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205th out of 660 books
—
636 voters
Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener (Agatha Raisin #3)
by
M.C. Beaton
Never say die. That's the philosophy Agatha Raisin clings to when she comes home to cozy Carsely and finds a new woman ensconced in the affections of her attractive bachelor neighbor, James Lacey. The beautiful newcomer, Mary Fortune, is superior in every way, especially when it comes to gardening. And Agatha, that rose with many thorns, hasn't a green thumb to her name.
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Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages
Published
November 29th 1995
by Fawcett
(first published 1994)
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Brief summary from Goodreads:
"Never say die. That's the philosophy Agatha Raisin clings to when she comes home to cozy Carsely and finds a new woman ensconced in the affections of her attractive bachelor neighbor, James Lacey.
The beautiful newcomer, Mary Fortune, is superior in every way, especially when it comes to gardening. And Agatha, that rose with many thorns, hasn't a green thumb to her name. With garden Open Day approaching, she longs for a nice juicy murder to remind James of her genius...more
"Never say die. That's the philosophy Agatha Raisin clings to when she comes home to cozy Carsely and finds a new woman ensconced in the affections of her attractive bachelor neighbor, James Lacey.
The beautiful newcomer, Mary Fortune, is superior in every way, especially when it comes to gardening. And Agatha, that rose with many thorns, hasn't a green thumb to her name. With garden Open Day approaching, she longs for a nice juicy murder to remind James of her genius...more
I have one major issue when it comes to the cozy mystery: just a blink of the eye and I suddenly realise I've spent the better part of an evening completely engrossed in mischief and murder.
It's been awhile since I last visited Agatha, yet I found it easy to get sucked back into her not-so-quiet world. She's a strange little woman, one I'd dearly like to shake into feeling more self-assured. If only she could picture herself as others do...but I suppose that's true of all of us and it probably...more
It's been awhile since I last visited Agatha, yet I found it easy to get sucked back into her not-so-quiet world. She's a strange little woman, one I'd dearly like to shake into feeling more self-assured. If only she could picture herself as others do...but I suppose that's true of all of us and it probably...more
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"A mild damp winter was edging towards spring when Agatha Raisin motored slowly toward the village of Carsely after a long holiday." I toted this little mystery along on a recent holiday of my own, thinking it would pass the time on the airplane ride. I also had decided to sample some mysteries with female sleuths, and thought I would try this series, since I had enjoyed listening to several of Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series. Unfortunately, this one couldn't keep me awake on the plane, and I fou...more
Mary Fortune, a new comer to the village, is the Potted Gardener referred to in the title. She is living in the house where the librarian was murdered in previous story so we should have guessed it would lead to another death. Added to this Agatha's neighbour, James, has been enamoured of Mary while Agatha was licking her wounds on an international holiday because he had shown no interest in her.
In the nature of such things as soon as she gets annoyed with him he becomes more interested in her -...more
In the nature of such things as soon as she gets annoyed with him he becomes more interested in her -...more
Book #9 Read in 2013
Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
This is the third book in a cozy mystery series. Agatha Raisin, a pretty cranky older woman, has moved from London to a small town. There, she ends up becoming a sort of amateur detective and solves murders as they happen. In this book, another newbie to the small town, Mary, is murdered. While Agatha had no love lost for the victim, she attempts to solve the case.
There are times when Agatha is a pretty hard character to like. But for the...more
Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
This is the third book in a cozy mystery series. Agatha Raisin, a pretty cranky older woman, has moved from London to a small town. There, she ends up becoming a sort of amateur detective and solves murders as they happen. In this book, another newbie to the small town, Mary, is murdered. While Agatha had no love lost for the victim, she attempts to solve the case.
There are times when Agatha is a pretty hard character to like. But for the...more
This, the third in the Agatha Raisin series see our prickly heroine dipping her toe into the world of gardening. Of course Agatha doesn't do things the way the rest of us would. Added to this Agatha has newcomer Mary to deal with, she may not be as nice as she seems. although Agatha seems to have made friends with her. But of course Mary is murdered and Agatha and her hearthrob James Lacey spend quite a bit of time together trying to figure out whodunnit. The characters are what really work in t...more
Agatha is back again, and this book is as good as the first. Agatha is upset when her handsome neighbor is paying attention to the new and attractive lady in town. James and Mary do an attractive couple make.
Unfortunately, a murderer strikes and Agatha and James are soon on the hunt to discover the killer. Agatha briefly attempts gardening, and true to form, she is not successful nor would she ever be. Bitter disappointments mark her culinary and gardening attempts. Thankfully, she has a nose f...more
Unfortunately, a murderer strikes and Agatha and James are soon on the hunt to discover the killer. Agatha briefly attempts gardening, and true to form, she is not successful nor would she ever be. Bitter disappointments mark her culinary and gardening attempts. Thankfully, she has a nose f...more
Who would want to move to Carsley? Mary Fortune did so, showed her skill as a gardener, much to Agatha's disgust, and then found herself murdered.
