I cannot believe this is Agatha’s 29th adventure! I’ve been reading since book 1. Ok, this isn’t my very favorite. But I wouldn’t miss it for anything. I love Agatha and her crew and I look forward to each book. You can start with this one, or even better, read from the beginning and fall in love! A big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

For me, this was a 2.5 star read, but I am rounding it up to 3 because I am normally a huge Agatha Raisin fan. I was really, really looking forward to reading this, but it just didn’t do it for me. Has the series run too long? I don’t know, but I do know that this book didn’t deliver the sharp-tongued, intuitive, self-possessed, abrasive Agatha that we normally get. Instead, we have an unfocused, grumpy, incompetent, whiny woman who is desperate for a man and marriage at any cost. Instead of investigating she was daydreaming or moping and her supporting cast of characters weren’t much better at investigating.

The story was disjointed and almost incoherent – things popping up out of left field. These stories are always very, very busy, but they always make sense in the end. This one didn’t. There were murders that nobody seemed to care about. The first victim was actually a policeman but there didn’t seem to be any real action to find out who murdered him or why. There were two young women who went missing – one was missing for quite some time and the other just went missing. The resolution to that is just out of the blue and doesn’t make sense. Then, you have an abused wife that nobody seems to worry about except to basically criticize her for putting up with it.

There was a surprise at the end of the book and I will read the next book to see what happens with that. However, if that book is like this one, it will be the last one I read in the series.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

This is one of the better installments in this long running series. Agatha is at her snarky best, grumbling and complaining while contemplating a future alone. Deep down inside Agatha is a little girl looking for love, but she has no idea how to find it when following her hormones. All of all the series favorite characters make an appearance, and the romance between Charles and Agatha seems more unstable than ever. The story can be confusing at time and jumps around alot with no clear suspect through much of the book, as there are so many to choose from. I have read the entire series and continue to love this quirky woman with the bear-like eyes. This book was given to me by Net Galley in return for an unbiased review.

*3.5 stars rounded up.

The 29th in the series! Can you believe it? I enjoy these quick-reading funny mysteries set in the Cotswolds, with a smart, feisty, and sexy private detective named Agatha Raisin who always finds herself driven off track by her fierce desire to find true love. If she could just focus on the job at hand!

In this latest entry in the series, the bishop comes to the pretty, peaceful village of Thirk Magna and manages to rile things up. He is quite a handsome man who is capable of turning his sexual charms on and off to get money from rich women for his pet project. Agatha is not taken in by him and wants to find out just what happened to his young, beautiful and RICH fiancee who recently up and vanished. As the bodies pile up, she has to wonder if someone is killing off their competition.

Agatha describes herself as "like a Victorian detective. I do not have access to forensics or autopsy reports so I have to rely on old-fashioned intuition and guesswork." But her good friends think she solves cases by "bumbling about and putting herself at risk until the murderer comes after her."

Recommend if you are looking for a fun, quick mystery--but DO start at the beginning of the series. You don't want to miss any of the fun!

I received an arc of this new mystery from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much! I can't wait to read the next book and see if Agatha has finally found true love!

I'm a big fan of Agatha Raisin and I liked this book even if it's not the best one in this series.
As usual once I started I couldn't put it down and I laughed a lot as well as trying to guess who the next love interest or the next murder victim would be.
Agatha is less bubbly and more introspective in this book and a lot is going with an open ending with wall will be her life in the next book.
The mystery part was fun to read and engaging, the cast of characters is as lovely as usual.
I recommend it but not if you never read any other book in this series. The TV show does not count.
Many thanks to St. Martin Press and Netgalley for this ARC

I have dipped in and out of this incredibly long running series and this installment is typical of the ones that made me stop reading it. I get that characters like all of us age and can feel cranky and depressed but Agatha in this installment is not like the Agatha I remember. There are lots of characters, a mystery I couldn't quite sort out (not that it was complicated but I had trouble sorting out what was what), and a loss of spirit of sorts. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm sorry to give this a 3 star review but it didn't live up to the pleasures of those which preceded it.

Agatha just cannot stay out of trouble. Once again Agatha arrives where there is nothing but trouble. I love how the story takes sharp turns as the plot thickens. It takes time for everything to come together and it also takes the entire cast of characters. James is back and Charles arrives several times. All of the employees of Agatha's detective agency play a part and get in on the action. Of course Agatha finds herself in personal danger. Great story and fun to read.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital edition of this book in exchange for my review. Here is that review:

I had never read an Agatha Raisin book, but I had watched the BBC series and THOUGHT I knew Agatha. NOT! This Agatha is very different from the tv one, and I like the tv one better.

