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When an author writes a story with 46 characters in it they had better be really good at characterization or the reader will throw up their hands in despair and put the book down never to pick it up again. But MC Beaton has succeeded in making each one of her characters believable and distinct from each other. No small feat. However, she does lose points with florid writing such as on page 102: “Long fingers of rain were trailing across the stubble of the fields.” This is especially true when the rest of the novel is written in a simplistic, almost tongue-in-cheek style. Agatha Raisin, the irascible, middle-aged, divorced private investigator, longs for a white Christmas that is perfect, like a Christmas in a Dickens novel. She would have her ex-husband James return to kiss her under the mistletoe and sweep her off her feet once more. Throughout the novel the action stops to allow Agatha to think about, talk about, and argue with others about her previous failures at Christmas and her hopes of a perfect Christmas in a few months. This portion of the novel would perhaps have made a satisfying short story, such as those Anthony Trollope wrote centered on Christmas and compiled in a charming collection. In KISSING CHRISTMAS GOODBYE these musings and worries detract from a story that could have been better presented on its own. Instead, shortcuts are taken, such as briefly describing the weather obviously to fill space rather than further the action, or havin the police tell Agatha not once but several times: “All right . . . But suspend your activities for a week or so and leave it to the police to do their job.” The main storyline involves an old wealthy woman who thinks someone is trying to murder her. She writes to Agatha and invites her to come for a visit and see if she can tell who has murder in mind. Agatha thinks the lady is barmy but eventually does visit her. What Agatha finds is an extremely dysfunctional family and an old woman living in a manor house furnished more like a cheap hotel than elegant like Manderlay. With all the villagers hating the family, the family hating each other, and especially hating the old woman who is their mother, there are more than enough suspects. By the end of the first day even Agatha wants to kill the old woman. It was frustrating when interviews weren’t completed. Or, when Agatha or her detectives rush to interview others whose names were simply mentioned and who may or may not be alive, or able to remember events in the past. And, as if there weren’t enough suspects, Agatha for no real reason decides to delve deep into the past of the deceased. What could have been an edge-of–your-seat story unfortunately turns out to be one of frustration piled upon frustration at dangling leads, wild pursuits based on ideas pulled from thin air. The big plus of the book is the introduction of Toni Gilmour as a new investigator working with Agatha. At 17, and with great looks, she also has a keen mind and is eager to learn. Toni carries the book.
Reviewed by Ginger K. W. Stratton, October 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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