Something Borrowed, Someone Dead was my introduction to Agatha Raisin. Maybe if I had met her earlier I would have a different impression but without the context of the rest of her story I found her off-putting. Though she does seem to have a big heart I wonder if she was more polished before she became a raisin. Not that the current book isn't good. It was, in fact, a good read, The characters and locale are well developed. The Cotswold Villages seem very inviting as they are portrayed in this book although I would stay away from Piddlebury where the current story is set. I have already lived in too many villages where strangers were viewed with suspicion.
In this book a newcomer to the village, Gloria French, has jumped into village life and become a fundraiser for the church (which certainly ingratiates her to the local pastor). However, Gloria has a habit of taking things from the people of the village and not returning them. (The good thing about being a kleptomaniac is you can always take something for it). One morning Gloria takes a nip of borrowed wine and ends up dead. Agatha is called in to solve the mystery. Her presence is not appreciated and she gets little help from the good people of Piddlebury.
If a reader is expecting to find the observation skills of a Sherlock Holmes or the forensic science of a CSI they will be disappointed. It seems that what Agatha brings to the case is persistence. Maybe that provides a balance we need in the kind of world in which we think some test will provide all the answers. Sometimes the solution comes because we keep working.
I would be interested in reading some other books in the series to read more about Agatha Raisin but I did find this one a good read.
I received a galley of the book from NetGalley with the understanding I would write a review. The book is by M.C. Beaton and published by St. Martins Press
