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Hiss and Hers: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (Agatha Raisin #23)
by
M.C. Beaton
If only the bossy, beloved Agatha Raisin were as luckyat finding the right man as she is at catching killers in M. C. Beaton's New York Times bestselling mystery series
Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of everyone's favorite sleuth, M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin is as feisty as ever—armed with her famous wit and biting sense of humor. This time, though, there's some bit...more
Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of everyone's favorite sleuth, M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin is as feisty as ever—armed with her famous wit and biting sense of humor. This time, though, there's some bit...more
ebook, 288 pages
Published
September 18th 2012
by Minotaur Books
(first published 2012)
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I have been a fan of Agatha Raisin's mysteries for about 5 years now. While I do have a special place for Agatha in my literary heart, I sadly find myself disappointed that the author does not give more depth and dimension to her characters.
I also read her Hamish Macbeth mystery series and I have noticed for some time now that she forgets old characters traits or even if she had them killed in previous books. In this latest installment to Raisin's adventures I actually found myself exasperated a...more
I also read her Hamish Macbeth mystery series and I have noticed for some time now that she forgets old characters traits or even if she had them killed in previous books. In this latest installment to Raisin's adventures I actually found myself exasperated a...more
I think it may be time to cross Agatha Raisin off my list. I’ve read everyone of the MC Beaton books featuring this character. However, the last two or 3 have made me wonder why. Reviewers call her “endearing.” Maybe. She’s also annoying. Plus, there’s less mystery and more stumbling around which was not true in her initial stories. Perhaps this is meant to be funny. Or it could be that my reading tastes are changing. In this edition, Agatha is pining away after the retired Army officer now gard...more
Jan 10, 2013
Marilyn Fontane
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
cozy lovers. Agatha Raison fans
Recommended to Marilyn by:
previous Agatha novels
Shelves:
mc-beaton
Hiss and Hers may be a typical Agatha Raisin novel (# 23 after all) but it was entertining just the same. Again Agatha is in love; this time with gardner George Marstan, but the infatuation doesn't last long. After setting up a fancy-dressed charity ball to dance with George, she finds him murdered in a compost pile killed by snakes--hissss, and spends the majority of the novel searching for his killer. As is often the case, not only was she smitten with George, but so were half the women in and...more
#23 in the Agatha Raisin series. Agatha is a successful London businesswoman who has retired (in her early 50s) to the lazy Cotswold village of Carsely. But our Agatha has two problems - she is serially in love (or at least, infatuation) and she is an incurable busybody. After more-or-less accidentally solving several murders, Agatha decides to solve crimes professionally and open a (surprisingly cuccessful) detective agency. This series entry is average but I felt Agatha visited the list of pot...more
Agatha has fallen in love again with George Marston a hunky gardener/handyman. The trouble is that many of the ladies in the village of Carsely have also fallen for his rugged charms. When George is found dead in his own compost heap in a particular vicious murder involving snakes, Agatha is determined to find out who did it.
Her colleagues, Toni, Simon, Phil and Patrick are all keen to help her as they don’t like to see Agatha upset. All are worried for Agatha’s safety when she starts to receiv...more
Her colleagues, Toni, Simon, Phil and Patrick are all keen to help her as they don’t like to see Agatha upset. All are worried for Agatha’s safety when she starts to receiv...more
I've gone off Aggie lately. I used to love the Agatha Raisin series, but the last few books have been less than stellar. I don't like the way the plot quickly moves from thing to another with really no lead up. The first part of this book had a tight plot and was centred around an English country summer. The atmosphere was wonderful, hot, dry with a storm finally coming to break the tension. But the tension of the book itself didn't follow the weather scenario. Then in the last half of the book...more
Poor old Agatha. When I left her at the end of the first novel, she was smooching over her neighbour. In this novel, she's got her eyes firmly fixed on at another ‘hunk’. Unfortunately for them both, he ends up in the compost heap having come off badly against a poisonous viper. How he came to be there, is the question Agatha must answer.
