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  • Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death

  • Agatha Raisin, Book 1
  • By: M. C. Beaton
  • Narrated by: Penelope Keith
  • Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,800 ratings)
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Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death cover art

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death

By: M. C. Beaton
Narrated by: Penelope Keith
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Summary

Meet Agatha Raisin, high-flying public relations boss turned village sleuth. After her many years of bullying and cajoling others, her early retirement to a picture-perfect village in the Cotswolds is a dream come true.

©2004 M.C. Beaton (P)2015 Audible, Inc

What listeners say about Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Laugh out loud

This is the first book in the Agatha Raisin story and to begin with I did not like the main character Agatha Raisin, but she grew on me as the story developed until I saw her as a crazy aunt. The narrator was very good and told the story very well and with the plot there were parts where I had tears of laughter but it was still a murder mystery which had you guessing all the way through.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly recommended

What made the experience of listening to Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death the most enjoyable?

The first Agatha Raisin, 'lady detective', novel establishes Agatha as a newcomer to the English countryside, vacillating about staying, and surprising herself by making new friends and becoming actually popular for the first time in her pushy, go-getting, high-flying life. As a successor to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, she is certainly very recognisable to most modern readers, and her transformation from waspish business owner to respected country-dweller is at least as interesting as the tale of her investigations into the death of a local husband. Excellently written, excellently read (of course!), and a thoroughly romping listen.

What did you like best about this story?

The author takes the time to establish the characters in a way that blends subtlety with humour, and their interactions are fascinating to observe.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

There were so many great scenes, I would be hard pressed to pick one that stood out above the rest.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

How hard can it be for a city high-flyer to turn country-dweller?

Any additional comments?

The performance from Penelope Keith was impeccable, as one would expect.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

An easy listen, nothing challenging

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Fun if you don't want to really concentrate or think too hard.

What about Penelope Keith’s performance did you like?

Always a pleasure

Did Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death inspire you to do anything?

Not move to a small village in the middle of nowhere.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • JF
  • 21-02-21

Still can't figure out if i like it...

I was genuinely not sure if this was supposed to be a kids book.
The characters are more like caricatures, the plot is tenuous. there is virtually no prose; little description of anything. The language seems over-simplified and the whole thing feels like it was probably written over the course of a weekend spent in the garden with a notebook and a jug of Pimms.
It's full of little dead end offshoots that seem irrelevant.
The eponymous Ms Raisin is not especially relatable or likeable. In fact she is completely unbelievable and very self-centred.
And yet......
I have listened to it twice.
And have bought further Agatha Raisin titles in the sales. (I can honestly say i would not pay full price or use a whole credit for one!)
All conform to the same pattern, and I swear I find them irritating, and don't actually 'like' them, so why do i feel compelled to listen to them?
They're like some curiously addictive junk food equivalent in literature- you know when you order takeout knowing it's a bad idea, you eat it knowing it does not taste good, you regret the expense when you could have just had beans on toast, afterwards you wish you hadn't done it.... and yet a couple of weeks later you do it again!!
I have to say, Penelope Keith is possibly the saving grace!!

If you can pick these up in the £3 sale then by all means collect them.
If you're looking for something you can listen to without engaging your brain in any way, then these fit the bill.
If you're expecting an actual murder-mystery, along the lines of Agatha Christie, or PD James then these are most definitely NOT that!! Probably more on the level of Enid Blyton's Famous Five; only without Timmy the dog and lashings of ginger beer!!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable listen

I love Penelope Keith narrating this series, and The Quiche of Death is one of the best for pure fun. Perfect listening for a Sunday afternoon with tea and cake!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

too twee

Revolving round an unlovable central character, the story is thin and far fetched, saved by the narrator. Wont be listening to more.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Easy listening.

A lovely easy listening story. Narration by Penelope Keith excellent. Will search for more audio books which she has narrated.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful

Absolutely delightful book, so well written with wonderful characters brought to life by Penelope Keith.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Completely loved it!

I'm now hooked on this series after listening to this audio book! Highly recommended if you enjoy Agatha Christie and midsummer murders for a bit of light entertainment.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just Delightful

So glad I've stumbled across this series. This first book is a great introduction to Agatha Raisin and I'm really looking forward to seeing what other scrapes she manages to get herself in to.

Easy listening murder mystery set in a quaint Cotswold village.

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3 people found this helpful