I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I want to like Agatha Raisin. I really do. But 75% of every one of her books are taken up with her falling in love, falling out of love, and using her ex-husband and sometime lover. It’s exhausting and totally distracts from the mystery. Agatha is mostly unlikeable, and she treats people poorly, even people she purports to like.

This one also had repeated descriptions of a woman’s nether regions as smelling like “old kippers.” I’m not sure how that was relevant in any way.

I gave it 3 stars because I really think I would like the 25% that is not wrapped up in her love life.

I absolutely ADORE Agatha Raisin but this is not my favorite of her series.

I feel like Agatha was off her game and so was the story- I really hope this isn't where Agatha is heading or that MC Beaton isn't burnt out on Agatha because this is truly a great series!

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

I love Agatha Raisin and this series. Agatha is a long-time friend that just needs to stay focused on her job. I love the way that she writes about the 'bad guys' so that I really disliked them, a lot.

There are a few twists and turns and I wonder what the future holds in store for Agatha. I'm trusting that Mrs. Bloxby will remain to try to keep Agatha focused and settled.

I'm already for the next book in the series.

I love the Agatha Raisin books, but this one really left me flat. Aggie seemed way off her game! Very disappointing!

Reading an Agatha Raisin book is like hearing from your favorite cousin. Oh no, what is she up to now? MC Beaton can be counted on to provide a unique crime with enough clues that you should have figured out the end, but adds enough twists that it's not guaranteed.
The scene is set when the church bells ring, yes I know, but for whom? The main characters are familiar, the new ones just quirky enough to fit into an Agatha Raisin book. You'll keep reading until the last bell has been rung and the killer has been caught.

I love Agatha Raisin, she's one of my very favorite detectives, and her antics get me every time. This particular episode wasn't my favorite, it seemed as if all the characters were a bit off their game, but it was still entertaining to me.

Agatha Raisin is not for everyone. She can be a bit, well, caustic. But, I read them all anyway, always remembering the newcomer to the Cotswolds who had to purchase a quiche to pass off as her own.

Not my favorite Aggie book but still very entertaining! I love all the quirky characters and how they're always running amok! Another well planned mystery!!

M C Beaton’s newest Agatha Raisin novel is loads of fun for fans and newcomers alike.  Filled with sharp eyed portraits of quirky locals, as well as honest and amusing takes on series favorites, The Dead Ringer is a hilarious depiction of village life in the Cotswolds - as well as a mystery with several confounding turns.  As always the villains are rather easy for the reader to ferret out, but it is simply much too fun watching Agatha strive and struggle - mainly with her desire for a man, and her tempestuous but vulnerable ego. Agatha is the perennial fish out of water in the Cotswolds, but she has made it her home and has numerous friends looking out for her - a necessity since she has a tendency to get into trouble.


The trouble here begins with the visit of the local bishop to Thirk Magna.  Considered a celebrity because of his gorgeous visage, the bishop sets all ages of hearts a flutter.  Jealousy can be a powerful motive, but is it the reason why bodies start appearing in Thirk Magna - including that of a reporter who sets Agatha’s heart a flutter.  


In sum there are quirky characters, hilarious hijinks, chaotic reprisals and more than a few bodies turning up in The Dead Ringer.  Oh and Agatha falls in love. That is really worth a read. I highly recommend The Dead Ringer.


5 / 5


I received a copy of The Dead Ringer from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught.

This is an incredibly boring 'mystery'.

I read this at the same time as Mary Kubica's 'When the lights go out', and I'm at a loss as to which one of the two was worse.

However, thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

I'm so disappointed. How does someone get 29 books into a series and suddenly drop the ball?

The plot line of this book was so all over the place, more than most Agatha books. And there was no concrete ending. Heck, there were way more questions opened up than anything else, and not in that "Will Agatha and Charles end up together?" kind of way. I don't want to have remember crime details into a next book in a cozy mystery series, but I hardly felt like there was closure on this case.

The Dead Ringer by M.C. Beaton is the twenty-ninth book in the Agatha Raisin Mystery series, but it is the first book in the series that I have read. I had heard great things about the series and was excited to read this book. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The story jumped all over the place with no true consistency. They murders were not really investigated but only mentioned now and again. The remainder of the book was full of Agatha chasing man after man after man and screaming at people. Perhaps I should have read some of the previous books to understand more about Agatha. I do not see the charm based on this book alone.

