| Title | : | Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener (Agatha Raisin, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 169 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1994 |
The beautiful newcomer, Mary Fortune, is superior in every way, especially when it comes to gardening. And Agatha, that rose with many thorns, hasn't a green thumb to her name. With garden Open Day approaching, she longs for a nice juicy murder to remind James of her genius for investigation.
And sure enough, a series of destructive assaults on the finest gardens is followed by an appalling murder. Agatha seizes the moment and immediately starts yanking up village secrets by their roots and digging up all the dirt on the victim. Problem is, Agatha has an awkward secret of her own . . .
Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener (Agatha Raisin, #3) Reviews
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Relectura de 10! Me encanta Agatha y más con Lacey! ♥️
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It's always comforting to see Agatha again and the village of Carsley, almost like coming home. This time Agatha is searching for the murder of a beautiful yet surprisingly unpopular newcomer to the village who has been found quite literally 'planted' to death. I love all the characters, and even the cats are a constant highlight.
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I have one major issue when it comes to the cozy mystery: just a blink of the eye and I suddenly realise I've spent the better part of an evening completely engrossed in mischief and murder.
It's been awhile since I last visited Agatha, yet I found it easy to get sucked back into her not-so-quiet world. She's a strange little woman, one I'd dearly like to shake into feeling more self-assured. If only she could picture herself as others do...but I suppose that's true of all of us and it probably makes the abrasive Agatha more relatable a character.
As is common with a cozy mystery (the good ones, at least), The Potted Gardner brings back a cast of familiar characters and makes me feel right at home amidst the village intrigue. The usual question also occurs to me: with so many people getting murdered in this "idyllic" locale, why on earth do people stick around?!
Agatha is endearing in her ridiculous way, her neighbours delightfully peculiar, and the murder so oddly executed that I was comfortably entrenched from start to finish. I do wish the resolution of the mystery had a bit more wow factor, but again this is often the way of the genre - lots of clues, liberal splashes of local color, and then the answer suddenly arrives wrapped up in a tidy little package.
But we read cozies specifically for their comfort value and Agatha Raisin delivers that in spades, along with a welcome dash of humor. The Potted Gardner is an amusing addition to the series, making me anxious to discover Agatha's next embarrassing manoeuvre. And the next murder victim, of course. -
I really enjoyed reading this book and want to give a high rating and an excellent review, but I cannot. This is the third book in the series and the first I have read. A new woman comes to Agatha's village and gets murdered. As Agatha peels off the layers of truth, she discovers that the murdered woman, Mary, was not as nice as originally everyone thought. The problem lies in the climax - or lack of one. It is as if the author suddenly picked one of the villagers and labelled them as the murderer without any legitimate reason. And the story of how Agatha unravels the mystery is not explained at all. She too, suddenly picks on one of the villagers and pronounces them the murderer - for no reason I can understand. The book was very weak on plot, and would not stand up to seasoned mystery readers.
So why did I enjoy it? The author built up a beautiful world with interesting characters. It was a delight to read about Agatha's problems, even though she comes across as childish sometimes. But she was a balanced character and invites sympathy. All the other characters are also well drawn and the descriptions of village life was fun to read. The everyday life of the village was dissected in detail, which was interesting.
So while I would not recommend this book on the basis of it being a good mystery (it is not!), I have no problem recommending it for a quick cosy read. It's perfect for a lazy reading session. Just don't expect amazing plot twists or brilliant deductions. -
I continue to be surprised with Agatha Raisin! The books give you such a different feeling then the TV show. Loved this book and new character Mary Fortune who ends up not being so "fortunate" Perfect foil for Agatha and all of Carsley. So much background in this book, and we find out that Agatha seems to still have a love/hate relationship with Carsley. On the one hand she goes on long Holiday, but then dives back into town life. Gets jealous of Mary who has attached herself to Agatha's neighbor James, and then decides to join the Horticultural Society to show that she has just as much a green thumb as Mary Fortune. Lots of silly stuff goes on in the book but we end up with ruined gardens, dead fish, a promiscuous Mary who flirts with everyone and then a gruesome murder - just what we like in our small little British country villages! By the end Agatha is back working in PR in London for six months and seems to be very happy away from Carsley - but I am sure it will be pulling her back come book 4!
