“Devil's Delight” An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M. C. Beaton; R.W. Green
A Chilly Caper
I had a fun time reading this mystery. I was continually surprised because my ‘minds-eye’ vision of Agatha and the author’s vision were very different. I don’t think I have ever had that happen to me before. Meanwhile, yes, I did thoroughly enjoy my time in this story and all of the adventures, twists and turns, there in. A worthy read. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley

I loved this book! It was a very interesting mystery with a great cast of characters! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

"Beloved New York Times bestseller M.C. Beaton's cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin - the star of her own hit T.V. series - is back on the case again in Devil's Delight.

Agatha and her assistant, Toni, are driving to their friend Bill Wong's long-awaited wedding, thinking of nothing more than what the beautiful bride will be wearing when a terrified young man comes running down the country lane towards them wearing...nothing at all.

The encounter leads them to become embroiled with a naturist group, a disappearing corpse, fantasy games, witchcraft, an ice cream empire, intrigue and murder. In the meantime, Agatha’s hectic life swirls along at dizzying pace, her private detective agency as busy as ever and her private affairs in turmoil, with old loves to contend with and a new suitor on the scene.

But when she begins to close in on a suspected murderer, she finds herself in deadly peril, as the sinister nature of the ice cream business leads her to a chilling conclusion..."

Do we think Agatha endures where Hamish doesn't because of the TV series? Oh wait, there's a new Hamish out next year!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
Agatha and her assistant, Toni, are driving to their friend Bill Wong’s long-awaited wedding, thinking of nothing more than what the beautiful bride will be wearing when a terrified young man comes running down the country lane towards them wearing…nothing at all.

The encounter leads them to become embroiled with a naturist group, a disappearing corpse, fantasy games, witchcraft, an ice cream empire, intrigue and murder. In the meantime, Agatha’s hectic life swirls along at dizzying pace, her private detective agency as busy as ever and her private affairs in turmoil, with old loves to contend with and a new suitor on the scene.

But when she begins to close in on a suspected murderer, she finds herself in deadly peril, as the sinister nature of the ice cream business leads her to a chilling conclusion…

I'm not sure how I've missed this series, as such an avid Cozy Mystery reader but I enjoyed this installment of the book and will read more in the series.

The latest installment in the Agatha Raisin series has an interesting plot and is absolutely hilarious. Agatha and Toni are driving to Bill Wong’s wedding when a nude man steps out into the road. He is part of a naturist group (nudist colony) and enlists their help. Soon Agatha and Toni are buried in a mystery of a disappearing corpse and witchcraft. Will Agatha or Toni need to infiltrate the naturist group sans clothing in order to crack the case?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Devil’s Delight is part of the Agatha Raisin mystery series originally written by M.C. Beaton. This can be read without reading prior books in the series, however, once you read about Agatha and her friends, I believe you will want to go back and read more.

This book starts with Agatha and her assistant, Toni, driving to attend the wedding of their friend, Bill Wong. On the way, a naked man comes running out into the road, telling them that he has found a body. Agatha is determined to find the killer, while dealing with the cases that have come in to her private detective agency and her ever-changing love life. And then there is a mysterious connection between this and an ice-cream truck company. Just seeing the cover had me hooked right from the beginning.

I have read several Agatha Raisin mysteries and love how various events that look unrelated in the beginning come together to point out the identity of the killer and how they “did it”. Honestly, I was a bit afraid that Agatha would not be the same as R.W. Green worked to complete this novel after Marion Beaton passed away. I am happy to say that Agatha seems to have survived the transition and I look forward to reading more Agatha Raisin mysteries in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a delightful addition to the Agatha Raisin series. I always enjoy a chance to catch up with Agatha and the various side characters in her adventures. I thought this was a good mystery with a satisfying conclusion.

This book was incredibly entertaining. I just couldn't put it down. Whenever I get an Agatha raisin book I just put everything off that I need to do and devour it. The characters are wildly odd but quite clever and I love reading about Agatha and her gang solving cases and this one de does not disappoint. The twists and turns were very clever and some I did not see coming. I just love a British cozy and these are really my favorite.

Fans will be delighted with this latest story in the Agatha Raisin series, written by RW Green. Green continues to flawlessly excel in the style of MC Beaton. In this entry, Agatha and her assistant Toni get involved in a nudist organization when investigating the suspicious death and very suspicious corpse removal from the scene of the crime. As always with Agatha, there are possible suitors in the midst, and the perennial problem of James remains. A fun romp in the land of Agatha Raisin!

While M.C. Beaton died in 2019, R.W. Green continues the franchise with this lackluster addition. In it, Agatha Raisin is involved with a local nudists group where a dead body is found. There is as much attention paid to Agatha's love life as there is to the mystery and I found that the split focus weakens the overall effect. While fans of earlier Agatha Raisin stories might be interested in updates to past lovers' stories, the mystery itself and how it is solved is a little too predictable.

