Name: The Deadly Dance
ISBN: 9780312984748

M. C. Beaton

Frustrated by a series of small jobs after opening her own detective agency, Agatha Raisin places the fledgling agency's reputation on the line by alienating her friends and flirting with a chief suspect.

The Deadly Dance

The Deadly Dance continues the tradition in M. C. Beaton's beloved Agatha Raisin mystery series—now a hit show on Acorn TV and public television. Bossy, impulsive, and unlucky in love, the all-too-human Agatha Raisin has proved to be a surprisingly effective---and endearing---amateur sleuth. But can Agatha make it as a private investigator? After getting mugged on vacation, in what she will always think of as the Paris Incident, she decides to find out. Agatha soon learns that running her own detective agency in the Cotswolds is not quite like starring in a Raymond Chandler movie. Instead of dames in distress with big shoulder pads, her clients are ladies with missing cats and a man whose son has run off with his car. Agatha even worries that she might be outclassed by her sixty-seven-year-old secretary, Emma Comfrey. But then wealthy divorcée Catherine Laggat-Brown walks in with their first "real" case. Mrs. Laggat-Brown's daughter has received a death threat, and when Agatha thwarts an attack on the girl at a dinner dance, she recognizes an opportunity to show what Raisin Investigations can do. Even better, the case gives her a chance to reunite with her long-absent friend, Sir Charles Fraith. As they scour the Cotswolds in search of leads, Charles' insights prove invaluable and his charms irresistible, leading poor Emma to fall madly in love with him. As ever, Agatha bumbles her way through the case, trying her friends' patience and flirting shamelessly with the chief suspect. Will she put her tiny agency on the map, or has even the outrageous Agatha finally bitten off more than she can chew?

An Agatha Raisin Mystery

Sarah Escorsa

I have to say that I almost gave up on this series about a year ago. I used to love Agatha's adventures but with every new instalment she seemed to lose more of her wackiness. The plots were getting weaker and I was finding it hard to enjoy the books. 

Thankfully, the last two instalments I read proved really enjoyable. Granted, there isn't as much wackiness and/or eccentricity as there used to be but at least the plots are entertaining and the characters colourful. 

I might not give up on the series after all!

This was an enjoyable installment. I don't know that I like Agatha always falling for a person who might be wrapped up in the case and usually doesn't end well for her. I will say that I'm very happy you can pick up any book in the series and basically know what's happening.

The Deadly Dance

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