Book 2 Beating About The Bush

Beating About the Bush by MC Beaton fulfills the “Book from a Series with more than Twenty Books” category of the PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge. It is the thirtieth novel in the Agatha Raisin series. It is also probably the last one we will get from MC Beaton. She passed away on December 30, 2019.

I cried.

A lot.

I started reading the Agatha Raisin series a very long time ago. I like a cozy mystery and funny is always game in my universe. I’d been working my way through Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series at the time. And it’s also when I fell in love with audiobooks.

I grabbed Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death for two reasons. That title alone is enough to sell the book, but it was also short only about five or six cassette tapes. (You heard me right, cassette tapes that I played in my 1996 Tercel. So yeah, I’m old.)

I could not read them fast enough. Then I discovered she had another series set in the Scottish Highlands. And there were dozens of them. I read ’em all only to find out she had other mysteries and FIFTEEN series of historical romances. I fell in love with MC Beaton and I hope to never finish all her books.

Back to Agatha. She is every woman. Well, every woman over forty. She’s crass and a wanna-be, but she has a huge heart. And she doesn’t stumble into every solution. The latest novel is no different.

Agatha, with the tenacity of a terrier, knows her new client is lying and covering up a murder. No one at the police forces believes Agatha that Miss Dinwiddy’s death is no accident. The poor donkey accused of the murder, Wizz-Wazz, becomes Agatha’s newest bestie. How can you not love a book with an ornery donkey fighting for its freedom?

Okay, not that dramatic. But the story has all the quirky Agatha things, weird PR stories, a wonky mystery, problems with Toni, Charles and whoever else shows up. The donkey in this book was hilarious. Leave it to MC Beaton to get us to fall in love with a cranky ass because Agatha loves the beast.

The mystery in the story was more solid than her previous few books. The plot was short but full and followed through to the end of the book. No spoilers but seeing as it is the last of the series, I liked where she ended Agatha and Toni. And Agatha’s love life…well, I don’t want to spoil too much.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I’m sad it’s over. And I’m off to rent the DVDs of the TV show to get another fix.

I give Beating About the Bush by MC Beaton five solid donkey hooves and a tearful good-bye to one of my favorite authors.