Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Devil’s Delight.

I enjoy cozy mysteries and thought this sounded fun. I thought the writing and dialogue were strong components of the book.

I did not enjoy the character of Agatha and the humor of the book was not for me. I felt like the story dragged a bit.

I enjoyed DEVIL'S DELIGHT and recommend it for fans of cozy mysteries.

I'm not familiar with the other books in the series, but I found to my delight that I didn't need prior knowledge in order to enjoy this one.

Agatha as a main character is likely to turn some people off. However, if you enjoy a quirky, snarky main character, then she will be a good fit.

The mystery itself is entertaining without being overly complicated. The pacing seems well-done for the genre and the conclusion wraps things up nicely.

Beaton has done it again! Agatha is on the loose, stumbling into solving murder with the with a clumsy deftness that Sherlock Holmes would envy.

I have never before read a book from this series. While it was obvious that there were some back stories, or previous connections, it did not hinder the story at all. This was easy to read without needing to go back.

The story was entertaining if not a little quirky. Agatha is on the way to a wedding, when a backed man jumps out into the road and says he has just seen a dead body. Agatha being an investigator does what she does best. She gets involved.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

This is the first Agatha Raisin novel I've read, having found the publisher's description to be of interest. I have read many detective novels and police procedurals by writers of American, British, Italian and other nationalities. Mrs. Raisin reminds me a bit of Phryne Fisher of The Miss Fisher murder mystery series. Raisin is an independent, career-minded woman, strong willed and highly focussed. Perhaps because I'm a man I found Mrs. Raisin flighty when it comes to her relationships with men, and the text had too much discussion of her make-up and clothing decisions for my taste. As a British novel, this story was also reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novels, even if Mrs. Raisin is very unlike Miss Marple. My favorite series of British mysteries are P.D. James' Inspector Dalgleish novels, where his personal issues take a back seat to solving the crimes.

What this novel has in common with Miss Fisher and Inspector Dalgleish is a good cast of supporting characters and a relatively pleasant writing style. What it lacked was any complexity to the plot line. The likely criminals are identified fairly early in the book and the bulk of the story describes how Mrs. Raisin gets the goods on the guilty and finally sees the arrest take place. As in the Miss Fisher novels, Mrs. Raisin has a friend in the police department, but as in many British procedurals, the head of the local constabulary doesn't like her and is characterized as an idiot and a buffoon.

I wish I'd read an earlier Mrs. Raisin novel before this one. The plot line in this story involves a group that is a bit out of the mainstream and some of the plot is a bit unbelievable while other parts were too predictable. Yet it was an entertaining read that left me wanting more meat on the bones and a plot line that was serious, which had more gravitas.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of the book in exchange for what is hopefully perceived as a fair review.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

An admission: I didn't realize M.C. Beaton was deceased and this book was written by another author, "R.W. Green". I was excited for the chance to read a Beaton book because I love her Hamish McBeth mysteries. I have never read one of her Agatha Raisin mysteries, but if they are like this book, I probably will not.

Honestly, I do not like the character of Agatha Raisin. She is vain, flighty, and too worried about which man she is going to have next for dinner. For a character driven mystery series to work, the reader should look forward to visiting with the main character(s) to find out what is happening in their lives along with solving the mystery. Alas, I was not able to enjoy either one.

Aside from not liking the characters, the mystery is non-existent. The writer tells you who the killer is from the beginning. The plot is dull although there are some funny moments if you find nude jokes to be funny. There are no twists and turns, no secrets to find out, little atmosphere, and the ending is ridiculous to me.

I think I will skip the Raisin books altogether and re-read the wonderful McBeth mysteries written by M.C

A naked man running stopped Toni and Agatha's car while on their way to a wedding. He says he found a dead body. The body was gone when they followed him back in the woods. They started to investigate the Naturist Club when more deaths are discovered putting Toni and Agatha in danger.

A naked man running down the road, a missing dead body, a group of naturists, other missing people, quirky characters, danger, murder, and mayhem! A light, enjoyable whodnunit.

M.C. Beaton and R.W. Green are new-to-me authors.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
So, this was my first Agatha Raisin and I'm still not sure I'd read another. Practically speaking it's well written and holds the readers attention. Stylistically, the main character is a petty childish poor excuse for a person, much less the protagonist. It's difficult to read something where you don't like the character you're following. Whether this is because the new author (M.C.Beaton has passed) doesn't have a grasp of the character, I don't know, but this was a poor showing for Agatha even if John the cop and Toni the junior PI have done well. Even the mystery seems to have involved less investigation than "we don't like these characters, they seem shady," there were no red herrings, no real misdirection, no dead ends for the case where the investigators have to go back to the evidence rather than theories. As I said it was my first Agatha Raisin, so the early ones might be amazing and the character's pettiness, irrational insecurities, and childish temper might not be displayed as prominently or more charmingly but this installment is a mediocre step to a hopefully better 34th one in the series.
Spoiler alert: any actually frozen dead body will exhibit evidence in that it will decompose faster than normal, any medical examination will find that but the characters opened then dropped that line with no scientific explanation or evidence. This is a post-CSI world, you need more than "maybe the coroner missed it

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from St. Martin’s Press and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Another hit with an Agatha Raisin cozy mystery.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Agatha Raisin cozy mysteries since the first book in this series. I’m grateful the series is continuing in the hands of an author personally chosen by the late Marion Chesney. He’s doing a great job of keeping the capable and cantankerous Agatha Raisin alive for her fans. Every detail of this mystery was fun to follow.