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As with the other Agatha Raisin stories, Beaton shows that she must have done research on sociopathic and psychopathic personality disorders. Not only is there a murder to solve, but a character to study.
Mary comes to Agatha's village and succeeds in winning everyone over, then crushing them where they are most vulnerable. Then, like a lot of psychopaths, turns around and is so sweet and kind, that everyone concludes they must have imagined her nasty behavior.
Spoiler alert!!
Then Mary ends up dead and in a gruesome humiliating manner. She treated everyone the same way, but who was unstable enough to do her in? Or was it anyone in the village? Maybe it was someone out of her past? -
Who would want to move to Carsley? Mary Fortune did so, showed her skill as a gardener, much to Agatha's disgust, and then found herself murdered.
'That friend of yours, Bill Wong, took me aside and told me to make sure you did not interfere in the investigation.' So Agatha's friend James Lacey told her but this did not bother the intrepid amateur sleuth. She did her usual and followed every clue to eventually unmask the killer, trying to keep her love life on track along the way!
Another enjoyable offering from the Cotswolds ... but don't move there! -
Estas novelas están siendo muy divertidas y me parecen ideales para el verano, cortas y divertidas, además de tener la investigación de un asesinato que siempre anima las veladas, y seguimos la vida de Agatha en su nueva vida en este estupendo pueblo que me enamora.
En este caso conoceremos a una nueva vecina que querrá intimar con James y es de una forma de ser muy irritante.
Me ha gustado mucho en general y sobre todo me he reído mucho con Agatha. Tiene cada idea loca que pa que. -
3.5 stars. I’m enjoying the humor in this series more than anything else. If you’re a mystery lover, I would say don’t read these for the mystery. I’ve found them to a bit far-fetched. The real draw here is the setting, the humor and to a lesser extent, the recurring characters. I’ll continue with it as I enjoy those things and the mystery is not the reason I read them. The audio performances are also well done.
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Si no conocéis a Agatha Raisin, os la presento: Es una mujer, de unos 50 años jubilada y divorciada que se va a vivir a un pueblecito, lejos de las grandes urbes. Ahora sólo quiere "tranquilidad" en esta nueva etapa de su vida.
Pero ella es inquieta, histriónica y peculiar.
Un personaje que a veces gusta mucho pero otras veces puede llegar a caer mal.
Lo que no te va a pasar con ella, es que te aburras. Aunque ella busca tranquilidad, es lo que menos va a encontrar en este pueblecito, donde en cada libro vamos a encontrar un caso de asesinato, y nuestra querida Agatha Raisin (curiosa e inquieta por naturaleza) va a hacer de detective para dar con el culpable.
En esta ocasión, en este tercer libro, va a llegar otra mujer al pueblo, más o menos de su misma edad, y que en principio ella considerará su competencia. Pero, va a suceder algo de lo más estrambótico... como todo lo que sucede en este pueblo (que aunque se dice que es tranquilo, después de leer tres libros de la saga, yo creo que tranquilo no es)... Va a haber un crimen, un asesinato. Y el cadáver se va a encontrar... mejor no os lo digo y lo descubrís por vosotros mismos. Yo cuando lo leí, no me lo creía. Pensé que había leído mal, y hasta me dio la risa. Pero es lo que tienen de característico estos libros: un pueblecito tranquilo, un asesinato, protagonista peculiar (y otros personajes también muy llamativos) y alguna que otra situación cómica. Vaya, un "Cozy Mistery" en toda regla. Término que he aprendido este año gracias a mikeyf y evitalecturitas que son los que mejor manejan este tema y sobre todo a la Raisin!
Si queréis un libro que sea rápido, fácil y que te haga desconectar, esta es la mejor opción que podéis encontrar. -
Digital audiobook narrated by Penelope Keith
Third in the series starring 50-something Agatha Raisin, former PR executive who is trying to make a life in the village of Carsley, in the English Cottswolds. As the novel opens, she has just returned from a long holiday, and is determined to win the affections of her neighbor James Lacey. But in her absence, he has developed a relationship with newcomer and avid gardener Mary Fortune. So Agatha determines to become an expert horticulturalist … or at least give the appearance of one, in hopes of winning back James’ affection. It’s clear to all that the women are competing for James’ affection – and then Mary is found murdered.
