About this item
Highlights
- Busy Body continues the tradition in M. C. Beaton's beloved Agatha Raisin mystery series--now a hit show on Acorn TV and public television.
- About the Author: M. C. Beaton (1936-2019), the "Queen of Crime" (The Globe and Mail), was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels -- the basis for the hit show on Acorn TV and public television -- as well as the Hamish Macbeth series and the Edwardian Murder Mysteries featuring Lady Rose Summer.
- 304 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Mystery & Detective
- Series Name: Agatha Raisin
Description
About the Book
A Grinch-like health and safety inspector gets his comeuppance in this irresistible new Agatha Raisin mystery from the "New York Times"-bestselling reigning queen of cozies ("Booklist").Book Synopsis
Busy Body continues the tradition in M. C. Beaton's beloved Agatha Raisin mystery series--now a hit show on Acorn TV and public television.
Agatha Raisin has always been ambivalent about holiday cheer, but her cozy little village of Carsely has long prided itself on its Christmas festivities. But this year Mr. John Sunday, a self-important officer with the Health and Safety Board, has ruled that the traditional tree on top of the church is a public menace; that lampposts are unsafe for hanging illuminations; that May Dimwoody's homemade toys are dangerous for children... Things have reached such a desperate pass that the Carsely Ladies' Society joins forces with the ladies in the neighboring village of Odley Cruesis to try to put a stop to Mr. Sunday's meddling--only to find that someone has literally put a stop to him with a kitchen knife. Agatha's detective agency is on the case, but when a man has made as many enemies as John Sunday, it's hard to know where to start...From the Back Cover
This Christmas, be careful what you wish for...
Cranky yet lovable Agatha Raisin has always been ambivalent about holiday cheer, though her cozy village of Carsely has long prided itself on its Christmas festivities. Until now. This year, local Health and Safety Board officer John Sunday is threatening to undo some of Carsley's most time-honored traditions. The tree on top of the church? A public menace. The decorations hanging on the lampposts? Hazardous. Even May Dimwoody's homemade toys are deemed unsafe for the children. Bah humbug! The Carsely Ladies Society is in an uproar and will do anything to put a stop to this Scrooge--only to find that someone else has done it for them...with a kitchen knife. Soon Agatha's detective agency is on the case. But when a man has made as many enemies as Mr. John Sunday, it's hard to know where to start--or how to stop the killer from striking again.
"Beaton does a brilliant job...Agatha's struggles...continue to tantalize."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Agatha scores again with a cunning mix of satire and mystery."--Kirkus Reviews
Review Quotes
"Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"Testy Agatha, continuing her habit of falling for unsuitable men, scores again with a cunning mixture of satire and mystery." --Kirkus Reviews
"Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
-Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize.- --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
-Testy Agatha, continuing her habit of falling for unsuitable men, scores again with a cunning mixture of satire and mystery.- --Kirkus Reviews
-Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize.- --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize. "Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)"
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Testy Agatha, continuing her habit of falling for unsuitable men, scores again with a cunning mixture of satire and mystery. "Kirkus Reviews "
Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize. "Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)""
Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize.
Testy Agatha, continuing her habit of falling for unsuitable men, scores again with a cunning mixture of satire and mystery.
"Beaton ... does a brilliant job of depicting Agatha's struggles with aging and keeping her detective agency afloat. Her romantic upheavals (will she ever marry close friend Sir Charles Fraith?) continue to tantalize."--"Publishers Weekly "(Starred Review) "Testy Agatha, continuing her habit of falling for unsuitable men, scores again with a cunning mixture of satire and mystery."--"Kirkus Reviews""" "Beaton is a master of the cozy formula -- there are plenty of red herrings, a large cast of suspects and an eagle-eye view of village life."--"RT Book Reviews"
"Tourists are advised to watch their backs in the bucolic villages where M. C. Beaton sets her sly British mysteries...Outsiders always spell trouble for the societies Beaton observes with such cynical humor."--"The New York Times Book Review"
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"[Beaton's] imperfect heroine is an absolute gem!"--"Publishers Weekly"
"Beaton's Agatha Raisin series just about defines the British cozy."--"Booklist"
"Anyone interested in...intelligent, amusing reading will want to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Agatha Raisin."--"Atlanta"" Journal Constitution"
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"Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha."--"Chicago"" Sun-Times"
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"Few things in life are more satisfying than to discover a brand-new Agatha Raisin mystery."
"--Tampa Tribune Times"
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"The Raisin series brings the cozy tradition back to life. God bless the Queen!"--"Tulsa"" World"
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"The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshingly sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likable heroine...a must for cozy fans."--"Booklist"
THERE GOES THE BRIDE
"Splendid." --"Publishers Weekly"
"Beaton and cozy fans will want this one."--"Library Journal"
A SPOONFUL OF POISON
"Agatha is like Miss Marple with a drinking problem, pack-a-day habit, and major man lust...Beaton's latest installment, in which Aggie gets mixed up in a deadly jam-tasting contest, is pretty terrific--a must-read."--"Entertainment Weekly"
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"Take two fine old English traditions--the village fete and death by poison--and you have a clever tale...featuring irascible, lovable Agatha Raisin. "A Spoonful of Poison" will go down just fine."--"Richmond"" Times-Dispatch"
"Beaton's sly humor enhances the cozy-style plotting, while updates on Agatha's...romantic travails are as delightful as ever. The open-ended resolution points to more madcap mayhem to come."--"Publishers Weekly"
THE WALKERS OF DEMBLEY
"British cozy fans will no doubt find this book an engaging teatime companion
About the Author
M. C. Beaton (1936-2019), the "Queen of Crime" (The Globe and Mail), was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels -- the basis for the hit show on Acorn TV and public television -- as well as the Hamish Macbeth series and the Edwardian Murder Mysteries featuring Lady Rose Summer. Born in Scotland, she started her career writing historical romances under several pseudonyms and her maiden name, Marion Chesney.
In 2006, M.C. was the British guest of honor at Bouchercon.