Customer Reviews
Agatha Opens a Detective Agency - By: Donald Mitchell, 25 Sep 2007 
Deadly Dance marks a great improvement in the Agatha Raisin series as she opens a detective agency in Mircester. Now, Agatha can be involved in more cases, increase the number of continuing characters in her investigations, & overcome the focus on finding an attractive man that dominated so many earlier books in the series. The main flaw in this book is that Agatha is very grumpy as the book opens, & it's not until she gets over her anger that the story becomes fully appealing. So stick with it, & you'll be well rewarded by this virtual satire of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
Agatha decides to go to Paris alone, but her good time is spoiled when a thief on the Metro snatches her money. The French police are even more annoying when they condescend to her when she claims to be an amateur detective. Agatha returns to set up her detective agency. Her first hire turns out well when new next-door neighbor, sixty-seven-year-old Emma Comfrey, turns out to be a whiz at finding cats, getting clients to pay premium prices, & asking the right questions. Agatha is most excited, however, when Sir Charles Fraith sends a friend, Mrs. Laggat-Brown, along whose daughter, Cassandra, has received a death threat related to her forthcoming marriage to Jason Peterson, whose father has a shady past. Accompanied by Emma, the two attend Cassandra's engagement party where Agatha as usual makes a big splash.
Puzzled by who is after Cassandra, Agatha soon beefs up the detective agency with her friend, Miss Simms, a retired police officer, & various freelancers who can help track & photograph cheating spouses. Sir Charles eventuallly shows up & wants to join the action, as does her friend Roy Silver.
Before the book ends, you'll read about as many crimes as normallly occur in three Agatha Raisin stories . . . & you'll enjoy every minute of it.
But with Agatha so busy solving cases, who will take care of her cats? And will she have time for her old friends?
I especiallly enjoyed this reading of the book by Donada Peters who has done well with the whole Agatha Raisin series.
A light read with plenty of interest - By: Wendy Jones, 08 Oct 2006 I like the Agatha Raisin books & have grown to like this fiesty heroine. In earlier books she is very sure of herself but is beginning to realise that she also may have failings which makes her more believable. In this book Agatha opens her own detective agency which quickly takes off. She very rapidly moves from finding cats to finding murderers. The book is positively littered with dead bodies & you never know what is going to happen next. I was kept guessing until the last minute, & the twists & turns made me want to keep reading. For those of you who like Agatha Raisin this is a good one. For those of you who have not, then start with any of them, including this one. I reallly enjoyed this & would like others to enjoy it too.
