Name: As the Pig Turns
Rating: 3.571428571428572 (7 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250001917

M. C. Beaton

Organizing an outing to an annual pig roast in the Cotswolds, Agatha Raisin is horrified to discover the murdered body of an unpopular local policeman and agrees to investigate on behalf of the victim's ex-wife, who is also subsequently killed.

An Agatha Raisin Mystery

As the Pig Turns

Winter Parva, a traditional Cotswolds village next door to Carsely, has decided to throw a celebratory hog roast to mark the beginning of the winter holiday festivities and Agatha Raisin has arrived with friend and rival in the sleuthing business, Toni, to enjoy the merriment. But as the spit pig is carried towards the bed of fiery charcoal Agatha - and the rest of the village - realise that things aren't as they seem... Very quickly it transpires that the spit pig is in fact Gary Beech, a policeman not much loved in Winter Parva. And although Agatha has every intention of leaving the affair to the police, she rapidly changes her mind when she finds out Gary's ex-wife has hired Toni to investigate. Cantankerous and competitive as Agatha is, she has to now join the fray and try and solve the case herself! Praise for M C Beaton's Agatha Raisin series:I know I once vowed to read only Agatha Christie for a year but I cheated. My No. 1 mistress, M.C. Beaton and her Agatha Raisin whodunits. Agatha is like Miss Marple with a drinking problem, a pack a day habit and major man lust. In fact, I think she may be living my dream life. Entertainment Weekly.Once again M. C. Beaton has concocted an amusing brew of mystery and romance that will keep her fans turning the pages. Publisher's Weekly.Pure entertainment. The Guardian.

Sian Wadey

I love the Agatha Raisin series, although at this stage I have lost track of which books I have read and which I haven't. Normally you can tell by which man she is currently obsessed with however the same men keep popping up.
M.C. Beaton should really be credited for making a character like Agatha, who is actually quite horrible, nosey and interfering, likeable, warm and sympathetic. 
As the Pig Turns kicks off on the discovery of a body on a roasting spit. It's a brilliant, original idea, and as events take a turn for the worst the characters go to Las Vegas, follow trucks and put their lives on the line. 
As always the regular characters of this series put a smile on my face as they get themselves caught up in unexpected situations. Opening a book by M.C. Beaton feels like returning home and putting on my comfiest pyjamas.

An irresistible new adventure for the bossy, vain, and endearing Agatha Raisin, from New York Times bestselling M.C. Beaton, "the reigning queen of the cozies" (Booklist). Winter Parva is a “picturesque” (touristy) Cotswold village with gift shops, a medieval market hall, and thatched cottages. After a disappointing Christmas season, the parish council has decided to hold a special event in January, complete with old-fashioned costumes, morris dancing, and a pig roast on the village green. Always one for a good roasting, Agatha Raisin organizes an outing to enjoy the merriment. The rotary spit turning over a bed of blazing charcoals is sure to please on this foggy and blistery evening. But as the fog lifts slightly, the sharp-eyed Agatha notices something peculiar about the pig: a tattoo of a heart with an arrow through it and the name Amy. “Stop!” she screams suddenly. “Pigs don’t have tattoos.” The “pig,” in fact, is Gary Beech, a policeman not exactly beloved by the locals, including Agatha herself. Although Agatha has every intention of leaving matters to the police, everything changes when the Gary’s ex-wife, Amy, hires Agatha’s detective agency to investigate—and another murder ensues. With that provocation, how could any sleuth as vain and competitive (and secretly insecure) as Agatha do anything other than solve the case herself?

Barbara Williford

Cozy little mystery that is packed with twist and turns. It seems this book in the series has more mysteries that Agatha and team must solve. Each one puts their life in the line.

Sarah Escorsa

Although not as brilliant as Agatha Raisin mysteries used to be, this was quite an entertaining read. I have been disappointed by many of the newer additions to this series but it seems I have been lucky with the last few instalments I read (I should mention I don't read them in the order they were published but just as I come across them). 

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. The plot was interesting enough and the addition of new characters in the series is quite refreshing as the regular characters have become quite predictable and don't evolve much. What I do miss in the newer instalments of this series is the wackiness of the first books. Agatha used to get herself mixed up in the craziest situations (which was part of the charm of this series) but now she's become a bit boring, too bad.

Amanda Wells

I was quite enjoying this one, but then a glaring continuity error jumped out at me and it bothered me quite a bit. Simon's dead parents are suddenly alive - and while that was certainly useful for his plotline, it was a tad annoying. It does make you wonder if any of your observations or guesses can be right if you're basing them on 'facts' from the world that might change as it suits. 

Regardless, another solid novel. And toward the end, the start of another embarrassing obsession...

As the Pig Turns An Agatha Raisin Mystery

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