Granted, her character has changed a bit with the new author, but I can chalk it up to her mellowing and being more comfortable in her own skin.

It gets more complicated when later a body is discovered with a connection to the Mircester Naturist Society, followed by a stalker, several threats, a car accident, and … ice cream! Audio “Delight” I picked up the audio version of Devil’s Delight thrilled to discover that my favorite actress, Dame Penelope Keith, once again is the narrator enriching my listening pleasure. If one keeps an open mind, that was the part I had the most fun with in the book; there were a lot of jokes made about it; those jokes had me giggling out loud.I struggled my way through what was one of my favourite authors, despairing how many times the old cases of Agatha Raisin were brought up. Bert, Agatha's housecleaner Doris Simpson's husband, sees her while cleaning James' cottage windows on the ladder. The main case involves a disappearing body at the site of a naturist camp (UK speak for nudists) which of course provides for teasing humour throughout. Then there was the swimming at the Naturist society barbecue when we discovered that Agatha learned how to swim the breaststroke without putting her head underwater so that she wouldn't get her hair wet and make it look bad and not mess up her lipstick.

In the meantime, Agatha’s hectic life swirls along at dizzying pace, her private detective agency as busy as ever and her private affairs in turmoil – old loves to contend with and a new suitor on the scene. There didn’t seem to be a lot of character development, and while the story unfolded with all questions answered, I found it boring at times. There was nothing necessarily unusual about that, except this man, who we later find out is Edward Carstairs, is completely naked!The encounter leads them to become embroiled with a naturist group, a disappearing corpse, fantasy games, witchcraft, an ice cream empire, intrigue and murder. The story becomes more intriguing since the location of the body is within the confines of a naturist club, aka nudist club. Maybe it is me, as I haven't read an Agatha Raisin book for a while, but Agatha has become vainer about her looks. This starts out with Toni and Agatha driving to Bill Wong's wedding when a naked man runs out onto the road and flags them down. Theresa and Antonio were having an affair, and before they were to go to Spain together, he disappeared.

Agatha’s theories about the murder slowly point to the perp, but the excitement is in “how” the perpetrators are exposed and arrested. Agatha band Toni are in their way to their friend Bill’s wedding when a naked man comes stumbling out in front of their car.I would like to thank Netgalley, Mintauer Books and the authors for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest opinion. Agatha believes the prime suspects belong to the Naturist Society, and both Toni and Agatha go nude to investigate. As more people disappear, and secrets are revealed of questionable business decisions, not to mention a drug problem in a private school, the pair realize there is more going on than they could have imagined, and it all points to the same few people. I was screaming at Toni, telling her how stupid can she be after Ulrika told her about all the herbs she grows and that Toni drinks the herbal tea Ulrika offered her. With Agatha trying to figure out what is going on the story takes off and the reader is taken on an adventure of who the dead man is, the different situations that Agatha and her employees get themselves into.

If you’re aware of any of her acting roles, my favorites being “The Good Life” and “To the Manor Born,” you might agree with me that she was Agatha Raisin before Agatha Raisin was Agatha Raisin. Agatha Raisin is still cranky at times, but is obviously caring about her friends and coworkers, and displays sensitivity and insecurity in her private moments. Her natural voice has always been pleasant, but she is also extremely talented at performing various accents or regional dialects, adding a lisp, and supporting personalities related to gender, age, and education.But Agatha and Toni grow suspicious after meeting some of the club’s members, whose diverse interests range from artisanal ice cream to ancient curses. After all, we met Giovanni, the Italian choral director, who slept with Agatha and didn't want anything to do with her the next day. Then before she knows it, she says she will go with him to a barbecue of the Mircester Naturist Society without any clothes!