kyrenia, she meets an oddly mixed group of tourists--aristocratic Olivia Debenham, her broker husband George, and their older friend Harry Tembleton-- spending much of their time in the company of low-class, tarty Rose Wilcox, her hard-drinking husband Trevor, and their elderly friend Angus King. Agatha has tracked down James and, on a platonic basis, is sharing his rented house. They've joined the oddball group at a disco one night when Rose is stabbed to death and Agatha and James are detained and questioned by Detective Inspector Lyall Pamir. A second murder in the group arouses all of Agatha's detecting fervor. She gets background info on them from her policeman friend Bill Wong in England; escapes a couple of attacks on her own life; plays around a bit with vacationing long time acquaintance Sir Charles Fraith; and bemoans James's disappearance just as she solves the case. None of this nonsense can be taken seriously, least of all Agatha's obsession with the thoroughly off-putting James or plotting as full of holes as Swiss cheese. Only the author's blithe and breezy style and some interest in the historic sights of northern Cyprus could inspire most readers to stay the course.
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