Agatha Raisin is a free-spirited and elegant woman in her 50ties who runs a private detective agency in the Cotswolds village of Carsely. She is on a new case, and this time the case literally bumped into her. While driving with her assistant Toni to a wedding, a naked man suddenly dashed in front of them. He explained that he had just found a dead body near the edge of woods where the Mircester Naturist Club was about to have its summer picnic.
This is book #33 in the M.C. Beaton series, but the first one I read. I’ve been a fan of the Agatha Raisin TV series, and when I learned that the episodes have been based on books, I jumped into reading the latest one. This one is written by a different writer, R. W. Green, because the original author of the series died. As in the series, for me, the character of Agatha is the main force pulling me in. She is spunky, energetic, well-dressed, and always involved romantically with one (or more) male characters. This time a handsome Giovanni is her primary crush, but there is also a policeman, John, in the wings, the old friend Sir Charles, and her one-time husband, James.
The new case is interesting, with its nudist club background and the additional drug dealing case. Twice Agatha finds herself in a life-threatening situation, and there is more than one murder. I was slightly disappointed that the murderer’s identity was revealed relatively early, and there was not much suspension. However, it was an enjoyable mystery, and I may try another one – again, mainly for the series’ main character. As portrayed in her TV series, Agatha Raisin is charming, intelligent, and just as much fun on paper as on screen.
DEVIL’S DELIGHT by MC. Beaton and J.W. Green, St. Martin’s Press, 2022
Infinite Books 
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