'That friend of yours, Bill Wong, took me aside and told me to make sure you did not interfere in the investigation.' So Agatha's friend James Lacey told her but this did not bother the intrepid amateur sleuth. She did her usual and followed every clue to eventually unmask the killer, trying to keep her love life on track along the way!
Another enjoyabl...more
'That friend of yours, Bill Wong, took me aside and told me to make sure you did not interfere in the investigation.' So Agatha's friend James Lacey told her but this did not bother the intrepid amateur sleuth. She did her usual and followed every clue to eventually unmask the killer, trying to keep her love life on track along the way!
Another enjoyabl...more
Another cosy mystery when Agatha and James get together to solve another Cotswold's murder. This time Agatha arrives back from holiday to find a newcomer to the village, James Lacey seems to have taken a shine to Mary and Agatha becomes jealous. However there is something not quite right with how Mary behaves, one minute ready to help and the next upsetting people with her comments.
When Gardens start to become vandalised before the open gardens day everyone is keen to find out who is doing it, t...more
When Gardens start to become vandalised before the open gardens day everyone is keen to find out who is doing it, t...more
The third in the Agatha Raisin series, this time Agatha, with the help of James Lacey tries to discover who has murdered newcomer to the village and keen gardener, Mary Fortune, by poisoning her with weed killer and planting her head first in her own tropical garden! Meanwhile, Agatha is trying to hide the fact that her own gardening skills are not up to scratch and that she has planned to buy in plants from the garden centre in time for the garden open day. A fun, enjoyable read, more so than t...more
In the third installment of the Agatha Raisin series, Agatha has just returned from a lengthy holiday. At the end of the previous book, Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet, Agatha had given a rude gesture to her neighbour, James Lacey, after imbibing a little too much. The next morning, Agatha felt rather ashamed of her behaviour and wanted to escape the embarrassment she felt whenever she thought of what she had done. Upon her return, Agatha learns that a ravishing divorcee, Mary Fortune, has mov...more
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I don’t usually re-read books, considering how many are on my wish list, but I made an exception to revisiting this old friend and great story. Here’s a little about it:
When an attractive woman moves into the village and James is drawn to her, Agatha inserts herself between them by taking up a passion the two share, but Agatha strongly dislikes - gardening. And she’ll cheat to win the horticultural contest. When the woman turns up dead, James and Agatha are hot on the killer’s trail.
When an attractive woman moves into the village and James is drawn to her, Agatha inserts herself between them by taking up a passion the two share, but Agatha strongly dislikes - gardening. And she’ll cheat to win the horticultural contest. When the woman turns up dead, James and Agatha are hot on the killer’s trail.
As the Goodreads rating system indicates for a two-star book, it was "okay." Agatha Raisin is a middle-aged retiree who moved from busy London to the quieter countryside only to find herself becoming an amateur sleuth. The characters were okay, the mystery was okay, and the way that Agatha figured it all out was stumbled upon and not very novel. I don't really like the character of Agatha enough to read more about her. Definitely not Agatha Christie, or Dorothy L. Sayers standard.
What a fun clean and delightful story that describes a British woman named Mrs. Agatha Raisin who has found herself helping solve murders somewhat like Agatha Christie. There is fun humor, a set of delightful characters, etc. I'm reading the third book in the series, but it is definitely one I will read more of. The poor murderee is found with her head planted in a planter and is strung upside down and hung. Sounds gross, but the story is fun and I find myself laughing out loud
Another good cozy mystery from Beaton. I am addicted to Agatha Raisin and may finish off the whole series by the year end at this rate. Here, Aggie comes back from a not so satisfactory vacation and finds that a belle has settled in her adopted village. She is not only charming, but also well-liked by all the villagers, including her former paramour James Lacey, who is now in her grip. No wonder Agatha decides to Join James and Mary (the new lady) and tag along with them at every chance. Then on...more
I know this series is very popular but I wonder why. The writing is not very polished: there are many abrupt transitions and the conversations can be abrupt as well. I found the main character not the least bit endearing but rather unpleasant and abrupt. There's that word again! Everything in this book is 'abrupt'. I have read several of the author's Hamish books and, while the quality of writing is the same, the characters are more agreeable.
Agatha becomes instant rivals with her bachelor neighbor's love interest. James has been dating a new woman in town while Agatha was gone. This new woman is slim, beautiful, very put-together -- and she has James' full attention. It's nice to see Agatha work through her frustrations with Mary & come out a better person. It's a nice mystery & fun to see what Agatha will do next.