There were so many characters I had a terrible time keeping them straight. Between the Bishop, the Dean, two vicars, Harry Bury and Joseph Merrydown, I never knew who anyone was!! And all the people who seemed to work for Agatha. I really needed a spreadsheet. The story itself was somewhat confusing, too. Was the case to find the missing heiress? or solve the multiplying murders? or get Agatha a husband? In the end, all the problems were solved, but by that time I just wanted it to be over.

Oh, Aggie! I'm a big fan of the Agatha Raisin series, but The Dead Ringer left me more than a little let down. In The Dead Ringer, Agatha is desperate for a good case for her detective agency, a date with a man of the cloth, and a little petty revenge. As always, she gets just about everything she wants until she no longer wants it. But, Agatha was missing so much of her personality in The Dead Ringer that it just didn't feel like Agatha. The same goes for other characters from past books in the series that make an appearance, especially the twins Mavis and Millicent Dupin.

The Dead Ringer's central plot revolves around a group of bell ringers at a nearby church. The pressure in this already awkward group is compounded when a new Bishop is planning a visit. The murder doesn't take place until a good bit into the story, but, the murder is more meaningful than usual.

There was so much plot crammed into the story, that it would have been better to divide it into two books and expand on the plot points a bit more. I really missed Agatha's sass and her confidence. I'm hoping in the next novel, which will be the 30th, we will see Ms. Raisin return to form.

I'd like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to receive an advanced and complimentary copy of The Dead Ringer in exchange for my honest review.

#TheBellRinger#NetGalley#
Review by: I Love To Read/Librarian
This, the 29th Agatha Raisin mystery did not disappoint. A handsome bishop arrives in a neighboring village. Agatha and her friend, the vicar's wife, set out to meet this cleric. Agatha finds this village and its occupants odd, especially a set of older twins competing to land the bishop's affection.
The local bell ringers are a suspicious lot with hidden agendas. Agatha, sensing possible foul play, since the bishop's former fiancee disappeared without a trace, investigates. She somewhat delegates the detecting to her detective agency when she becomes besotted with a new love. Murders begin to occur putting Agatha in danger. Charles Fraith steps in, assists and supports her.
Beaton takes us on a roller-coaster plot as the killer is brought to justice.
Looking forward to the 30th Agatha Raisin mystery.
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

If you like mysteries then you must read Agatha Raisin books. This is the 29th in the series but you could start with this one and not be confused about what was happening. The series is about Agatha Raisin, she has moved to the Cotswolds to have a slower way of life. She becomes a detective because she runs into so many murders. In this book there is a murdered woman and Agatha decides to investigate because she does not trust the bishop. There is a lot of suspects which she must decide which one has killed the woman.

Agatha Raisin goes to the village of Thirk Magna with her friend Mrs. Bloxby and sees a magnificent figure of a man in the form of Bishop Peter Salver-Hinkley and decides she'd like to know him better. She also makes the acquaintance of Julian Brody, who dislikes the Bishop and asks her to look into the disappearance of his ex-fiancée Jennifer Toynby, who disappeared without a trace. But as Agatha starts looking into the matter she discovers that the Bishop is unlikable (at least to her) and that not only is Jennifer's disappearance unsolved, but others in this village are soon found murdered: Larry Jensen, a local policeman; Millicent Dupin, half of a horrible pair of middle-aged twins; and Terry Fletcher, an Australian journalist that Agatha fell immediately in love with - but ended the affair - leaving her with a broken heart.

But the newspapers aren't so kind and label her a home wrecker, and she can't find any trace of Jennifer; and these things, along with several others, lead her into a depression she isn't able to pull herself from. But it is when she decides that she must no longer feel sorry for herself and get back to the job of detecting that she is able to discover the truth...only in doing so, this time she may have gone too far and the killer might just want to silence her forever...

I have always enjoyed the books of Ms. Beaton and this one is no different. Our Agatha, who considers herself a good detective relying on her intuition, is once again looking for a case that is more exciting than finding one's missing pet. But in doing so, she discovers that she doesn't care for the village of Thirk Magna nor any of its inhabitants, considering them all crazy. She may not be far from the truth, but still she has a job to do and tries her best - at least until she is once again disappointed in love.

