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Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon (Agatha Raisin 16) (Agatha Raisin 16) | 
 enlarge | Author: M.c. Beaton
Publisher: Robinson Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: £5.99
Buy New: £4.79
You Save: £1.20 (20%)
Media: Paperback
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 1845292766
EAN: 9781845292768
ASIN: 1845292766
Publication Date: June 29, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 7 to 10 days
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| Customer Reviews:
 More characters, less plot, no interest August 1, 2008
Unfortunetly what was once a good series of stories has dipped with the publication of the last two stories - coincidencing with a change of emphasis in the plotline.
Out as gone the bitchy amatuer Agatha and the well developed characters to be replaced with an Agatha who now cares about peoples feelings. For regular readers of the books, they will know that Agatha is not one for mellowing.
The characters which now surround her are at best poorly developed and are just too good to be true. Any obstacle is now easily overcome, any guess now becomes a fact and with it, the interest has vanished.
There is a chance to turn around the padded out plots with book 17 but I doubt we will see it happen. Much the pity, for there is a great character here which is being poorly utilised.
 Agatha's Detective Agency Deepens Its Capabilities October 3, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Although this is the 16th mystery in the Agatha Raisin series, you could enjoy this book as a stand-alone if you don't want to go back. Of those earlier books, I do especially recommend the first one, Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death.
Agatha Raisin had a rough start to her detective agency in The Deadly Dance. She learned she didn't really know all that much about detecting, that getting and keeping good help are hard, and that the police don't like amateur detectives who set up agencies any more than they like amateur detectives.
As The Perfect Paragon opens, the detective business is operating more smmothly . . . if only there were more business to operate. The money is in divorces, but Agatha has tried to avoid those cases due to having been recently divorced. But when business is slow, she agrees to check on Robert Smedley's wife, Mabel, who has shown an unusual (for her) tendency to act independently of her husband. Who is she buying those new clothes for? At the same time, Agatha has the usual run of missing teenagers and dogs where she normally makes good progress.
Agatha's agency soon makes a hash of the Smedley assignment, and after that she's off the case for other reasons. When a missing teenager turns out to be a murder victim, the obvious suspects seem to be unlikely killers, and Agatha is at a loss to figure out what happened . . . until Mrs. Bloxby gives her a hint as to motive. Before the story is over, crimes are spilling out in all directions.
Agatha adds a new staff member who brings some pizzazz to Agatha's investigations, and Agatha gets occasional help from her old detective partner, Sir Charles Fraith. Being as insensitive as ever to others, she virtually destroys her relationship with Bill Wong in the process of trying to find the killer and accept Bill's hospitality.
The story has a few weaknesses that are unfortunate: The investigation is turned into more of a circus than is really needed to make a good story, agency people make more dumb mistakes than seem likely, and there are a few too many coincidences in how the key facts are turned up.
The actual mystery is better developed and hidden than in many earlier books. And Agatha mostly avoids being her most annoying self.
I think these detective-agency cases will be the saving of this series, even though M. C. Beaton couldn't resist having Agatha fall for yet another handsome man.
Consider all the circumstances if you want to get at the truth!
Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon July 30, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is a really enjoyable read which is hard to put down.
If you have read other books in the series you will probably enjoy it as much as I did, but if you've never ready an Aggy Raisin book there is still enough information included to get you up to speed on who everyone is.
This is way up on my list of favourites within the series.
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