This is part of a series, but it can stand alone. I haven't read others in the series, and I will likely not check them out. I struggled with this one. The pace was off, many parts seemed to drag, and I wasn't able to "sleuth along" as I am used to doing with others in this genre, as the reader is aware of that information early on. Fans of the series may enjoy this, but others may prefer to pass on it.

A very good entry in the series that I enjoyed more than some of the recent entries. There's humor throughout along with a mystery.

It starts with a naked man approaching Agatha and Toni as they drive down the road. That gets your attention, Add to the mix a nudist club, and some questionable and quirky characters. There a few red herrings and a lot of fun sorting out who died and who did it. There's also another mystery involving drugs in a girls school.

Definitely one worth reading. Fans will enjoy.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: It's a danger to continue a series when the original author has died. I was a huge MC Beaton fan, and her version of Agatha Raisin was loaded with irony, subtle satire and depth. The current version, with R.W. Green is a pleasant cozy mystery but Agatha is reduced to a vain woman of uncertain age and her profound irony and insensitivity are no longer present. As a cozy mystery, it's well done. As an Agatha Raisin book, it lacks the subtle humor and wit that made the series so memorable. Hopefully the new author will be able to gently poke fun at her heroine and render her with more depth in the future.

Devil’s Delight is the 33rd installment in the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton, R.W. Green. Agatha and Toni are private investigator’s on their way to a friend’s wedding, when in front of their car a naked man stumbles out and comes running towards them. They stop to help the terrified man, and he explains there was a dead body in the woods. After the police are called, the man takes Agatha and Toni to where the body was, it was on an ancient stone called The Lone Warrior, which was used in the past as a sacrificial alter. When they arrive, the body is gone, left behind is a small wet patch, the only proof a body was ever there. However, even the wet spot is gone by the time the police arrive, further infuriating Chief Inspector Wilkes, who is not a fan of the private investigators already, and accuses them of a prank. Toni and Agatha know there is more to this story, and believe there was a body there, so they decide to investigate it on their own. The story becomes more intriguing since the location of the body is within the confines of a naturist club, aka nudist club. In order to properly investigate the many questionable characters, they must join the naturist club to truly be accepted and trusted. As more people disappear, and secrets are revealed of questionable business decisions, not to mention a drug problem in a private school, the pair realize there is more going on than they could have imagined, and it all points to the same few people.

This is the first book in this series I have ever read. It’s a cozy type mystery, with a lot of nudity, and some very unlikeable characters. I’m not even sure I liked Agatha Raisins character, I’m still marinating my thoughts on her. She seemed a bit shallow, as far as her body image and men choices. There didn’t seem to be a lot of character development, and while the story unfolded with all questions answered, I found it boring at times.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Mintauer Books and the authors for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest opinion.

Fans of Agatha Raisin have a lot to love with Devil's Delight, the latest installment in the series. Even with R.W. Green stepping into M.C. Beaton's very large (figuratively) shoes, all the most loveable aspects of Agatha Raisin are still in place and serving up the coziest of mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me review this book. I never get tired of reading about Agatha Raisin and this book is very well written and I enjoyed reading it
Agatha needs to solve a murder in a nudest colony. I hope there will be more to come in the series.

A naked man running down the road, a missing dead body, a group of nudists, quirky characters, danger, murder and of course the snarky MC. What's not to like about this book? Another good story in this long running series.

Another enjoyable entry to the Agatha Raisin series! RW Green has taken over the franchise and does a great job keeping MC Benton’s character alive.
On the way to Bill’s wedding Agatha and Tony run into a nude man who insists he saw a dead body in the woods, and of course when they go to look for it, the body has disappeared.

I am a huge M.C. Beaton fan (her Hamish MacBeth series is one of my favorites), and was so saddened by her death in 2019. This is the first book I've read since R.W. Green stepped into her shoes.

I am pleased to report that I found Devil's Delight to be, well - delightful! Reading this felt just light reading the other books in this series. These are cozy mysteries set in a small village in the Cotswolds, focusing on the characters as well as the mystery.

Devil's Delight is not heavy reading, but (at least for me) is a fun outing with old friends. You don't have to have read all of the previous books in this series (which I haven't) to enjoy this one.

I have been reading Agatha Raisin from the beginning. I have read all of Marion Chesney and her MC Beaton books as well (Hamish Macbeth remains my favorite) I was sad at her passing and wondered if Green would continue writing the series, and he has. I believe he is improving in following her style, and he has not made Agatha much more sympathetic. She is still vain and insecure, but still smart and intuitive.
The familiar cast of characters is comforting and the mysteries always solved. Sometimes outlandish to be sure, and sometimes spending too much time on her looks, Agatha still pleases the reader who can put up with her ways. Thank you netgalley for my eARC for my honest review. I will continue to read the series as long as it continues as I love the life the characters lead in the Cotswalds.