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M. C. Beaton
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The Blood of an Englishman: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (Agatha Raisin Mysteries Book 25) Kindle Edition

by M. C. Beaton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 3,166
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The Blood of an Englishman continues the tradition in M. C. Beaton's beloved Agatha Raisin mystery series—now a hit show on Acorn TV and public television.

"Fee, fie, fo, fum. I smell the blood of an Englishman..."
Even though Agatha Raisin loathes amateur dramatics, her friend Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar's wife, has persuaded her to support the local pantomime. Stifling a yawn at the production of "Babes in the Woods," Agatha watches the baker playing an ogre strut and threaten on the stage, until a trapdoor opens and the Ogre disappears in an impressive puff of smoke. Only he doesn't re-appear at final curtain.

Surely this isn't the way the scene was rehearsed? When it turns out the popular baker has been murdered, Agatha puts her team of private detectives on the case. They soon discover more feuds and temperamental behavior in amateur theatrics than in a professional stage show—and face more and more danger as the team gets too close to the killer.

The Blood of an Englishman is Agatha's 25th adventure, and you'd think she would have learned by now not to keep making the same mistakes. Alas, no—yet Agatha's flaws only make her more endearing. In this sparkling new entry in M. C. Beaton's New York Times bestselling series of modern cozies, Agatha Raisin once again "manages to infuriate, amuse, and solicit our deepest sympathies as we watch her blunder her way boldly through another murder mystery" (Bookreporter.com).

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  1. Book 25 of 35
    Agatha Raisin Mysteries
  2. Print length
    303 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Minotaur Books
  6. Publication date
    September 16, 2014
  7. File size
    1845 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
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  10. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Another rollicking mixture of clever mystery-making and love gone wrong.

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha.

-- "Chicago Sun-Times, praise for the series"

Beaton turns the cozy genre on its head. Here you will find a traditional setting (a small village in which the comings and goings of citizens are known by many), mixed with other elements that are usually found in hard-boiled crime novels. Detective Agatha Raisin smokes and drinks, for example, and the murders she investigates are achieved by unusually gruesome means. This delightfully wicked mystery is a quick and entertaining read.

-- "RT Book Reviews"

Rreaders will enjoy the flashes of wit.

-- "Publishers Weekly"

The Agatha Raisin series is my guilty pleasure--it's full of perfectly pitched interest, intrigue, and charm.

-- "Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author, praise for the series"

About the Author

M. C. Beaton has won international acclaim for her bestselling Hamish Macbeth mysteries and the Agatha Raisin mystery series. She is also the author of more than one hundred romance titles and a series of romantic suspense novels, the Edwardian Mystery series. Born in Scotland, she now divides her time between Paris and the English Cotswolds.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00IW3MQCW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books (September 16, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 16, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1845 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 303 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 3,166

About the author

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M. C. Beaton

M. C. Beaton

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M.C. BEATON (1936-2019) was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels -- the basis for the hit show on Acorn TV and public television -- as well as the Hamish Macbeth series and the Edwardian Murder Mysteries featuring Lady Rose Summer. Known as the “Queen of Crime” (The Globe and Mail), she was born in Scotland and started her career writing historical romances under several pseudonyms as well as her maiden name, Marion Chesney.

For updates, follow M.C. Beaton at facebook.com/MCBeatonAuthor. You can find complete book lists and sign up for her exclusive fan newsletter at her website, www.MCBeaton.com.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
3,166 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Agatha Triumphs Again
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2017
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I love Agatha Raisin! Whenever I am down and blue, I can pick up M.C. Beaton's latest and lose myself in a character more messed up than I could ever be! Agatha is a 50 something public-relations exec who moves to the Cotswolds, ostensibly to live a quiet country life. Over the years, she goes from being an amateur detective to a "professional" one with her own detective agency. She is lovelorn and constantly on the search for a perfect mate (whom, of course, she never finds.) I defy anyone to read one of these delightful books without laughing out loud. These books are satires on everything from English life to country life, to whodunits, and are a pure delight. I'll not spoil the fun by telling the plot; believe me, it's too much fun to discover it yourself as you read the book. Highly recommended!
3 people found this helpful
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James Messerli
4.0 out of 5 stars The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Agatha
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2015
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Agatha is so human...lots of little devils in her allowed to play out...but her relationship with the Vicars wife shows she wants to be a good person.
The stories are always just a treat like a piece of Chocolate with your coffee after lunch.
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JJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Agatha story that you can't put down.
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2016
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Well, for a series that began as light reading and even amusing, this has turned into a rather dark series. Weird sick types of murders. Agatha has still never learned to be careful when she knows someone is out to get her. She is always distracted by a handsome or not so handsome face and lets her drink be doctored then winds up in danger. Shades of the "Perils of Pauline". But, it's always an interesting read. I've grown very fond of Charles and Roy and even James. I hope this series continues as I enjoy it very much.
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ivbell
3.0 out of 5 stars Blood of an Englishman has more issues than Agatha
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016
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I really love Agatha. So insecure and always looking for love, but with a good heart. A couple of issues: the first murder is unnecessarily violent and the story had too many subplots. I stopped watching the crime show Criminal Minds after they had a death like this. It seemed too clever for the type of person the deceased supposedly was and it didn't seem to fit with the murderer. And all the love affairs just got confusing. I think these books work best when Agatha has one new love to focus on while wondering about her two old standbys. I will say that the idea of community theater with jealousies and rivalries should have worked.

