Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet book review

The Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton
Series: Agatha Raisin #2
Published by St. Martin's on August 29, 2006
Pages: 198
Goodreads

Feisty Agatha Raisin, former London PR exec, retired to quiet Cotswold village. Handsome vet Paul Bladen accidentally kills himself while attending Lord Pendlebury's horse. Agatha and attractive neighbor James Lacey investigate the curious lack of sorrow shown by his divorced wife while a killer plans another "accident".

I love these books, they are the perfect light relief and offer a break to some of the harder books I end up reading throughout the month. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this one, I had said in my first book review that I thought the Hamish Macbeth series was going to be my favourite but I think this one has changed my man. It was definitely a great read with Agatha making her way back to the village and jumping straight into another murder. I loved the vet and how he integrated his way into the story and how charming he could actually be. I loved the scorned woman element of it and how it had all worked out. It was a great little mystery with some really great relationship built up on the way!

I think my problem with the last book was Agatha herself, she ground on me a little and I definitely thought there was too much emphasis on the village and not on the victim and the story there. This one was the exact opposite we really got to know the victim and his relationships intimately which was brilliantly done! I love that part of a murder mystery, learning about the different characters and this book was the epitome. There was a lot of complex characters and some that were superficial but it was the perfect mix. I wish Agatha would hurry up and realise that Mr Lacey is a stuck up snob, not worth her time or energy!

The best bit of this book would definitely have to be the murder itself. I actually think it was a quite ingenious act and I think if Agatha hadn’t been poking her nose in they probably would have gotten away with it! Kinda like Scooby-Doo and the like. I loved learning about all the transactions that went on behind the scenes and also James and Agatha becoming an impromptu team really made me happy because they had some really great one-liners and scenes between them and that made me laugh! Plus the ending was definitely action-filled and I appreciated that especially seeing as it seems to be a sleepy little village.

I think the worst bit of The Vicious Vet for me would definitely have to be the way that the animals are treated in the storyline. I almost lost all respect for Agatha Raisin and put the book down. I just wish that they hadn’t been used as a pawn the way they were. It annoyed me. I also began to get irritated by James’ behaviour and Agatha’s reaction to it. There were moments where he was great and then the next he would be treating her like crap it grew a little tiresome, I just wanted Agatha to wake up and realise that he wasn’t worth it!

I would definitely recommend these books. I have already borrowed the third one in the series, and I can’t wait to see what Agatha gets up to next in the small village she calls home. The books are definitely the remedy for a reading slump so pick them up the next time your struggling with what to read try these!

Do you have a go-to series or a book that pulls you out of a slump no matter how bad? Let me know in the comments what it is!