This series is growing on me, as I get to know Agatha better. She’s a smart woman in business (apparently), but she is woefully bad at relationships. Seems she cannot make friends and/or keep them, other than the detective Billy Wong and – perhaps – James. It takes a long time to get to the murder (pg 82 out of 192 pages in my edition) with all the relationship drama, but once Agatha discovers the body, her curiosity keeps her nosing about.
All in all it’s a satisfying cozy mystery, and I’ll keep reading the series.
Penelope Keith does a great job performing the audio book. I really like how she brings Agatha, James and the other residents of Carsley to life. -
Agatha Raisin kehrt nach einer Weltreise zurück in ihr Cotswolds-Cottage und muss feststellen, dass ihr Nachbar James, auf den Agatha ein Auge geworfen hat, für die neue Dorfbewohnerin Mary schwärmt. Mary scheint bei allen Dorfbewohnern sehr beliebt zu sein. Sie gärtnert leidenschaftlich gerne, und kurzerhand beschließt Agatha, auch bei der bevorstehenden Gartenschau mitzumachen und ihre neue Konkurrentin zu übertrumpfen. Doch dazu kommt es nicht mehr, denn ausgerechnet Agatha und James entdecken Marys Leiche - aufgehängt und mit dem Kopf in einem Blumenkübel!
Mein Leseeindruck:
Ich liebe diese Reihe, auch wenn ich mit diesem Buch nun erst drei Bände gelesen habe. Aber die Atmosphäre ist einfach klasse. Agatha Raisin ist eine schrullige und liebenswürdige Protagonistin und ich mag einfach ihre Art sehr gerne und wie sie mit ihrer Neugier Mordfälle aufklärt. Die Bücher sind mit rund um die 200 Seiten sehr dünn und schnell gelesen. Der Schreibstil ist angenehm leicht.
Ich mag die vorhandene Spannung, auch wenn es eher ruhig zugeht, sowie den durchaus vorhandenen Humor! Hoffentlich wird es noch viele weitere Fälle für Agatha geben! -
Ya es oficial. Agatha Raisin es mi nuevo lugar feliz. Me cuesta describir con palabras lo que sentí al adentrarme en este tercer libro. Volver a los Cotswolds con Agatha, a la que cada vez quiero más, fue un soplo de aire fresco, el método de escape perfecto en esos días en los que el mundo se me estaba haciendo un poco bola.
A pesar de lo bien que me ha hecho sentir la historia, reconozco que tiene algunos detalles mejorables. Por ejemplo, en este tercer libro, la autora ha vuelto a repetir cierto patrón en cuanto a la relación de Agatha y James. Por otro lado, Agatha vuelve a las andas y repite cierto comportamiento que yo creía que ya tendría más superado. Pero supongo que es parte del encanto de Agatha, es muy humana, con sus consiguientes defectos.
Pero reconozco que no me ha importado mucho esa "falta de originalidad" porque lo he disfrutado inmensamente de principio a fin. También creo que los misterios se van afinando cada vez más, así que me muero de ganas de conocer la próxima aventura de nuestra Agatha. -
Muy agradable, llevadero. Estilo Agatha Christie. Y como ésta, esta novela no decepciona. Se que el temperamento de Agatha no es el mejor, pero asi y todo, debo decir que lo leí de un tirón. Es el primero que leo de este autor. Pero seguramente lo seguire haciendo en el futuro.
Very pleasant, easy to read. Agatha Christie-style. And like her, this novel does not disappoint. I know Agatha's temperament is not the best, but still, I must say I read it in one sitting. It's the first one I've read of this author. But I will surely continue to do so in the future. -
2014 --RATING: 3.5 STARS
I am enjoying Agatha - she is a younger sassier Miss. Marple and is not above cheating in a contest to win. Just a quick fun read in between more dense books. Great on audio!
