Another winner! A much twistier, interesting plot than some, and plenty of red herrings. So much fun I was obliged to duck chores and other things, so I could gobble it down in record time. ( )

The usual fare from Agatha and co. Read as I had managed to miss this one in reading order. 3.5* ( )

Lettura sempre piacevole e avvincente oltre che simpatica. ( )

A politically correct cozy mystery. Read for Christmas challenge. I might see if I can find the TV series. ( )

Agatha as the Failed Protector + Toni Arrives
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (October 2015) of the original St. Martin's Press Minotaur hardcover (January 2007)

Kissing Christmas Goodbye has Agatha's detective agency hired by a rich landowner to discover who in her family is trying to kill her. The lady is murdered before Agatha can hardly even begin to investigate. The main drama in this story is actually the hiring of the teenage detective Toni Gilmour, whom Agatha takes a protective wing over, probably seeing her own difficult youth reflected in the youngster. Toni will become a mainstay of the book series until the present day, unlike many of the temporary hires whom Agatha goes through. Toni proves to have an instinctive knack for the work and is lucky as well. The case is solved of course and the epilogue finds Agatha hosting a big Christmas feast for everyone which is more of a success than the disastrous Christmas dinner that ended the previous book.

I'm continuing to enjoy the fun of these cozies which are somewhat different from the TV-series which I saw first. Toni Gilmour is at last introduced here in this book #18 (in the TV series she was brought in at the beginning of Season 3, but as the niece of the housekeeper Simpson). Sir Charles is much more of a recurring character and occasional love interest than he is in the screen adaptation and his cheap and chintzy manners are played up quite a bit.

The narration of this book #18 and the following #19 is not by series regular Penelope Keith but by Wanda MacCaddon. MacCaddon is fine in the role but gives a much more restrained performance than Keith does in the other voices.

Most (28 of 32) of the Agatha Raisin audiobooks are free on Audible Plus. A continuation series Book 32 Down the Hatch is yet to be released, and is expected to be published in October 2021. Down the Hatch is apparently entirely written by continuation writer R.W. Green, whereas #31 Hot to Trot was a collaboration with M.C. Beaton.

Trivia and No Link
Kissing Christmas Goodbye has been adapted for the currently ongoing Agatha Raisin TV series (2016-). It is currently scheduled to be broadcast as Episode 1 in the upcoming Series 4 later in 2021. This will likely be as a pre-Christmas Special in December 2021. There is no trailer yet available. ( )