Agatha and the Archers
Review of the Blackstone Publishing audiobook (September 19, 2023) narrated by Penelope Keith released simultaneously with the Minotaur Books hardcover/ebook.

I am still loyal to both the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series, even though they are now being written entirely by continuation writer R.W. Green rather than the original author M.C. Beaton (1936-2019). I have an affection for both characters and their fictional communities as I binged virtually all of them (roughly 60+ books) during the worst years of the COVID pandemic. Green has managed to right the cozy course for both series, which had turned nasty towards the end of Beaton's era.

Part of the attraction is that in Beaton's fictional world the characters hardly age at all, they are set in a timeless cozy world of either Macbeth's Scottish Highlands or Raisin's English Cotswalds. That sort of unchanging environment was a comfort during the COVID lockdown era with its uncertainty.

Dead on Target has the standard plot of the series. Agatha discovers a murder and in the eyes of the incompetent Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes becomes the chief suspect. She then proceeds to solve the murder herself in order to clear her name, with her regular allies in tow. The recent romance with Inspector John Glass continues along comfortably, with a twist at the end which may signal a change of scene from the Cotswalds in the next follow-up book (late 2024?). There wasn't quite the usual level of comedy from Sir Charles Fraith and his snooty butler Gustaf and Agatha's ally Roy only puts in a short cameo. There were however one or two very shocking incidents though which surprised me, as usually in these cozies none of the regular characters are put in mortal danger.

All in all, this was mostly a rote issue for the series, but continuation writer Green does hit all the right marks and did manage to surprise me a few times. The narration in all voices by series regular Penelope Keith was excellent as always.

The next R.W. Green continuation book will be #36 in the Hamish Macbeth series Death of a Spy, with an expected February 13, 2024 date of publication.

Trivia and No Link
Dead on Target has not yet been adapted for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-). If they continue adapting the books roughly chronologically then it would be several years away from being adapted, assuming the TV series carries on that long. ( )

Not one of her best. ( )

I enjoyed the story. Mr. Green has been faithful to the characters and setting created by Ms. Beaton. Agatha has mellowed, but that's OK. The plotting is good too. ( )

Agatha’s back. A comfortable mystery with good twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

Some old characters are headed for the wings; new ones are coming onstage. Agatha has softened a bit, but is still as headstrong as ever. Agatha has a new love - let’s hope it isn’t star-crossed.

I like where Green has taken Beaton’s Macbeth and Raisin characters. Like Hamish, Agatha’s horizons are about to open up with more opportunities in future books. I look forward to seeing how she does. ( )

A village fete should be fun for all, but leave it to Agatha Raisin to find the fly in the ointment, or rather, the dead body in the woods. It seems the unfortunate victim died due to a stray arrow shot during a archery demonstration. Agatha, however, is not so quick to jump to that conclusion. Digging to discover the truth behind it all, no one is surprised when Agatha herself is targeted by the police as a killer. This cozy has a lot of excitement contained in its pages. R. W. Green has breathed new life into a delightful character, rounding off a bit of her sharp edges and making her even more likable. The mystery is a good one, and the interaction of the main characters just adds to the enjoyment of the novel. ( )