Sugar and Spite | Is the 2025 Agatha Raisin novel any good?

I don’t think I have to say this with every review I do of a cosy mystery, but I will anyway. I love this genre. There is something about that blend of humour, light-hearted characters, and murder. I know, murder isn’t exactly a humorous subject, but in these cosy mysteries, we know the murderer will get caught; there won’t be an ambiguous ending where the one who gets away could be the killer all along, and while sometimes our intrepid amateur sleuth might befriend the guilty party (okay, quite often) and be in a bit of danger, it’s danger-lite!

Sugar and Spite is the 36th Agatha Raisin novel, released in 2025 and another written by MC Beaton’s approved flame-carrier, RW Green.

Feathers are flying in Agatha Raisin's brand new case!

Agatha Raisin can think of nothing duller than a lecture on birdwatching... but events take a thrilling turn when an angry interloper storms the stage at the Carsely Ladies' Society and threatens the three bird fanatics.

When Agatha walks in on the trio of women in the middle of a blazing row, her detective instincts start 'twitching'. And when one of the birdwatchers is found dead, she can't resist investigating.

Her first lead comes from the victim's brother, who believes his sister was murdered by her fellow twitchers. Further digging reveals the disturbing nature of the women's friendship, and a bewilderingly long list of suspects.

Agatha will have to break out her binoculars and embrace her bitter side to solve the murders. Will she be able to gather all the breadcrumbs and put together the clues before she becomes a sitting duck herself?

I am going to acknowledge, before I get into the review proper, that my view is just that, mine. It may also anger some of the long-time fans of the Agatha Raisin series; I actually, honestly, prefer the RW Green books. Now, before you yell at the screen, I have my reasons!

As much as I absolutely love Agatha Raisin and her cohorts, especially Roy and Toni, and The Quiche of Death remains my favourite book, I have realised (reading through later novels) that MC Beaton had begun to fall into a rather destructive and disappointing pattern with her female characters. 

After Toni was introduced in book 18, Kissing Christmas Goodbye, the older detective seemed to develop a more negative view where younger women were concerned. This view built to the point where I found Agatha a particularly unpleasant character. Frustrated at the fact that she is getting older - and that’s something I will touch on in a bit - she seems to turn a lot of her bitterness outward. 

As much as I hate to admit it, this stereotypical bitterness in the older woman of Beaton’s creation isn’t exclusive to the Agatha books; in fact, I touch on it a little in my review of the first Hamish Macbeth novel, Death of a Gossip. 

As I have mentioned already, this view might end up with me being sent to Coventry by some of the more devout Agatha Raisin fans, but I am standing by what I’ve said. As I’ve read further into the series, it’s almost impossible to ignore the sheer number of moments where Agatha became less know-it-all city girl and more bitter and twisted potential spinster with cats (I am using this cliché for a reason) where other women were concerned. 

In 2019, MC Beaton passed away, and the ghostwriter who had been working with her for a few years took the reins. Now, I’m not saying that RW Green’s version of Agatha is perfect, but I find her to be a little more palatable. Remember, this is my opinion, and I would love to hear yours!

In Sugar and Spite, a few more of Agatha’s harsher edges have been filed off, but she’s happy! She’s in a relationship with someone she cares for, her career is going well, she’s got a relatively balanced friendship with James, and she has finally settled into life away from the big city. This level of contentment isn't one she is accustomed to, so the personality change many in the less positive reviews I found across the various platforms disliked is sort of understandable.

As this is my personal opinion, I am going to go all out and say I prefer Green’s Agatha to the one Beaton was writing toward the end. As someone for whom Agatha is now a peer - we are of a very similar age - I would hate it if people saw me as someone who is perpetually jealous of younger, prettier, slimmer, blonder girls just because they are an age I have long since left behind! And that’s pretty much all that came across for a long time.

Also…just as an aside - Agatha, for many books, seemed to just jump in and out of bad relationships because she didn’t want to be alone. You only need to look at the disaster she found herself in when rushed into several awful relationships in book 20, There Goes the Bride. Her need to find someone to be with has led her into some massive messes! However, since Green took over, she’s been a little less dissatisfied spinster, and that sits well with me!

Agatha Raisin, like many sleuths before her, works within a floating timeline. While the world moves with the times, including elements such as the smoking ban that became law in 2007, the introduction of new technology, and world events, Agatha hasn’t aged a day since her first book. Other characters have aged and then reached a stop, including Toni, who was just 17 when she was introduced and later turned 18 but has not aged beyond that. However, we know that time itself passes because things continue to evolve in Carsley and elsewhere.

So, why am I mentioning this? Well, sometimes it can feel a little jarring. I don’t know why, but reading about a wedding, a divorce, an engagement, budding relationships and more, you do expect things to change…even though I’ve read a lot of novels where this particular device is used, I never really gave it that much thought before!

Anyway, on to the plot! For the first time ever, an Agatha Raisin book actually brought me to tears, and not the hysterical ‘oh that was funny’ kind. 

This book had me rolling my eyes at the petty behaviour of three women who should know better, who are still playing the foolish little schoolgirl tricks they played when they were in their early teens as revenge for some slight or another. It also had me smiling as John and Agatha settled further into their contented relationship pattern, and groaning as Charles Fraith did his best to show Agatha he was over her so she’d be jealous - hint: she’s not!

As with the majority of Agatha Raisin novels, while we have the central murder case - in this case, two murders - we also have a shoplifting ring, and some pedigree sheep who keep on vanishing and then mysteriously reappearing. Of course there are connections! Gethin Fawkes threatened the two deceased women in public, both of whom were found dead on his land. He’s also the farmer accused of stealing the sheep. You could be forgiven for believing he’s going to be the man Agatha falls for in this book - as in the past this has been the case…but Agatha is nothing if not professional, and also, she’s in love with John, something she is finally willing to admit.

Then there’s also the family accountancy firm where Stella was a partner…she was loathed by her partners and held the fact that she had promised to leave them her shares in their business in her will over their heads.

The swinging couple who lived next door to Joan have a good reason to want her dead; she used her hide to spy on their various activities…

And finally, Joan’s disgraced brother, Anthony, who has told everyone he’s a widower, when his wife is very much alive and looking forward to their divorce.

The mystery itself has a very satisfying if somewhat predictable conclusion. However, as has been the case for a while, despite the length of the books - in this case, just 236 pages - the story continues after the murders have been solved.

I don’t want to give spoilers, because this one surprised me. There were hints, sure, that the true ending was going to be one that left the reader perhaps a bit annoyed, but what Green left us with did not make me happy! There’s no coming back from this one!

Though it may seem as though she’s lost all the rough edges that made her the person she was in the earlier books, they do make several appearances in different ways. 

I understand, truly, why many of the original fans of Agatha Raisin are put out by these, but for me, her emotional depth has improved over the last few books, and we’re seeing a much rounder, more human character.

Overall, as I’ve already mentioned, Sugar and Spite surprised me in many ways; the mystery was satisfactory, and the ending was somewhat heartbreaking. I enjoyed it (that ending, though…). And as I read it, I recalled my experience of reading book 20, There Goes the Bride, which was decidedly the opposite, and smiled, for a second!