When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Agatha is in fine form in this story still insecure, still trying to get emphysema, cirrhosis of the liver and of course a man in her life.

I think in this short book, Agatha learns some important lessons, and Christmas stories are such a good setting for those life lessons. Her detective agency in the Cotswolds is thriving, but she'll scream if she has to deal with another missing cat or dog. So slightly guiltily (and belatedly), Agatha sets out to solve the case before the 25th rolls around. This year she is sure that if she invites James to a really splendid, old-fashioned Christmas dinner, their love will rekindle like a warm Yule log.

This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter.

I actually like the more 'real' subjects she touches upon, but she pushes these tough subjects back into the cozy realm.

I have become more and more convinced over the years that these books are 'first drafts' and that nobody is allowed to edit them to make them better. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian.

Considering it’s hailed as “sharp, witty, hugely intelligent [and] unfailingly entertaining” I expected a whole lot more.

Full of all her usual fun (even when not intended ) I will down load the next story The 18th in the series. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. Who in this rather sterile house, complete with fake family portraits, could have hated the old lady enough to poison her? Gli ingredienti per un gradevole romanzo, ci sono tutti: una famiglia disfunzionale, un vecchio maniero, un omicidio con la cicuta e un altro assai improbabile. Most books I read were mediocre and not worthy of reviews, or re-reads not of the sterling quality either.

I didn’t realize it was part of a series when I downloaded the audiobook but I had no issues following along.

it says, ‘The house was small and grey; one of those old Cotswold houses which weather so well that it is hard to determine it’s age’. Despite being told by Bill Wong to keep away, Agatha started to investigate in her own brash manner. When she receives a letter from an old lady begging for protection, she can't help but spring into action.