M.C. Beaton and R.W. Green have another hit on their hands with "Killing Time." The audiobook is wonderful and made for a very quick listen. I love reading/hearing the continued adventures of Agatha Raisin and this may be the best one yet. All the usual suspects are there and of course there's the tension between Sir Charles and James Lacey. It's a must-listen/read for fans of the series and new readers alike.

I'm a huge fan of the Agatha Raisin series, having read all of the books in the series, and R.W. Green has done a great job keeping the franchise alive in "Killing Time."

As always, there are a lot of things going on in the story. While Charles is trying to win her back by sharing a 400-year-old mystery, Agatha has her sights set on her dancing partner, John Glass, and their long-distance relationship. In the meantime, there's the usual work of the agency, as well as a mysterious clock and the untimely death of her downstairs neighbor. Oh, and let's not forget the recent burglaries plaguing local businesses. So, while her plate is unusually full, this is Agatha Raisin at her best!

Thank you to R.W. Green, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Thank You, NetGalley and the Publishers for an opportunity to listen to Killing Time by M.C. Beaton & R.W. Green.

Somehow this didn't work for me and felt a little silly, to be honest.

Not something I would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

It was an enjoyable and fun murder mystery. The characters are interesting personalities and the mystery was so interesting. The way we found out what was happening was well written and the little bit of romance added some more drama. I recommend this if you want a good senior cozy mystery.

This mystery felt similar to The Thursday Murder Club a bit to me. However, there seemed to be too much personal drama and the personalities weren’t as pleasant to me.

The mystery itself was intriguing and kept me listening, but it felt difficult to fully enjoy due to the over done character development.

This is my first book in this series and can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoy reading cozy mysteries like this, unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I didn't like any of the characters and at times there seemed to be too much going on and I had a hard time focusing on the mystery. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it rather than listened to it. I did not care for the narrators and had a hard time making myself keep listening to finish the book.

Killing Time (an Agatha Raisin mystery) by M.C. Beaton with R W Green
Read by Penelope Keith
POV having read previous novels, but if you've not, Agatha Raisin is almost always grumpy, somewhat catty, extremely vain, often self centered, and rather petty. As much as I would avoid these characteristics irl, they are, nonetheless, quite endearing in Agatha. At times she reminds me of a self conscious and jealous Lucille Ball during some of the absurd situations into which she often gets herself. Deep down, she is a b***h with a heart of, if not gold, then definitely sterling. If you find her hard to like, try the TV show first. But ONLY the first episode, as there are complete spoilers. It is entirely possible to read and enjoy any installment as a stand alone, all the important previous events are explained quite enough to keep you from being lost. However, just for the fun of it, I highly recommend beginning with The Quiche of Death, the first Agatha Raisin book to get a full sense of the lovable-ness of our heroine.

We begin with Sir Charles Fraith tempting "Aggie" with a murder in need of solving. She can never refuse. After driving her to the supposed scene of said murder, he reveals that the crime to which he was referring actually took place in the 1600s.
Agatha is not amused.
I'm glad to see Sir Charles on his feet with his home place restored and businesses thriving. Oh, Charles, if only you could keep your pants up...
I have to say the historical events of the "Camden Wonder"-the historical mystery with which Charles tempts Agatha-held very little of my interest. I love a good historical mystery, but this one simply wasn't compelling. A 400 year old miscarriage of justice.Um, okay. I was happy to discover that she did not spend the entire book on this mystery but instead on another, very contemporary, one.
We discover that Agatha and John are still an item, but he is dancing as an entertainer on a travel cruise. Agatha refused to go with him and is instead meeting John in romantic locations along the route.
Charles wants Agatha to be PR rep for the launch of his new wine business and organize a big to-do lauch gathering, but Agatha isn't really keen. Her detective business is where she is focused now, but she doesn't want to leave Sir Charles high and dry...
Enter Roy Silver, who can't help being a favorite. There are several things in the TV series that would be a lovely addition to the books, and one of them is the constant presence of Roy in the village.
Roy is posted to be the man on the scene in organizing the festivities for Charles.
After a typically Agatha calamity, we meet Mr. Tinkler, who is just adorable!
Agatha's first client wants her to investigate a serious of break ins that have just resulted in a vicious attack on a local business owner whom Agatha and Toni head off to visit in hospital.
At this point, Agatha's nemesis, Wilkes, arrives. Wilkes is annoying, to put it mildly, and one complaint I have is the amount of continuous arguing and the ridiculously overused trope of the antagonistic cop and the "meddling amateur". Tbh, I sped the playback to x2 to get past it. If this book hadn't been promised a review, I would have just skipped that part entirely. This IS my only major complaint, but one I truly wish authors would listen to and heed. Tried and true is okay, but tried and irritating isn't. I've mentioned before that if a person is maddening to a fictional character, it's likely they will also be maddening to very real readers.
The big mystery occurs after Agatha makes a trip to an auction with Mr. Tinkler and Roy. There, she bids on and wins a Victorian clock with enamelled panels decorated with dancers and intricate pics of flowers. Inside the clock, she finds a baffling cryptic note with a nifty solution. Unique but a bit useless as any type of threat or warning, since its answer would only be immediately apparent to someone who was familiar with the solution to the code. Also what would it accomplish? (I never understand threatening notes, the either make the recipient hyper aware and more cautious or no one takes them seriously, either of which makes no difference if someone actually means harm unless we're talking about one of those lunatic serial killer books or Jim Carrey is involved, but that's neither here nor there)

