Another tale without James (except... no, I won't spoil it!), and the amoral, but likeable baronet instead. And another set of rather gruesome villagers with dark passions and secrets.

Agatha once more stumbles her way through an ambivalent pursuit of several mysterious events, which include, of course, a murder or two.

And once more, Ms. Beaton is adept at evoking the setting, the characters, and the whole atmosphere which is almost a character in and of itself.

Can't wait to see what the teaser at the very end will bring next... ( )

Agatha Raisin riesce a conquistare con la semplicità dei racconti che risultano comunque intriganti e piacevoli. ( )

This installment of Agatha Raisin was mistitled and ought to be called "Death at the Manor" as the fairy plot was weak and insignificant. As with the Witches book Sir Charles joins Agatha in Norfolk. Agatha spends most of the book being grumpier than usual as James has gone away and it's uncertain when he'll return, hence Agatha renting a cottage if Fryfam. This was a fun escapade of the seething subterranean passion below the quiet village surface variety. ( )

Agatha and the Lights in the Garden
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (January 2013) of the original St. Martin's Press Minotaur hardcover (June 2000)

The Fairies of Fryham finds Agatha Raisin renting a cottage in Fryham after a fortune teller in the previous book The Witch of Wyckhadden told her that she would find her true love in Norfolk. Her garden appears to show signs of fairy lights at night, but no one in the village will speak about it. Soon there is a murder and Sir Charles Fraith shows up to help Agatha investigate.

I'm continuing to enjoy the fun of this cozy series which is somewhat different from the TV-series which I saw first. Sir Charles is much more of a recurring character and occasional love interest than he is in the screen adaptation and his cheap and chintzy manners are played up quite a bit. The narration by regular reader Penelope Keith is always excellent in all voices.

Most (28 of 32) of the Agatha Raisin audiobooks are free on Audible Plus. A posthumous Book 32 [book:Down the Hatch|56268978] is yet to be released, and is expected to be published in October 2021.

Trivia and Link
The Fairies of Fryham was adapted as Episodes 3 & 4 of Series 2 for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-). A trailer can be seen on YouTube here. ( )

Bored and a bit desperate, Agatha follows the advice of a fortune teller, sticks and pin in a map and leaves to find her destiny. Instead, in the not so quaint village of Fryfam, she finds murder. She had hoped to find something or someone to keep her mind off James so she was happy to see Charles when he showed up. The two of them set out to solve the murder because Charles sees it as a bit of a lark.

I love this series because it is good entertainment. So far it hasn't failed me. ( )