Agatha Raisin y la quiche letal

3.5 stars. This was OK, a serviceable mystery with a relatively predictable conclusion. I almost wonder whether Beaton deliberately set out to shock people with the character of Agatha Raisin though. I went in expecting something akin to a more updated version of Miss Marple, but instead, Agatha Raisin is the loudest and most non-PC middle-aged London career woman you can imagine. Put her into a rural country village that does somewhat come out of Miss Marple, and that's basically this story.

I'm not sure whether to feel invested in Agatha Raisin or not. She is by turns self-centered and abrasive, but also sometimes shows a bit of her vulnerability and loneliness. I was a little disappointed in Roy's character trajectory however. He was a pretty funny sidekick all the way till the end where he seemed to do a 180. The character of Col. Lacey also seemed a bit randomly shoved in for no reason except to give Agatha Raisin some kind of love interest almost near the end of the book.

The mystery itself is... okay. I had a lot of suspects in mind, all of which I felt would've been more interesting than the one that was revealed at the end. The revelation felt also rather predictable, with Agatha bungling everything up (perhaps that's the point). I particularly suspected the vicar's wife - I felt like she couldn't have been so nice for nothing! But that would've been a Christie-esque ending, perhaps.

I guess I would continue on this series if I was in the mood for something a bit more brainless to read.