2021 --RATING: 2.5 STARS
When I last read this book, I enjoyed it a bit better. After seeing the TV series, this one didn't seem as exciting as that one. And, can I say? I don't like Lacey in the book version. Well, I don't care for him in the TV series either, but in the book he is more insufferable. I like Agatha. I find her crazy and selfish, but she reminds me of Emma (from Jane Austen), modern but just as selfish. I might not actually finish this series, but I will read a few more. -
Probably my favorite Raisin so far. She's gone from almost completely unlikable and absolutely irritating to mildly cantankerous and slightly off-putting. The mystery was no great shakes, but it was...odd, so at least that made it interesting. I'm already tired of the James Lacey storyline, but I appreciate that it is evolving somewhat in this third book of the series.
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Oh, Agatha. Her obsession with James cracks me up! I’m enjoying this British countryside cozy mystery series very much. I’m looking forward to watching the television series after I finish the audiobooks.
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Any one like food references in their stories? because if you do, then you are in luck. Agatha has a bit obsessed with her figure and gave caution to the wind and hogged out with a hamburger, smothered in katchup and then ordered another one. She couldn't stand diets. Then deared someone to buy a chocolate cake with chocolate sauce and icecream. There is fish bisque, melba toast, duck and orange sauce, and to top it all off, caraway cake, which I really would like to try.
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French perfume was mentioned, and how I wish I could afford that, the real McCoy must cost a small fortune.
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I'm drawn to patterns and the material, tweed was mentioned, how I love tweed.
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So then we get into the nity grity stuff, the garden. Planting seeds of chrysanthemums and a few other flowers mentioned.... rigaleto? sounds more like a flavour of icecream. Trays of African Daisies, a hibiscus, a variety called Disco Bell. Wisteria is mentioned which makes an appearance every year in my garden.
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... as for the murder that took place, that will remain unsaid due to spoilers, but watch out for Mr & Mrs Boggle 🙄😏.
I listenined to this as an audiobook via BolindaAudio (Borrow Box) via Hamiltonlibraries.
Overall I'm rating this as 5 stars, so, so entertaining and it made defrosting the freezer more bearable. Recommend to all cozy mystery lovers. -
What makes the Potted Gardener a teensy weensy memorable read are the leanness of its storytelling and the timing of its progress. The discovery of the culprit was too cut and dried but that's not a real complaint, because in these days where everything looks to have been thought of, how can we criticize a book for not indulging in cliches?
Being a very short book, The Potted Gardener is a sizable improvement over the book that preceded it, where everything that its successor achieves, it failed to accomplish. So, kudos to M.C. Beaton for being inspired and for giving us a murder mystery where there are not too many suspects, where the real culprit had been suspected by Agatha, where the police is not completely clueless, and where the unrelated ongoing minutiae of the life in the village is interesting. Add to that the reserved and slightly untapped revelations about the victim's past and the very speedy developments of the case, and we find ourselves pleased with a book that had little scope for ambition to begin with. After rejecting a couple of highfalutin books that were unreadable to me, The Potted Gardener looks like an antidote.
Sometimes choosing small books seem like cheating in the annual reading challenge, but it can work wonders with the total number of pages for the year. I have realized that, for me, big books can't be taken in oversize bites. IMHO, books over 800 pages can rarely sustain the interest of this reader over one day. OTOH, small books like The Potted Gardener, packed with action (of the kind totally alien to the term understood by some Hollywood movies) can be read without the time appearing to be dragging on. This put a new spin on things, and I duly will consider marathoning M.C. Beaton's books, as I'm currently not impressed with my pages total for the month. Writing this review has been as useful as reading the book has been as enjoyable. Now I'm off reading more of the same author. -
Un entretenido divertimento por si se tiene mono de un misterio detectivesco a lo Agatha Christie o se quiere una lectura ligera para pasar el rato.
No inventa la rueda, pero tampoco lo pretende. Nos habla de una detective aficionada resolviendo un caso en un pueblo pequeño, rodeada de sus peculiares vecinos. Es lo más parecido a leer una historia de Miss Marple si Miss Marple fuera una cincuentona en el mundo moderno que me cayera bien. Porque la protagonista se hace simpática, y dado que todo el peso de la historia recae en ella, es un gran punto a su favor. El pueblecito en el que vive es el típico pueblo de la campiña inglesa y los vecinos son los típicos vecinos de pueblecito inglés que te puedes esperar en este tipo de novelas.