It doesn't last forever, but at least she has a staff that is reliable and can get things done while she is in her funk; and there is always Charles, faithful to her in his own way and his desire to snap her out of it and bring her back to reality heartens me each time. I truly like this man, with all his quirks and even his habit of "forgetting his wallet" at opportune times. This time out, he's more of a 'partner in crime' as it were, and while he's not happy about it, he's willing to help his Aggie along.

We are given more to Charles in this book than I think we have seen in any of the others and his devotion to Agatha is at once apparent, even if she doesn't see it herself. It's probably because she spends her time wondering why she can't find her soul mate. I would expect more from Agatha.

However, she does manage to get herself mired in a couple of harrowing situations (which we would expect no less of her) by not thinking things through completely; still, it is interesting to see how she extricates herself (with help) and quite fun to read about.

In the end, the book came together quite nicely while still leaving me at odds, as I found that while the plot is decent as always and the writing is indeed good; I am torn by the ending, which, I am sure is not an ending at all; and I will have to wait (impatiently) for the next in the series.

I have been a fan of this series for a long time and this latest offering does not disappoint.
As always Agatha gets right in the thick of things with her friends and employees along for the ride.
The whodunit was full of twists and turns and I had no idea who was the culprit.
I thoroughly enjoy the characters and appreciate Agatha’s quirks.
The ongoing characters and friendships are a delight to read.
I recommend reading this series over watching the television adaptation. As always the books are better.
I cannot wait to read the next in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I received a digital ARC from Net Galley for an honest review. This is the 29th Agatha Raisin book and the first one that I have read. This was a fun read. However, I felt the story jumped around a lot and was a bit confusing.

The latest installment in the Agatha Raisin series, The Dead Ringer, was a light enjoyable read. Agatha is hot on the case as several seemingly unrelated murders occur in the nearby village of Thirk Magna. The book has plenty of humor, and the usual cast of characters assist Agatha with her investigation along the way. M.C. Beaton continues to write fresh stories in this charming setting.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this novel to fans of mystery novels. It was well-written and interesting novel.

There are few contemporary heroines more colorful, or more combative, than Agatha Raisin. I love every minute I spend with M.C. Beaton's cranky, combustible, yet very human, detective.

Successful detective series' count on the reader bonding with the protagonist and, I love every minute I spend with Agatha Raisin. She has a list of faults that seem destined to drive her to failure, yet her determination and intuition pull her through every time. And, it is Ms. Raisin's faults that make the series so much fun: she is man-crazy; she is short-tempered; she is vain; she is insecure and she is often unaware of how much her friends care about her. It is the relationships between her and her friends and colleagues that make this series so wonderful.

Agatha Raisin may be predictable, and the books may have a certain sameness, but that is part of their charm and definitely why I want to be sure that I never miss a new book in this series. The fun definitely continues with THE DEAD RINGER.

Net Galley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Cotswolds, charming as they may be, seem to have their share of murders. There are some discordant personalities in the village bell ringing group, but is there a murderer? Agatha is determined to find out, whether anyone hires her detective agency to pursue the case or not. Despite her independent personality, she also longs for romance, and has several close calls as she searches for her soul mate.

The Dead Ringer by M.C. Beaton

This is the 29th in the series with Agatha Raisin as our protagonist. This one has Agatha in a depressed and angry mood most of the time and not her normal self. Now with that said, I have only read about 8 of the other books so maybe I am not as familiar with her personality as others are. Thirk Magna has a long history of having a medieval church of St. Ethelred with beautiful sounding bells. The bell ringers are getting ready for the arrival of Bishop Peter Salver-Hinkley and it has the town in a frenzy. Agatha has a conversation with one of the bell ringers, an attorney, named Julian Brody and convinces him to let her investigate the disappearance of the Bishops ex fiancé Jennifer Toynby. Toynby went missing years earlier and her body was never found. During all of the madness several people are found dead. A policeman, two twin bell ringers, and a journalist, who Agatha once dated. Can Agatha figure out who the killer is before more bodies are found? We learn that one of the suspects is none other than the Bishop himself. But is he, could he be the killer? All is definitely not what it seems. While I did not care for the direction that the writer went with Agatha’s personality in this one, I loved everything else. Beaton does a great job weaving the characters together and keeping the reader wanting to see what happens. Of course the ending shows us there will be another one and Agatha is still looking for romance.


Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


5 stars ⭐️ out of 5

The longer this series goes on, the more hateful and miserable the characters get. There is not a single character that you can root for, because they are all such awful people. Agatha in particular is cruel, petty, shallow, and just generally terrible. This book is also a little judgmental about anybody that isn't a white British native, and it presents a pretty negative and inaccurate image of Bulgaria at the end of the story.