Agatha comes across as much more likeable in this novel than in earlier novels of this series. Others must think so as well because her friends rally around and...more
Agatha comes across as much more likeable in this novel than in earlier novels of this series. Others must think so as well because her friends rally around and...more
Agatha is running after the gardener in this current, latest, 23rd or 24th novel of the "An Agatha Raisin Mystery" series. Those of us that know Agatha, sees a vulnerable woman that stands behind her sharp tongued sarcasm as a shield against the world. Agatha has been married twice and both were sad situations.
Agatha, tries everything in her personal arsenal to attract the gardener. Nothing seems to be working, George Marston seems to just not appreciate her. Taking a leave from her agency, Aga...more
Agatha, tries everything in her personal arsenal to attract the gardener. Nothing seems to be working, George Marston seems to just not appreciate her. Taking a leave from her agency, Aga...more
Poor Agatha! Always seeking love, but maybe too desperately.
Agatha Raisin, along with most of the other village ladies, is smitten with her gardener, George Marsten. Unfortunately, Agatha finds him dead with a bag of adders around his head. George has been quite a philanderer in 2 villages and Agatha has to investigate many, many possible suspects.
Although, I have loved all of the Agatha Raisin books (mainly because I love the characters), I gave this one only 3 stars as it was just too comp...more
Agatha Raisin, along with most of the other village ladies, is smitten with her gardener, George Marsten. Unfortunately, Agatha finds him dead with a bag of adders around his head. George has been quite a philanderer in 2 villages and Agatha has to investigate many, many possible suspects.
Although, I have loved all of the Agatha Raisin books (mainly because I love the characters), I gave this one only 3 stars as it was just too comp...more
Her favorite curse is especially pertinent "Snakes and bastards!" p9, p182, etc. Private detective Agatha Raisin avoids poisonous local adder bites, but her latest crush, sleep-around gardener-carpenter odd jobber George Marston, rejects the wrong female. All her men friends pitch in: young local cop Bill Wong, composed Sir Charles Fraith, cold ex-hubbie James Lacey, detective agency employees elderly Phil and ambitious heir Simon Black, former PR-hungry employee Roy Silver, in "emerald green le...more
Hiss and Hers was a first-reads giveaway. My first! I love mysteries and was excited to be introduced to a new detective series. Being that it is the 23rd in a long line of Agatha Raisin novels, I went into this book looking at it as a series and not just the lone book. Hiss and Hers was a good quick read. Heavy on dialogue and twists and low on details and scene setting. The mystery was just interesting enough to keep me reading. The story picks up in the middle of a love pursuit. Agatha has be...more
I just love M.C. Beaton's books! This is a fun mystery and a quick read. Fans of M.C. Beaton will love this book.
Jun 20, 2012
Tami
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
goodreads-giveaways,
2012
I haven't received my copy yet, just received notice I had won. 6/20/12
Received 6/29/12 and hope to start soon. Have 4 others plus current read in front.
Started 7/8/12
Finished 7/10/12
Agatha Raisin is at it again. She has become hopelessly infatuated with George, the local handy man/gardener. Unfortunately so have half the women in the village and he doesn't seemed interested in Agatha. So what does she do? Organized a charity ball for the town. But when George doesn't show up after promising he...more
Received 6/29/12 and hope to start soon. Have 4 others plus current read in front.
