From Publishers Weekly
Stocky, middle-aged Agatha Raisin returns from a long vacation abroad to find the other residents of her Cotswolds village dazzled by a beautiful newcomer. The divorced Mary Fortune has particularly captivated Agatha's neighbor and love interest, James Lacey, sharing, it seems, his passion for gardening. Not to be outdone, Agatha takes up a trowel and, in her determined fashion, wastes no time in buying seedlings while digging for information about Mary. Against Mary's advice, Agatha plants too early; a late frost leaves her with no prospects for the upcoming garden show. A former associate in her London PR firm, desperate to have her back, promises to have her garden secretly replanted if she'll agree to return to work for six months in the fall. As the time for the garden show approaches, malicious pranks wreck the gardens of neighbors who have had run-ins with Mary. Then Agatha finds the newcomer strung up by her heels, her head "planted" in a large pot, and she and James are plunged into another murder investigation. Beaton's dry sense of humor and her unflattering but affectionate portrait of gruff, often adolescent-acting Agatha, make this third tale, following Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet , a bloom worth plucking. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Agatha (Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet, LJ 7/93) returns to quiet Carsely after a lengthy tour to find that a newcomer has supplanted her in the affections of James Lacey, her sleuthing partner and next-door neighbor. This newcomer, a very attractive woman of means, has wriggled her way into the good graces of the villagers. But an upcoming gardening competition reveals hidden animosities and leads to the woman's murder. A simple plot embellished with horticultural manipulations provides the perfect background for the lovelorn Agatha and her unique brand of humor. For series fans and others.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
That intrepid British sleuth-by-default Agatha Raisin returns in a third adventure that's even more cozy, charming, and witty than her previous two. With a name like Agatha Raisin and a tendency toward pugnacious pudginess, Agatha may not seem a likely sort of detective, but when a crime is committed in her adopted village of Carseley, she's first on the scene. Mary Fortune, an attractive divorc‚e newly arrived in Carseley, has raised local eyebrows with her on-again, off-again friendliness, nasty remarks, sharp tongue, and--worst of all--her very public affair with the love of Agatha's life, James Lacey. When several local gardens are destroyed, the villagers believe Mary is involved--until she's found murdered in a particularly nasty manner. The local coppers move too slowly for Agatha's taste, so she dons her detective hat and, through a combination of tenaciousness and curiosity, discovers the identity of the killer. Beaton captures perfectly the tenor of life in a quiet, quaint English village; the Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshingly sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likable heroine; and the latest Raisin escapade is lively, funny, and entertaining. A must for cozy fans. Emily Melton


From Kirkus Reviews
Beaton, author of the Hamish MacBeth stories, offers another anemic adventure for second-string sleuth Agatha Raisin. Agatha, a retired PR whiz, has opted to live in the tiny Cotswold village of Carsely. Returning to her cats and cottage after some extensive (and lonely) travel, she finds most of the villagers, including her eligible neighbor, James Lacey, enthralled with newcomer Mary Fortune--a beautiful blonde divorc‚e who's also a super organizer, gardener, and cook. Agatha, besieged by her massive insecurities, arranges an elaborate hoax to stun the village with her gardening skills while Mary slowly reveals a side that's not so beguiling. One day she's found murdered in her greenhouse--possibly the climax to a series of acts of vandalism plaguing the village. Agatha and James team up as before (Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet, 1993, etc.) to find the culprit, just ahead of police detective Bill Wong. The absurd plot gets no help here from the author's literary style--as blunt and unpolished as her heroine--or from the story's underdeveloped characters. A mildly cozy but totally forgettable excursion--strictly for forgiving fans. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
"From the author's sure-fire plot comes this fail-safe moral: It takes an outsider to open people's eyes to the beauty--and the evil--within."--The New York Times Book Review"Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha."--Chicago Sun TimesNever 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 for investigation. And sure enough, a series of destructive assaults on the finest gardens is followed by an appalling murder. Agatha seizes the moment and immediately starts yanking up village secrets by their roots and digging up all the dirt on the victim. Problem is, Agatha has an awkward secret of her own . . . ."Compare this one to lemon meringue pie: light. . .with a delicious hint of tartness at its heart."--The Washington Times"Delightful . . . Hilarious . . . Warning: Once you read one of Beaton's books, you're hooked. No one does the English cozy better."--Romantic Times


From the Publisher
4 1.5-hour cassettes


From the Inside Flap
"From the author's sure-fire plot comes this fail-safe moral: It takes an outsider to open people's eyes to the beauty--and the evil--within."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha."
--Chicago Sun Times
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 for investigation. And sure enough, a series of destructive assaults on the finest gardens is followed by an appalling murder. Agatha seizes the moment and immediately starts yanking up village secrets by their roots and digging up all the dirt on the victim. Problem is, Agatha has an awkward secret of her own . . . .
"Compare this one to lemon meringue pie: light. . .with a delicious hint of tartness at its heart."
--The Washington Times
"Delightful . . . Hilarious . . . Warning: Once you read one of Beaton's books, you're hooked. No one does the English cozy better."
--Romantic Times

ANNOTATION

The creator of the popular Hamish Macbeth series continues her series about a sleuth in a small English town--irascible but endearing Agatha Raisin. What could make Agatha more attractive to her bachelor neighbor than a new murder to solve? Martin's Press.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Agatha Raisin longs for a little romance and excitement in the English Cotswolds. Her latest plan to endear herself to bachelor James Lacey, her neighbor, is to take up gardening: She sees the prestigious Carsley Horticultural Contest as the perfect opportunity to impress James. Unfortunately, Agatha's sincere horticultural efforts are thwarted by a hard freeze that kills all of her seedlings, forcing her to resort to her usual treachery. When conniving Roy Silver, her former assistant at the PR firm that she sold and retired from, is sent to persuade Agatha to return to London to save the Pure Cosmetics account, he sees the perfect opportunity. Knowing how proud and competitive Agatha can be, he makes her an offer she can't refuse. Roy promises to arrange to fill her garden with healthy, beautiful plants in secret if she will save the account. As the contest approaches, however, plants are mysteriously being uprooted, poisoned, and burned. When the prime suspect, a beautiful blond newcomer named Mary Fortune, who has her eye on James Lacey, turns up dead, Agatha and James must put aside their differences to solve the puzzle.

FROM THE CRITICS

BookList - Emily Melton