Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet (Agatha Raisin ... (ISBN 0312939450)

The further adventures of Agatha Raisin:
This is the second book in the Agatha Raisin series following the debut novel, AGATHA RAISIN AND THE QUICHE OF DEATH. Agatha Raisin had clawed her way to the top of the London PR business, and once she was on top Agatha had decided to quit while she was ahead and had sold her business and retired to a village in the Cotswolds fulfilling a childhood dream. Once there she discovered that she did not know what to do with her free time. Fortunately for Agatha she stumbled onto new interests, solving murders and the attractive man next door, James Lackey. She had thought that one would be a one-time thing and hoped that the other would lead to something more permanent. As THE VICIOUS VET opens Agatha has taken a Caribbean vacation, one that would just happen to put her in proximity of James Lackey who she is quite actively pursuing. Alas, poor Agatha's plans fall apart, and she returns home in a foul mood. To her delight she finds that a new vet office has opened up in her sleepy little village and the vet is a charming, handsome man. Agatha has set her sights on a new quarry even after she discovers that his patient skills are somewhat lacking. Before she can make much headway in her new romance the doctor dies under, what seem to her at least, some questionable circumstances. Agatha finds herself paired with James as they once again attempt to uncover the truth. This is a typical cozy series mystery. The main attraction here is not a clever mystery to challenge the reader but rather a pleasant visit to a lovely spot filled with charming characters. The mystery takes second place to the amusing (mis)adventures of Agatha and the other village inhabitants. This is a light, charming, quick read, a great book to curl up with for a few hours of pleasant escapism.

Predictable but charming:
This is a charming "cozy" mystery, if predictable. The caracters are fun and the best part is the the author's discription of the English village. Good summer reading.

Fun mystery!:
I absolutely love the Agatha Raisin mystery series! The author can't publish them fast enough to suit me! Agatha always manages to get herself in some sort of fix or another - the characters are great. Off-beat, amusing British mysteries.

Amusing trifle:
I picked up this book because of a review I read and am not sure what to make of the book. The murder-mystery aspect is a very light bit of fluff having to do with a womanizing jerk of a vet who doesn't like cats and dogs, cons a bunch of desperate women out of lots of money, and winds up dead. The amusement in this series, I assume, is to be had from the characters, and not the plots, which appear to be no more complicated than the most rote "Murder She Wrote" episode. The book really reads more like a romance novel about a particularly socially inept retired career woman, and a village full of desperate menopausal single women than a mystery. I'm reminded of Judi Dench's character Jean Pargiter in "As Time Goes By", only without any of the charm or wit. Oh, the situations Agatha gets herself into are amusing enough, but her behavior itself is off-putting. She's rude, she's grumpy, and worst of all, humorless. Anyone who can't see the humor in the whole the "knocking the sink off the wall trying to screw in a lightbulb to check up on her pimple makeup in a pub restroom" is a dull bore in my estimation. Just writing that should make me laugh, but somehow reading it didn't. Maybe it helps to be English? All that said, the book was an amusing trifle. I read the whole thing cover to cover in a few days, and I don't waste time finishing books I don't enjoy; life is just too short. I may try another to see if it's a flavor that grows on you.

Agatha Raisin:
I just love this crazy woman! She's one of my favorite characters. Always an enjoyable read!