I loved this delightful Agatha Raisin story! I'm a huge fan of the TV series, which changes a few things, but have only read a few of the books. I needed something light and entertaining and this was perfect! Agatha and Toni get involved in a murder at a naturist club and chaos ensues! As usual, Agatha deals with lots of drama in the romance department, trying to determine who the right man is for her. The mystery was great, but the characters of Carsely just elevates the story. R.W. Green is doing a fantastic job continuing M.C. Beaton's legacy!

Been reading this series for years. So glad to see the series continued after M.C. Beaton's passing. This entry does not disappoint. Agatha is still as independent as ever and still searching for the right man in her middle age! She is a delight with her on target jabs and no one puts Agatha in her place. This story begins with Agatha and Toni on their way to Bill Wong's wedding, when a naked man flags down their vehicle. Now, Agatha has a case to solve with a missing body. She also has her firm investigate a drug deal at a private school, and theft at a local factory. The characters in an Agatha Raisin novel are fun..Charles reappears, as does vicar's wife, offering good counsel to Agatha. In this entry, Agatha almost meets her demise except for the help of a policeman. A good, fun read! Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

I received an ARC of, Devil's Delight, by M.C. Beaton: R.W. Green. When a women is describe as having a dress big enough to be a marquee tent if needed, I stopped reading. This is 2022, stop with the fat shaming already.

The indomitable Agatha Raisin carries on sleuthing in this delightful addition to the series. I was worried that with the passing of MC Beaton, we’d never have any more Agatha. But the baton has been passed safely. May there be many more to come.
G.M. Malliet
Agatha Award-winning author

Devil's Delight was a delicious, delightful read! I enjoyed the cozy mystery book and loved the plot. Such a fun, twisty book that kept me reading!

Devil's Delight was a fun read. I have read several books in this series. Agatha Raison is the main character along with the characters from the other books. The new characters add to the story. Agatha is quite a character who is very much into her looks and her desire to find a man.

Agatha and her business associate Toni Gilmore are driving to their friend, Peter Wong and Alice Peter's wedding. They see a naked man running down the road. They stop and he tells them he saw a man dead. The man's name is Edward Carstairs. They ask him to take them to where he found the body. He takes them to a naturist club but when they get there they find that the body is missing.. The police are called. Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes arrives along with Deputy Gittens. They are told by Edward about what he saw and that the body is now missing.. Wilkes and Agatha are not fond of each other. When there Agatha and Toni meet the chairman of the club Jasper Crane. along with sister's Ursula Danieli and Ulrika Raynor. Agatha and Toni feel that there are strange things going on at the camp.. They go to the wedding arriving just in time.

At the wedding Agatha sits with her next door neighbor James who she once was married to.. Their relationship is an on and off one. James tells her that he is going on a cruise for two weeks and would she like to come with him. She tells him about the murder and her interest in it and declines. James leaves the wedding early as he has to get up early for the cruise. At the wedding she meets John Glass a policeman who was Bill's partner and single. They have a good time. Agatha has an attraction to single men. She tells him about the naturist camp and the missing body..

When back home Agatha goes to her office which specializes in investigations. She is a PI. She tells her staff Simon Black and Patrick Mulligan and her secretary Helen Freedman. about the missing body and her interest in it.. They also have two other investigations that the company is following. She assigns Simon Helen Fredon to go undercover at Watermill Brewery owned by a Mr. Brown. He is concerned as things are missing from his company and wants them to find out what is happening. The next investigation is at Martinbrook High, a college to find out who is selling drugs there. Toni comes in late and tells her about having Edward as a client. Although Agatha is not sure she agrees that Toni can pretend that she is Edward's girlfriend. Agatha remembers that her good friend and ex lover Sir Charles Fraith owns the land that the nudist camp is on.

The story has so much happening that it is hard for me to put it all in writing.. With Agatha trying to figure out what is going on the story takes off and the reader is taken on an adventure of who the dead man is, the different situations that Agatha and her employees get themselves into. The story comes to an exciting and unexpected ending that I don't want to spoil for the reader.

The two other cases in the story are also fun to follow. Again I will leave this to the reader to enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and NMinotaur Books for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Usually I listen to this series as an audiobook. I LOVE this series.
This one did not disappoint. I know the series has been taken over since the passing of LC Beaton and the new author has done a great job with the previous book and this one as well.
I was super excited to be able to have an ARC of this newest Agatha Raisin novel.
Another job well done!

What fun! M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin is back, solving mysteries, trying to keep her love life in order, and relying on her friends to make it all work. The Cotswolds shine in this episode, as do the quirky characters to (may or may not) live there. Already looking forward to the next one!

M.C. Beaton created a memorable, quirky character in Agatha Raisin and I have been a rabid fan of the series for years. As the author established and matured her character Agatha became more comfortable in her Cotswold village and lost some of the edge that made her unique and fun.

While DEVIL’s DELIGHT has some interesting moments ( Agatha in a “ naturalist”/nudist colony!) I desperately long for the snarkier Agatha who chases men more often than she attracts them. She still makes for a smart protagonist, but this latest addition to the series, presents us with an Agatha more in keeping with the attractive, “ neutralized” character of the tv series. . . Not the nuanced. Vulnerable character of the earlier books.
Yes, she is a clever, more experienced detective, but I miss the grumpier, more nuanced Agatha. She has been neutralized to a point that she is a less interesting character.

Netgalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in return for a candid review.