I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of Agatha Raisin: Devil’s Delight, the thirty third novel to feature the eponymous private detective, set in the Cotswolds.

Agatha and her assistant, Toni, are on their way to a wedding when they are flagged down by a naked man. He’s a naturist who has just found a murdered body, which promptly disappears.

I thoroughly enjoyed Agatha Raisin: Devil’s Delight, which made me laugh. It is not a long novel, so the authors use every minute wisely, packing in a bit of everything.

There is no doubt that the plot is silly, but it’s intentional so that the reader can join in the joke. Agatha is juggling three cases, but concentrates on the missing corpse and leaves the others to her team. Her investigation involves naturism, pagan worship and ice cream among other things, but I’m not going to explain anymore as that would spoil the fun. Just as well she can multitask because she’s also juggling her love life with both old and new beaux in the mix. And there’s a very satisfying conclusion to her cases, if not her love life.

I like Agatha as she’s a sharp operator. She’s smart and nobody’s fool in business, unfortunately not so smart and easier to fool in her love life. I think many of us can identify with that. I especially like that when she loses her temper she doesn’t hold back. How many of us would love to be able to do that?

It has been a long time since I spent time with Agatha. I got a bid jaded with the same tics and mannerisms in every novel, but diving back in after a few years I can see the series for what it is, clever, fun and entertaining. I read it in one sitting.

Agatha Raisin: Devil’s Delight is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Much Ado In The Cotswolds…
The wedding of Bill Wong brings way more than Agatha could possibly have imagined in this thirty third instalment of the series. With naturists running amok, murderers on the loose and Agatha’s personal life in the usual turmoil there is much ado in the Cotswolds. A delight from start to finish and fun absolutely guaranteed. As a great reader of M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth series I am delighted that R.W. Green has taken up the mantle and has run so deliciously well with both under the initial guidance of the late, very talented author. His forewords, in the case of both series within these new editions, are both interesting and extremely affectionate.

Devil's delight more like absolutely delight. This book gives gives gives, not a dull point at anytime. Such an easy read Agatha at her best. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

Published on October 27, what do you men you’ve never heard of Agatha Raisin? I despair. The queen of cosy crime, a blend of Miss Marple’s insight with the cunning of every murderer she ever revealed, is back with her 33rd mystery. En route to Bill Wong’s wedding (Bill was Agatha’s first ever friend when she moved from London to the fiction Cotswold village of Carsley), Agatha and assistant Toni discover a young, terrified, naked man running towards them. Investigation leads to going undercover (well, not undercover as such), fantasy games, a disappearing corpse and a wee bit of witchcraft. Her working life may be busy, but it’s definitely not as convoluted as Agatha’s private life as she contends with a new suitor. Add an ice cream empire into the mix and, naturally, a healthy does of danger, and Agatha and her team find themselves in a spot of bother or two. Cosy crime with a touch of bite, thanks to the acerbic Agatha, who gets better with age.

I have read, or listened to audiobooks of, all the Agatha Raisin series. This is number 33, and the third credited as "with R W Green".

All the usual elements appear in this one, with the exception of Roy Silver, Agatha's protégé from her PR days, and I found it rather lacklustre. This may be because I no longer find Mrs Raisin's antics as endearing as I once did or because the books have become so repetitive and formulaic. For many readers this may well be part of the coziness and comfort but there is now very little by way of detection, certainly by Agatha.

Here she stumbles onto the solution by way of being shut in a freezer (again), having already decided who was responsible for the murders anyway. She has nothing to do with the resolution of the two subplots-drug dealing in a school and peculation in a brewery- and the professionals play an even smaller part than usual, apart from one of them providing love interest.

The opening is in some ways the best part of the book, although the Naturist Group introduced there has little relevance to the plot. I could have done without the lengthy outline of "Cavalleria rusticana" with which one of Agatha's conquests entertains her over dinner and the short appearances of some of the other regulars such as James, Charles and Mrs Bloxby, could have been dispensed with quite easily.

Not vintage reading for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Little Brown Book Group UK, for the digital review copy.

You really can’t go wrong with an Agatha Raisin novel, she is a detective for our modern times and a character firmly placed on our bookshelves

I’m a big Agatha Raisin fan and have read all the books. When the author died, I thought that there would be no more books, but luckily it appears that she was ahead. These books are always enjoyable, but some have stronger storylines than others, and this is among the best. The characters, as always, are perfect; like meeting up with old friends. Very tongue in cheek and naughtily sly, much like Agatha herself. A comfortable ‘wrapped in a blanket on the sofa’ read, but definitely meant for readers of cosy crime.