Have had this and another in this series lurking about the house for a couple of years so decided to include it in my "travelling" books for Africa. Absolutely delightful nonsense! Ideal light reading at the end of a too hot, too heart-rending day. Some wonderful insights, I have to add, to the fact that the minds of 50something year old women are not at all dissimilar to teenagers where relationships are concerned...
While Agatha's snippy snappy-ness was laugh-provoking, it wasn't quite as well-written as the other two, though it's hard to put my finger on just why. Partly because there wasn't a giantly tense and uncharacteristically extreme ending but also because the characters were just not drawn as well as previously. But that won't keep me from reading the 4th!
Things get more and more bizarre in the village of Carsely. This time, Agatha Raisin, amateur sleuth, serial competition cheat and intermittent man chaser is solving the murder of a newcomer to the village.
The outcome to this one is totally ludicrous, particularly the reason for the murder considering the gruesome details revealed but these books are obviously not written for their realism.
As usual with this series, it's a fun and quick read.
The outcome to this one is totally ludicrous, particularly the reason for the murder considering the gruesome details revealed but these books are obviously not written for their realism.
As usual with this series, it's a fun and quick read.
Oct 23, 2011
Mary
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mysteries,
fiction-older-than-2008
Agatha Raisin is cranky and prone to bad habits--hanging about in pubs, smoking, eating fattening delightful foods--and I found her quite delightful. The woman who ends up dead in this story is a classic case of "couldn't have happened to a more deserving person" I was a little bothered by who ultimately "done it" as it seemed a bit tacked on.
I love MC Beaton's cozy mysteries. Her tongue-in-cheek British humor and vocabulary are fun to read. Agatha Raisin (the main character) is a surly, middle aged woman you just have to love. She not afraid to speak her mind which often gets her into trouble. If you like light-hearted murder mysteries without all the gore, these books are for you!
c1994: OK, so I know enough about the series now not to expect much other than a really enjoyable tale. However, this one just didn't crack it with me at all. Agatha was still at her best but, I don't know why, but it all seemed a bit flat. Will give the next one a go just in case it was author fatigue. Very short read though so not much time was wasted.
This was an easy read. I've read later Agatha Raisin books before this and appreciated some background that this one gave. Either because I'm now more used to the main character or because she was slightly different in the earlier books, I found Agatha Raisin more likeable in this one than in the later ones.
This was another good read from M. C. Beaton. What I like about these books is that although they are short and I finish them quickly, the stories are very discriptive. I like the character of Agatha Raisin. She is quirky and funny. I think that this was the best book I have read so far in the series. I'm looking forward to reading the next book already.
I really liked being surprised (in a good way).
For the first 1/3 of the book, I really thought I've made a BIG mistake in picking up this book because Agatha Raisin just did not sound lovable - just a grouchy bitch... However, I'm glad I stuck it out a bit longer because she really is a diamond in the rough.
A nice cozy mystery to break up the day :)
For the first 1/3 of the book, I really thought I've made a BIG mistake in picking up this book because Agatha Raisin just did not sound lovable - just a grouchy bitch... However, I'm glad I stuck it out a bit longer because she really is a diamond in the rough.
A nice cozy mystery to break up the day :)
Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener by M.C. Beaton
I love the Agatha Raisin series and this one is no exception. They're great easy reads with brilliant characters, especially the titular Agatha Raisin. The plots are excellent and I never normally work out who the culprit is.
I love the Agatha Raisin series and this one is no exception. They're great easy reads with brilliant characters, especially the titular Agatha Raisin. The plots are excellent and I never normally work out who the culprit is.
This series has grown on me, as I hoped it would when I read the first one. I don't think that it will ever be one of my favorites, but it will be a nice change of pace from the contemporary police procedurals that I usually read. Agatha Raisin has many annoying rough edges, but she is a woman of character, and I look forward to checking in with her once in a while.
Absolutely loved the book!!! I laughed so hard through it. Agatha is a hoot! Couldn't put it down till I read it all and found out who did it. It reminds me of the books Alexander McCall Smith writes about Mma Romatswe (hope the spelling is correct). Highly recommend it!
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Also writes as:
Marion Chesney (real name)
Jennie Tremaine
Sarah Chester
Helen Crampton
Ann Fairfax
Marion Gibbons
Charlotte Ward
M. C. Beaton has been hailed as "the new Queen of Crime." She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries, which began with The Quiche of Death and also include As the Pig Turns and Busy Body, set in the English Cotswolds, as well as the Hamish M...more
More about M.C. Beaton...
Marion Chesney (real name)
Jennie Tremaine
Sarah Chester
Helen Crampton
Ann Fairfax
Marion Gibbons
Charlotte Ward
M. C. Beaton has been hailed as "the new Queen of Crime." She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries, which began with The Quiche of Death and also include As the Pig Turns and Busy Body, set in the English Cotswolds, as well as the Hamish M...more
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