Happy Thanksgiving! (Actually, I am writing this the day before Thanksgiving… since I know I will be busy enjoying my family AND not enjoying the kitchen duties!)
Well, I am going to have to take a break from my Who Killed Father Christmas? novel (by Patricia Moyes) in order to read my Kissing Christmas Goodbye (by M. C. Beaton). I finally got my eighteenth Agatha Raisin novel, and I am so excited about reading it that I am almost giddy!
I know that I have written about this before, but here it is in a nutshell!
I first discovered M. C. Beaton through her Agatha Raisin books. I thought that they were absolutely delightful. In fact, I enjoyed the Agatha novels so much that I didn’t want to read the Hamish Macbeth series, in fear that I wouldn’t like it… since, how many authors can have two wonderful series going at the same time?!? Anyway…. I stayed with solely Agatha until after the (+/-)tenth book of the series. For some reason, I became a little disillusioned with some of Agatha’s antics. That is when I decided to try Beaton’s Hamish books. How glad am I that I did that!!!!?!!!?
I love Beaton’s Hamish series… I still continued to really like the eleventh through fourteenth Agatha novels, but, when Beaton dropped the "Agatha Raisin and the….." part of this series’ titles, I started thinking that at any time, I would stop reading the series… I thought that perhaps the series had seen its final chapters (as far as I was concerned). I got very tired of one of the characters…James (not to worry… I won’t go into details since I don’t want to write any spoilers. But, I can say that it was one of the few times in my reading experiences that I wished the earth was flat so that James could simply walk off the side… never to be heard of/from again!)
Anyway, I have continued with the Agatha Raisin series since I still enjoy the novels… but not as much as I used to. And, since I love holiday-theme cozy mysteries, I think that I am going to enjoy this book. The cover is absolutely beautiful, but I’m hoping that Agatha is back to her delightfully wicked ways!
On a totally different topic… My husband sent me a notice about Amazon having a day after Thanksgiving sale (better known as Black Friday Sale). We were totally unaware of that Amazon had a Black Friday Sale in the past….
Christine E. Collier says
Dear Danna,
I recently discovered your wonderful website and may I say I LOVE IT! You must have spent countless hours on it. Believe it or not I’ve never read an Agatha Raisin book but I soon will. I see many other books listed here I want to try as well. I have quite an extensive Christmas book collection, mystery and classic short stories for the holidays. Many of them you have listed here.
Again, thank you for all the work you’ve done. I am telling many friends about this website.
Christine E. Collier, Author of The Writer’s Club, Mystery is our Shadow, Christmas at Cliffhanger Inn, Something Borrowed, Something Blue and A Holiday Sampler
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Christine, for the kind words about the site. Also, I recently added you to my ever-growing list of cozy authors.
If you decide to read an Agatha Raisin book, make sure you start with the very first one of the series (Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death). This is a series that I would definitely recommend reading in chronological order.
Thanks, again…
Mamie says
Danna, So glad I found your site! Just wanted you to know that I read M.C. Beaton’s "Kissing Christmas Goodbye" in one night! Waited so long for another Agatha Raisin mystery that I couldn’t put it down. Thanks for all of your work on this site. Mamie
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Mamie,
I’m glad you found the site, also! And, thank you for the kind words.
I am still reading “Kissing Christmas Goodbye” and I am glad to report that I think that it is very good. I was a little apprehensive about it matching up with Beaton’s earlier Agatha books, and so far, I think that it does.
Thanks, again………
Harvee says
Danna: Just found your site by looking up Cozy Mystery. Wasn’t sure where Cozy ended and Chick Lit began. I have a review of Hamish Macbeth in Beaton’s latest, Death of a Maid, and wondered what you thought of the book if you’ve read it. Harvee
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Harvee,
You make a good point about Cozy VS. Chick Lit… I am guessing that women prefer the Cozy genre of mysteries because we don’t seem as obsessed with the gratuitious sex and violence that is often present in other mystery genres. It’s enough to know that a man and woman close the bedroom door and then are next "seen" drinking their morning coffee… I think that most of us can "detect" (by the mood that the author portrays during their morning coffee) what went on the previous night.
As for Death of a Maid… I read it, and really enjoyed it. Hamish never gets old for me, even after this many Hamish novels. I do have to wonder just how long Hamish is going to be able to put off a promotion. (I can’t remember which novel had him accepting a promotion… and how disastrous that was for his personal life…) Somehow, Beaton is always able to come up with a plausible way for him not to take the credit for solving the killings/mysteries.
By the way, I read (and enjoyed) your review about Death of a Maid on your site.