Started 7/8/12
Finished 7/10/12
Agatha Raisin is at it again. She has become hopelessly infatuated with George, the local handy man/gardener. Unfortunately so have half the women in the village and he doesn't seemed interested in Agatha. So what does she do? Organized a charity ball for the town. But when George doesn't show up after promising he...more
I love M.C. Beaton's books and I love Agatha Raisin. Reading this new book was like slipping into my most comfy clothes and relaxing and feeling wonderful. Aaahhh....Poor Agatha has fallen in love once more with local garden Romeo, George Marston, a handsome war veteran. Agatha, being Agatha, will go to great lengths to attract George, only to find him murdered in his own garden compost pile, bitten by venomous asps. Thus we go on another wild ride with Agatha, Bill Wong, Mrs. Bloxby, Sir Charle...more
I'm a glutton for punishment. I continue to read each new Agatha Raisin novel when it comes out, and continue to be disappointed. No longer the fan of mysteries that I once was, I return to Carsely in the hopes that THIS time Agatha will wise up, but she never does. For awhile, desperation and bad choices were part of her "charm" but after 23 books it's just getting old and frustrating. Don't know if I can take another ride on this merry-go-round. But I've been saying that for the last 10 books...more
12 likes · like · see review
I like M.C. Beaton, but Agatha Raisin and her supporting cast have almost become caricature stereotypes of themselves. Some days I feel like her books are formulaic -- Agatha will lust after a man, her friends will try to talk her out of it, she'll screw it up, and will spend the rest of the book trying to get over it, failing to learn her lesson yet again. Oh, and she'll solve a murder for the police, who think she's an interfering old bat, despite the fact that she's solved over two dozen or m...more
These books are really novellas with their big margins and big print. Agatha once again is man hungry and envious of other women. This plot centered around the village gardener who spurns Agatha in favor of older and less attractive women. He winds up dead and it's up to Aggie and company to find out who did it. Charles, Roy Silver and James make appearances as well as the ever tolerant Mrs. Bloxby and Bill Wong. The reader was spared the ill fated romances of Bill Wong and his mother in this in...more
Apr 22, 2013
Nancy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves M.C. Beaton books
Recommended to Nancy by:
I follow the series.
Nothing like a good M.C. Beaton "Agatha Raisin" mystery when in the doldrums. While my M.C. Beaton character of choice in Hamish Macbeth, "Hiss and Hers" was one of the better Agatha Raisin books. Truth to tell, I get annoyed with Agatha at times - there are too many "Woman hears a noise, goes to the cellar in her negligee with just a candle for light" type situations in this series. But, this one had humorous twists and turns that kept me interested in the book. I think Mrs. Beaton needs to be...more
Agatha has fallen hard for her gardener, George Marston. So much so that she's going around trying to create work for him so that she can be around him more. When she finds him dead the night of the charity ball in his own compost heap, she discovers that he's been romancing a lot of women in the village, which irks her even more, knowing that he didn't include her. Agatha is then hired by George's sister to find out who murdered him. With her employees at her detective agency and friends Charle...more
Jul 12, 2012
Rebecca
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads-giveaways,
beaton
This was a first reads giveaway. As I enjoy mysteries I was looking forward to reading it. I had a problem getting started but knowing this is one of a series figured I should just persevere. The central character, Agatha Raisin is described as "beloved, bossy, and brilliant" by the publisher. I found her rude, self-centered, not bright at all and certainly not likeable. There are few likeable people in the book. In fact the author seems to focus on everyone's negative qualities. The writing is...more
2 likes · like · see review
Oh Agatha......you gotta love her and feel sorry for her all in the same breath! Once again she is "in love" or should I say lust? This time it is the town gardener and he is tending to more than the ladies roses! Then he turns up dead (somebody has to die....Agatha needs a case to solve). M C Beaton's sense of humor comes out now and again and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the retorts and actions of her characters. And dear, unlovable Agatha.....she is like most of us...she doesn'...more
I love all MC Beaton's characters, and never tire of Agatha's adventures. Although I would love to actually see a romance work out for Agatha, obviously that would end a big element of suspense in this series. So needless to say, no happy endings for Agatha. While this one is not my favorite, I enjoyed it; Agatha is always a fun, light read, complete with some out loud chuckles.
