The Blood of an Englishman, M. C. Beaton
The Blood of an Englishman, M. C. Beaton
2 Rating(s)
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The Blood of an Englishman
An Agatha Raisin Mystery

Author: M. C. Beaton

Narrator: Alison Larkin

Unabridged: 6 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/16/2014


Synopsis

In this irresistible new mystery from New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton, the adorably cranky Agatha Raisin investigates when a local baker is murdered while performing in a seemingly harmless pantomime."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 as the baker, playing an ogre, struts and threatens on the stage. Then a trapdoor opens … followed by a scream and then silence.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 twenty-fifth 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 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).

About M. C. Beaton

M. C. Beaton, hailed as the “Queen of Crime” by the Globe and Mail, was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels—the basis for the hit series on Acorn TV—as well as the Hamish Macbeth series. Born in Scotland, Beaton also wrote nearly one hundred historical romances under several pseudonyms. Her books have been translated into nineteen languages and sold more than twenty-two million copies worldwide. 

About Alison Larkin

Alison Larkin was born in Washington, DC, adopted at six weeks old by British parents, and raised in England and Africa. After graduating from Royal Holloway College, London University, and the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, she became a playwright and classical actress on the British stage. Then, at twenty-eight, she found her birth mother, who was living in Bald Mountain, Tennessee. The experience turned her into a stand-up comic. She was soon headlining at the Comic Strip in New York and the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, while maintaining her theatrical career. She also spent three years under a studio development contract to star in her own sitcom with ABC, CBS, and Jim Henson Productions. Her unusually wide range of voices can be heard in cartoons and movies, from work by James Cameron and Robert Altman to Pocahontas and The Wonder Pets. The audiobook of The English American, narrated by Alison, won an AudioFile Earphones Award.


Reviews

I am always amazed by readers who take such a dislike to Agatha Raisin and the series written by M. C. Beaton, in which this irrascible character stars. I think it is because Agatha Raisin has little to love about her, at least at first glance. We readers prefer a protagonist who is easier to sympat......more

Goodreads review by Jane

Oh Agatha, Agatha - will you never learn? Apparently not, and perhaps that's why we love her, but it would be nice to see some emotional growth in our beloved Agatha Raisin. This is a typical Agatha Raisin novel - mildly amusing narrative, outrageous plot, Agatha on the prowl for a husband and jealou......more

Goodreads review by Una

I liked it, it was nice to see the regular characters. In the first third, old nasty Agatha is back. Then the book shifts into a formulaic disappointment. Conflicts start and are resolved in two sentences. Agatha has a sense of danger now, and it is overused. She has become high tech with a constant......more

Goodreads review by Ionia

If you have not read any of the Agatha Raisin Mysteries yet, up to and including this one, you need to get caught up! I loved this book. There is a healthy dose of humour all the way through it and the characters are not only memorable, but a lot of fun. I love unique mysteries where you feel as tho......more


Quotes

“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

“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

“Another rollicking mixture of clever mystery-making and love gone wrong.” Kirkus Reviews

“Rreaders will enjoy the flashes of wit.” Publishers Weekly

“Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha.” Chicago Sun-Times, praise for the series