En cuanto al misterio, el asesinato, está bastante bien construído, aunque encuentro un exceso de "red herrings". El desenlace me defraudó un poco, tal vez porque el puzle no es tan complejo, tal vez porque el descubrimiento del autor se hace un poco por suerte y parece demasiado súbito. Aunque puede que sea una cuestión personal, ya que me crié con los misterios y elaborados puzles de Agatha Christie y otra cosa más simple me suele resultar un poco insatisfactorio.
De todas formas, aunque no es la historia más original del mundo, sirve para pasar el rato. -
I don't like Agatha Raisin. I didn't like her when I read a couple of the books, in fact I disliked her a lot, so I stopped reading them. But when I heard that Penelope Leach narrated the audiobooks I decided to give one a try because I love her in Good Neighbors and To the Manor Born, and I thought I'd really enjoy listening to her read a book. And I did - I thought she was wonderful. Unfortunately, I still really dislike the MC and most of the other characters in this book.
Agatha Raisin is selfish, greedy, petty minded and self-centered. She knows that people don't like her but she doesn't bother to figure out why or change her behavior. If she was 5 I'd understand this, but as a grown up retired professional woman I can't take it. Worse to me she's a liar, a cheater and mean. Evidently by book 3 the villagers in her new home have all become fond of her but I can't for the life of me figure out why. There's nothing about her to like, I'm afraid.
So though I loved Penelope Leach's narration, it will be a while before I listen to another of these. -
4 stars
I just love Agatha Raisin, the books are so funny and the characters so likable or hateable depending on the character. It's so much fun watching Agatha shoot herself in the foot, not just because it's funny but because you know that Agatha will come roaring back stronger then ever before.
A few lines from some great scenes;
A restaurant owner confronts AgathaThe owner let out a growl of rage like a Klingon at a death ritual and seized the four corners of the tablecloth.
Agatha feeling old and depressedHer life stretched before her one long and dusty road to the grave. Nothing would ever happen again to make her happy or excited or interested.
After Agatha is caught out in a lie.You are regarded as something of a character."
"That's me," said Agatha. "The village idiot complete with cats. So where do we go from here? -
A potty plot and despite my hopes, Agatha Raisin still remains an obnoxious character, surrounded by annoying secondary characters. Watch the sitcom version I say, it's still tolerable than this!
My Rating - 2/5 -
3.75⭐️
La vérité je rigole trop avec cette saga ! Autant vous dire que je m’en fou un peu de l’enquête mais je suis plus intéressée par la vie sentimentale d’Agatha et les ragots du village 😂
J’ai trouvé qu’il y avait un peu de redondance avec le 2nd tome mais rien de méchant ! Je pense qu’il faut prendre son temps pour lire cette saga et pas tout enchaîner sinon on se lasse et c’est répétitif.
Sinon Agatha me fait toujours aussi mourir de rire avec son langage de charretière, sa jalousie mal placée et sa capacité à se mettre dans des situations pas possible ! Par contre j’ai envie de secouer James mais d’une force, réveille toi mon grand stp ! -
This was interesting for the deeper glimpses of James Lacey's and a few villagers' characters. Also, of course, there is Agatha Raisin who we see growing as a person. Last, but not least, is the solution to the murder. This is definitely a "cozy" mystery series but Agatha's prickly, honest character makes it more interesting than most. I've been listening to the audiobooks, most of which have been read by Penelope Keith who does a great job.
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This is a quick, fluffy, cozy mystery. Agatha is not your typical woman sleuth, but she is acerbic and pushes her way around.
The other characters are quriky at times. The humour is most advantageous and appreciated. Lots of tidbits about the Cotswold.
This book is able to stand on its own and delivers an HEA. -
★☆☆☆☆ 1.5 star
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Sempre molto piacevole la lettura di questa serie. Non t'impegna molto e malgrado ci scappi sempre il morto, con Agatha le risate sono garantite...
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A fun and funny series of British mysteries that you can try to solve right along with Agatha and her handsome neighbor, James. I love them.
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This review is of the audio I found on you tube. It deviated from the book and was disappointing.
