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The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin #1)
by M.C. Beaton - 3/5
There has been some deliberation concerning the book's rating. I mused on how different the book was. How different from my expectations. Much of the book's positives ranked as character buildup. On that score, the book scored high. But characterization was something that didn't- doesn't- set my pulse racing. Basically I don't admire things that I THINK I can do myself. I can remember a lot of acclaimed songs that I couldn't enjoy because I thought I could have written them myself.
Agatha Raisin stars in her first book, solves her first case. She hints of future successes in crime fighting. M.C Beaton, the author, must have been pretty sure of being able to keep on writing further adventures with Raisin as the amateur detective.
So I've given this book 3 stars. It all comes down to how much I've enjoyed said book. I reckon the setting for the murder was a bit too shallow and artificial. That's kind of queer, since it's located in a real rural place, where the author herself lives. With hindsight, if one culls the total amount of pleasure derived from Quiche Of Death, then I'd say the book really scored 2.5. There's a big question mark over whether I'll be motivated enough to keep reading. The book is zany enough, it's just not funny. It has a certain mordant, but not enough zest. I'll have to risk reading the second book to see if the author has stayed in a rut or has moved on to better stuff. Until then.
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