uncomfortable
Number of pages: 199
This is the sixth Agatha Raisin novel, and the first not yet adapted for television by Sky One.
This follows directly on from the fifth book, where... SPOILERS
[Spoiler (click to open)]
Agatha was engaged to her love interest, James, only for her husband to show up. The wedding was cancelled, but Agatha's husband got murdered - James nevertheless seemed to rule out any further romance with Agatha.
In this book, Agatha follows James on holiday in Cyprus, and inevitably there is a murder; this time, it happens practically in front of them. By some coincidence Charles who, as I recall, first appeared in the fourth book, Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley, also happens to be in the area. Thus, the book also continues the will-they-or-won't they relationship between Agatha and James, and the appearance of Charles sees the emergence of a love triangle.
For the most part of it, this book was enjoyable, and I noticed that, as with the previous title, this one was less comic in tone than the first few books, particularly because a couple of times, someone tried to murder Agatha. On the downside, I realised that I was finding both James and Charles very difficult to like, for different reasons. I also noticed that James' reaction when Agatha caught up with him in the book seemed a bit unreal, considering that she was basically stalking him.
The only real problem I had with this one was the ending; it felt rushed, and I was left still confused about the killer's motive for a second murder that took place close to the end. I remember the second series of the TV show featured the love triangle that I mentioned before, and I'm interested to see how it is written in the books.
Incidentally, M.C. Beaton also died recently, so it is unlikely that any new books will be published, unless someone decides to continue the series, like what happened with the Millennium books.
Next book: Homesick for Another World (Otessa Moshfegh)
