Last Updated on April 22, 2026
I’m a big of Marion Chesney, aka MC Beaton and indeed of any writer who can continuously produce book after book, year after year.
Of course, her two most well known characters are Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth and even though I had read a few titles over the years, I had never read Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death.
This is the first in a series that has a staggering 34 books in total and it’s our introduction to Agatha as she moves from London to the Cotswolds in search of a nice quiet life.
Despite finally getting her dream, Agatha finds that life is a little too uneventful until an ‘accidental’ death piques her interest, especially when she’s the one who supposedly caused it!
It’s an iconic book and one that I absolutely should have read before now. But with all the hype, and a very successfully TV adaptation, was it as good as I was expecting?
Let’s get a little recap on the story first, though, to be fair, the title does kind of giveaway the plot!
Moving To Carsely
Agatha Raisin is a very successful PR consultant with her own business in the heart of London.
Her dream has always been to live in the Cotswolds and with no children and a husband who is no longer in the picture, she finally decides to sell up and move.
She moves to Carsely, and from the get-go realises that fitting in is going to be more difficult than she thought.
Agatha is very much used to getting her own way so when she sets out to make an impression, she does so by entering the quiche competition.
The problem is that Agatha can’t cook a bean so she cheats, popping to London to buy a posh quiche that she thinks will win her the blue ribbon.
Except it does not. Instead, the same woman who has always won the top prize, as judged by Mr. Cummings-Browne.
Disgusted by the turn of events, Agatha leaves her spinach quiche behind, and later that evening, Mr. Cummings-Browne eats it and dies.
It transpires that the quiche contained cowbane, a poisonous plant and the whole thing was basically a tragic accident.
Or was it? As Agatha’s suspicions get the better of her she starts to dig into the death a little bit more but the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she puts herself in.
Can she reveal the true culprit and finally settle in her new home?
Who’s Who in Agatha’s World?
As the first book in a very long series, the groundwork is really laid in terms of the characters that we continue to see in Agatha’s life.
Agatha herself is a sharp-witted and determined retiree from London who moves to the quiet village of Carsely in the Cotswolds.
She struggles to make friends and is actually quite a lonely person but determined to make some friends and good life for her self.
Bill Wong is a young and friendly police officer who strikes up a friendship with Agatha. He is her real friend and although he discourages her from sticking her nose into the investigation, he does have her back when things go awry.
Roy Silver is Agatha’s former colleague from her PR days in London. Initially he’s really no more than an old colleague but they soon become legitimate friends, though not necessarily in this book.
Mrs. Bloxby is the lovely vicar’s wife who befriends Agatha, first out of obligation but then genuinely begins to like her as they spend more time together.
Doris Simpson is Agatha’s house cleaner, and works for so many other people in the village that she knows everything that us happening in Carsely.
James Lacey only enters the story towards the end when Agatha’s original next door neighbour, Mrs Barr, sells her house and Lacey movies in.
Mr Cummings-Browne is the unfortunate victim of the story, and dies after eating a quiche at a village event. His death sets off the central mystery that Agatha aims to solve.
Mrs Cummings-Browne is his wife, and becomes one of the many suspects in the investigation.
Can You Guess Whodunnit?
The simple answer is that yes, you can absolutely guess who did it.
To be honest, there weren’t very many suspects and most of the story revolves around developing Agatha Raisin as a character rather than solving the murder.
It is definitely more about Carsely and the people who live there as opposed ot a bonafide whodunnit, which I have to say was a little disappointing.
It’s quirky and fun but it’s not the epitome of murder mystery writing by any stretch of the imagination.
That said, I’m not giving up on Agatha Raisin and fully plan to read more of her exploits, which is quite easy because the books are relatively short at around 250 pages.
And if you really love her then take our fun quiz which you can check out here.
