Agatha Raisin comes home from a horrible trip to find James Lacey, her ex-husband engaged to marry Felicity Bross-Tilkington except she is found murderered before they can make it down the aisle. Agatha Raisin was off on a holiday when she sees her ex-husband James Lacey from a distance at the same place. She was afraid of him thinking she was stocking him, so she left and tried to stay away. Although, she had a soft spot for this confirmed bachelor and some would say it was an obsession for him or just the thought of being in love. When she arrived back in Carsely, she was shocked to find out he was engaged to Felicity Bross-Tilkington. This was not just the only thing that changed in her life.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
She came home to the detectives recently split into two agencies one with older detective and the second on with younger detective, which were her all her previous employees from her agency at some point were attending the engagement and wedding. Agatha's agency now consisting of Mrs. Freeman in her 60's, Phil Marshall in his seventies, Patrick Mulligun and in his early 60's, and of course Agatha in the 50's. Toni Gilmour and Harry Beam were Agatha's former detectives, who were young adults than Agatha's group of detectives. All of her close friends from Carsley were attending this engagement party along her former ex-employee, Roy Silver, Sargent Bill Wong being her first friend in Carsley, Charles Fraith a previous fling and the vicar, Mr. Alf Bloxby with Mrs. Bloxby to help support her while her once love James Lacey married another woman. No one really wanted to attend, but they wanted to support Agatha as they knew it was going to hurt seeing the one true man she had loved marry someone else
As the guest filled their seat, James came to speak with Agatha away from the guests and his future wife, Felicity. They talked about their separate trips and Agatha made sure he knew she was not stocking him. He told Agatha that he did want to marry Felicity, but it was too late to back out with the wedding being the next day. Agatha suggested shooting her as joke to lighten the mood until he left her. Much later, Felicity confronts Agatha in front of all of her guest and accusing her of stocking him and warned her to stay away from James. This made the night very tense with Agatha and her friends looking for a way to leave this nightmare of a party with naked servers roaming the party. The party was over when these dogs were let out to run through the tables of food that left the guests running for their lives.
The following day was probably the worst day for Agatha as her ex-husband was marrying this horrible woman. All of the guests were arriving, but Agatha was running late and finally showed up for the wedding. Just before the wedding and saying I do's were to take place, there was a delay in the wedding as the bride was found shot dead in her room. The police came to interrogate all the guests to find out what happen to this bride. They would find out that during the engagement one of the servers overheard a conversation suggesting that James should shot his bride. This left Agatha and James as the first suspects to this murder unless there another suspect came to light. She would need all of her employees and former employees in the detective agencies to come together to prove to the police that Agatha was not working with James, the groom to shoot Felicity the soon to be wife.
All of the wedding guests were made to stay in the area until all the guest's alibis took them off the suspect list. Now came the heavy investigating of every guests at the engagement party and wedding. Toni, a former detective who had a new agency, had received her new client during a call from the bride's mom Olivia Boss-Tilkington to solve her daughter's murder. Agatha and Toni would team up to find this murderer and clear Agatha's name. A possible romance in waiting around as this French man Slyvan Dubois meet up after the engagement party and wedding. He was on the potential list of murder suspects and a family friend.
The investigation has the detectives out trying to get information and speak to a variety of attendees. Toni and Agatha discovered through speaking with guest the secrets about the bride and her family. This leads them on boat and to a dead body and potentially more to come with a murderer running loose. As their investigation starts to heat up, they are now fired and threatened by the father of the bride, George Boss-Tilkington. This does not stop them and as they continue, the information gather is putting Agatha in dangerous situations with someone trying to kill her several times. The murder plot is uncovered by Toni and Agatha is saved for another day. This leaving Agatha ready to hang up her role as a detective and retire from all the dangers.
Best part of story, including ending:
I like how the story showed Agatha not so depressed compared to other stories that have her obsessing over men she cannot have. She is more bold and not willing to take a crap from anyone.
Best scene in story:
The favorite scene with Agatha is when she is at the engagement and she is trying to play it cool so no one would take pity on her. She then is asked by James Lacey, the groom, to step aside for a little chat. Agatha is reluctant to come with James but finally gives into his request to talk. They talk about their vacation and clarify that she was no stocking only wanted to learn about some history to show she found interest in the things he liked. James confides to her how he doesn't want to get married to his bride to be Felicity. He's not sure what to do about this problems and Agatha suggested he should kill her. She was joking with him, but it might not be taken that way. It was bold of her to say something like that. She usually kept her bad thoughts like that to herself.
Opinion about the main character:
I did not like the ending because it seems as though Agatha is giving up on the one thing that keeps her going, which is solving murders. I was hoping she would come out of this case stronger and angry instead of being sad.