As in most cozies, the murder and usually murderer is predictable but I don't indulge in Agatha Raisin books for an edge of my seat thrill or a Christie-esque mystery. Agatha Raisin is pure relaxing fun accompanied by smiles and occasionally giggles. I have been slightly surprised by them before, but never by the reveals. (I gave up expecting to be shocked by mysteries long ago, and when I am, I remember the names and/or authors forever) That's not a problem with cozies for me. They're the difference between Law & Order and Murder She Wrote.
I have to say that I greatly appreciate Agatha's use of logic and a decent amount of common sense, even if she is pretty impetuous most of the time. Mercifully, the trip to see John and the drama that ensues is done and dusted quickly and, for once, I actually got behind Agatha when she overreacted because of a man. Maybe just my affinity for Sir Charles talking, however.
In my opinion, going off of previous Agatha Raisin mysteries, the working out of the mystery was done rather cleverly, and we do end with a bonus solution for the historical murder as well, for anyone who is actually invested in the thing.
As always, I relish the fact that I can always rely on a happy ending where Agatha is involved! I eagerly await her next adventure, and I wish the TV series would produce more episodes!
As always, thank you to NetGalley for allowing me early access to this audiobook in exchange for a (brutally) honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and cozy read. I think the authors, MC Beaton and RW Green, did an excellent job with the characters and plotting. I wish I would have read more in the series before this because although this is a stand alone book, I feel like I am missing some of the major character development and points that the series has brought about. Agatha Raisin is a interesting and entertaining series, and I recommend it to others readers.

Thank you Net Galley ARC, Blackstone Publishing, MC Beaton, and RW Green

A great addition to the Agatha Raisin franchise, this book was entertaining and fun. I enjoyed it as a standalone, though the interpersonal relationships probably make more sense if you are familiar with the series.

Fun and funny mystery novel with many layers.

Overall: 4
Narration: 3

Agatha Raisin is enjoying her second career as a private detective with a whole team working with her. Her many colleagues, current and former lovers, nemesis, and a few new villains are involved in her latest mystery surrounding local break-ins and an antique clock.

This was my first Agatha Raisin novel, so I was a little nervous jumping in on #35, but Beaton does an excellent job of explaining all of the characters so that I did not feel lost. This was quite a feat as there are SO MANY characters and SO MANY storylines in one book. Agatha's daily life had me exhausted just from reading it. At times I really didn't like her character, but I'm sure there's a reason she's been popular for so many books and a TV show. I did enjoy all the mysteries and trying to solve them. My only complaint is that the narrator seemed mis-cast for the part. Based on her voice, I thought Agatha was in her 70's at least, but then she talked of all her lovers and I had to google her age (which is apparently in her early 50s). Would recommend to other fans of cozy mysteries.

I’m impressed that this series has made it through 35 books and still hasn’t gotten too repetitive. These continue to feel clever and inventive, and Agatha is always a delight to spend time with.

The mystery here is a good one, and I like that these are multilayered and also feature other things from Agatha’s detective agency’s caseload.