Wanted to add that I especially like the journalistic style brings to her fiction. Similar to another ex journalist, L...more
Wanted to add that I especially like the journalistic style brings to her fiction. Similar to another ex journalist, L...more
While I greatly enjoyed the beginning of this installment of the Agatha Raisin series (I love seeing Agatha Raisin falling hopelessly in love with yet another undesirable and unattainable man) I felt that the book got worse as it went on. Specifically, the book felt like it was just too long -- like it would have been better had Beaton left off 50 pages somewhere.
The characters in this book - a soap opera star, some interesting village peoples, for the most part pop and are fun to read about.
Thi...more
The characters in this book - a soap opera star, some interesting village peoples, for the most part pop and are fun to read about.
Thi...more
My first time reading an "Agatha Raisin" story. Entertaining enough for an English village "cozy mystery".
It seems to me that she is a woman of mature years and independent means with a strong nose for trouble and a bullish persevering personality, and a fine-tuned sense of intuition.
I was impressed at the way Agatha Raisin figured out where to find the young schoolboy who ran away from school after he got into trouble. That is very common sense and she handled it well.
I got lost at all the reit...more
It seems to me that she is a woman of mature years and independent means with a strong nose for trouble and a bullish persevering personality, and a fine-tuned sense of intuition.
I was impressed at the way Agatha Raisin figured out where to find the young schoolboy who ran away from school after he got into trouble. That is very common sense and she handled it well.
I got lost at all the reit...more
Agatha is Agatha! The reason I enjoy the stories is because this woman, who is so successful and capable in business, is so ridiculous and vulnerable in her personal life. In each story she behaves like a bulldozer, steamrolling through obstacles and over anyone who gets in her way, uncovering clues to always find out " who done it." In spite of all of her detecting skills, she can't figure out interpersonal relationships. Agatha's obvious character flaws make her endearing. She is an underdog o...more
For twenty years and 23 books, Agatha Raisin has stuck her foot in her mouth, blundered into trouble, chased after true love, and exasperated her friends. She is a prickly, sarcastic, self-centered, argumentative and stubborn woman, but the folks of the little village of Carsely have come to accept, if not appreciate, her in spite of her peculiarities. The once-driven career woman has found a place to call home and people to call friends for the first time in her life.
This 23rd book finds her p...more
This 23rd book finds her p...more
Agatha may be an observant detective, but when it comes to men, she is clueless. She has fallen in love – again – but the object of her desire is after other women. Poor Agatha is totally oblivious to this fact. She totters around on stilettos, hoping for a romantic encounter. Alas, it was not meant to be! But now, wishing to unmask the murderer, she and her fellow detectives find themselves the target of the murderer’s wrath. A quick read, fans of this series will enjoy this installment, even w...more
Another romp through the English countryside with the Cozy Queen is welcome this fall. Agatha is up to her old antics, falling in love, falling into murders. Surrounded by her fellow travelers that we all have learned to love, Agatha stumbles on! Mrs. Bloxby is back, James is back in the cottage next door, the detective agency staff is at hand, Sir Charles is in and out and Bill Wong is patiently trying to solve a murder with or without Agatha's questionable assistance.
So, pour a cup of tea or...more
So, pour a cup of tea or...more
Dec 08, 2012
Susan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contemporary-mysteries
I will continue to read the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton, although this one dragged on. Agatha and her late-middle age fixation on men and sex appeal is tiresome. What I like most about this series is that it is all so unbelievable that it provides a great escape from the gut-clenching emotion of a thriller or dark mystery. I read this in tandem with "The End of Your Life Book Club" so it provided a pleasant counter-point to the far more serious non-fiction book. Beaton's books are good f...more
I won a copy of this book from a Good Reads giveaway. I have to admit this in my first M.C. Beaton book as I had never heard of the author until this point. Whereas I do agree with other readers who were in the same boat as me (not knowing Agatha's background) it would have been nice to of had a lil' blurb put in. Even still, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this book. It was a fun light summer read with enough humor packed in to keep me entertained as I tried to figure out the mystery. I'm a...more
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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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Mar 28, 2013 10:44am