Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House [Hardcover]

 

 

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It appears that M. C. Beaton went on holiday for this book and asked an aspiring novelist to take her place as author. Just kidding! But Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House is almost a satire of an Agatha Raisin mystery rather than the real deal, and there's an inexplicable lapse in continuity concerning Sir Charles Fraith that makes you wonder if M. C. Beaton reads her own books.

Agatha has yet another new neighbor in James Lacey's old cottage: This time it's Paul Chatterton, a handsome computer consultant, whose wife prefers to live in Madrid. Paul has heard that Agatha has a reputation in Carsely for affairs, and he's interested in finding out the facts. Needless to say, Agatha is soon dreaming of being Mrs. Paul Chatterton and hoping that James Lacey will see the wedding announcement in the Times. At Paul's insistence, the pair plans to spend a night at the "haunted" house of Mrs. Witherspoon. After a mysterious mist appears, Agatha is frightened by seeing Mrs. Witherspoon with a face mask on, and Agatha flees . . . annoying both Paul and Mrs. Witherspoon. Their future watching has to be done outside, but Agatha trips over a trash can and scares off whoever is there.

The detecting duo swears off any most ghostbusting until they learn that Mrs. Witherspoon was found dead with a broken neck in her cottage, an unlikely event given the state of the stairs and her health. After the police decide that Mrs. Witherspoon's son may be the murderer, the son and daughter invite Agatha and Paul to investigate. But the police don't want to have anything to do with the amateur detectives who snoop around on their own anyway. Unlike some of Agatha's investigations where she doesn't pick up much that the police haven't or wouldn't, the police in this case seem woefully weak: Without her investigation, the killer would have gotten away.

So why do I say the story lacks continuity?

1. Agatha Raisin in the past has been attracted to men who are attracted to her, but she hasn't come near a married man. It doesn't seem like she would now as her increased self-esteem has risen due to her detecting success and restarting her PR career with occasional assignments.

2. Sir Charles Fraith reappears in Agatha's life as though this is the first time she has seen him since he got married, even though he reappeared once before in an earlier book. This time, he claims to have had cancer and to be the father of two children (the earlier book claimed the pregnancy was a myth and that he was seeking a divorce).

3. Agatha swears off confronting possible murderers in favor of calling in the police. I don't think so.

4. Agatha becomes totally inept in hiding her illegal activities, even failing to wear gloves while breaking in by using a stolen key's duplicate.

The other major story line involves Agatha and Mrs. Davenport developing a humorous vendetta as Mrs. Davenport false believes that Agatha is having an affair with Paul Chatterton. Perhaps the funniest part of the book involves Agatha preparing a dainty dish for Mrs. Davenport.

The mystery's solution doesn't make a whole lot of sense because the motive is an improbable one. That's not the only improbable in this book which relies on humor that doesn't always satisfy . . . mostly because the humor is telegraphed too far and too much in advance.

By the end of the story, Paul Chatterton is off for Spain with his wife. We have a new neighbor to meet in the next book in the series.

But unless you feel compelled to read every story in the series, you can skip this one. Nothing happens that you really need to know about Agatha, her friends, or Carsely.

AGATHA RAISIN AND THE HAUNTED HOUSE is the fourteenth book in this mystery series. I open each and every Agatha Raisin story with anticipation and the knowledge that I'll be able to get into the story quickly and learn what's been going on in Agatha's life. I haven't been disappointed yet!

This story begins with Agatha still in pain over the defection of James Lacey, her husband. He left her to become a monk and so Agatha fills her time with free lance public relations work in London. Upon returning home to the Cotswold's, she finds that Paul Chatterton, a new and handsome gentleman has moved next door. In fact, he's heard of her and her past investigations. They become friendly and Paul proposes that they offer to help an elderly lady from a neighboring village who claims that her home is haunted. Of course, murders do take place and Agatha is spurred on by Paul to keep investigating.

As Agatha starts dreaming of having a relationship with Paul, her old friend Sir Charles comes to visit and insinuates to Paul, that Agatha is his girlfriend. Paul seems annoyed and maybe a little jealous, he backs off and and starts to investigate on his own.

Sir Charles is very supportive of Agatha and becomes a kinder friend that he had been in the past. Of course, Aggie, as Sir Charles calls her, helps to solve the mystery of the haunted house, and the book ends with Agatha thinking about starting her own detective agency.

Agatha Raisin returns in her 14th adventure. All the characters we've come to love also return. There's the esteemed Mrs. Bloxby, the flamboyant Ron Silver, endearing Bill Wong minus his wacky parents, and even a surprise visit from Sir Charles Fraith. Agatha, however, does seem to be getting a little too trite. I love her crotchety nature, and although there were glimpses of it here, Agatha is becoming a little too obsessed with whatever man moves in next door. Worst of all, the strong Mrs. Raisin actually broke down and cried and, horror of horrors, fainted at the sight of a dead body. That's not the real Agatha! Don't go soft on us, girl!

This book also didn't live up to previous ones because Agatha's male love interest was just too wimpy for words. The fact that he had a wife, albeit a stereotypical dark-haired and jealous beauty, also never really made the reader think Agatha could wind up with him. So now, yet another man may move into the cottage next door and Agatha will have one more chance to wear her sexy black nightie. Ho, hum. Maybe Ms. Beaton needs to go back to what made Agatha so endearing to begin with---her desperate plotting, her vulnerablity, her total disdain for anything that stood in her path and her hilariously outrageous behavior.

I was also a little disappointed that the big plans Agatha made at the end of the previous book---the desire to start an active group for senior citizens of the village---got nary a mention. Hopefully, her big plan at the end of this book will carry forward to the next one.

With all the shortcomings of this offering, I still love Agatha, a woman who wouldn't dream of cooking for herself and will subsist on frozen dinners while preparing fresh fish for her cats.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Aggie's a Riot-----but Beaton needs a new editor.
There is simply no question I adore Agatha Raisin in all her grumpy, middle-aged, love-starved, prickly, hard-nosed and soft-hearted misadventures! Read more

Published on Jan 25 2004 by PMcD

4.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what you expect from Mrs. Raisin
I only just started reading the Agatha Raisin series about a year ago and I have read them all to date. I find The Haunted Mansion delightful. Read more

Published on Jan 13 2004 by Tameia B. Easley

5.0 out of 5 stars Thouroughly Enjoyed Aggie This Time.
Nothing is more satisfying than a new Agatha Raisin mystery. This latest in the series is totally enjoyable. Read more

Published on Nov 18 2003 by S. Schwartz

3.0 out of 5 stars Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House
This is the 14th book in the popular Agatha Raisin series, and the plots are starting to have a familiar ring to them, though they are still a fast and entertaining read. Read more

Published on Oct 28 2003 by Patricia Ibbotson

2.0 out of 5 stars time to retire
This is the fourteenth book about Agatha Raison, an early retiree who moves to the Cotswald from London. Carsely is a picturesque, quaint village. Read more

Published on Oct 11 2003 by A. Christie

5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing mystery
After working a free lance public relations job in London for over a month, Agatha Raisin is glad to return to her quaint college in Carsley in England. Read more

Published on Oct 1 2003 by Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars an enjoyable, light mystery
After having wasted so much time and effort on men, Agatha Raisin has had enough. She's going to swear off men, and spend her time peacefully pottering about her garden and house,... Read more

Published on Sep 20 2003 by tregatt

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