As the series continues, the books are getting worse. The latest, the Dead Ringer, is so jumbled and incoherent in parts, I wondered if they went to publication with chapter notes and not with a completed project. Some parts, subject matter, and wording will definitely offend those who have been reading this series for the simplicity and will make others wonder what Marian Chesney (MC Beaton) is thinking with the direction the books are taking.

There are parts of this book which are familiar, as if the author pulled subject matter from previous books and tried a new spin. Weren’t bell ringers, with Agatha being one, used in a previous book? Maybe it was the television series. Which will put on a completely different rant since the books and the series have very little in common.

With the handsome Bishop heading to Thirk Magna, the Dupin twins are beside themselves with anticipation. The bells must be perfect but no less flawless than their appeal to the man himself. With stress high and bickering amongst the ringers, threats and insults thrown, one of the twins is dead. With this being an Agatha Raisin, soon more dead bodies show up and it is not until Agatha herself is left for dead that the clues come together. Of course, it is not only a body count type of book; Agatha once again is drawn between the men in her life and her fear of becoming a lonely and depressed old maid. Why does she do this to herself in each book? It is becoming quite redundant, but during the epilogue, there is a curious twist. A new character. A new obsession. Let us hope the next book will have the appeal the earlier books in the series held.

So... a lot of people have said they didn't like this book, especially that they didn't like Agatha Raisin in this book, but I have to disagree. Yes, she is more outspoken and snarky in this novel than in some of the previous ones, but let's think about what the woman has been through over the course of the last 28 books. I believe she has the right to become a bit jaded and hardened in her perspectives.

What I have always loved about these books is that Aggie is never a lay down and just let life happen to her kind of gal. She is bossy, rude, thoughtless sometimes and its what makes her so, well, loveable. As she ages throughout the course of these stories I think it's only natural to expect that she's going to be bitter sometimes. Wouldn't you be if you lived next door to your ex-husband?

Frankly, I love her because she seems to be the dark side that most of us try not to show. I hope when I am her age I am just as willing to speak my mind.

Anyway, overall I really liked this book. I love the familiar setting and the faces that you see again and again in these books. The mysteries are always fun and there's a bit of a surprise at the ending. I am looking forward to the next book. Agatha is always a guarantee of a good time.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I didn't like this Agatha Raisin book as well as I have liked the other books in this series. The whole mystery was a lacking in clues and red herrings, suspense, and little to easy to solve too early in the book. To me the characters seemed to be one dimensional without a lot of thought having gone into how the characters should interact with each other. I found myself just skipping through parts of the book just so I could get the book finished.
I'll read the next book in the series just to see if the author has gone back to the writing that I have been a fan of for years. I received an ARC of this book for my honest review from netgalley and the publisher.

I've been a somewhat inconsistent fan of the Agatha Raisin series. I always enjoy them but I've kind of jumped around in the series so I've missed some of Agatha's frequent drama, relationships, and breakups. Regardless, I always love seeing what's going on with her and what kind of trouble she gets herself into. However, while I always enjoy catching up with Agatha this wasn't my favorite in the series. Agatha seemed a little more man mad than usual and she let her detecting fade to the background. It felt like she just reacted to what was going on around her instead of really examining it and investigating. This resulted in the mystery itself feeling a bit disjointed and at the end mostly anticlimactic. As well, I was a bit disappointed in Agatha's behavior. She's usually much smarter than she was in this book. That said, it was still a fun light read if flawed and this is a series that I'll continue with. If you're new to the series I don't recommend you start here - try one of the earlier books.

I have never read any of the other Agatha Raisin books but when I saw this one on Net Galley and looked at the other titles I was excited to try the series. I had to try several times to read this because I just didn’t like Agatha and there were so many other characters I had trouble keeping track of all of them. I only finished it because I am committed to providing feedback on all books that I have the privilege to read through Net Galley. I think if you like this series you will probably like this book, but if this is the one you start with, it is likely you won’t read any others. Clearly there is a large following for this author and this character so I while I would not recommend this book to my friends, I would tell them to try another title in the series.

Agatha Raisin, detective and lovesick lady, is at it again in The Dead Ringer by M.C. Beaton. The sexy bishop is visiting Thirk Magna and the bell ringers are putting on a show. Dead bodies start piling up, some in the church. Agatha suspects the bishop who is trying to romance her. Money is missing. Agatha falls for a reporter. As usual the plot has more twists than a corkscrew and Agatha and her gaggle of investigators keep falling into pots. Fun and fraught cozy.