The clock, too, made for an interesting puzzle piece, and I love Beaton’s ability to take these mysteries into different locations, professional fields, and e n hobbies while still staying centrally focused on Agatha and her detective business.

I was so excited to see a new Agatha Raisin book, but I was sorely disappointed. These are not the same characters as before. This posthumous tale missed that mark. The narrator, however, was absolutely lovely and did a wonderful job.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Blackstone Publishing for my copy of this audiobook.

Agatha Raisin is back again! Killing Time promises excitement with a present-day mystery, death threats, a 400-year-old murder mystery, Charles Fraith's Barfield Extravaganza, and a romantic trip to Mallorca with John Glass.

While Killing Time promised excitement, and somewhat delivered on that promises, I was still let down. It just didn't tie together like they usually do. There was too much going on. It wanted to be too exciting and should have just focused on actually coming together as a cohesive novel.

On the plus side - the narration was superb, as it always is when Penelope Keith is behind the microphone. If she hadn't been narrating, I'm not sure I'd have wanted to finish it. Charlie, who is usually my favorite, was insufferable. The whole drama with John Glass was unnecessary and annoying. (It's been 35 books of Agatha being a train wreck in love. We don't need romantic jump scares this late in the game.) The ancient mystery was cool. The present-day mystery was lackluster and I feel like I've literally read the same plot in another Agatha Raisin book... Overall, I was not pleased, but I'm giving it 3.5 stars because I love Agatha, Penelope Keith, and the ancient mystery plot was interesting.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with an early audio version of the most recent book in the Agatha Raisin series.

Agatha Raisin is a character I have always found compelling; she is intelligent, resourceful, and assertive. Her interactions with her partners, feline companions, Mrs. Bloxby, and her romantic interests enrich the narrative. However, I have some concerns regarding the transition to the new author, R.W. Green. Unfortunately, he has not fully captured the complexity of Agatha or the supporting characters, resulting in portrayals that feel somewhat one-dimensional.

While the central cases in the plot are interesting, the introduction of a historical case appeared to be an unnecessary addition that detracted from the other storylines. Moreover, the witty exchanges that have historically characterized this series were noticeably absent, making the characters seem less vibrant.

I sincerely hope that future installments will return to the engaging storytelling and nuanced character development that have defined this series. Thank you for considering my feedback.

First time visiting with Agatha Raisin but it won’t be the last. Good story. I did not have any problem not knowing the series history and got to know the recurring characters as the tale advanced. Good narrator.

I love an Agatha raisin you know exactly what you are getting and they are just easy to listen to.

In this one Agatha and her team are investigating some burglaries in the neighborhood when she starts getting threats in the mail. She chooses to ignore them and take on planning a huge event for Charles Fraith (who she is still on the kind of outs with) so many plots and one of them ends with a body and Agatha gets on the case of all the things.

Thanks to netgalley and Blackstone publishing for an alc

Killing Time is another great addition to a brilliant series, how could you not love Agatha.
Another great storyline with wonderful, quirky, entertaining characters in the most stunning location.
The narrator just rounds off this fab addition really bringing the characters and story to life.

Another Agatha mystery! Well, 3 mysteries to solve. Agatha goes to an auction and finds a beautiful clock that truly intrigues her. Upon winning, she receives death threats in the form of riddles. There is also a series of robberies that the town council wants her to investigate. She is in the middle of organizing a winery party to launch Sir Charles new business with Roy. She is so busy but finds time to be with her new beau and dance partner too. Charles relates a story of mayhem and murder that happened hundreds of years ago and Agatha wants to solve this too!

A wonderful new addition to the series! This book was fast and enjoyable! The characters and settings are as great as ever! The narrator brings a delightful aspect to the book. A must listen for all!

‘All this and dark intrigue as well.’

Agatha’s got her hands full with not one but three cases in her latest outing not to mention her relationship is on the rocks and Charles is upping his game hoping to finally ensnare her. When her neighbor is murdered, then her and Toni are almost abducted, she has to determine if the cases both revolve around an antique clock she purchased at an auction or if it was just a strange coincidence. Mix in a live dead guy and an almost four hundred year old case and you’ve got a humdinger of a book from start to finish. Amazing as always!