Agatha Raisin is one of my favorite sleuths, but in this 20th entry in the series (yes, I HAVE read them all), she seems a little bit tiresome and scattered. Agatha is a 50-something tough-as-nails retired PR executive and entrepreneur who now runs her own detective agancy in Carsley, a small village in the Cotswolds. When Agatha's ex-husband (#11, Agatha Raisin and the Love From Hell), James Lacey, becomes engaged to a much-younger woman, Agatha is invited to the festivities. The beautiful young bride is murdered on her wedding day and Agatha becomes a prime suspect because she is thought to have been stalking James and his fiance in Istanbul. When the bride's mother hires Agatha to find her daughter's killer she learns that neither the bride nor her parents are what they appear to be and that James was having second thoughts about his pending nuptials.
Beaton includes all of our favorite characters in this novel, including the wealthy and amoral Charles Fraith, Mrs. Bloxby, who always provides a steadying influence and voice of reason for Agatha, Toni, Agatha's young associate, and James, the infuriating ex-love. Beaton has created a wonderful world full of quirky characters, but I think the time has come for Agatha to find true love. I envision her continuing to worry about her waistline and aging skin, and perhaps even skulking around behind her lover's back, but she really needs someone to love her unconditionally and to provide an anchor for her life. Agatha will always be Agatha, but she could use a little break in the love department!
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