THE BLOOD OF AN ENGLISHMAN (M.C. Beaton)

Everyone who has read this blog before knows how much I enjoy M.C. Beaton.  Over the years Agatha has started to become a little tiresome, though, making the same mistakes over and over and never seeming to learn from them.  This newest Agatha Raisin mystery, however, features an Agatha who has become a little softer and a little less desperate, a welcome development, in my opinion.

When an actor in a local amateur production is murdered, Agatha is asked by the theater manager (and suspect) to investigate the crime.  When additional deaths take place it is Agatha who manages to piece together all of the clues and discover the true perpetrator.  During the course of the novel she almost falls in love again, but not quite as hard as usual.  The usual characters appear: Charles Fraith, James, Roy, and lovely Mrs. Bloxby.  Agatha is still jealous of her employee, the beautiful young Toni, and she still manages to get herself into trouble once or twice, but she is starting to emerge as a more thoughtful, discriminating woman.  I really liked the part where, unbeknownst to Agatha, another woman character expresses admiration of Agatha's beauty, something Beaton has never done before.  I also enjoyed the relationship between Charles and Agatha.  They are so well-suited to each other!  This book gives me hope that maybe someday they will realize that they are meant for each other!  I'll look forward to finding out what happens next in Agatha's romantic life!