Book Review: The Perfect Paragon

Reviewed By: Catherine Thompson - RAM

[4 stars]

The Perfect Paragon Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
M. C. Beaton
Class/Genre: Mystery Cozy Amateur Sleuth Woman Main Character Senior Sleuths
Series: Agatha Raisin # 16
St. Martin’s Minotaur; $29.95 hardcover; 294 pages

Still smarting over her divorce from the love of her life, James Lacey, Agatha Raisin doesn’t want to take on any cheating-spouse cases at her detective agency. However, she’s getting tired of the lost-pet and lost-teenager cases she’s been handling, so when pompous Robert Smedley comes to her with the suspicion that his wife is cheating on him, Agatha reluctantly takes the case. Unfortunately, Mabel Smedley appears to be a paragon of wifely attributes: young, pretty, and a regular volunteer at church.

Whilst the Smedley case stagnates for lack of evidence, Agatha and her new photographer, Phil, stumble upon the half-naked corpse of one of those missing teenagers, Jessica Bradley. In a fit of philanthropy (and good PR), Agatha offers to hunt down Jessica’s murderer for free. But soon both cases are turned upside down when Robert Smedley is poisoned. The prime suspect, Mabel, immediately hires Agatha to prove her innocence. With the help of her old friend Sir Charles and some new employees, Agatha sets out on another twisted crime-solving adventure.

OK, I’ll admit it: M. C. Beaton is my guilty pleasure. Yes, the books are rather poorly written, from a technical standpoint, but you can’t deny that Beaton plots well and her characters are decently fleshed out. The Agatha Raisin series is a load of mindless fluff, but that’s just what one needs every once in a while. I took The Perfect Paragon on the plane home from London with me, and it was just the thing to while away the long hours in the air.

Catherine Thompson - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Catherine Thompson - RAM