Wednesday 22 October 2014

Read in 2014 - 39: The Blood of an Englishman

The latest installment of M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series has only been out this month, and already both my Mum and I have read it – with much pleasure! 


“The Blood of an Englishman” is surely one of the best in the series, combining all the elements fans of Agatha Raisin enjoy: 
the cast of familiar characters plus some new, case-specific additions; the setting of idyllic Cotswold village Carsely and nearby town Mirchester; fast-paced (but not too fast) plot; detail where it helps but not where it doesn’t; a case that is neither too obvious nor too complicated; and of course there is Agatha herself with all her well-known strengths and flaws. She still smokes, still suffers from low self-esteem when around anyone who is younger and better looking than her, still is quick to set her eyes, mind and heart on any even remotely attractive man in her orbit, and surprisingly, she is still in her mid-50s – even though this is her 26th adventure, and most of the books cover a whole year (some even more than that).

M.C. Beaton’s style is as brisk as always. Even by her most ardent fan it could hardly be called elegant, but that is not what she is aiming for anyway (at least not with the Agatha Raisin series). There were very few moments in the book when I thought her editor could have done a better job; one is the sentence “piles of dingy slush were piled up”. Another one was the mentioning of a date with a man on Tuesday while five pages further on, the same date happens on a Saturday.

If you have read and liked any of the former Agatha Raisin books, you will like this one, too. And you will probably also enjoy the little extra: A bonus story, “Christmas Crumble”.

8 comments:

  1. Another writer and fictional character I have never heard of.
    You and I must be living in a parallel universe.

    I’m glad you overcame your gremlins and managed a trip to Lindau. The past is forever with us but it doesn’t have to stop us living life to the fullest.

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    1. We certainly do, Friko. Your life seems very exotic compared to how I spend my days, but something we have in common is blogging - and that is what I like so much about it, that it allows me glimpses into other people's lives, broadening my horizon.

      You are right about what you said about the past.

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  2. Hey Meike!
    You know just after we were married, Richard cut his finger in the kitchen, and you know I had to say "Fee Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!".
    I could only say it that one time, it wouldn't have been funny after that! :-)

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    1. He he that is a funny little story (although I guess Richard didn't find it THAT funny to cut his finger...). When I cut my finger nearly off on a shard of glass 11 years ago, bleeding from the cut as if you'd turned on a tap, Steve's first reaction was "Shall I make you a cup of tea?". How English is that!!

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  3. I didn't know this writer, I will look her up. It's amazing how you find all these ariters that I never heard of. It shows how not knowledgeable I am:)

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    1. Years ago, my mother-in-law sent me the first two or three Agatha Raisin books from England, can't remember whether it was for Christmas or my birthday. That got me started, and then I let my Mum read the books, and she liked them just as much as I did.

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  4. I do enjoy her books Meike. I'll remember this one when I need an undemanding quick read.

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    1. Undemanding and quick is what they are indeed, Graham. And sometimes, that is exactly what I want my reading material to be, too.

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