On another note: Agatha Raisin would make a great TV show. She's the anti Miss Marple. All that crime in sleepy English villages solved by the vain, love-hungry village outsider.
6 people found this helpful
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DJM
5.0 out of 5 stars ) In the "Englishman" I became bored right from the start
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2015
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I'm an avid fan of Agatha Raisin. Occasionally I become slightly tired of the constant dead ends that Agatha experiences (yet another address that goes nowhere or suspects who are inconsequential.) In the "Englishman" I became bored right from the start, not only of the crime, but of the characters themselves whom I had become so fond of in the past! When the plot became thin, at least the characters were interesting and lovable. It almost seemed that the author got tired of them too! It wasn't until the last few chapters that I couldn't put the book down. This one has taken me the longest to read! Don't get me wrong, I love this series but I did put the book down for several days between readings. However, I will continue to collect Agatha Raisin adventures as well as my other favorite, Hamish Macbeth. I hope there are many more to come, but I'd wish they'd get a new lease on life!
7 people found this helpful
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Helena
4.0 out of 5 stars Another great story from an author who always delivers
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2015
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I've been reading M.C. Beaton books for many years, and especially love the Agatha Raisin books. She's such a hopeless romantic and never gives up trying to find love (or lust) in spite of never having a very happy ending in her love life. This story involves the usual handsome but unsuitable men that catch Agatha's eye and may even be involved in some of the gruesome deaths happening. She continues to follow wrong clues, but we know at some point Agatha or one of her employees will discover the real bad guy. Her friend on the police force, Bill Wong, turns to Agatha for help at times along the way, which endears him to me because he appreciates Agatha just as she is.
2 people found this helpful
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B.C.
5.0 out of 5 stars any time spent with Agatha Raisin is better than none
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2014
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Personally, any time spent with Agatha Raisin is better than none, so I could never give her or M.C. Beaton any less than 5 stars, but the last few books do seem to have veered away from what makes Agatha such a great, entertaining, relatable character. Perhaps it is a long term plot on her losing and having to re-gain her neurotic, yet closely guarded, humanity or something (there does seem to be a "tune in next time" implication that persists at the end of the last couple books), so I'm willing to stick it out for many more volumes to come.
One person found this helpful
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music/book lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Agatha is a pip!
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2021
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What is the fast food well written mystery with a lot of laughs, Interesting characters , and plenty of murders to keep the reader guessing!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sally Anne Edwards
5.0 out of 5 stars In for a treat.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2023
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Love this series of books. Looking forward to reading this one; guaranteed good , fun read.
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Cliente Am.
4.0 out of 5 stars The Blood of an Englishman
Reviewed in Italy on May 25, 2020
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Always a fun read to peruse her books.
A lovely way to spend a few hours curled up one of the books in this series.
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Livia
5.0 out of 5 stars Texte complet
Reviewed in France on March 4, 2020
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J'adore les livres audio d'Agatha Raisin en anglais. Le texte est complet et me permet de m'améliorer en anglais.
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Dr Sasidharan K
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on November 17, 2017
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good book
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Charlie&Dean
5.0 out of 5 stars Das 25. Abenteuer der Mrs. Raisin
Reviewed in Germany on December 16, 2016
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Wer sie noch nicht kennt: Agatha Raisin ist eine übel gelaunte, ehemals erfolgreiche PR-Managerin, die vor einigen Jahren ihre gut gehende Firma verkauft hat, um sich in den Cotswolds (England) in einem malerischen Dorf zur Ruhe zu setzen. Sie ist Anfang/Mitte 50 (das echte Alter verrät sie einem ja nie) und ständig auf Männerfang. Sie ist unglücklich in ihren Nachbarn James verliebt und fällt öfter mal auf den einen oder anderen Bewerber herein. Vor allem aber stolpert sie in jedem Band der Erfolgsserie über den einen oder anderen Mord. Ich würde Neueinsteigern empfehlen, zuerst Band 1 "The Quiche of Death" zu lesen. Dort werden alle wichtigen Charaktere eingeführt.

Agatha lässt sich von Mrs. Bloxby dazu überreden, sich ein Theaterstück der Theater-Amateur-Truppe von Winter Parva anzusehen. Das langweilige Stück wird schlagartig interessanter, als ein Darsteller tot aufgefunden wird: gepfählt! Da Agatha ja nun eine Detektei hat, wird sie von einem anderen Mitglied der Truppe, Gareth Craven, engagiert, um den Fall aufzuklären.

In diesem Buch tauchen alle vertrauten Gestalten der beliebten Reihe auf: James (der Ex-Mann), Charles (der geizige Ex-Lover), Toni (ihre Star-Detektivin), Roy Silver (von ihrer alten PR-Agentur), Mrs. Bloxby (die Frau des Vikars)...James schreibt inzwischen Reisebücher und ist noch nicht ganz von Agatha los.

Wie immer ein atmosphärisch dichter, actionreicher, turbulenter und witziger Roman aus dem englischen Hinterland, den Cotswolds.
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