Book Review: Love, Lies and Liquor by M. C. Beaton (2006)
Synopsis: Agatha Raisin has tried to convince herself she is over her ex-husband James Lacey, even after he returned unexpectedly into her life and moved back into the cottage next door to hers. However, when he offers to take her on a surprise holiday, her old romantic feelings cloud her judgement and, despite warnings from the vicar's wife, Mrs. Bloxby, she accepts.
Only, the romantic vacation to a warm beach Agatha imagined instead turns out to be a trip to Snoth-on-Sea, an English resort town that has fallen on hard times, is nothing like James remembered and turns their vacation (complete with separate hotel rooms) into an instant failure. And that is before Agatha gets dragged in for police questioning after her missing scarf is used to strangle Geraldine Jankers, a dreadful woman she had a public spat with just hours before, resulting in an extended stay as she tries to find the real killer, has her life put at risk as a result and sees any hope of reconciliation with James quickly fade away.
Review: I don't roll my eyes often, but when I read the last page of The Perfect Paragon and saw James Lacey was back in Agatha Raisin's life, it happened and I did think long and hard before checking out the next chapter in her story, Love Lies and Liquor because despite it being a fictional character, I did legitimately dread what his return would mean.
After finishing the book, it turns out I still don't know, especially after being left on yet another Agatha/James cliffhanger. However, despite that, it turned out to be a solid and entertaining read.
As far as Agatha's unhealthy on-again-off-again relationship with her neighbor and former husband goes, I am going to admit, I saw some serious growth from the detective. At minimum, she seems to finally be realizing he's not good for her and while she hasn't quite figured out what literally everyone who has met the man can see, she's at least attempting to move on without him. Personally, I think the only reason she's still hung up on him is she can't find another guy who isn't the flaky Charles Fraith and who isn't trying to kill her.
The mystery, however, was definitely the best part of this book. You have a dreary setting and a dreadful victim who could have made a complete stranger want to kill her, creating a somewhat long list of suspects that included ex-husbands, jewel thieves, a jilted long-time friend and maybe even her new husband.
Adding to the mystery were all the side mysteries that may or may not have been related, including three additional murders that were relatively easy to solve and an effort to build a casino that might have been a money laundering scheme. Between that and the multiple attempts on her life, I couldn't blame Agatha for giving serious consideration to just quitting.
It wasn't anything serious enough for me to not like the book, but I did think there were some things that were glossed over more than they should have been. For example, Agatha's wannabe rival, Deborah Fanshawe's tragic twist probably should have gotten a bit more of an emotional response, given Agatha, James and Charles were all at least indirectly responsible.
I also found it somewhat odd the police didn't even consider moving everyone out of that hotel after the second and third murders or, at minimum, put Agatha into protective custody. The woman had multiple attempts on her life, and they were like "We'll just have you switch rooms and you'll be fine." No wonder no murders get solved unless she solves them.
Final Opinion: I'm still undecided about the whole James Lacey thing and really hope the next book reveals he met someone else and got married while traveling. However, this was an entertaining mystery with a few unexpected twists, and I did enjoy reading it.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other Agatha Raisin books:
Book Review: Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden by M. C. Beaton (1999)
Book Review: Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell by M. C. Beaton (2001)
Book Review: Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembly by M. C. Beaton (1995)
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